Nintendo 3DS XL – Blown Away by Video Game Awesomeness

Nintendo 3DS XL Review…

Every so often, I upgrade our portable gaming system (Nintendo DS). It’s not about having the latest tech but, rather, being able to play what’s currently available. That’s why the Nintendo 3DS was on my radar.

More and more games are being created for the Nintendo 3DS, including ones from my favorite franchises. These can NOT be played on a normal DS or DSi (3DS game cards have an extra plastic tab to prevent that) so that meant we were missing out on more Mario and Professor Layton goodness!

Last Black Friday (the best time of the whole year to get video game deals), we decided to go for it. I was still skeptical of the whole “3D without glasses” thing but knew there was an option to turn it off. The next decision was whether to get the regular size or go with the XL size…GET THE XL!!!

We figured that the standard size was about the same as using our regular smartphones and that it was only about $20 more. The Nintendo 3DS XL is totally worth it! There’s much less strain on your eyes and the console fits much better in your hands. It looks big but it’s not and is still very portable. So much more detail can be seen on the newer games. On older games images are basically just enlarged, making them a tad less clear. If you were really concerned with video game graphics, though, you would have gone with a different system anyway. Am I right?

The 3DS offers much more than just the ability to play new games. You can take 3D photos with the outer camera, create Mii’s (custom player avatars originally made for the Wii), and enjoy the built-in software such as Face Raiders (creepy but cool, and yes that is my face in the image below). The 3DS is backwards compatible so you can still play the DS games you already own. Also, I love the analog/circular control pad – it has saved my thumb from many potential blisters.

Back to the 3D thing. Turns out that the 3D really works and is extremely awesome! It’s like those three-dimensional pictures that were popular back in the day but you don’t go cross-eyed. The strength of the effect can be adjusted so as to avoid getting headaches or if you have someone (like my daughter) watching over your shoulder as you play. Paper Mario: Sticker Star, Mario Kart 7, and Professor Layton and The Miracle Mask look fabulous and it helps so much with depth perception.

So there you go. Instead of just being a promotional stunt or only making cosmetic changes, as I had originally assumed,  Nintendo has once again rekindled my inner gamer by providing a new gaming experience.

Should you upgrade to the 3DS? Yes. What size should you get? XL. It’s as simple as that. You’ll love it, trust me.