Topic: Still worth getting a New 3DS XL?

Hello,

I'm new to the forum and this is my first post. I'm looking for some advice on the New 3DS XL. Well, not soo new anymore which is why I am here. I'm wondering if it is still worth it to buy one in Dec 2016? Is a new one right around the corner? I can get a "New 3DS XL" from Best Buy for $175 right now.

A little back story. I'm 31 years old and up until somewhat recently I was a PC gamer. Ive had numerous nice setups. I have a 4 year old son now (weekends only unfortunately) and I found that I just didn't have the time or urge to game like I use to. I was doing quite a few side jobs repairing various devices and really wanted a tech bench. Luckily, my desk was an Ikea Linnmon / Adils which makes for a perfect tech bench! I parted out my build and just sold the last of it. No regrets at all either!

I've never been a console gamer really. I had a Nintendo, Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64, and Game Cube when I was younger. Also had a Gameboy, Gameboy Color, and Gameboy Advance. When I hit High School is when I abandoned consoles all together and took up PC Gaming.

I've come to realize that I would still like to game. Not $2000 PC build hardcore gaming like I had, but light gaming. I like the portability of the 3DS and it would be cool to game around the house, in bed, and on the go.

That said, does a New 3DS XL sound right for me? I always liked Nintendo games as a kid. I would definitely pick up Zelda and I really like RPGs and I know there are a few good ones for the 3DS. I would ask "should I wait for the switch?" but I'm not sure I want a console. I know it can be taken on the go and such but I don't think that is its focus. (Mobile performance, battery life, etc)

If you made it this far, thank you for enduring my life story. I figured it would help determine if it's right for me.

PS: Open to other recommendations. No budget, just made $1800 parting out my PC.

I think a New 3DS XL is worth it for anybody. It has an AMAZING library of games; Zelda, Pokemon, Mario, Fire Emblem; Kirby; Smash Bros, etc, not to mention eshop-only games like Gunman Clive and Boxboy, Virtual Console NES, SNES, GB, GBC, and Game Gear games, and backwards compatibility with hundreds upon hundreds of DS games. Buy it now!!

Honestly I was a BIG BIG PC gamer, but I find that I game more on my 3DS systems, I have different models and sizes and I can tell you from having a 3ds small, 3dsxl, 2ds, and having bought the NEW 3dsxl that the newer one IS worth it! Some of the newer games do not run that well on the older systems, and the newer 3ds does not need the cord to use the amiibos and stuff it has that function built in.

TLDR; Get the NEW 3ds it's worth it!

It is totally worth it! You have a huge backlog of games that are absolutely amazing and the prices of those games are very likely to go (even) lower the next year(s).

Oh, do make sure you get an IPS screen on your New 3DS XL though, it has better viewing angles. The only way to tell (as far as I know) is to open the package and look.

See the difference below: (Type A is the wAy to go)

Credit to the image goes to a NeoGaf forum user: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1009798

@Techbyte
Normally I'd say yes, 3DS is absolutely worth it. And really, it is.

But, with Switch 3 months away, and only $75 more, I can't find a single reason to advise anything other than waiting for it to release and grabbing that.

Whether or not being a handheld device is it's "official focus", the fact is it will do everything 3DS can do, and so much more. The caliber of the library will be miles above 3DS, by simple virtue of the fact it's within swinging distance of current gen consoles power-wise. 3DS is portable and Switch is portable. Only difference is you'll have a screen twice as large, it'll be HD, and the games will be console quality (because Switch is a console).

Had you scooped the New 3DS for $99 on Black Friday I would have said go for it. But for $175, you're gonna get a lot more bang for your buck just dropping an extra $75 and getting a system far superior in every single way, with a long lifespan ahead of it (3DS is winding down).

And even if you're not a big console gamer, at least with Switch you'll have your bases covered if you change your mind in the future. With 3DS... what you see is what you get. Now, if you can afford to get both... well, I'd say do that for sure. But if you're gonna choose one, choose the Switch.

@JaxonH

Well, I get what you are saying. However we should take in mind the budget @Techbyte has for games. You get a fully fledged zelda game on 3DS for 20$ and sales lower that by at least 20-40%. A zelda game on the switch will set you back at least 60$ I pressume.

In addition to that, the Switch will launch in 3 months yes, however the library will most likely be limited. I dont see a pokemon game launching on switch for at least another year. Games like Fire Emblem haven't even reached the rumour mill yet and there are so many other quality titles that you will miss out on for quite some time if you go for a switch.

Basically it comes down to this: Budget (for games including), the games the OP wants to play and how badly (read: fast) he/she wants to get a hold onto some amazing nintendo titles.

@Zoriam
Those are fair points, yes. A full library will not come overnight. However, many of the 3DS top games are still selling for full price ($40) since Nintendo games don't drop in price much, aside from the limited Selects range. So it wouldn't be too big a difference.

I also think if they have both a Mario and Zelda within the launch window, and get all the top Wii U games ported within the first year, not to mention Pokémon Stars, he'll have plenty to play. Especially if he's on a budget he won't be buying enough games to run out of stuff to play before more games release.

But yes, it's something to consider. It's all about what he wants. But if spending an extra $20 per game is not going to break the bank, I personally feel Switch is the wiser choice. As soon as it launches there'll be Mario or Zelda day one, with the other releasing shortly after. Those two games alone should keep him entertained until the first Wii U ports arrive, which at that point the games will pile up faster than he can play, especially given any 3rd party games that come to the system. And if he's used to PC gaming, he'll feel right at home with games like Skyrim and Dark Souls 3 ( even if those particular games don't come, others will).

I say it is worth it. There are tons of games for it. I am also ne of those people that does more portable gaming than console gaming and I have both a PS4 and a Wii U alongside my New 3DS.

Thank you all for the input!

I really wish I thought of this when they were $99 on Black Friday... That said, maybe I will wait for the Switch. I'm not sure yet. I will definitely think about it! I just hate buying something when the next gen is right around the corner.

So I finally decided to give a New 3DS XL a try. Boy did I underestimate the power of Christmas demand for Nintendo products. I called up my local Walmart (2 Super Centers), Best Buy, Target, Toys R Us, Kmart, and GameStop. Best Buy had one, GameStop had 2, rest were sold out. I went and got the last one from Best Buy. Tried it out in the parking lot and it had dual TN panels and 2 stuck pixels. Returned it. Went to GameStop. They now had one left! Bought it!

I found out in Best Buy parking lot that it doesn't come with a power adapter... So I went to buy one in Best Buy when I returned the 3DS. Sold out. I ended up calling all of the above stores and the only one who had an official Nintendo charger was Target. It was quite the adventure!

I'm going to read up on the above comments, but I have a few questions.

1) RPG Recommendations ?
2) Any accessory recommendations?
3) Physical vs Digital game library
I couldn't make up my mind on this one! I had spent enough time running all over so I just grabbed a $50 Nintendo eShop gift card for now. If I lean towards Physical, I'll just throw the $50 at Digital Only titles. I have a 32gb Samsung Evo+ micro SD card already.

I really think I will still pick up the Nintendo Switch! I just really wanted something right now and the Switch releases mid March I believe. I literally picked up the 3DS, power adapter, and $50 game card for what I sold my Samsung 850 Evo 1TB SSD for. Worth it to me.

Thank you for this! I would have never even known there could be a difference between two New 3DS XLs. I looked into it after reading your post and it sounds like it is totally random and based on luck. Obviously Nintendo probably had to source panels from more than one source for demand. So I get why but it still kind of sucks!

Luck was definitely on my side though! As you can see in my above post, I got the last New 3DS XL in my entire city as far as retailers go. It has dual IPS panels, Top and Bottom. The first one I got at Best Buy definitely had dual TN panels! I turned it to test, the colors totally washed out. The one from GameStop the colors don't do this and you can still clearly see what's on screen accurately. I don't know if this matters, but my GameStop one had to have been "newer" as far as production goes. The one from Best Buy had a serial number that started QW1XXX and the one from GameStop started QW4XXX.

I decided to go with a Physical Library. I assumed that digital game purchases would be tied to my Nintendo Account and not my device. I understand that you can transfer them to a new device, but for resale / hand down reasons physical seems the only logical way to go. If I decide to sell or give my New 3DS XL away I don't want to have to give my Nintendo Account away with it or lose out on every single game I purchased.

I almost regretted purchasing the $50 Nintendo store card, but then I realized that some of the games I want are digital only. I could also just leave the $50 on my Nintendo Account for when I get the Switch. So all good.

@Techbyte
Or you can use it for DLC in certain games if it caughts your eye!

I went and picked up my first physical game. I want to start off with Zelda titles. I remember (faintly, lol) playing through Zelda, Zelda II, and Zelda : A link to the past. I didn't play Ocarina of Time very far in and I never played Majoras Mask! So I picked up those 2. They should keep me busy for a while. I'm getting all Nostalgic now, lol.

I'm liking the New 3DS XL so far. I wish the top screen was a little nicer (resolution wise) but overall it's good for the price. The outer cameras were a waste of production cost in my opinion. I would happily ditch them for a slightly higher res display. That said, I've gamed for years on PC at higher resolution with Ultra graphic settings. It's actually kind of nice to change it up, go back in time a bit.

Hello everyone. I'm trying to decide if this is right for me. I have never owned a DS handheld. Currently I own a Wii U, PS Vita, and PS4. I intend to pick up a Switch at launch. I'm not interested in sports games or turned base. I watched some top 10's on YouTube and most of what I saw was indie, ports, and turn based games. I would like to know what this system has to offer exclusively? What makes this system worth spending $200 when the Switch will be $50.00 more? What sets it apart from all the rest? Lastly, if I do decide to make this purchase how do I go about getting a IPS panel? I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be allowed to open boxes in the store to see if it's the right panel.

Welcome to the 3ds world !

If you like RPGs I would recommend :

• Bravely Default and its sequel Bravely Second : these are reminiscent of the old Final Fantasy games. Made by Square Enix of course
• Etrian Odyssey (Untold, Untold 2 or IV) : excellent Dungeon RPGs. These games use the bottom screen to let you draw your own map of the dungeons.
• Xenoblade Chronicles 3D : the remake of a Wii game. This a modern open world JRPG with a very good story.
• Tales of the Abyss : a nice Action RPG, it is a remake of a PS2 game
• Fire Emblem (Awakening or Fates) : the pinnacle of Tactical RPG
• Shin Megami Tensei (IV and IV Apocalypse) : very good and dark JRPG where you have to tame demons to fight in your team. These are very hard games.
• Devil Survivor (Overclocked and Record Breaker) : these are tactical RPGs in the Shin Megami Tensei Franchise.
• Fantasy Life : a light-hearted action RPG / Life Sim
• Any of the Pokemon games if you like this type of game.

And there are a lot more !

You also have a ton of RPGs from the DS library which are very good to play on the 3DS.

@Techbyte

I am very glad that you were able to find an IPS New 3DS XL. As said before: welcome to the family!

There are so many great games for the 3DS. Do beware though, that Xenoblade Chronicles 3D is a very difficult game, that (along with Monster Hunter) should be able to challenge you greatly! Zelda is just fantastic, enjoy! I was an avid PC gamer before and although the screen resolution might bother you at the first, you will probably get used to it. My gaming hours are currently way higher on my New 3DS XL.

@Harbringer
Many games on the 3DS are turn-based. However, there are plenty of games that aren't (Zelda, Xenoblade, Fantasy Life, Monster Hunter, Mario and the list goes on). One turn-based game that you however should not miss is Fire Emblem. It is absolutely sublime. See the above post for more great games.

The fact that you have never owned a DS or 3DS is all the more reason to go for a (New) 3DS (XL). You will miss out on a lot of great games (on both 3DS and DS) that will not be released on the Switch (it isn't backwards compatible as far as I know). I wish you good luck contemplating, but I highly recommend getting one.

Went from a regular 3DS XL to a New 3DS (non XL) and i prefer the smaller device. I dont' care about TN or IPS screen differences.

@OneBagTravel

Good for you. I do think that others might enjoy a better and/or bigger screen. Everybody has their preferences I suppose...