Talking Point: Another Look at the News - 22nd June

i think it is quite clear by now that Nintendo doesnt like the CC Pro. They were more or less forced into releasing it to gain more 3rd party support but im not seeing much 1st party support (or indeed marketing).

I'm just interested to see how the graphics hold up being stretched 90%

Yeah I was blown away by this Nintendo Direct. I thought it was a joke for a while until it sunk in that it was real. I'm one of those who bought a DSi XL & couldn't bring myself to get a 3DS due to the small screen so I'm definitely getting a 3DS XL day 1, just gotta figure out where I wanna preorder it. This Nintendo Direct should've been their E3, suprises everywhere with new games shown & new 3DS. All mind blowingly awesome

I thought the 3DS XL looked kinda ugly. I'll stick with my small 3DS.

No built-in Circle Pad Pro features equals 100% fail as far as I'm concerned. Here they had the perfect opportunity to fix a fundamental flaw of the original 3DS, and they couldn't even be bothered. Worse, that means they're now going to have to design a new version of the Circle Pad Pro for this larger machine! No way I'm getting one, both for those reasons and due to the fact that it'd never fit in my pocket, which is amazingly still important to me.

I'm a left-handed Kid Icarus player! I'm not getting this. Nintendo have made idiots of themselves by not including 2 circle pads. Now that the Circle Pad Pro I got is useless with this, I'm considering this a No-No.

It actually is. It loads more readily than the Wii internet browser! That guy in the pic should have bulging eyeballs like Ⓞ☐Ⓞ

I thought this was way better than the E3 conference personally

I'm one of those schlubs that ponied up for a DSiXL just after the price drop. When I asked about it, the cashier guy told me that most drastic price drops usually mean they're trying to get rid of old hardware to pave the way for something else. Which is obvious, I guess, but I just figured they were trying to get rid of old DSi hardware to make room for MORE 3DSs. Not a whole new iteration of it. So I'm torn. I already have a 3DS and love it, but part of me is going to be pining for those big glorious screens.

Oh well. I now have a way to play DS games in full-resolution and can save the 3DSXL money to go toward that other piece of new hardware coming soon....

I'm reading this on my 3DS web browser. XD

This Nintendo Direct had its highs and lows, very bipolar with the excitement for me. No Animal Crossing? But they mentioned Fire Emblem! Check. The third party 3DS games didn't excite me. But Kingdom Hearts 3D demo is available now! Pokemon Black and White Version 2! But we get a trailer that doesn't show us anything..

the bigger screen is interesting, but i need to see it in action. i dont want a bigger screen with bigger pixels or blurry textures.

still, its nice an probably be my next 3ds version when my current one will be too used. which wont be soon. i still have my ds lite in top shape since its launch, and it played hardcore games likev the world ends with you.

I'm part of that demographic that loved the larger screens of the DSi XL (still do), so going to the 3DS almost felt like a step back for me. Am I tempted to get one? Absolutely (especially the blue one)! I have some questions/thoughts though:

-Would it come with a bigger pen, like the DSi XL did? Thinking that would go great with Swapnote, Colors 3D, and the new Art Academy.

-I still enjoy DS games (I pledged to the Diamond Trust Kickstarter). Frankly, DS games on the 3DS look like crap (sorry, but they do...and I know there's that option to revert the game to its original resolution, but the black box around the playing field is too distracting, imo). I know the 3DS XL is basically going to be the 3DS's guts in a larger model (as was the DSi to DSi XL's conversion), but I wonder what the end product will look like...

Like most of you guys, I'd like to see this thing in action before I buy one. However, I am interested. Playing Mario Kart 7 and Kid Icarus on big screens sounds cool.

Well, I feel like the only person who actually likes the 3ds XL the 3ds screens are kinda small for me so I guess this will be perfect, plus the battery life is longer (something half you whiners have been whining about since the original release) so it truly is improved :3

I bought a DSi XL but returned it after realizing I just don't need that much screen for DS graphics. But now the graphics of the 3DS are a lot better and I wonder if I'll like it more than the time I tried a DSi XL. I imagine the image will be crisp but the jaggies appearant with the resolution of the 3DS will be there just larger but crisp still so I don't know.

good takes on this announcement, guys. i do not get all the anger, calling it 'ugly' etc is coming from. for those of us who prefer larger screens, it's great. for those that don't, they are not losing a thing by not buying the 3DS XL.

the most anger seems to be coming from ninty fanboys (judging from past posts) who feel somehow betrayed. this i truly don't understand: how does a corporation betray anyone by coming out with another option for buyers?

Also marketing like this messes with your thinking. Now when I turn on my 3DS I first think, is this too small? Crap.

edit: 'i do not get all the anger being expressed in other threads...' (edit button is not to be found, sigh)

Personally I will stick with my smaller 3ds thanks. I like that this one fits in my pocket nicely.

Plus I really don't know what all the griping about not having a second circle pad is about? I've always said since the rumours surfaced that they would never include it on a new model simply because it could never be fully supported while there are still players with original 3DS's out there. Same reason the kinect and play can never be fully supported by every xbox and ps game released, they'd lose sales to people who didn't have the hardware. I have a CPP and it works well as an option for games like Metal gear solid 3D but I have never once felt I couldn't play a game without it, and I'm a lefty... So why add to the production costs?

I'll buy it whenever, but I think it's good for an optional upgrade. As long as save data can be transfered by swapping the SD cards I'll be fine.

Different stroke for different folks, and it seems that there is a polarized reception around these sites. Personally, I'm part of the demographic that wants a bigger screen, so by the time they come out with the color I want in a year or two, I'll be trading in my old system. I really dig the form factor of the XL so far.

@k8sMum Edit button appears when you refresh the page, it's a little quirk of our new live comments

Yeah their hasn't being a need for a secondcircle pad because developers acknoledge it so they don't make games that would require it. Why would they make a game that requires certain things if the system doesn't have that thing. I can bet as soon as they add a second one where gonna see more games that require second analogue like FPS's.

Would have bought he 3DS XL for my wife over the 3DS last Christmas - I almost bought her the Dsi XL over the 3DS but then the NintenDogs Pink package came out along w/ a $40 GC - but it's not worth an upgrade now.

Let's see - Wii U announced 13 months ago - still no date, Pokemon B/W2 announced 6 months - still no date (sorry, we already knew "Fall"), 3DS XL announced last night WITH a date. Who the heck is running that company?

If they do make a CPP XL, it's going to be the size of a lunch tray, hahaha.

I'm pretty torn on the XL. On one hand, the color choices are...pretty poor (I'd love a midnight purple one), and I'm concerned how some of the VC games will look on it, but I like the bigger screens, the new Select/Home/Start buttons, and that the touch screen isn't surrounded by a dust-collecting crevice.

I hope the stylus holder is on the side of the system, like it was with the DS Lite. That would be awesome.

My smaller 3DS is fine. I don't know how much money Nintendo think we all have to get a 3DS XL as well as a Wii U. The lack of AC adaptor appears like a little hint they want us to keep the original 3DS and share the charger! Let's not forget about the colossal amount of software to get! Jeez. May get the red one for my daughter when she turns 7. I have a black one and my lad has a aqua blue one.

The CPP is dead, or at least resigned to niche status. If you couldn't read the writing on the wall before, it's time to pay attention:

• Out of all the upcoming 3DS games shown at e3 and on the Nintendo Direct (both 1st and 3rd party), there's only 1 single game (KH) that even supports the CPP, but still doesn't require it and hasn't even featured it in any promotional materials. Also note that KH was in development for ages, so it likely picked up CPP support back when the device was new and there was still a possibility of it being more widely adopted; I seriously doubt that a newly developed game from the same studio would even look at the CPP today.
• The device is still a GameStop exclusive. If Nintendo cared about the device or wanted it to be prominent in any way, they'd never restrict it to one retailer like that.
• Their messaging has been consistent from Miyamoto and others: we don't see dual analogue as appropriate to this system.
• If any 3DS model were to have 2 analog sliders, it surely would have been the XL. Now that it's out and doesn't have them, there will certainly never be a dual analog 3DS. Maybe the successor to this system (ie. 3DS2 / 4DS / GameBoy9000) will have it, but no 3DS ever will.

Also, don't really care about a second analogue stick. The vast majority of games will and are and made for the 3DS single analogue stick and touch screen. That's fine by me. Dual analogue gaming is "nice" but very overrated. Sorry.

Think about it theirs a lot of great titles that require it, for example, assassins creed, call of duty, medal of honor, ghost Recon, and even zombiu. Andball thee are coming to Wii u because the controller can finally do everything because it has a touch screen and all other buttons including dual analoges, which OS why their able to work on the console. Why not make the 3ds have more buttons more games better gameplay, and just more of what the system can do.

Because it is'nt part of what the system can do, when it needs a peripheral to do it.

I'll be getting this, no thought really needed either My current 3DS is red, my future 3DS XL is gonna be red. I'm a happy boy with bigger screens

I like the looks of the 3DS games and love Nintendo games in general, but the DS and GBA and earlier have all been shelved rather quickly so I skipped on the 3DS. It's because the controls are super cramped for most adult hands, I feel like I have to get in weird contortions to actually see the tiny screen over long periods of time, and probably most of all, I can't share the experience with anyone. This almost solves it all and I'll probably give in when it releases.

I was never going to try and carry a 3DS in my pocket anyway, I have a phone in there that plays plenty of great games that are more tailored for mobile play anyway. Sacrificing portability for comfort is exactly what this does and is why I will probably buy it.

The overly curved corners on the top cover and the circular speaker and the slow and gradual bevel all give it a bit of a child's toy look, I think. Is that where the ugly comments are coming from? I stare at the screen while I play, myself.

Oh, and it's too late to make a second analogue stick standard on the 3DS. It launched over a year ago. Just sayin'.

I'll stick with my smaller 3DS. All my accessories are made for it, and I need it to fit into my purse. My DSi XL does NOT, so I know this won't. I may get it later on if I have the cash, but at the same time, I'm saving up for the Theatrhythm DLC.

What accessories won't work on the 3DS XL besides the CPP?

About the purse. Men don't usually get to carry purses around, so you should really flaunt your privilege here. Get a bigger purse and whip out the massive 3DS XL in front of a bunch of guys. They might say something mean, but it will be thinly veiled jealousy.

Just because its over rated don't mean its useless. E3 was filled with platformers games for the same reason, because 3ds can do those best. Kindom hearts will play better with dual analogue like the ps2's version. Think about it the ds version had camera Issues. Like I said why not make the system do more. Also like I said theirs also a reason why we mainly get these platformers, and over the top games. Honestly you guys wouldn't want to play a grand theft auto, battlefield, call of duty, assassins creed and all these great AAA titles? Or are you guys ok with mario, zelda and other platformers for the rest of the 3ds life span?

@aaronsullivan I have a game case that I bought recently that only works for the DS Lite/DSi/3DS. Anything bigger won't fit.

About the purse... lol. People already give me strange looks when I'm in the mall with my 3DS out, trying to Streetpass. Right now, the 3DS XL is looking bulky and ugly to me. I will probably buy it in the future, but right now? Not a day one buy for me. The only reason I got a DSi XL is because it was the Super Mario Special Edition, and it was a gift.

@pariah164
Sure, a case. That makes sense.

@AwesomeAddict

That is the reason I'm not going to purchase one. As a lefty also who likes to play KI:U(love the game), it does hurt to know that it would feel even more awkward should I have chosen that I'd get one. Even if the XL got its own CPP, the thing would be too big and I might as well consider it a home console.

Bad enough, NOBODY around where I live has had CPPs, nor have many of them even heard of the thing; so I'm stuck with lost hopes of an upcoming model having one built in.(I'm saying this because, although it's not necessarily Ninty's fault, I shouldn't have to have some random add-on 'mailed in' to feel comfortable with controls that should've been there from the start).

The only saving grace is that we don't have many games with controls like KI, where us lefties have to just deal with it if we can't get the necessary attachments.

Until such a remodel makes an appearance, not interested in any of these that lack what is needed. As long as devs remain smart with controls, my regular 3DS is staying with me.

@smooth27: With the exception of Battlefield all of those "great AAA titles" are available on the DS. (Not to mention many of these franchises were on the PSP also!) If the DS versions of Kingdom Hearts had camera issues then Konami should have fixed the game before they released it. You're kidding yourself if you think that dual analog is in an way better than circle pad+touch screen. Time to stop being lazy like game developers and learn the new control options.

As far as the 3DS XL is concerned, this thing seems pointless. Games are only going to look worse on the bigger screen. I can only see this being useful for people with bad eyesight, even then the games won't be sharp and could still cause problems. The ginorminty of this thing severely cuts down on the portability factor. As Aaron suggested, does Nintendo want us to carry man purses (or one of those European Men's shoulder bags) around?

I just bought my 3DS two weeks ago. I knew I should have waited.

@TheDarkness - The games will look great, just look at the DSI XL. Honestly, I know it's a portable but how often do people actually take it anywhere? I rarely ever take it with me and most other people I know don't either.

It will be so much nicer, especially for the virtual console stuff, NES games weren't made to be played on a 2 inch screen

Imagine how uncomfortable an XL will be in your pocket when hunting for StreetPasses.... my 3DS Classic is plenty fine.

It's uncomfortable now, I don't even bother with that feature.

Yeh I can see StreetPasses being a problem with the XL

Also I wish I could update the 3DS stands in the stores because I'm tired of looking at a 3DS that looks like its from before June 2011, it gives people the wrong idea about there being no eShop and very little StreetPass puzzles and hats

So it's clear now:

• This model is not the officially revised version and is for an alternate demographic (meaning they're both sold in retail)
• The lack of a 2nd circle pad implies that Nintendo will never use a 2nd circle pad (releasing a revised model with another pad would supposedly warrant for a larger version with the same thing and would be too many models to keep track of overall)
• The resolution is likely the same, as upscaling would require more powerful components. Don't know about the processor, but Nintendo would have to use another model of the PICA-200 GPUs and thereby increase the cost of the system. Emulation would also be prominent and put more stress on developers, even if Nintendo magically raised the clock speeds in this unit instead of using powerful components so as to make higher resolutions possible.
• There is mixed reviews on its appearance, shame on you Nintendo for not designing it that pleases both crowds (excluding uninterested owners of current model)
• The broadly spaced buttons implies that this model is for people with big hands. It may look ergonomically horrible for some, but others have complained of hand cramps from the smaller version.

Conclusion, Nintendo had not made some consistent strategies :/

when people will get that Nintendo DOES NOT play like the other since the Wii. Let me put it in another way : Nintendo will not play like the other NEVER AGAIN. they will set the trend, will not follow. And when all the people started to rant about Nintendo not saying enough, i had this feeling that they will start to set apart from E3. They see themselves BIGGER than E3 and they now pretty well what BLUE OCEAN means. this is exactly what you do if you what to make people talk about you ( and piss off the competitors in the mean time) im as shock as anybodyelse, and for that, thank you Nintendo! for making this old jaded guy to feel excitement!

@SteveW: NES games look fine the way they are. I could care less about those. GB games already look bad, they will look 90% worse on the XL. The games are designed for a set resolution, blowing them up to bigger screen will make all the blemishes all the more noticeable.

a second circle pad would have split the user base. Developers would have no idea what hardware their customers had when making a game. Had a second circle pad been included it would not have been utilized very much I think.

@warioswoods Thank you! At least someone is using their brain. Adding a second circle pad for a handheld that has at most maybe 2 games out right now that even support it is completely stupid. All it would do is confuse developers and alienate original model owners.

So James when do you mention the SNES and DS games your getting due to the XL?

@TheDarkness

"GB games already look bad, they will look 90% worse on the XL."

Um... we're talking about the unscaled mode, which is pixel-accurate. Using that mode on the XL model will look beautiful, because the small frame (with subtle 3D effect that I adore) will be close to the size of an actual GB on the larger screen.

well the only reason in picking this one up is only for the 3ds effects (ill keep my previeus model just for the virtual console titles)

im really tempted to get a 3dsXL, it looks soo good. i dont know what i would trade in for it though, ive got some saving to do now... time for work....

I have to admit, I'm a little peeved about the $199 price point for this system since I paid that plus another $70 or so for my original 3DS. Yes, I did get the ambassador games for free so I guess I can't complain. It's a great deal for those of you who don't have one yet so pick one up!

@MetalMario Thats exactly my opinion on it.

If anyone actually believes this new model costs more money to make than the current model they need to look a bit harder and think a bit longer.

Also, there's people that actually think this thing looks sleek?

Obviously these people have a very different idea of what sleek is as compared to me for example.

I plan on upgrading. But im keeping my old 3ds too. As for the second circle pad i don't care for it.

You know, Nintendo should really focus on upgrading the 1.5 Mega Pixel camera lenses that the 3DS currently has.

Most smartphones these days have 8 MegaPixel cameras that take waaaaay more amazing photographs than the 3DS could ever imagine.

Ok here's a general control scheme that fits best to type of genres.
1. Platformers: one circle pad plus ABYX buttons.
2: Racers: 1 circle pad plus ABXY buttons plus L,R. Gyro also works best for racers as a second option.
3. Fighting: 1 circle pad plus ABYX buttons and L,R.
4. Third person games, and first person shooters: third person plays best with 2 analogues for camera control and all of the other buttons for extra gameplay stuff.
FPS' require 2 sticks for best play plus all other buttons for reloading, aiming, fire, sprinting, grenades and such.
Second option is stylus, but that only leaves one button either L or R, and clutters touch screen and when trying to look due to tap the reload button or aiming slows down gameplay on a fast paced genre.
Third option is gyro. Gyro is fun for mini games such as face raiders. However games like battlefield, or call of duty are much faster pace that gyro is a very difficult option, almost impossible. Imagine moving left and right a lot of times in public when playing a FPS?
4th option is ABYX for aiming and that is just painfully hard and inaccurate.
So as you can see every genre has there control schemes that work best for each genre. So 2nd circle pad is indeed needed for certain genres, just because you dont play third persons or FPS's doesn't mean its not needed. Don't matter if its overrated or underated.

My type of games are third person and fps's so for me second stick is required andbl preffered. As much as I love Mario and other platformers I dont want to play that type for the rest of the 3ds's life just cause nintendo don't wanna implement another cp.

@Smooth27 same here

Second analog stick is a pretty crappy way to play shooters, though. Touch screen and gyro controls are far better options.

@Smooth27: Having logged many hours on DS fps I can tell you that the d-pad and touch screen beat dual analog every time (no stylus needed). Anyway it all comes down to game design, you design the games for the system they're going to be played on. It makes no sense to try and shoehorn a "standard" control scheme onto a system that doesn't support it. Since most of the games that that are made for the 3DS are not direct ports of their console brethren, why bother trying to emulate the same control set-up? It's just lazy "me too" game design. I want to play video games not be a camera man.

I've had 24 hours to think about it, and the screen itself is a seller for me, but I'll wait to see if they bring out a CCPXL for this, as I don't yet have RE: Revelations, so i think I'd buy all three as a bundle of sorts

@SteveW, and Gameboy, Gameboy Color and Gameboy Advance titles were definitely never supposed to be played on an almost 5 inch screen either. Which are the platforms the 3DS VC should be much more focused on, anyways. Talk about an unnatural and unauthentic handheld experience that would feel like. I'd rather not, and nobody else should either. The 3DSXL screens will display the same exact resolution as the original model. I hope you enjoy playing your Gameboy, Gameboy Color and Gameboy Advance VC titles as a blurry mess.

So I trade in my old 3DS which is brill and working fine and get 50 to 60 percent of its original value and then pay the difference for a new console that does exactly the same but has a bigger screen for debateably better visuals? I also have to fork out for a charger (I do I trade in my old 3DS without a charger? Even if I could, does that devalue it?) . I'll pay out for non-essential entertainment devices by Nintendo because everyone in the family use and enjoy them unlike other consoles and iOS devices, but not for this kind of cosmetic visualisation reason. In the real world, Nintendo, people havehouses and families to pay out for. The DS phat's screen was way too dark so the Lite updrade was understabdable, but this is a bit of a p take so early on. Of course one could get into debt for the sake of getting this but that would be Apple cuktism, so no. Saving hard for Wii U and all this software as priority. Once my daughter turns 7, that'll be the time.

@LEGEND_MARIOID So don't buy it.

To me, there isn't a lick of controversy about this new product from Nintendo. It's an option, not a replacement or redesign.

The 3 big issues:
It's ugly to some people
There's no second analog or extra shoulder buttons (same as the original)
Nintendo is making some people question their current 3DS purchase (even though they obviously valued it enough to buy it)

In summary, it's worse than the original and it makes people mad because they bought the original. Something's not right.

@James

so it is! i was wondering why it seemed to be some places but not others. thanks much, james.

@warnerdan
and we are happy for you. happy is good.

@aaronsullivan

i don't get all the animosity either. i don't see where the 3DS XL is anymore ugly than any other game system. i don't think a 2nd pad would have been good at this time (and i'm a lefty). i don't think it looks any cheaper than any other system. it just looks different from the 3DS.

i am an artist. years ago, when i bought my first Wacom tablet, i had researched etc. no sooner did i invest in it than they came out with a slightly better model at a better price. i didn't get angry as it was my decision and i was happy to have a tool that worked great.

in the world of electronics, nothing is static; change is happening all the time. most electronic devices are obsolete the minute you leave the store. due to the time that needs to be invested in making the games a system uses, we gamers are more fortunate than most that our purchases have a longer period of usefulness.

I've died and gone to heaven, courtesy of Nintendo.
Why complain about size or how it looks? It's definitely not an ugly console, and the size doesn't faze me because my current 3DS will sometimes get lost in the void of my pockets. Anyone who has played the DSi will know that it opens up the world a bit more if the screen is bigger, it definitely helped with Prime Hunters.

@aaronsullivan: I'm with you on the comfort issue. The GBA SP and the DS Lite were both too small for my big man hands. I normally wear jeans with large pockets anyway, so carrying this thing around for street-passes will likely be a non-issue. I hope Nyko releases a battery grip for it like the old one as well. And I'm hoping on getting this as a bundle with New Super Mario Brothers 2. I never got a DSi XL because at the time it was impossible to transfer software. Those issues have all been solved now. I may even decide to give my old black launch model 3DS to my buddy for Christmas, unless I can get a lot of $$$ for trade-in value, which I doubt.