Super Stable 3D really works<br /> Symmetry of design<br /> Built in NFC and faster CPU for future proof gaming
SD Card only access by unscrewing<br /> No US release for non-XL version<br /> Naming continues to confuse
Nintendo's "New 3DS" handheld may have a confusing name, but its obsessive devotion to symmetry, intelligent enhancement of features and detailed sculpting for fit in the hand turns an adequate design into near perfection.
Maybe it's from growing up with handhelds, but I'm still convinced that a dedicated gaming device is the best way to play video games on the go. My children dabble with tens of smartphone
games each month, but it's the 3DS and Vita titles they settle down with.
This month Nintendo releases two new 3DS handhelds in the UK, the New 3DS and the New 3DS XL. Leaving aside the confusions of nomenclature, although the 3DS was expanded into XL form and made child-friendly with the 2DS these new form factors are the first functional revisions of the hardware since the 3DS launched.
Buttons and Screens
The new versions both add a second thumb stick in the form of a nub positioned about the right hand buttons. This, like was popularised in 90s IBM Thinkpad laptops, offers a way to input a second analogue direction without compromising the space provided to other controls.
Sure, it's still not quite dual-stick controls, but this innovative approach ensures that the other buttons remain largely in the same position to ensure continuity with older 3DS games. It also means that peripherals like the Circle Pad Pro XL are not made redundant.
Less unusual, the New 3DS design also adds trigger buttons at the back, ZR and ZL. Other buttons also feel generally priced up, with the home button continuing the trend towards being more "button-y" since its slightly strange covered-clicker incarnation in the original 3DS. The volume slider has also been moved to the left of the upper screen and mirrors the 3D slider that remains on the right.
The screens have grown a little too. The standard New 3DS screens are now somewhere between the original and the XL size, with the New 3DS XL still offering the most visual real estate and with that a slightly more pixelated display.
Each of these tweaks on their own are minor but play into the general redesign to create a sense of symmetry and clean aesthetic.
While there is not as much rejigging on the New 3DS XL, moving from the original 3DS to the New 3DS felt like the transition from original DS to DS Lite.
It's in the hand where this really comes together. Small touches like the indentation above the analogue nub to accommodate your thumb, or the scooped out region above the stylus that perfectly fits your right finger, make you want to hold the device like the old Gamecube controllers did.
The stylus faired worse though in this transition, certainly in the New 3DS unit I tested. It is lighter and more plastic than the styli of other iterations and felt uncomfortable in the hand. While this may suit smaller fingers, I will be investing in a larger pen or maybe using one from another system.
Finally, while the hinges of the New 3DS XL feel identical to the previous iteration, on the New 3DS there is a very different approach. The hinge has that satisfying car door dampened feel.
It's another small change but given the number of times you open and close the device in a day one that makes a big difference.
Under the Hood
The New 3DS and New 3DS XL come with a beefed up processor that will run new games faster as well as speeding up some load times and general processing. It's understood that games that do make use of this will also still be compatible with the original 3DS range as well, I presume with slower performance or some details or features switched off.
The speakers in the New 3DS are louder and to my ear of higher quality than the 3DS XL. Previously I rated the original 3DS as having the best built in sound, both louder and clearer than the other options. The New 3DS more than matches this and there is no sense of corners being cut here. Of course plugging headphones into any 3DS solves any audio shortcomings but my children rarely do this.
The most impressive New 3DS feature is one I had both misunderstood and overlooked originally. Stable 3D takes the adequate 3D feature of the previous handhelds and makes it work substantially better by tracking both your movements and your face to ensure the 3D view is always lined up.
This seems to work not unlike Xbox Kinect.
When the New 3DS needs to track the player's face, an infrared dot next to the camera on the upper screen ensures this works in all light and with greater accuracy. Once locked on this turns off -- in low light, if you look closely, you can see this happening.
It all sounds a bit technical but the result is a glasses free
3D image that you don't have to line up or worry about, it just works. This means that while previously I'd flick the 3D on for a while, now I keep it on constantly. Rather than my eyes having to work hard to keep the image true, it feels like the New 3DS is doing that for me, and this makes for much easier viewing.
One down side here is that it seems to increase the amount of battery usage required by the 3D feature. Switching it off in my battery test granted a good extra hour of play time.
The New 3DS and New 3DS XL also provide a new auto-brightness feature, again using the camera to detect room lighting ambience.
This works nicely to preserve battery by dimming an over bright screen in dark rooms. While a welcome addition, at times this is a little over zealous and it would have been nice to adjust the sensitivity rather than just the on or off option we have.
The final piece of new functionality is the built in amiibo support. This enables 3DS games to make use of the amiibo figurines to unlock features and develop characters. Whereas owners of the older 3DS's will need to purchase a peripheral to access this feature, the New 3DS and 3DS XL build this into the hardware, adding some extra value and removing the faff of an external peripheral.
Customising
Another feature that is easy to overlook is the interchangeable faceplates. This combines with the new themes featured on the 3DS to enable kids to brand both the exterior and the screens of the handheld. If the number of stickers (or scribbles) on the various DSs in our house are anything to go by this will be a really popular feature.
It's a little strange then that it is limited to the smaller New 3DS rather than the XL as well. Families have to choose between the friendly larger screens and controls and the ability to switch out the skin of their handheld.
Equally, this dichotomy (which is the only functional difference between the New 3DS and XL) makes the fact that the smaller handheld isn't currently planned for release in the US rather strange. Of the two formats my family prefer the smaller system and would feel disgruntled if the only route to purchase was importing -- particularly now that 3DSs apply region locking.
The only other downside of this faceplate customisation is that the back plate has to be unscrewed to take it off, which results in its fit feeling less perfected than other aspects of the handheld.
It will be interesting to see what designs companies and individuals come up with for the New 3DS case. Being able to 3D print your own cover and then clip it into place will likely encourage some creative thinking -- perhaps a case with slots for cartridges, or one sculpted to an individual's hands.
[h2]Memory and Charging[b] [/h3]
It's under this rear plate that you access the SD card too, which means you need to unscrew the New 3DS to install a larger one. This, perhaps, makes more sense with the fact that a 3DS only ever works with one SD card at a time so you are not expected to remove it often. It does make the legacy "Please don't remove the SD Card" message that pops up during saving a little odd though.
Happily the New 3DS and 3DS XL both still use the same charger plug. As has been the case for a while they don't come with a charger in the box. At first this can seem absurd that the product doesn't come with everything you need to actually use it. However, families who already have had 3DS are likely to have a plethora of chargers already, and newcomers can purchase one for a little extra.
I like this approach as it both keeps the costs of production (and I hope final price to the consumer) down, but also reduces the environmental impact of the handheld. Similarly it comes packed in cardboard packaging that is easily recycled.
Although there was never a big difference between battery life on the different 3DS models in my test the New 3DS did outlast my family's original 3DS, 3DS XL. The 2DS lasted longest again, although this is in part because it doesn't have to deliver the 3D visuals which take a bit more processing power.
As you can see in the video, to test the minimum play time you are likely to get I ran each 3DS with Wi-Fi on and 3D on where available, brightness on full and power saving off. Each handheld had Wi-Fi on, brightness at maximum and 3D switched off:
- New 3DS XL - 5:45
- New 3DS - 5:23
- 3DS XL - 5:01
- 2DS - 4:36
- 3DS - 4:05
Choosing the right 3DS for your family
Having had a number of iterations, it can be hard to decide which 3DS is the right model for a particular demographic.
Cost wise the original 3DS (Preowned from £89.99) is now great value, particularly second hand, and offers a solid experience. If you aren't worried about 3D then the 2DS (£99.99) is another cost effective option and also one that will stand up to more mistreatment as it lacks the vulnerable hinges. The 3DS XL (£169.99) is a little more but offers bigger screens.
Which brings us to the latest versions. In terms of future proof compatibility, both in terms of extra controls and built in amiibo support, the New 3DS (£149.99) and New 3DS XL (£179.99) are the way to go. They are a little more pricey but along with those extra features you can have the most refined handheld Nintendo made to date.
Conclusion
The New 3DS and New 3DS XL takes what was already an adequate product and makes it really shine. The physical attention to detail along with the upgraded features under the hood make this a very impressive package.
While a truly high end mobile gaming experience was the reserve of the PlayStation Vita, the New 3DS joins Sony's handheld at the luxury end of the consumer electronics spectrum.
Combine this with the potential for new games to take advantage of greater power and more ways to interact, not to mention the ongoing backwards compatibility with existing 3DS and DS games, and you have a mouth watering proposition.
The standard New 3DS feels like it's the handheld aimed at the younger market with changeable faceplates and that tiny stylus, while the New 3DS XL courts an older market with bigger screens and controls.
Either way this is as much a watershed for the 3DS as was the move from original DS to DS Lite and DSi. In fact perhaps the 3DSi would have been a better name.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
