Nintendo New Galaxy Style New Nintendo 3DS XL Console

I love this design! As someone who's bought Nintendo products since 1991, seeing their ideas for new designs has always fascinated me. I owned the see-thru purple N64 and its controller combination, and a similarly-colored GameBoy Color, and since then I've opted for the more colorful of the designs that Nintendo has released. As of late, Nintendo's designs have gotten more 'modern' and less thoughtful and playful, so seeing this was a great surprise.As for the console functions, this is the same ol' 3DS XL as before, but with some new features that truly feel like they should have been included from the start- which is why I made the switch over from the old 3DS XL. First off is the head-tracking 3D, which is the only way to use the 3D function (which has largely been useless because the slightest movements would break the illusion). It actually works very well. There are very few times where it won't detect my head, and that's only in complete darkness, where it returns to the original 3DS's system instead, and fixes the distance of the 3D in the center.The second is the processing speed, which is improved slightly. You won't notice it until you're loading something or during a 3D-heavy scene, but it's there.The last is the inclusion of NFC (which I care very little about, as very few games on 3DS support it) and the inclusion of more buttons! The extra shoulder buttons haven't been of any use to me yet, but the relocation of the Start and Select buttons was extremely welcome in favor of a new 'nub' like joystick, which works amazingly well. I did not expect it to. And plenty of games come with support of it. I tried it on Majoras Mask 3D, and it was smooth and responsive.In short, this is the best version of the 3DS, hands-down. From the design to the additional functions and increased power, this console makes it a lot easier to enjoy my 3DS games.

This is a beautiful console, and by far the nicest handheld I have ever owned. I upgraded to this from a 2DS and then a 2DS XL, and to me is fully worth the extra cost. I have had my 2DS for a couple years and just got tired of the uncomfortable wedge-design and small screens. I upgraded to a 2DS XL, but was disappointed. The 2DS XL is okay, but it was too cramped for my larger hands, the screen was much too loose, and I actually had some quality issues with both the top and bottom screens. The 2DS XL, while better than the 2DS, is clearly a budget model. I believe there is a design flaw with the top screen as well- it is so thin and flexible that it is prone to bending and breaking.Immediately upon opening the Galaxy 3DS I fell in love with it. The exterior of the device is a deep purple, and has a metallic sheen to it. The stars/galaxy design really pops, and almost looks 3D in person. The galaxy design is glossy as opposed to the satin finish on the normal 3DS's. The top edge and interior of the 3DS is a dark blue that is very pleasing to the eyes (blue is my favorite color) and also hides fingerprints better than black. Another point is that the 3DS XL top screen is surrounded by a satin plastic, which is much better than the all glass top screen area of the 2DS XL. The 2DS XL is so reflective that it can be really difficult to see in environments with direct light. Overall the exterior design of the 3DS XL Galaxy is perfect in my eyes. It is much more mature than both 2DS designed, which are clearly kid-focused. I do wonder how the galaxy portion will hold up to normal wear however, but only time will tell.Overall construction is very good. It's got a bit of weight to it, which gives it a substantial and quality feel. The buttons are crisp and responsive just like other 3DS models, and are much better than both 2DS models. The hinge on my unit was satisfyingly tight, it has no screen wobble at all. I am unsure if this is common among all New 3DS XL's though. The plastic used for the 3DS is very high quality and does not flex or creak at all when being used. Both 2DS's I owned had less sturdy plastic and would often creak when handled. The only issue I have with this system is the circle-pad, which just can't compete with a true joystick. Mine tends to feel a bit gritty sometimes, but I will add a bit of WD-40 to see if I can smooth it out.The screens are beautiful compared to the 2DS screens, as expected. I don't really use the 3D feature, but it's cool that it is available. It's fun to see how different games look in 3D, but I really don't consider it a necessary feature.The sound quality is also unbelievably better on the 3DS XL in comparison to both the 2DS and 2DS XL. The 2DS has the mono speaker that sounds like garbage no matter what. The 2DS XL is better, but still not up to par with the 3DS XL. I am a bit of an audiophile, so the sound quality issues with the other handhelds drove me nuts.I did notice that the 2DS XL may have been slightly faster in terms of booting up games, but both systems blow the regular 2DS out of the water. So for me, the 3DS XL is still blazing fast compared to what I am used to. The stylus is actually usable on the 3DS XL, unlike the 2DS XL, although both styluses are inconveniently placed on the front of the handheld. I prefer the stylus to be located on the right side, under your hand.Battery life seems to be on par with every other handheld from Nintendo I have used. No complaints here, but could always be better. An obvious huge downside to this model is the lack of an included AC adapter. This shouldn't even be allowed, and made it hard for me to purchase one simply on principle alone.Speaking on ergonomics, I found the 3DS XL to be much more comfortable than both 2DS consoles. The regular 2DS just felt awkward to hold- the bottom corners jutted into my palms and the buttons were weirdly spaced. The 2DS XL was better, but I found that the overall smaller profile of the console meant the buttons were much more cramped together. They also spaced the c-stick further down, and therefore the ABXY buttons were further down as well. This made it difficult for me to find a comfortable hand position on the console. The 3DS XL is perfect for my larger hands, the controls are located exactly where they should be.Conclusion:This is simply the best Nintendo handheld ever made. It is a well-built, solid feeling console with one of the most aesthetically pleasing exterior designs I have ever seen on a gaming console. The controls feel crisp and responsive, and the overall size make it very comfortable to hold in a variety of hand positions. I was pleased to find the hinge to be tight and no screen flop present on my 3DS as well.This is an infinitely better handheld than the regular 2DS, which makes sense as they are trying to do two totally different things. The regular 2DS is a cheap way to access the DS and 3DS library of games. The 3DS XL is the best way to enjoy these games to their fullest potential, and an absolute joy to use.When compared to the 2DS XL, there doesn't seem to be any good reason to choose the 2DS XL over this. There is only a $25 difference in price (on amazon at least) and the 3DS XL is so much better that I can't recommend anyone purchase the 2DS XL. In my opinion the 2DS XL needs to be $100-$125 to really be a compelling purchase (and maybe include a game too). The 3DS XL just feels so much nicer than the 2DS XL when compared directly. I am extremely happy I decided to return the 2DS XL and go with the 3DS XL, it's really that much better.

This is an excellent handheld gaming system. I updated from a Nintendo 3DS (the original model, not the New one); the transfer process required me placing my two units right next to my home Wi-Fi router for the connection to be established, and took a few hours to complete. After that though, I was all set; literally everything transferred over without a hitch.I'm a big fan of the autostereoscopic 3D feature, and it's even better on this newer model where the view keeps itself focused even when you tilt the unit slightly. This is a big help in games with a lot of frantic action, such as Super Smash Bros. 3DS, Star Fox 64 3DS, and Metroid: Samus Returns, so you don't have to focus on keeping the unit perfectly aligned while mashing buttons. The battery life is pretty good too. I haven't come across any games yet in my personal library which make use of the additional analog nub or ZR/ZL buttons, but I guess it's good that they're available to developers as an optional control scheme addition.Lastly, I have to mention I'm a fan of the purple. It really takes me back to my childhood days where I had a purple GameBoy Color, an Atomic Purple Nintendo 64 controller, and the Indigo Nintendo GameCube. To me, the color strongly says "Nintendo", and it brings me a nostalgic feeling. The galaxy background is quite pretty, and has a metallic/iridescent sheen that the pictures don't really show.If you play Nintendo 3DS games, then I strongly recommend this particular model. It might be Nintendo's best handheld yet.