3DS mutates in XL version
Friday, June 22, 2012 2:18 PM
Nintendo has unveiled a new supersized version of its 3DS handheld console called the 3DS XL, which features a 90 per cent bigger screen.
This upgrade means that the top screen has swollen from 3.53 inches to a whopping 4.88 inches, while the bottom screen has also got a whole lot bigger - increasing in size from 3.02 to 4.18 inches. All in all, it's the largest ever on a Nintendo handheld.
As a result, the XL is 46 per cent more bulky - any bigger and it could almost be mistaken for a Netbook - and weighs in at 336g (versus 235g for the 3DS) and measures 156 x 93 x 22mm.
To compensate for the bigger screens, the XL has an uprated battery which actually adds an hour-and-a-half at the top end compared with the original and the bundled memory card has been doubled from 2 to 4GB.
However, disappointingly the resolution and processor have not been similarly boosted and remain the same as for the 3DS. And although 3DS owners will be able to use theirs, the XL doesn't come with a power adapter.
Aesthetically, Nintendo says it will be available in the following colour configurations: silver and black, red and black, and blue and black when it becomes available across Europe on July 28th.
All this makes the current version look rather a lot like a Mini-Me and has left some asking the question, why?
While Nintendo says that it decided to make a 3DS with a bigger screen following feedback from fans, there is a suggestion that it might be a rather desperate move by the company to boost sales given that the XL doesn't offer any more power or add the second thumbstick that was missing from the original.
Are these sticking points why Nintendo waited until after E3 to announce the XL, where it wanted to focus on the Wii U?