Nintendo believes in 'the bigger, the better' motto. And staying true to this, the company has officially launched the Nintendo 3DS XL in the US. The handheld launched for Japanese and European markets in July.
Dubbed as the 3DS's big brother, the handheld hit store shelves in North America this weekend. The device is priced at $200 in comparison to the $179 for the original.
When compared to its predecessor, the biggest upgrade for the 3DS XL is its screen size. The top screen now measures 4.88-inches when compared to the 3.53-inch top screen on the 3DS. The bottom display on the 3DS XL is 4.18-inches in size as opposed to 3.02-inches featured in the 3DS.
The bigger iteration also features double the capacity of the 3DS, boasting 4GB internal storage and a longer battery life of up to 6.5 hours when playing 3DS games. Nintendo is offering a glasses-free 3D gaming experience to users on the 3DS XL in red and blue variants.
Gamers will be disappointed to notice that there is only one analog stick in the 3DS XL. The 3DS could be attached to an external analog stick. That said, two analog sticks seem to be the deal nowadays for better navigation and gameplay and it would have been a highly welcome addition.
The 3DS XL clearly missed this year's E3 event. But until now, the company has unveiled three launch games for the 3DS XL namely Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, TheatRhythm Final Fantasy and New Art Academy.