Nintendo Release 3DS XL and New Mario 2 In the USA Today

Croakyvoice writes "Nintendo has today released the 3DS XL in the U.S. The console comes with features such as screens which are 90% bigger in size than the original 3DS, a much needed improvement in battery life and also the 3D effect on the console has noticeably improved. The 3DS XL is Nintendo's attempt at even moreso dominating the handheld console market over the PSVita, but also bringing back the gamers lost to the likes of Android and iOS devices. The other major 3DS news of the day is the release of New Super Mario Bros 2, a continuation of the DS game released in 2006. In Japan the game has sold over 800,000 copies since game launch and Nintendo will be hopeful to replicate that success in the U.S."

Re:marketing speak, anyone.

[O('_')O_Bush]

Pixel density is lower, pixel size is greater, but the screen is so much easier to see and use. 3d is now an option for me, where it wasn't before.

  I traded my red 3ds for a red 3ds XL this morning. The finish is worse( no fancy acryllic finishes or metal bits, no short aluminum pen), but it definitely feels more sturdy, and is so much easier to use that I don't mind it feeling like a cheaper version of what I had.

Wish it had "apps"

[unrtst]

I like the format/size of the DS's, and I wouldn't mind having a little hand held game machine, but I just can't get over all that hardware sitting there and no way to use other apps than just the games. These things have just about everything one would need to call it a micro-netbook or something like that, if only it had any way to do anything other than play games. The homebrew on the DS is there, barely, but they should really just support it out of the box. For example, my household would probably have 3 less ebook readers, and might have skipped 2 tablet purchases and a netbook.

The bottom screen could easily be a small keyboard (obviously not as nice as a netbook, laptop, or desktop, but it'd work as good as a smartphone onscreen keyboard). You could also do a very nice email client on that thing, using both displays while reading mail. And it has good audio/video support already, so why not a multimedia player (mp3 at least)? Toss a video chat thing on there as well... that'd be kinda handy. As it is, it does a specific set of games better than my phone, tablet, and netbook, but completely lacks every other feature they have, and it's entirely a software issue - that seems very silly IMO.

FWIW, it irks me just as much that game consoles also have a very large void of apps (and I hate saying "apps", but it fits here). Why can't my PS3 w/ BT keyboard fire up a terminal, ssh, vnc, firefox/chrome, vlc, thunderbird, skype, rythmbox/etc, etc etc etc?

Their biggest challenge IMHO

[spagthorpe]

Is that an iOS or Android device is likely something that you _always_ have with you. I never go anywhere where my phone isn't in my pocket, and I always have a handful of games with me for a quick fix. As nice as the 3DS XL might be, it's something I would have to carry around extra, and I can promise, it would be left at home most of the time, like my POS camera.

The app vs dedicated carts is a whole other argument. $10 or so will buy you a premium iOS game, most are $1-$3. The 3DS games are $40, though I imagine a good deal better than most iOS apps. Still, a large expense after a $200 platform.

Re:awesome

[Darkness404]

The funny thing is, Nintendo is probably the healthiest game/hardware maker in the business. Unlike Sony/Microsoft, Nintendo usually makes a profit on their hardware rather than selling it at a loss in hope of recouping their loss via games. The Wii has outsold the 360 and the PS3, the 3DS has outsold the PS Vita by leaps and bounds.

Nintendo is far from being the next Sega.

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