Nintendo has dropped a bombshell during the Nintendo Direct for Japan today by introducing brand new models of the 3DS and larger 3DS LL, which is called the 3DS XL in the West. There’s a ton of changes, the biggest of which is the integration of a second stick.
This new stick is modeled on the C-stick first seen in theGamecube controller, and is meant to replace the need for theCircle Pad Pro. Because of that Nintendo has also added two more shoulder buttons, which are the ZR and ZL buttons.
Their placement suggests you will have trouble pressing them without also pressing the other shoulder buttons accidentally.
Under the hood Nintendo has upgraded the CPU and the wireless chip meaning downloads will be faster and the 3DS will be more responsive in general. The web browser has also been improved, which when combined with faster wireless should make surfing much more pleasant. NFC has been added for Amiibos support, Micro SDHC cards are now used, and a replaceable battery (due to backplates now switching out) has upped the time between charges to 7 hours. The face buttons have also been colored to match how SNES controllers look.
Those of you who enjoy the 3D feature on the 3DS will be happy to hear Nintendo has implemented a wider sweet spot for viewing angles, meaning it’s easier to see the effect when holding the device. They’ve also taken advantage of that front-facing camera so the 3D panel now works with the camera to position the autostereoscopic panels to match your face so there’s no blurry perspective breaks. The smaller 3DS is also getting a larger screen. The upper display is now 3.88-inches rather than 3.53-inches. The 3DS XL displays remain the same size.
You’ll also be glad to hear that the price isn’t going up. The new 3DS will cost $154 and the new 3DS XL is $181, both will be available in Japan on October 10 along with new charging docks. US and European release dates have yet to be confirmed, but hopefully it won’t be too long after.
For anyone who has recently purchased a brand new 3DS this is going to be pretty frustrating, but if your device is looking a bit worse for wear then these new models are definitely worth waiting for.