Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
Hello there unboxers!
This is Sakis Karpas from Gameover.gr
And from now on we'll be catching up with you through our new channel on YouTube, Unboxholics.
Our first video on our channel is the unboxing and presentation of Nintendo 3DS XL.
This is the retail package.
Nortec Multimedia, the official distributor of Nintendo in Greece, sent us the red version whilst blue and gray versions are also available in the market.
Let's open the package!
First thing we notice, of course, are the user manuals available in numerous languages around the world!
And this is the greek user manual which Nortec usually makes for all Nintendo products.
User Guide
You can see that there is a great number of papers here.
Important information for parents
This is the classic bonus content that Nintendo puts on all of its products.
Also, a Quick-Start Guide in many more languages.
A detailed Operational Manual that explains all the functions of the system.
And of course the Augmented Reality cards.
The last and the most significant item we find in the package is the system itself.
3DS XL!
We take off this protective cover and...
Voila!
A red beautiful 3DS XL!
The new design of the device has more curves than ever, leaving back the rectangular shape of the previous model.
Also, the glossy surface of the Nintendo 3DS was replaced by a matte plastic finish in the front and rear panel, so that fingerprints would not be a problem.
In the top panel of the device we can see the two outer cameras of Nintendo 3DS XL
which allow the 3DS to take 3D images that can be displayed on the 3D display.
The resolution of the two outer cameras and the inner one is 640 x 480 (0.3 Mega) pixel
The headphones jack has been moved a little, from the center to the left side.
The Wi-Fi switch along with the LED indicator remained to the same spot.
while the stylus has been moved to the right side this time around.
An SD Card slot is also located at the right side of the system
This time, instead of a 2GB card slot, Nintendo offers a 4GB one.
In this card we can save games, applications, data, photos etc...
On the left side now, as with the original 3DS, we can find the volume slider button.
In the back panel, the familiar bumper buttons on the left and right side, or as known as triggers
Okay, they're definitely not triggers...
The cartridge slot is situated in the top of the back panel
The device is fully compatible with Nintendo DS games, so you can definitely play your DS games on your Nintendo 3DS XL.
On the one hand, Nintendo had to keep the price competitive
whilst on the other hand Nintendo also reckons that the majority of 3DS XL buyers would already own a Nintendo handheld
that is why an AC adaptor wasn't included!
If you already have a DSi or 3DS system you don't have to worry about it. You can use the adaptors from those devices.
In case you don't have a DSi or 3DS system, you will have to buy an AC Adaptor that is sold separately and costs about €10.
Let's take a closer look of the device.
One welcome addition out of the box is an extra lock point that Nintendo added to the upper screen. So, now we have 3 viewing angles in total.
What you are seeing right now is the reason that the 3DS XL exists in the market.
Bigger screens in comparison with Nintendo 3DS.
To be precise, Nintendo said that the screens are 90 percent larger.
In numbers, this means that instead of 3.52 inches and 3.02 inches, the top screen now measures 4.88 inches and the bottom screen 4.18 inches!
The top screen appears to be 800 x 240 (400 x 240 per eye) diagonally
while the native resolution of the bottom touch screen is 320 x 240 pixels.
Since the screens are now bigger and the resolution has remained the same, imperfections such as low resolution textures and polygon 'jaggies' should be taken for granted.
However, after many hours of use your eyes get used to it and you won't even notice the jaggies.
The stereo speakers are located on the left and the right side of the upper screen which by the way deliver a great sound experience.
The Circle Pad (the only single analogue control stick) hasn't been updated at all, while the Y,X,B,A buttons are in the same place where they were in Nintendo 3DS.
The on/off button of the device has now a circular shape while the LED power and charging indicator are in the same spot.
Putting aside the technical changes and improvements, Nintendo 3DS XL features a few but considerable in our opinion, aesthetic and functional changes.
The first positive change has been made in the three function buttons Select, Home, and Start.
The annoying touch-friendly philosophy is now gone and they are now physical buttons which makes them more clicky
while the 3D slider which adjusts the volume of the 3D Effect, requires a final click to activate or turn off the effect.
Let us not forget that there is also the ability to transfer data from previous models (3DS and DSi) on our new Nintendo 3DS XL.
Aside from the downloaded games and applications, we can transfer a Nintendo eShop account, Play Coins, Street Pass Data, Activity log and in general all our data from previous devices.
System transfer should be done in moderation since the available times that you can transfer data is only 5.
In order for those huge screens to fit, Nintendo had to increase the overall size of the device.
Thus, Nintendo's 3DS XL measures in with dimensions of 156 x 93 x 22 mm, up from the original 3DS's 134 x 74 x 21 mm.
The XL weighs in at 336 grams, heavier than its 235 gram predecessor.
The addition of a larger battery played an important role on the overall increase of the weight in order for the huge screens to be powered without any problems.
The paradox is that although the battery of 3DS XL has to power these huge screens, it can last about 30 minutes more than it's predecessor.
This means that we can play up to 3.5 hours to approximately 5.5 hours depending on the brightness level set.
How much does all this cost?
€230 is the price of Nintendo 3DS XL in the greek market.
Don't forget to leave a comment and subscribe to our new YouTube channel.
It will help us a lot!
Until the next video of Unboxholics, take care!