New Nintendo 3DS
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3DS

Nintendo is no stranger to hardware revisions. The Game Boy got squished down to fit your pocket. The GBA got smaller, and then smaller again. The DS went smaller, and then got bigger.

But is the New 3DS the biggest change yet? It might not look much different, but it's internals have been upgraded to the point where some games will not run on older hardware. And it's the firm's only handheld upgrade to get more buttons.

Ultimately, that means you're going to have to buy this thing if you want to play the exclusive games. But until they come around, what makes it worth upgrading?

Look at me New 3DS

In terms of design, this is my favourite 3DS yet. It's much nicer than the original model, and more refined than the pillowy XL. My only gripe is that the top doesn't close neatly with the bottom, leaving a slightly weird gap like a plastic sandwich.

It's only slightly bigger, but the screens themselves are quite a bit larger. You'll still want an XL if you prefer massive displays, but the New 3DS's displays will be more than ample for the majority of players.

Best of all are the retro-style, SNES-coloured face buttons. And the replaceable face covers which give you loads of options. I've got a subtle embossed plate, but you can slap on a bright green Luigi head if you're a terrible monster.

Button basher

Sublte

The New 3DS has a few extra inputs, including a c-stick nub that acts like a second analogue stick, but it's too fiddly for anything other than nudging the camera around in Majora's Mask or Monster Hunter 4.

Play Resident Evil Revelations (the c-stick can replace the old circle pad pro) and you'll quickly realise that this thing will be no good for shooters.

There are also a couple extra shoulder buttons on the back so you can dodge and block on both sides on the device in Super Smash Bros, for example. More games will use these in the future.

Internal affairs New 3DS

And under the hood, the device is more powerful than ever. Recent games load up faster, and and future games will take even more advantage of the beefier internals. Wii port Xenoblade Chronicles, for example, will be exclusive to the new device.

The battery has been ever so slightly improved, but you're only going to get an extra 30 minutes to an hour's worth of gaming from the new machine. It's one area where we'd have likes to see a more radical change.

The handheld boasts "super-stable 3D", which it achieves by tracking the position of your head and adjusting the stereoscopic effect accordingly. It works admirably, and means the picture doesn't turn into a blur at the slightest tilt of your head.

The console's also got Amiibo support - but no compatible games are out in the west yet - and now uses microSD cards. That card is locked away behind screws, but a new wireless transfer system means you shouldn't need to remove it often.

Bottom line

Amiibo

As I say, the New 3DS will eventually supersede the current console as more games take advantage of the improved internals and are no longer compatible with the older device.

But you shouldn't grumble too much. You also get a sharper design, far better stereoscopic 3D support, some handy extra buttons, slightly improved battery, improved loading times, and future Amiibo support.

New Nintendo 3DS

The New Nintendo 3DS offers lots of nice extras to make it a worthwhile upgrade, but the extra processing power will - eventually - make it essential
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Mark Brown
Mark Brown
Mark Brown is editor at large of Pocket Gamer