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Nintendo 3DS XL Is Out Now
Busshy writes "A few months after the rather subdued release of the PSVita comes the release of the Larger screened 3DS XL, improvements are the obvious larger screens and much improved battery life, CVG report that the 3D effect has noticeably improved. As you'd expect with a larger display, the sweet spot in which you have to angle the device to consume your trio of dimensions is far easier to find on the XL. The console is shipping in 3 variations with sites such as Amazon offering different deals depending on where you live in Europe. Those wanting the Transparent version of the 3DS XL are out of luck at this time. Slashdotters in the USA will have to wait till Mid August for the new console."
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Not all of us live in Europe. Wish /. would remember that. Why so Euro-centric? You know there are OTHER countries in the world other than those in Europe?
That sound whiny to you? It does to us US slashdotters too when you do it.
I would have gone for "at the moment", personally.
I thought about getting a 3ds, but compared to the original DS, it seems to have a very lacking library. Are there any killer apps for the 3DS?
There really aren't very many DS versions though and they are all functionally identical. More options are better. Want a small, pocket sized console or have small hands? Get a 3DS. Want a larger console for those with larger hands? Get a 3DS-XL. Both will play the exact same games and have the exact same functions, its just that an 8 year old and a 28 year old have different hand sizes. A 3DS will feel cramped for those with large hands, a larger version won't. On the other hand, a 3DS-XL will feel huge if you have tiny hands.
If you want to complain about different models, look at Sony where there are different models that are not functionally identical (for example, a 60 GB PS3 can play PS2 games, a 160 GB PS3 cannot, and they both look the exact same).
Taxation is legalized theft, no more, no less.
Can't wait for the North American release. I've had a 3DS since launch day and despite the naysayers it's more fun than a barrel of Donkey Kongs.
"They should learn from Apple"
Apple has released 5 iPhones in 5 years, usually with an accompanying iPod Touch model to go with it. Nintendo has released 6 "DS"-branded consoles in 8 years: the DS, DS Lite, DSi, DSi XL, 3DS, and 3DS XL. I'd say they're doing something quite similar to what Apple is doing. Apple releases two versions of the same product depending on if you want the addition of the phone functionality or not; Nintendo releases two versions of the same product depending on if you have larger hands or not.
Now I'll concede that the DSi models don't really differentiate themselves from the original two DS models as much as they should have, but the 3DS is enough of a complete change that I would say it's a brand new machine.
"at this time" is one of those space-waster phrases college kids fill up their essays with to meet the page limit without having to really develop their ideas.
100 slightly different devices? You mean 2? The DS lite was designed to replace the original DS in the lineup in the same way Sony and Microsoft occasionally sell newer revisions of their consoles. There was no need to get it. It merely sported a better backlight and battery life. The XL was mainly for people who couldn't see smaller screens or would enjoy larger screens.
The DSi was a straight upgrade from the DS line in the same way Apple went from the iPhone 1 to the iPhone 2. Specs were better, screen was better, more services, had specific games (but remained backward compatible), etc.
The 3DS is an entirely different product line from the DS and only shares "DS" in the same way the Gameboy shared it's name with the Gameboy Advance. So far the 3DS and the 3DS XL are the only two products to choose from in the 3DS line, and like the original DS line, it depends entirely on your physical needs whether to get one or the other.
What a pointless thing to whine about.
This post is random, epic, awkward, amazing and ridiculous.
In this case, "for now" is probably better.
ds ds liite dsi 3ds 3dsxl all in what a span of 8 years?
compare that to gameboy
gb, gbp, gbc,gba,gba-sp in the span over the span of 19 years?
shit if they spent a little more time focusing their goals instead of chasing trends (who even cares about 3d now) they might have a better product worth wanting, I like the op keep looking at them and saying "why bother" the next one will be out soon, but then another one will be out soon, and then another one soon ... I dont like buying shit thats obsolete within months.
Eh, well I would've preferred "for now," but that's just me.
I'm never going to get one of these because they had to add region locking for some reason even though their older handheld consoles didn't need it.
That's what happens when people expect quantity over quality, or a mix of both.
Malibu Stacy has a new hat!
Everything is better with chainsaws.
I'm an Apple lover, but I definitely don't want Nintendo following Apple. I've found that it's been very easy to find just the right Nintendo I want for whichever target person. Nintendo has done remarkably well here. It's only really a problem if you're the sort that wants to own one of each because you'll have to buy one more iteration. Apple does make it mostly easy to decide which Apple model one wants, but I myself often tend to fall in between the cracks where there's either overlap between models or a gap which none of the models fill for me.
Those wanting the Transparent version of the 3DS XL are out of luck now.
Hmm, nope, doesn't sound right.
Those wanting the Transparent version of the 3DS XL are out of luck yet.
Nope, still wrong.
Basically you're a fucking moron with no concept of language syntax or structure.
First of all, the GB -> GBA SP was not 19 years, it was 16 years, and even then you're putting the Gameboy and the Advance into the same product lifecycle, when they were two distinct products that were merely part of the same branding line. You're also skipping products. It goes: Gameboy -> Gameboy Pocket -> Gameboy Light (JP only) -> Gameboy Color. Then the Advance cycle goes: Gameboy Advance -> Gameboy Advance: SP -> Gameboy Advance Micro.
The original Gameboy line went from 1989 until 1998 and had 4 products in those 9 years, the first 5 years remaining largely untouched, however after those 5 years, Nintendo had consistently released new revisions of their Gameboy in two year increments.
The Advance line went from 2001 until late 2005, releasing 3 products, and ever single one of them involved minor hardware tweaks, and one of them seemed to be a complete gimmick (the micro). You could have played every game on a first generation and had no issues with the latest and greatest games.
The DS line went from 2004 until 2009, releasing 4 products, and only one of them had any edge over the others (the DSi, which had software specific to it and was the only one you might feel you "needed" to buy). The others were just tweaks that were not necessary or even necessarily better (some cases worse, as the XL had worse battery life than the DSi).
My point is that as far as Nintendo handheld products go, this has been business as usual for Nintendo since the original Gameboy days. Every 2 or so years (with the exception of the XL series which is one year, and is mostly a choice and not considered an upgrade path)
This doesn't even just happen to Nintendo, either. Sony has released 5 different PSPs in 6 years.
This happens at the console level too. Look at Sony and Microsoft. They're constantly releasing new revisions of the same hardware, adding or removing features, and reducing production costs.
I do believe that this is not actually completely shown as currently being a proven fact
On one hand, and it is your privilege as the reader of my thesis to decide if it should be the left or the right one, there is some concern about essays overusing proven formulas like the beloved "intro-for-against-conclusion" artificialy lengthened by space eating expressions that will typically generate way too long and difficult to read sentences.
On the other hand, so far, and as far as this thread is presently being concerned, it has mostly been a concern for anonymous cowards which are at the moment known to not be currently a reliable source for now.
Therefore, I don't think we can conclude that college kids are the only ones filling their essays with space wasters at this time
I can't wait not to buy this!
Another Nintendo product I won't buy after being shafted by them with the whole Wii nonsense.
Shame, ZombiU actually sounds pretty interesting. Too bad.
Anybody with any sense of respect will do the same.
Nintendo doesn't care for you anymore. They are a greedy company and have been for a good while now.
No more. Having none of their crap. I have more respect for god damn Microsoft AND EVEN Sony now. What the hell happened there?
And is it me, or is the Xbox 360 the only one of the current consoles that hasn't lost features along the way? The Wii lost the ability to play MP3 files in a software update (though it was optional and you could refuse it), and the newer Wiis drop backwards compatability. The PS3 dropped Linux on all versions, and the originals could play PS2 games and SuperAudioCDs, which the new ones can't. The Xbox 360 added HDMI, but hasn't removed anything as far as I can tell. (Though their new dashboard SUCKS, it doesn't actually remove anything.) They did release a no-hard-drive model but only after they started letting you use USB sticks instead.
As for the 3DS XL, I don't plan on getting one. I do have a DSi XL that I use for ScummVM and watching movies on, but since the 3DS hasn't been hacked worth a darn yet, I can't use it for homebrew.
However, I do like the 3D effect! It's quite neat, and luckily I'm one of the folks that it doesn't give a headache to.
The DS models are not all functionally identical. Things changed with the release of the DSi:
"should have"? They were still DS consoles that primarily played DS games.
The specific games were mostly games you could buy on the online store and a couple retail games. The DS game library was still the primary medium of the device.
You can't really put the Game Boy Color in the same line as the original Game Boy. While the hardware was mostly the same, it had its own game library. Early Game Boy Color games were compatible with the Game Boy, but if I remember correctly that introduced a limitation on the amount of colours you could use in the Game Boy Color version.
"in which you have to angle the device to consume your trio of dimensions"
Huh? "to consume your trio of dimensions"???
Why not just write "to see the game in 3D"???
I don't believe that I've ever bought a game for any of my Gameboys that was 99 cents. Heck, even looking at games that are a year or so old are an absolute bargain on Steam (although my laptop is not as portable as a Gameboy).
Nintendo is doomed if it continues to price its games in the traditional sense.
I'm gonna wait for the 3DSi XL Lite Super Turbo Hyperfighting Edition to be released.
Did you see how much they were charging for Diablo 3? Blizzard is doomed.
added support for the 802.11g standard.
...which isn't supported for standard DS games since Nintendo put the Wi-Fi settings into the games rather than the firmware*.
*There's enough internal memory to save your Wi-Fi settings on a standard DS, though, which is why it's remembered across games.
GLaDOS for President 2016! "Well here we are again. It's always such a pleasure." -- GLaDOS, 2011
100 slightly different devices? You mean 2? The DS lite was designed to replace the original DS in the lineup in the same way Sony and Microsoft occasionally sell newer revisions of their consoles. There was no need to get it. It merely sported a better backlight and battery life. The XL was mainly for people who couldn't see smaller screens or would enjoy larger screens.
The DSi was a straight upgrade from the DS line in the same way Apple went from the iPhone 1 to the iPhone 2. Specs were better, screen was better, more services, had specific games (but remained backward compatible), etc.
The 3DS is an entirely different product line from the DS and only shares "DS" in the same way the Gameboy shared it's name with the Gameboy Advance. So far the 3DS and the 3DS XL are the only two products to choose from in the 3DS line, and like the original DS line, it depends entirely on your physical needs whether to get one or the other.
What a pointless thing to whine about.
Nintendo hasnt had a original idea in decades. They really havent.
The 3ds is a upgrade of a dsi, which is a upgrade of a ds lite which is a upgrade of a ds. They are all essentially the same system, only slightly upgraded each time. Take a original ds game and compare it to a 3ds game, sure the 3ds game might look a little better but its still the same games with the same look and the same feel because its still limited by the same hardware. Nintendos inability to provide more than minor tweaks has locked the system into a repeating cycle in terms of the games.
Just like the wiiu is a slightly upgraded wii, the wii was a slightly upgraded gamecube with a motion controller.
Even nintendos games are unoriginal. They have been making the same franchises for decades with no signs of anything thats new. Every game is another mario game, another zelda game, another pokemon game. The same games with the same characters.
Whats funny really is people complain about companies like activision for making the same things over and over and over but they praise nintendo for doing the exact same thing.
And the iphones were upgrades yes but they offered users a lot more in each model. Better and improved noticeably hardware, more features, enchanced old features and generally improved them. What did nintendo do? Added in a shitty 3d effect that doesnt actually make the games better. They just minorly tweaked the systems and sold them as something new when in fact they arent new or have a lot of new features. When you break down the ds its about games and whether you have a dsi or a 3ds your basically still just playing the same games on the same system. Least the iphones added in a lot more than just talking on the phone and texting and the hardware was a pretty big improvement across the board instead of just a couple minor tweaks.
Nintendo has been doomed for a long while, you know. ;)
foldl1' (\ a f -> (f =<<) . a) fs
I believe what DanTheManMS means is along the lines of "I already have a DS Lite, why should I buy a DSi?" Focusing just on upgrade releases and not new console iterations, in my opinion:
-The smaller size and crisper screen of the Gameboy Pocket made it a worth-while upgrade to the original Gray Brick.
-The front-lit screen of the GBA SP made it a worth-while upgrade to the original GBA (even to owners of GBAs modified with the Afterburner lighting system, again IMO, just as all of these are).
-The back-lit screen of the revised GBA SP made it a worth-while upgrade to the original GBA SP / original GBA.
-The clearer (back-lit?) screen of the DS Lite made it a worth-while upgrade to the DS Phat.
-The larger screen of the DSi XL made it a worth-while upgrade to the DSi/DS Lite/DS Phat.
For me at least (and I suspect DanTheManMS), the DSi was not sufficiently different enough from the DS Lite to justify the purchase. Yes, I am aware of what differences the DSi had, I'm just saying that I felt they were insufficient to justify a purchase.
"I'm not sure I like the fugnutish tone you used in your post!" -RogL (608926)-
Don't forget the Wii Family Edition which removed the ports for GameCube controllers and memory cards which meant it couldn't play GameCube games.
Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
RE: Revelations is the killer app. It's one of the best games I've played in a while on any system. Super Mario 3D Land is addictive as well, and the 3D remakes of Kid Icarus and Kirby are great for killing 5 minutes here and there.
Twinstiq, game news
Nintendo hasnt had a original idea in decades.
Motion control gaming hadn't been done well before the wii came out. The DS was pretty original (although maybe derivative of the old game-and-watch toys).
The same games with the same characters.
These are consistantly the most fun video games on the market. I don't care about the newest features, Mario et all are a great diversion! Every Zelda game is a fun adventure that I look forward to embarking on.
I don't need new charecters to be honest; the old ones are just fine.
So, what, are you trying to argue that -- unlike the refreshes of Nintendo's handheld hardware -- the yearly refreshes of the iDevices are functionally identical?
--Jeremy
Jesus was a liberal
"As you'd expect with a larger display, the sweet spot in which you have to angle the device to consume your trio of dimensions is far easier to find on the XL."
I found the sweet spot. It's 2D.
At this time you're being a douche.
The Xbox 360 added HDMI, but hasn't removed anything as far as I can tell.
The S models no longer have the slots for memory units. They also require different hard drive modules from the originals.
They did release a no-hard-drive model but only after they started letting you use USB sticks instead.
In the west (japan didn't get it until a bit later) the xbox 360 was available without a hard drive form the start.
The first no-hard-drive model was the xbox 360 core system. It came with no user storage at all so if you wanted to save your games you had to buy a hard drive or memory unit seperately. It was later replaced by the arcade which came with 256MB or 512MB of storage*. This in turn was replaced by the 4GB S model.
Support for USB sticks didn't come until april 2010 and was presumably done in preparation for the release of the S models in june 2010.
* Initially this was a 256MB memory unit, later replaced by 256MB onboard and then 512MB onboard.
note: i'm known as plugwash most places but i screwd up registering that here somehow in the past and now can't register
The advance line went till 2008
My dates were referring to dates in which Nintendo was developing or releasing new hardware for the product line. 2005 was the release of their last Advance hardware, but of course games continued to come out after this date.
Keep 'em coming, no reason to be creative, Nintendo!
AND they still produced hardware post release (imagine that) till 2008
SO the lifespan of the gameboy is 2008 - 1989 = 19
sheesh
No, I'm not. The iDevices are a different case.
Don't forget that you only needed two batteries for this model instead of four.
I hear it's not that much of a difference. Not like I can see for myself as the revision was only distributed sparsely in a couple European countries.
I find the better battery life to be much more worthwhile. It even has a couple more backlight strength settings to play with, one of them strong enough to play with while under the sun. Of course, it drains the battery faster.
Well as I said, those were simply the features that made them worth-while to myself. And I'd forgotten about the Gameboy Pocket battery changes. That would be another thing that made it worth-while (though IIRC it used AAA instead of AA). As for the GBA SP front-light vs GBA SP back-light, I'd say the difference between those two is about equal to the difference between the DS Phat and DS Lite screens.
"I'm not sure I like the fugnutish tone you used in your post!" -RogL (608926)-