Is The New Nintendo 3DS Worth The Upgrade, Or Just 2015’s Expansion Pak?

The latest handheld in the DS family is right around the corner (well, happening RIGHT NOW), with the appropriately named New Nintendo 3DS launching alongside Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D and Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate. Nintendo has done a lot to hype up consumers around the idea of upgrading to their latest portable enhancement, but is it worth it? While the New 3DS  XL does in fact promise quite a few upgrades, including a faster CPU, facial tracking 3D, a right thumb stick nub, and Amiibo support, you probably won’t have to rush out and trade away your old system anytime soon.

First, let’s talk about what the system does right. The new buttons feel comfortable in your hands, with a far better grip than what we’re used to from the Circle Pad Pro. Strangely enough, the new C Stick works much more elegantly than you would expect from a part that doesn’t move. Simply by applying pressure in different directions, the stick works just as well as the CPP ever did, except now it’s without the extra need for a bulky attachment or extra batteries. There’s even a small indentation right above it, acting as a place to rest your thumb while using it.

Aside from the controls, let me just say that the upgraded 3D is such a godsend. What was formerly a feature that I routinely turned off since keeping my head in a fixed position was often uncomfortable, (especially during intense gaming sessions,) 3D will likely see much more use from me, thanks to this upgraded tech working as expected. I put the system through the motions, rocking it from side to side, twisting it, and holding it at different levels above and below my line of sight, and the 3D effect never faltered.

But most importantly, the CPU feels like night and day compared to the standard models. While playing Super Smash Bros side by side with my standard XL, I was literally selecting my character on the New 3DS before my older console had reached the title screen. When thinking of how this can effect other games in the 3DS library, (some of which can have long, frequent load times,) and this feature alone almost makes the console worth the purchase on its own.

However, the key word is, “almost.” While the New 3DS improves on its predecessors in almost every way, the upgrades it does make are nice to have, but far from necessary. I won’t lose any sleep if my game of Pokemon takes longer to boot up, or if I have to use the touch screen for camera control in Monster Hunter, (okay, maybe a little.) Even with the promise of games that will work exclusively for the New 3DS, the company’s track record of maintaining such support on upgraded hardware isn’t a strong one. Remember the DSi exclusive camera games? Me neither. Instead, the New 3DS comes off as more of a cross between the DSi and the Nintendo 64 Expansion Pak. Games will perform better and gain extra functionality, while others will only work on the upgraded hardware, (like Donkey Kong 64 or the campaign in Perfect Dark), but not only do you have to buy a whole new handheld that largely does the same things, but the small amount of exclusive content will probably disappear after the first year or so of release. Even then, the only major exclusive title announced so far, Xenoblade Chronicles, is still just a port. If you have the Wii version, you’re pretty much covered.

Oh, and the exclusion of a charger is incredibly moronic, but that goes without saying.

If your existing 3DS is on the fritz, or you for whatever reason, haven’t bought a 3DS before, now would be the time. It’s a well put together system with a slew of improvements, and is sure to become a welcomed edition to the 3DS family. However, if you’re expecting an improvement large enough to justify chucking your Link Between Worlds handheld out the window in favor of this new model, you’re better off saving your rupees.