3DS and 3DS XL – Size Comparison and Many Questions

What you see here is a size comparison between the original 3DS and the newly announced 3DS XL, or as we like to refer to it in the staff newsroom “OH MY GOD THAT THIS IS GIGANTIC” (OMGTTIG for short). It’s 90% larger than the original 3DS, and comes replete with a screen that takes up almost the entire top part of the unit.

Now, some serious questions need to be asked about this project. Why is there no second circle pad? Since there isn’t one, will they start a new line of Circle Pad Pros to be compatible with the 3DS XL? Why did Miyamoto say they were not making a new version of the 3DS just a week ago?

First off, here’s a link to a full photo gallery of comparison images. Most of them are similar, so only the ones that dispense new or important information are below:

The 3DS will apparently be available in three different color combinations – two of which that are black with different-colored outsides.

Those dotted white lines represent the size of the original 3DS. So yes, this thing is gigantic.

And now, it’s time to pose some questions. Why is there no second circle pad? While it’s logical to take the position that a new model with a second circle pad would effectively cut the usability rate of the 3DS in half, you can bet this question will be coming up a lot. Perhaps more pressing is whether or not there will be a new version of the Circle Pad Pro to accommodate the 3DS XL. Multiple games have been released that rely on the peripheral, and they would be rendered nearly unplayable if the XL does not support dual circle pad control in some form or another.

Why did Miyamoto go out of his way to say no new versions of the 3DS were coming literally last week (see link above)? It seems strangely hypocritical – and, well, it’s kind of an outright lie (no offense Miyamoto). Perhaps something was horribly lost in translation, or he was relying on the fact that the new 3DS isn’t technically a new model because it doesn’t add exclusive features – just like the DS Lite wasn’t technically a new model of the DS. Yes, there’s no way to spin that latter possibility to not sound like slimy corporate backtalk. Hopefully this question will be resolved soon.

Perhaps the biggest question is what the 3DS XL has to do with the Wii U. That probably sounds a bit out of left field at first, but then this picture is taken into account:

There’s simply no way around it – the 3DS XL is both significantly larger (with a giant top screen) and it physically looks strikingly similar to the Wii U GamePad. Could it be the 3DS XL will more easily interact with the Wii U? It would certainly be possible to use it as a controller (it even has motion and gyro sensors…although it lacks a second circle pad). The biggest question is whether or not it will actually stream Wii U games to its screen. That may sound impossible, but the 3DS is actually much more powerful than the GamePad.

Streaming the game is not the same thing as rendering it (as the GamePad proves), and the 3DS would be perfectly capable of streaming Wii U games. However, the 3DS XL would make it easier through its sheer size.

To sum up, questions abound about the 3DS XL – hopefully answers will be soon to follow. What do you think of this announcement? What about the second Circle Pad issue? What are we to make of Miyamoto’s lie (or severely stretched truth, if you prefer)? Will the 3DS XL be used similarly to the GamePad? Comment away!

Source: GoNintendo