Exclusive to the new 3DS model (which has another analog stick!), apparently due to its increased CPU compared to OG 3DS. Was just announced on today's 3DS focussed Nintendo Direct. It's supposed to be a port of the game, not much more information regarding new areas etc.: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=884762

It's interesting that it seems like they'll actually release games for one version of the console that won't work on other versions. This will make the Wii U name look good in comparison, I can see it being extremely confusing for costumers if this becomes a trend.

Here's a couple of screenshots:

The original Xenoblade? Really? I enjoyed my time with the game but it'll definitely be better as a mobile experience. I don't think I could go through the whole thing again though. Too many games, not enough time.

That new 3DS sounds like crazy market confusion.

Whaaaaaaaaaaaat?

Really!? Why didn't they just do the second analog stick the first time.

Unbelievable.

That is, and has always been, a great fucking question.

Here's a gif:

Xenoblade Chronicles is one of my favorite games from the last few years, so I'm glad more people will be able to play it.

I also hope it's a good port, obviously.

I don't really care that I'm missing out on Xenoblades for the 3DS, I'm just worried (and kinda pissed) that this starts the trend of developers making games specifically for the more powerful models leaving behind millions of older 3DS model owners.

Nintendo listen to me YOU BRING THIS TO NA YOU HEAR ME I WILL BUY IT!!

Anyways I've been looking to switch up my 2ds to sone thing better!

I always thought this game looked cool but got rid of my Wii right around when it came out, so I'm really happy they're bringing it to other platforms. I'm not sohappy about the whole having to a buy a new 3DS thing though. Hopefully there's a big discount for current 3DSXL owners.

Also, I hate to be overly negative but... I just don't think this version of the game looks very good. I'm sure from a technical standpoint it's a big achievement getting this huge RPG onto a portable platform but it appears to have suffered visually in the process.

The game barely ran on Wii at times, wonder how it's gonna be on 3DS.

Whoawhoawhoa! As much as I like this game, this is a terrible precedent to set. How long before we're forced to upgrade handhelds/consoles on a regular basis to keep playing games? If this becomes a trend, might as well just go PC.

Considering how often Apple has upgraded the iPhone, this isn't bad. The 3DS XL aside (which was just bigger), this is the first 3DS to feature legitimately improved specs. And the first one came out well over three years ago.

I hate how many times the Apple comparison has been brought up. I don't buy Apple products partially for that very reason.

Goddammit (Dan), ninty shot itself in the foot with the one thing it was doing right. Or im overreacting and this is cool and ill buy one anyway. Still, the market confusion!

Can't wait to play it again! Hope they release it soon :) Not too soon, early next year is fine by me.

Edit: Forgot t I'll need the new 3DS first. Guess I'll wait and see if there're other games to make the upgrade worth it.

Ditto. I had a 3GS for over two years and saw almost zero improvement in iOS all the while Apple was releasing the iPhone 4, 4S and 5. I went Android, which I definitely prefer over iOS and its limitations, but the hardware upgrade madness is just as bad - if not worse because of all the competition - on the Google side of the fence.

@hailinel sure, compared to Apple it doesn't seem so bad, but compared to every other piece of dedicated video gaming hardware in existence, it's the first of its kind (unless I suppose you count something like the Sega CD or 32X, but they were add-ons and not wholly new, upgraded versions of the same console) and still a terrible precedent to set.

That's great I suppose and I'd love to play it, but it's really too bad for everybody who already has a functioning 3ds. To be honest I'd probably be more willing to finally give the game a try if it was on my portable system, but I just couldn't justify buying a new model for one game. It's good for people who are looking to buy a 3ds for the first time though.

My thoughts exactly. Plus, it's going to make Nintendo's severe naming problem that much worse. People already have a hard enough time understanding that the Wii U is a different system from the Wii (not just a peripheral) and that the 2DS ISN'T a different system from the 3DS. Now there's going to be a system called (in Japan at least) "New 3DS" which ALSO isn't a completely new system, but DOES have features that let it play unique games.

I feel so, so sorry for the people working at places like Gamestop that are going to have to try to explain all this to people.

"I'm sorry, but that game is only compatible with the New 3DS. No, I understand you didn't buy a pre-owned 3DS, but that's different from a New 3DS. If you'd like, we have a few refurbished New 3DS's in the back for a discounted price. Yes, a pre-owned New 3DS still plays New 3DS exclusive games."

What the fuck are you doing, Nintendo?

Well then how did you feel about the DS and DSi? There were games only developed for the DSi that could only be downloaded through the eshop. There is also the Gameboy and Gameboy Color. The Color also had games that weren't backwards compatible with the Gameboy.

99.99% of the DSi games were garbage iOS shovelware though.

Christ. The annoying thing is, I will totally buy this new one just so I can play this and whatever other exclusives they make for it. I only bought my 3DSXL last christmas.

At least this time I hope they have some actual on board storage.

I really don't see this as an issue. Why are people so angry? This is great news, the game is awesome. I really don't think people were "expected" to upgrade to an XL or downgrade to a 2DS when those came out. They were just variations of the classic 3DS.

As someone said above me, this has happened before with the GBC and the DSi, and people didn't put up a stink back then. This is just another example of people giving a company shit because they're not doing what they want them to do. Nintendo and Microsoft really have it hard these days with being unable to please whiny gamers.

@corruptedevil: Not really the point. Nintendo has revised their handhelds before. This isn't a new thing.

That is fine because I don't see why this is so awesome.

@hailinel:

Their current naming conventions are shit and consumers are obviously confused enough without a fourth (slightly better) 3DS with exclusive games mucking it up further.

Hopefully they release this for the Wii U then also.

Here's a video comparison between 3DS and Wii versions of Xenoblade Chronicles:

Oh, interesting. It's nice that people'll get a chance to play the game, I know how much some people wanted to but never got a chance to.

And yeah, this could sound super confusing to somebody who isn't keeping up with all this stuff:

"Xenoblade: Chronicles, originally released on the Wii, predecessor to Xenoblade: Chronicles X which will be released on the Wii U, is being released on the New 3DS's, the new 3DS models"

I swear there's always a catch with this game.

@mooseymcman: Is there anywhere that sells it for sub £40-50? I really want to play it before the WiiU game but there just doesn't seem to be a way to get it at a decent price.

@wampa1: I have no idea, I went and bought it as soon as it was released in the US.

The great thing about this news is even if physical copies become super rare again it'll be on the eShop forever.

The difference is that the 3DS is a dedicated gaming platform. Sure, the iPhone has picked up some notoriety as a handheld gaming device, but it was always meant to be something that you upgrade every few years. When you buy a dedicated gaming platform like a 3DS, Vita, PS3, etc., you expect it to be able to play any game that has the PS3 label on it.

Spending a few hundred dollars every year or every other year on the newest version of a gaming platform is not something that I want to see happen. That is not OK.

Setting that aside, that version of Xenoblade Chronicles looks pretty awful.

Bummer. I wanted a port for the Wii U, not a "new" version of a handheld I already own and don't really want to pay to upgrade for just a small handful of games. I would have settled for a digital version of the original on Wii, so I could buy it without paying nearly $100 for a used copy.

@believer258: doesn't look awful at all. Not as sharp but pretty close to the original. It's also on a smaller screen so it's not a big deal as long it's ported in its entirety and with a decent frame rate.

Anyway this is nothing new as other mentioned, especially with Nintendo products. Hell, even the N64 had those "expansion paks". Majora's Mask required it to play and same for a few other games.

Apple and Samsung also do reveals with serious upgrades and feature changes. The difference between the iPhone 4 and iPhone 5 is pretty dramatic. The differences between iPhone 5 and upcoming iPhone 6 is going to be just as major too. This...isn't an upgrade.

One of the best RPGs made in years that's open world is going on a new handheld.

I was saving for the Zelda 3dsxl but i'll wait. I'll wait...

@believer258: A new 3DS isn'the coming at that rate. You'really looking at one hardware revision and immediately think the worst case scenario. And no, the XL and 2DS don't count, as they'relate just a larger device and a non 3D device with the same basic specs as the original.

But this hardware revision includes a better processor that will be required to play certain games. I just don't want to see that become a trend. I'm fine with some sort of accessory being required, but a whole new system that isn't the next generation? Nah, I'm not really OK with that.

The game on the Wii struggled to maintain the already-low 25 FPS cap, why would I want to play this version? Just port this thing to the Wii U at 1080/60 and be done with it.

@believer258: Though most Game Boy games could be played on a Game Boy Color, some were GBC-only. This is nothing new.

Of course Game Boy Color games didn't work on the original Game Boy. The Color was the next handheld generation, like the Advance was the next generation from the color.

The New 3DS seems like Nintendo is making a sort of "half-step" instead of just making a full-on new handheld.

@believer258: It wasn't a new generation. It was a Game Boy that could play existing games in color. It also had a few elements that could only be used by games that were designed specifically for it.

Wikipedia seems to say otherwise. In any case, there was a significant length of time between the release of the Game Boy and the release of the Game Boy Color. Playing portable games in color was also a pretty big, noticeable difference. Here, there's only three years' (I actually think it's coming out next year in the US, so four years) difference and they're just adding a tiny second analog stick and a little bit of extra processing power. This is not the same thing. There were some cross-generational games that you could play in black and white on the Game Boy and use the same cartridge to play in color on the, um, Color, you might be thinking of those.

I don't mind hardware revisions, but all versions of a console should be able to play the same games. If Nintendo felt like they needed more processing power, they should have put effort into making the 3DS's successor and not one that will cut off early adopters from playing some games.

I won't be too upset if it's just Xenoblade Chronicles, but if a new Fire Emblem or another Shin Megami Tensei or a Mario Land 2 gets released that doesn't work on the 3DS that I've already paid for, then I'm going to be annoyed. Not that I can actually do anything other than bitch about it on the internet.

The naming also confuses the hell out of me. It really seems as though Nintendo is trying to dance around calling this a new handheld console, and instead just try to sell it as a different model of the 3DS. Because of the exclusive games, that is not the case, and it is going to cause some consumers to be incredibly confused. Other hardware sellers at least try to set some kind of pattern in their releases so that the average consumer can easily differentiate between everything. For Sony, any gaming thing you hook up to a TV is going to start with PlayStation, with a number after it. If a slimmer model comes out that otherwise does the exact same function, that is tacked onto the end (eg PS3 Slim). For their handheld stuff, it's going to be called a PlayStationPortable. Apple is going to be iPhone, and Microsoft is going to be Xbox.

Let's break down Nintendo's current pattern (I'll leave out the Nintendo name brand) : ES, Super ES, 64, GameCube, Wii, Wii U. For the most part, it's okay, because of the very different names each system had. But now suddenly you have a brand new console that is just differentiated by name from the previous one by a U that sits on the end. Handheld's are the same (I won't mention the different models of the same thing) : Gameboy, Gameboy Colour, Gameboy Advance (okay so far), DS, that weird DSi thing, 3DS, The New 3DS (unsure of official name). I can only imagine how many store employees are going to have to explain to people that yes, even though the 3DS and The New 3DS look almost exactly the same, The New 3DS is the one that can play more games. Nintendo has done some great stuff, especially at this year's E3, but I don't know why this is still going on. I don't know why I went on such a spiel about this, sorry.

The New 3DS is literally called the New 3DS, at least in Japan.

rewatching that video, the interface is tweaked up for the lower resolution. Smart considering how poorly Monster Hunter 3rd's text was. It's not an exact side by side comparison. I do think it does look better then Monster Hunter 3rd, but I kinda do trust Nintendo did make a full port here.

That could be confusing to a customer who doesn't keep up with gaming news, though.

"Is this New 3DS like the DS Lite or the next step up?" It's a question that I don't really know the answer to, either. So is Nintendo making a new platform? It doesn't seem like it. It just seems like some 3DS games aren't going to work on my 3DS because I bought it before Nintendo decided that they need more processing power, which is my whole complaint. If you need more processing power, make a whole new damn machine.

This is going to sound weird, but I won't be so annoyed if Nintendo releases a large variety of games that really show off what the boost in processing power can do. Or if there were several games already announced for the New 3DS that really showed off what it can do. EDIT: As in, if Nintendo were treating it as a whole new console.