New 3DS vs. Switch vs. Original DS Lite

Hello GiantBomb Community,

I wanted to ask which Nintendo console is best for me if I like Pokemon, Zelda, and possibly Luigi's Mansion?

Should I get a New 3DS this Black Friday, get the Nintendo Switch or keep my working but used Nintendo DS and play the Pokemon games and Zelda Phantom Hourglass on there for now?

Some Background Information:

• I'm an inside person so I don't travel a whole lot...
• I live with other family members who also use the internet sometimes, but they aren't gamers

If you guys need some more background info I can provide you guys that.

Thank you,

A_Z

Go for the 3DS. With that and your DS, you essentially have access to all the Pokemon games from GBA to the 3DS (god damn that's a lot of Pokemon games). There's also a good number of Zelda games between those platforms as well.

Hmmm...the 3DS is an amazing handheld but I think if you have the money, go for the Switch or Switch lite. That is the one that will continue to be supported and there are already so many smaller awesome games on it.

But, having said that, you can't go wrong with the 3DS either so sorry, I guess I'm not much help here.

My GBA slot is wearing down actually. I'm not sure it works 100 % properly or anywhere near. Do you think it's worth looking into getting a used GBA on eBay? But I have to mention I do find it hard getting past the Elite 4 hard on Pokemon Heartgold, and that's the only Pokemon game I've ever played, so maybe you'd discourage getting older-gen Pokemon games? I'm not the biggest fan of grinding, but I'm sure no gamer is.

Also thank you for your response.

It's okay man, I understand your train of thought. Thank you for your input.

i think either are good options and it really comes down to what has the entries you would rather play.

3ds is great but its older and for me personally it made my hands cramp and my neck hurt if i used it for longer stretches.

switch with the fact that it can dock doesn't have that issue since i can play it on my tv and use a controller vs just the joycons ( or the joycons in the grip) which as someone who also doesn't travel i find to be a perfectly suitable option, specially with new stuff still coming out on it.

@a_z: I will say, personally, if you're going to be using the switch as a handheld IMO the Lite is better. It's basically all I use. The buttons feel better and the dpad is...an actual dpad.

Alright sounds good! I definitely like the idea of a handheld video game console exclusively for handheld games even with all the hand cramps and neck hurtings you talk about. I didn't have too much of an issue with the 3DS in this case. However, thank you for posting.

I'm probably going to be connecting it on my TV and I will be playing it on there as much as possible if I do buy it. The D-pad will definitely be a factor in my purchase though.

Thank you.

Also, do you guys think I should still check out older Pokemon games if I find the 50 % (in-game) landmark of Pokemon Heartgold to be hard? And do you guys know how Black and White, and Black and White 2 compares to HeartGold in terms of difficulty?

Doubt you'll find anything but the cheaply made New 2DSXL if you're looking for new, and even those are hard to come by. I picked one up for $100 a few months back for a backup when Walmart was clearancing them out.

@shiftygism: Oh no. :( Alright fair enough. I'm cool with a New 2DSXL if necessary. What do you think of the refurbished New 3DS XLs, especially the ones on Amazon or eBay (I believe I saw them there)? Are they of good quality in comparison to the new New 2DS'?

@a_z: I haven't tried those, but if they're constructed similarly, then I wouldn't recommended them in favor of trying to find a good used deal on an older model 3DSXL. These new model 2DSXL's are too light, have really cheap feeling plastic compared to the older models, have a flimsy cartridge slot flap, speakers that will feel like rumble when going full volume, and a shorter stylus/slot. They cut costs on building it but kept the price relatively the same. The screens are bigger, but yeah...it just doesn't feel as good as the previous models. Another downside is you can't download SNES games on anything but the "New" 2DS/3DS. I'd visit a pawn shop/thrift store with a good selection and get a feel for them first hand if you can.

You can get a lot of 3DS games very cheaply right now. So if you're on a budget that's a great system to go for.

@shiftygism: @ry_ry: Sounds good. I appreciate it, thank you guys.

I'm putting my money on the Nintendo Switch. I think this system is going to outsell the original Nintendo DS when it is all said and done.