So Nintendo is going to release a new model of the 3ds and the Xl which will include a tiny c-stick, a micro SD card slot (edited from USB because that is what eurogamer said), Skylanders tech (NFC) and the most important INTERCHANGEABLE FACEPLATES there back baby. There is no current release date for the product but it seems Japan will be seeing it first. Though I have to ask Nintendo, why? http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-08-29-nintendo-announces-new-3ds-and-3ds-xl-designs-with-extra-buttons?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=socialoomph

A new CPU? wtf? better get a god damn discount or some shit cause that's bullshit.

Nintendo really has a weird way of naming their hardware to make it just baffling to its less savvy customers. "New Super Mario Bros" was one thing, but between 2DS and 3DS and now "New 3DS" (and by the way, there is no "New 2DS" just yet)... man.

Do they mean micro SD? That would make a whole lot more sense, but also would suck for me since my current 3DS SD card is pretty much the only piece of hardware I have that still uses full-sized SD cards and that would mean buying a new micro-SD card for this.

Suckiest part was that I had literally just put in an order for a 3DS XL for a great price before seeing this news... then promptly cancelled it seconds later and now I'll be waiting for hardware of dubious benefit without an announced street date before getting my supple hands on that extra large XL/LL goodness....

I was actually about to comment that this seems like a dick-ish move on Nintendo's part. Don't own a 3DS myself, but I can see current owners getting justifiably salty, seeing as this new model seems to be better in every way. I even read some crazy stuff about the camera tracking head movement and adjusting the 3D effect appropriately so that the blurring doesn't happen.

@andrewb: Yeah I think it's supposed to be micro SD mainly because of this pic, also look an interchangeable batteries. Also looking through the NeoGaf thread looks like the release date is October 11th for 16,000 yen for 3ds and 18,800 for XL.

@adequatelyprepared: I'm just fine with it because I was one of those people who didn't upgrade to an XL just because it was a new Nintendo handheld model and the 3DS has been out long enough that if they differentiated this more in the name then it could be a whole new handheld console which should probably have just been the 3DS2. Depends on just how much better the underlying hardware really is. I'm assuming we aren't talking Vita levels of power.

Also, I'll add that the little teeny second stick nub should really have been made larger, especially on the LL model. I have a hard enough time with the full-sized one on the original 3DS.

I don't have a 3DS, but this seems like the 3DS to get if I was to get one. Which I might. One day.

For fuck's sake, I haven't even used my original 3DSXL for more than ten hours total, since i bought it at least two years ago.

@mooseymcman: There's a bajillion (no exaggeration) great games to play for it, so you totally should!

Well that's kind of a dick move. I bought my 3DS XL a year ago, what is this, an Apple product?

I...DS..? Iph... 3DI... 3D4s... I give up.

Apple is going to unveil their new iPhone 6 next week. Watch as no one complains about it having better specs than the iPhone 5S. Microsoft and Windows 9 in two weeks? More of the same. But Nintendo is damned if it does, damned if it doesn't.

The entire point of a dedicated gaming console is that the specs are the same across the board.

They should change the name if there will be games that can only work on the new model.

They also announced a port of Xenoblade Chronicles for new 3ds.

So...I guess a bonus?

Goddamnit... I only bought my 3DS XL literally like 3 months ago, too.

This wouldn't be so shitty if not for the fact that some games will now require the new model. I would hope they keep the amount of those games to a minimum , but I guess anything is possible at this point. This is just so fucking weird. I'm just glad I didn't buy a 3DS yet.

Can a muthafucka get a midnight purple or Metroid-themed (ha, ya fucking right) XL up in this bitch though?

A new (old) 3DS game that can't be played on previous models? That's some real bullshit right there. You've pretty much splintered the 3DS audience right there.

I have no problem with updating the specs on a portable that was released in early 2011, but this is gonna lead to a hell of a lot market confusion if releasing some games exclusive to the New 3DS becomes a trend.

Same. I'm a bit salty now that there are/wiil be 3DS games that my 3DS won't play. That's some bullshit.

I don't mind a new iteration on the 3DS hardware, but I'm kind of pissed that it means there will games exclusive to it. I haven't seen anything yet, but I'm concerned that when Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate comes to North America it will be New 3DS exclusive. I only got my 3DS XL last December; it would suck to have to upgrade a year later.

So will this count as a new system? Or will 3DS games now require system requirements?

Crossing my fingers and hoping nothing I want super bad comes out on the new one. Having a removable battery seems super cool, maybe they'll sell replacements?

Xenoblade Chronicles port.

This is no different than what Apple does with iPod/iPhone 'S' upgrades.

It's not bullshit or a dickish move, technology advances at a faster rate - and it's a proven model that people will buy upgraded devices. Nintendo has been doing this since the GameBoy, and Apple has been successful with their incremental upgrades as well.

fuck that. if nintendo dont have some sort of upgrade thing than i'm never buying nintendo hardware again.

@haz: if I buy a new 3DS can I still download and play all the games that I already purchased from my old 3DS? Because so far Nintendo has not allowed you to move any of your purchases from the 3DS they were purchased on to another 3DS. If you can't re-download all of your purchases that it's completely different than the way Apple handles upgrades.

From what I've read so far, the increased specs/capabilities are mainly for snappier system back-end performance/stability, WiFi to PC/Nintendo NFC support, and improving the capabilities of the web browser by actually supporting relatively new web standards (at least in a Nintendo context) like HTML5 video, and maybe to utilize the new Amiibo features and possibly have some involvement with the new camera-based, 3d viewing-angle, auto-correct thingamajig.

Basically, it's not that big a deal IF it doesn't affect the running performance of the games themselves or divide the customer base by having exclusives, which would (pretty justifiably) arouse some ire if true. The latest Japanese Nintendo Direct seems to give the impression that the new Xenoblade Chronicles port is an exclusive utilizing the increased speed, but I'm not sure I buy that knowing Nintendo's stance on this in the past. I'm not sure I see anything in the graphics or presentation that couldn't have been done on already existing models. Something less egregious like exclusive eShop content similar to what was done on the DSi is also a possibility.

From the Japanese Nintendo Direct, does anyone (who understands Japanese) have any evidence that this new hardware exclusives theory is true, instead much of the conjecture flying around about this in many articles covering it thus far? The new shoulder buttons and mini analog nub are merely integrating Circle Pad+ support, the utility of which was alternatively handled and functional enough on the touchscreen for those games that had extra support for it, so at least those facts don't lend further support to that unhappy possibility.

aw man

@whiteforestparkrangr: Several people who speak the language has confirmed in the NeoGAF thread about this that New 3DS will indeed have a better CPU (unknown by how much), and that the Xenoblade port is exclusive to the New 3DS. And "Nintendo's stance on this in the past" is to do similar things with all their handhelds: DS->DSi (there's a few exclusive games for the DSi), and GB->GBC (most games worked on both handhelds, some just on the GBC). Even if the leap between 3DS->New 3DS probably won't be as dramatic as the leap between GB->GBC, there's still a lot of similarities.

God dam it xenoblade is the only reason I have considered buying a wii, and now that it is coming out on a device I actually own I wont be able to play it? Thats some hot bullshit.

I was going to pick up a 3DS XL this year, but I guess I'll be waiting until sometime next year. Oh well, I am glad I found out about this before taking the plunge. If the games featured in today's Nintendo Direct make it stateside, then this is definitely a "console" I want to own. I really hope they'll bring Dragon Quest X here for the new handheld.

As for potentially splitting their existing market by upgrading the cpu, I don't believe it's a huge issue. Apple does it every year by releasing a new Iphone and Ipad. Consumers deal with some apps not working or upgrade their devices. I think it would be interesting to see a game hardware manufacturer experiment with this business practice. Every year or maybe 18 months, Nintendo releases a new 3DS with better graphic capabilities, a stronger cpu/gpu and new features and technologies.

Xenoblade Chronicles being New 3DS only is confirmed

A new 3DS with the Circle Pad Pro elements integrated and a port of Xenoblade Chronicles? This is something that I want.

@yummylee: Same here, I bought one back in early July. This kind of sucks if they start making a bunch of exclusive games for it and they're good.

So, did Nintendo somehow just win PAX? This is kind of great. I've been waiting for this.

I'm sure they probably won't make "a bunch of exclusive games for it" because of the huge install base 3DS will have compared to New 3DS. My bet is that they'll probably not make many new games for it because that would be dumb from a financial standpoint, and no third party dev will ever do it unless Nintendo moneyhat them, but maybe a few ports (like Xenoblade) which can't really be made for OG 3DS.

Just in time to compete against latest Android and Apple wearable devices, tablets, and phones...?

Can we all just collectively tell Nintendo to just STOP with these asinine hardware revisions?

Please Stop Nintendo.

How about going back to the old/non-3D display to lower prices before adding candy colored buttons and face plates? That would be a real feature change worth spending money on.

I'm glad they're finally putting out a handheld with a second stick- it just makes camera control so much better and it probably should have been there from the beginning. The way they're going about this though just makes me upset. Splitting the userbase is a good way of making sure developers make games that work across both platforms and don't take advantage of new features. Nintendo wastes so much god damn potential.

Am I being the dumb one here, or is it the ones talking about the removable battery? Because every Nintendo handheld which has had a rechargeable battery (and obviously the ones before that) have all had user replaceable batteries with just a single screw to access it and you could technically buy cheap third-party and higher capacity replacements (but would you trust them?). That's a weird "feature" to be mentioning at all.

Also, I again mention that if this was named the 3DS 2 or some equivalent, would you really be that bummed and wish for no new, awesome games to come out for it due to it requiring that specific hardware? A) I actually assume the new hardware requirements won't be utilized by many games because of the way Nintendo seems to be positioning this hardware and B) if they are, then wouldn't it be worth buying the hardware, being happy there are great games for it, and even recouping some by selling your old 3DS?

Also, I think it looks kinda goofy, those old fan-made mock-ups looked real slick. Maybe there's a great reason they couldn't put a second full-size pad under the buttons... but knowing Nintendo, I doubt it.

Thanks. Well, dammit.

True enough about their past systems, it's just that the circumstances (like the overall timing in the lifespan of the respective system being upgraded) seem very different this time. Understandably there are going to be concerns over how it's handled. I'm sure, or at least hope, they'll handle it with their usual tact and not alienate the customers who are already invested in the 3DS/XL by not going too overboard with it.

Edit: Still own the original black 3DS (which is a pain to clean/maintain and can be super uncomfortable at times) and have been eyeing XL models for awhile now, so this new option does look pretty enticing. Just hope I can hold off til then.

One more thing though is that that grey color with the super-famicom colored buttons is really appealing. I bet it won't come to the US. This whole thing is probably going to go the way of the DSi. Too bad. Maybe next time they release a real "new generation" of handheld they'll have all this sorted.

...I still want a way to play 3DS games on a WiiU. I just don't like playing long JRPGs hunched over small screens.

I read that as a new "3DS Metroid", almost shat my pants, and then was disappointed.

Not that I'd buy one anyway. I live in Asia and speak English. And Nintendo's archaic region-locking policy and general lack of language options means I'd be importing everything at 1.5X the regular price...

@toowalrus: Yeah, that's easily the weirdest part about the announcement of an already weird product to me. There's plenty of room for a second full-sized nub on either size 3DS. And as I stated earlier in the thread, the regular sized nub is already a tad too small for me (though graciously sized compared to the PSP of olde that I was previously working with).

well good thing I decided to wait for a 3ds.this 3ds will be the one for me because now ill be able to play xenoblade chronicles without buying a wii,and ill still be able to play fire emblem and pokemon(which were the only games I was really interested in for the 3ds).so its a win win for me,it sucks for everyone else that bought a 3ds already tho.