Nintendo's naming conventions have made things a bit confusing, so let's get this out of the way: New is a brand. The New Nintendo 3DS is an upgraded version of the Nintendo 3DS ($399.99 at Amazon) handheld game system, just like the New Nintendo 3DS XL ($260.00 at eBay) is an upgraded version of the Nintendo 3DS XL. The XL version of the New 3DS came out last year, but it's taken a while for the smaller, non-XL model to arrive in North America. Now that is has, you have your choice of New Nintendo 3DS sizes, both of which are available for the same $199.99 price. There are some subtle design differences, but whether the New 3DS or the New 3DS XL is a better pick for you will boil down to personal taste. Either way, they both earn our Editors' Choice.
Design
The New Nintendo 3DS ($299.98 at Amazon) is obviously smaller than the New Nintendo 3DS XL. Closed, it measures 3.2 by 5.6 by 0.9 inches and weighs 8.9 ounces, making it half an inch shorter, 0.7-inch thinner, and 2.7 ounces lighter than its larger sibling. It's slightly more rectangular than the XL as well, with much less pronounced curves near the edges, giving the system a flatter, starker profile.
Screen size is the biggest change. The New 3DS's top screen measures 3.88 inches and the bottom screen measures 3.33 inches, respectively a full inch and 0.85-inch smaller than the XL's screens. They share the same 400-by-240 and 320-by-240 resolution, though, which makes them slightly sharper. Like the New XL, the New 3DS has the same glasses-free 3D effect for the top screen, with the same vastly improved camera-based eye-tracking system compared with the previous 3DS systems.
Face/Off
Aside from the difference in size, the most notable change between the New 3DS and the New 3DS XL is the former's support for interchangeable faceplates. You can switch out faceplates for both the top and bottom halves of the system, letting you customize the look of the system. The top faceplate snaps in securely, with no need for tools. You'll need a small screwdriver to switch out the bottom faceplate, which is secured by a pair of small screws and covers the system's microSD card slot and battery compartment.
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While you can swap out faceplates, your initial buying options for the New 3DS itself are limited. While the New 3DS XL comes in a variety of colors and designs (red and black versions, along with a variety of themed designs based on Fire Emblem, Legend of Zelda, Mario, and other games), the New 3DS is only available in the form of the $199.99 Pokemon Red/Blue bundle I tested, and the rarer $219.99 Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer bundle. The Pokemon bundle includes red Charizard and blue Blastoise faceplate sets and codes for Pokemon Red and Pokemon Blue on 3DS Virtual Console, and the Animal Crossing bundle includes two Animal Crossing faceplate sets and a code for Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer.
If you want a New 3DS that isn't covered in Animal Crossing or Pokemon designs, you'll need to pay extra for other faceplates. Additional faceplates with different designs and color patterns are available online for $15 and more, and at certain video game and electronic stores. Over 70 faceplate sets have been released in Japan, though availability in North America depends on where you shop. I've seen about a dozen faceplate varieties at the Nintendo New York store in Rockefeller Center and at Video Games New York near St. Mark's Place in New York City. I personally ended up importing a Japan-only Hanafuda-style (a traditional card game) faceplate set, which you can see in our slideshow of the system. The thing is, if you buy a new faceplate you'll likely end up spending more than what you would have on a New 3DS XL that catches your fancy.
Also important to keep in mind: The two New 3DS bundles are increasingly rare, and you're much more likely find the larger XL system in stores.
Just Like Big Bro
The layout and design of the New 3DS are identical to the XL, just scaled appropriately smaller. The New 3DS has the same direction pad, left analog pad, and right analog stick as the XL, along with A/B/X/Y face buttons, Start and Select buttons, and L/R/ZL/ZR shoulder buttons on the lower half of the device. The volume slider is still on the left side of the top half, while the 3D effect slider is on the right side. The power button sits on the bottom edge of the lower half, next to the recessed area for the included stylus and the game card slot (which accepts both 3DS and Nintendo DS games).
I used my New 3DS XL for a year, and the Nintendo 3DS XL long before that, and had become accustomed to the larger screens of both devices. However, I found that the New 3DS' smaller screens were just as comfortable to use, and experienced no eye strain from the size change. I comfortably played Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright, Pokemon Omega Ruby, and Pokemon Yellow on the New 3DS. The first two games use both screens and display good 3D effects, while Pokemon Yellow, as a Virtual Console game originally on the Game Boy Color, uses only a cropped portion of the top screen. All three games were enjoyable on the smaller system.
Aside from the smaller screen, the gameplay experience on the New 3DS is nearly identical to the New 3DS XL. The screens get similarly bright, and the speakers get similarly loud, so you don't have to worry about any sort of downgrade from the non-XL.
Select Your Size
The differences between the New Nintendo 3DS and the New Nintendo 3DS XL are primarily size and aesthetics. Ultimately, they're the same handheld game system with the same price tag. If you want a larger, slightly more rounded handheld, the New 3DS XL is the one for you. If you prefer a more pocket-friendly design and the option to swap out faceplates, the New 3DS is the better choice. After using both, I'm sticking with the smaller New 3DS, but both are excellent handheld gaming systems.
The New Nintendo 3DS gaming handheld packs a top-notch gaming experience into a slightly smaller, more customizable package than the New 3DS XL.
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