What 3DS model should I get?

[Kwyjor]

Anything running the “New” hardware, so New3DS, New3DS XL, and 2DS XL. It just opens the door to a fuck ton of amazing homebrew and emulation, plus better quality gaming for games like Smash and the Pokémon series

I wouldn't say it's necessarily that much better. Streaming is the big thing people worry about. I suppose PSX and N64 emulation are big things, but it seems to me you'd be much better off playing those games elsewhere. The load times for things like Smash are vastly improved, but they still play exactly the same.

 

[kijetesantakalu042]

I wouldn't say it's necessarily that much better. Streaming is the big thing people worry about. I suppose PSX and N64 emulation are the big things, but it seems to me you'd be much better off playing those games elsewhere. The load times for things like Smash are vastly improved, but they still play exactly the same.

The new 3ds's UI just feels smoother. Also as a homebrew dev it's really nice to have extra legroom (The new 3ds is like 4 times more powerful)

 

[Miloemulator]

Where? I'd gladly cough that up. Online refurbs are like, $400+, and brand new runs anywhere from $500 to $900. O/2DS models run cheaper, of course, but N3Ds XLs are ungodly expensive right now.

bro a new 2ds xl is half the price I got mine for £90

 

[Joom]

bro a new 2ds xl is half the price I got mine for £90

Neat. That doesn't really answer my question of where, though. Local sellers don't count, seeing as how they're "local". They don't all get in contact with each other across the globe to reach a consensus on a price, and there's no guarantee somebody will find the same price you did. They also don't dictate the overall resell market, which is where things are currently overly inflated. The fact that it's out of production, yet still has an active piracy scene, has led to rampant scalping.

 

[Miloemulator]

Neat. That doesn't really answer my question of where, though. Local sellers don't count, seeing as how they're "local". They don't all get in contact with each other across the globe to reach a consensus on a price, and there's no guarantee somebody will find the same price you did. They also don't dictate the overall resell market, which is where things are currently overly inflated. The fact that it's out of production, yet still has an active piracy scene, has led to rampant scalping.

I got mine on eBay like 1 month ago

 

[Joom]

I got mine on eBay like 1 month ago

Those do seem more reasonable, but I'd be incredibly wary of buying one from there. It's a bit of a gamble, and I've seen plenty of people receive something that technically functions, but has some kind of defect. I even recently ordered replacement plates from there, only to receive a bottom plate with a huge crack along the side of it. It likely broke during shipping, but the seller should have put it in a box of some kind, rather than just an envelope.

 

[Dakangel]

I recommend the old 2ds model for its gba type ergonomics and comfort to visualize both screens at the same time and / or the new 3ds xl to have the full experience of its generation.

 

[kijetesantakalu042]

I recommend the old 2ds model for its gba type ergonomics and comfort to visualize both screens at the same time and / or the new 3ds xl to have the full experience of its generation.

I love the 2DS. It basically isn't a portable console but it's the most comfortable model to hold.

 

[Miloemulator]

Those do seem more reasonable, but I'd be incredibly wary of buying one from there. It's a bit of a gamble, and I've seen plenty of people receive something that technically functions, but has some kind of defect. I even recently ordered replacement plates from there, only to receive a bottom plate with a huge crack along the side of it. It likely broke during shipping, but the seller should have put it in a box of some kind, rather than just an envelope.

I got lucky because he was close to where I live so I could pick it up so then I could be sure it wasn’t a scam

 

[The Real Jdbye]

...It's exactly as powerful as the non-XL New 3DS and the New 2DS XL.

If you don't like 3D and the New 3DS XL is too expensive, you don't have much to lose by getting the New 2DS XL, though some people find the build quality is somewhat diminished. No easily-removable battery, for instance – though the SD card is easily removable. On the other hand, you probably should not be handling the SD card if you can avoid it.

And of course if you get a Japanese unit, you can easily install CFW to remove the region lock. (You can even do a full region change, but that comes with some risks that might not be worth it just to have English menus you're probably not going to look at very much anyway.)

This is all well-documented all over the Internet at this point.

I hate the 2DS XL. The build quality is crap, and it's difficult to repair, or even just swap the battery. If you open it up, you will probably break something because the plastic is low quality and the soldered in L and R buttons are difficult to get seated correctly when putting it back together, and you don't have much space to work because of short ribbon cables going to the rear cameras, which are difficult to plug back in. I cannot recommend it.

 

[kijetesantakalu042]

I hate the 2DS XL. The build quality is crap, and it's difficult to repair, or even just swap the battery. If you open it up, you will probably break something because the plastic is low quality and the soldered in L and R buttons are difficult to get seated correctly when putting it back together, and you don't have much space to work because of short ribbon cables going to the rear cameras, which are difficult to plug back in. I cannot recommend it.

And people still say it's the definitive model.

 

[Ondrashek06]

The "new" models are mostly superior to the old ones - their amiibo reader is built-in and no longer requires extra hardware, there are new inputs, and the hardware is simply better (+ it can run the games locked to N3DS only).

And your console doesn't need to take a minute everytime you try to start (and end) a more demanding game because Extended Memory Mode is built-in.

The only advantage of the Old 3DS model is that you don't need to unscrew the backplate everytime you need to remove the SD card (for homebrew and the like).

 

[Joom]

And people still say it's the definitive model.

I get the feeling that has more to do with its aesthetic, rather than the build quality. It's what made me want one when they were new, because they look really sleek, but I'm kinda glad I didn't spring for one. Now that I'm able to play my N3DS again, I had forgotten how cool 3D parallaxing is, and I think I would have regretted swapping it for an N2DS.

 

[kijetesantakalu042]

I get the feeling that has more to do with its aesthetic, rather than the build quality. It's what made me want one when they were new, because they look really sleek, but I'm kinda glad I didn't spring for one. Now that I'm able to play my N3DS again, I had forgotten how cool 3D parallaxing is, and I think I would have regretted swapping it for an N2DS.

I agree. I feel like people need to experience it at least once.

 

[Kwyjor]

their amiibo reader is built-in and no longer requires extra hardware

Someone reverse-engineered the NFC reader's IR signals, so in theory you could use an IR blaster on an o3DS to simulate any amiibo you wanted – but these days there are easier ways to deal with amiibos.

The only advantage of the Old 3DS model is that you don't need to unscrew the backplate everytime you need to remove the SD card (for homebrew and the like).

-Web browser works with captive portals
-Convenient physical wifi on/off switch

ETA: Also, you'd ideally want to handle the SD card as little as possible anyway. Better to do everything wirelessly whenever possible.

 

[SylverReZ]

Someone reverse-engineered the NFC reader's IR signals, so in theory you could use an IR blaster on an o3DS to simulate any amiibo you wanted – but these days there are easier ways to deal with amiibos.

There are a lot of better ways you could go with doing it, rather than using an infra-red blaster made out of an Arduino. Amiibo emulation devices like the ones you find on AliExpress, or a simple NFC reader/writer and a set of tags, will do the trick just fine.

 

[The Real Jdbye]

The "new" models are mostly superior to the old ones - their amiibo reader is built-in and no longer requires extra hardware, there are new inputs, and the hardware is simply better (+ it can run the games locked to N3DS only).

And your console doesn't need to take a minute everytime you try to start (and end) a more demanding game because Extended Memory Mode is built-in.

The only advantage of the Old 3DS model is that you don't need to unscrew the backplate everytime you need to remove the SD card (for homebrew and the like).

I just left the back cover unscrewed on mine, it stays on fine and the screws don't fall out.
I believe I've seen aftermarket back covers with a hole to access the MicroSD.

 

[Miloemulator]

I hate the 2DS XL. The build quality is crap, and it's difficult to repair, or even just swap the battery. If you open it up, you will probably break something because the plastic is low quality and the soldered in L and R buttons are difficult to get seated correctly when putting it back together, and you don't have much space to work because of short ribbon cables going to the rear cameras, which are difficult to plug back in. I cannot recommend it.

I had mine for a month dropped it many times, it hasn’t broke

Post automatically merged: Nov 2, 2024

The "new" models are mostly superior to the old ones - their amiibo reader is built-in and no longer requires extra hardware, there are new inputs, and the hardware is simply better (+ it can run the games locked to N3DS only).

And your console doesn't need to take a minute everytime you try to start (and end) a more demanding game because Extended Memory Mode is built-in.

The only advantage of the Old 3DS model is that you don't need to unscrew the backplate everytime you need to remove the SD card (for homebrew and the like).

That is one of the advantages of the N2DSXL the sd card