Review: Nintendo 3DS XL

In early 2010, when Nintendo's DSi handheld game machine was racking up record-breaking sales, the Kyoto gamemaker introduced an unexpected new model, the DSi XL. It was a classic example of Nintendo zigging where others zagged; as its competitors raced to make handheld gaming smaller and smaller, Nintendo increased its screens to giant size, sacrificing pure portability to create a more impressive gaming experience and a larger touch-screen input area.

Back then – ages ago, in videogame industry terms – Nintendo was introducing the DSi XL as an optional new form factor for a platform that was already incredibly popular. The 3DS XL, which will arrive in the U.S. on August 19 at a price of $200, is being released into a less friendly marketplace, one in which smartphones and tablets are sucking up players' – and game developers' – attention.

This time, the XL model doesn't just need to supplement the existing 3DS, it needs to redefine the platform. And it might just do that.

When Nintendo introduced the revolutionary Game Boy in 1989, its portability alone made it unique: If you wanted to play games without a TV, you needed one. These days, practically everyone carries around a portable gaming device in their pocket or purse at all times. Why would they need to carry two?

Studies have shown [PDF] that a significant amount of mobile gameplay takes place in the home: On the couch, in bed, on the toilet. I would not be surprised to find that those numbers are significantly larger for 3DS. And if that's the case, the supersized XL is designed much more appropriately for the way gamers are going to use it. Screw fitting it in your pocket: What's important is the giant screen, the more comfortable grip and the longer battery life afforded by the larger device.

When I reviewed the 3DS in early 2011, it felt like a downgrade from the DSi XL I had been using for the previous year. The screens on the 3DS were smaller than what I was used to and the stylus pen wasn't as comfortable. XL fixes that. The big new screens, nearly twice the size of the originals, make the games look even better. If you were disappointed by the way that games from the original DS hardware were either blurry or miniature on 3DS depending on your screen settings, they look much better now.

The classic Game Boy games that you can download from the 3DS' eShop look especially good when you force them to boot into the 1:1 pixel-exact display mode (hold down the Start button when you start the games up).

The 3DS' stylus pen was crammed into a tiny space on the top left of the machine, meaning you had to reach around awkwardly and fumble blindly to remove it. On the XL, the solid-body stylus – the same size as the DSi XL's but a little shorter than the extended telescoping stylus from the original 3DS – is conveniently located on the right-hand side. I just wish it included the giant Sharpie-size stylus pen that came with the DSi XL.

There are a few other little tweaks. The "3-D volume" slider that changes the strength of the 3-D effect can now be clicked off, meaning that you won't accidentally turn the 3-D on unless you really want to. And the Select, Home and Start buttons underneath the screen are now sculptured buttons instead of hard-to-press membranes.

Unlike Sony's PlayStation Vita, which uses expensive proprietary memory cards and does not include one in the box, 3DS XL comes with a 4GB SD card pre-installed, double the size of the one included with the original model. That's especially helpful since Nintendo is going to start selling its retail cartridge games as direct downloads, beginning with the launch of New Super Mario Bros. 2 on the same day the XL hits stores.

If you are upgrading from an original 3DS, make sure to use the "System Transfer" software immediately to move all of your downloaded games and other data to the new system. The process can be done without an internet connection and requires a lot of waiting, but it's the only way to get everything moved over since Nintendo has no online account system that allows for cloud saves or changing content authorizations.

Nintendo says that the 3DS XL has 3.5 to 6.5 hours of battery life, versus the original 3DS' 3 to 5 hours. That doesn't sound like much of an improvement on paper. But in practice, I have found that the XL doesn't constantly run out of battery and ask me to recharge it nearly as much as its little brother.

Ultimately the only real problem with the 3DS XL is that it's still built on a platform that seems hopelessly backward in today's gaming market. I do not join with the chorus of those saying Nintendo should give up on making top-flight games and start cranking out Angry Birds clones for smartphones. But the anemic content library slated for the rest of the year shows that 3DS still has a ways to go before it's where it should be.

More comfortable and convenient to play in the home, 3DS XL is a big step along that journey.

WIRED Colossal-size screens make old and new games look their best. Larger form factor and battery life make a more comfortable, convenient experience. Double the included memory.

TIRED Games still cost $40 each. Still no account system. Still waiting for Nintendo to unleash the floodgates of cheap digital content instead of trickling out zero to three games a week.