Nintendo 3DS XL - Red/Black

Awsome everything works awsome no issues whatsoever :)

If you want to save time, there is a short paragraph at the bottom summarizing my entire review. Otherwise, read on!Before I begin, let it be known that I purchased a used one from Stauffer's Video Game Museum. Some aspects of the condition were not mentioned, but none of them are bad enough that I won't overlook it. Just in case anybody is wondering, I'll say what he didn't mention. Off brand charger, not real Nintendo one. Stylus had a bunch of chew marks on it. There were no scratches, but there are a bunch of small dinks on the outside that make the console look and feel dirty. And there is a spot on the top screen that is much brighter than the rest of the screen, and it's just kind of weird. Not trying to bash the seller, just wish that he/she could have been a bit more clear on the condition of the product.That said, I will exclude those issues in my review. I hate it when people write One-star reviews saying "the seller said it had a minor scratch but it really had 2" or "it never arrived" or something like that. There is a seller feed back option. There is a contact the seller option. I'm pretty sure that there is also a report seller option as well. Don't give a product 1 star if the fault wasn't in the product. Seriously people. Don't be stupid.So the actual device. The color is exactly the same as it is in the picture, don't expect anything else. The top screen is about the same size as a 5 inch smart phone's screen, except a little taller. The bottom screen is about the size of a Iphone 5's screen, if an Iphone 5 were square. They both look pretty sharp. Unless you plan to do some reading or something (why buy a game console for reading, I wonder?) then you should be totally fine. It doesn't strain the eyes.The entire console is like a really thick Iphone 6 plus, if you have ever seen one. The console looks kind of matte, and a lot of people say it is. It is half matte half glossy. It feels that way and acts that way as well. It isn't a finger print magnet like the original was, but it still gets them.Playing it feels nice I guess. I have large hands, so the original was a cramped nightmare. This one spaces everything out much better. It isn't as comfortable as an Xbox or Playstation controller, but it isn't painful to hold or anything like that. The circle pad has a nice, rubbery finish to it which makes it easy to grip. The buttons are a little clicky, but nothing special. The d pad is the same way.Some of the built in features. There is a Nintendo E-shop. It works like you would think: digital games for sale. A few are free. There is one huge downfall to this though. (Story time!) A few years back I sold my normal 3ds after realizing that it is too small for me, and at the time there were not as many awesome games for it. I had a lot of E-shop downloads. I was excited to get them back, but that's not the way it works at Nintendo. A Nintendo account is more attached to the console than it is to the user. If you factory reset your console, you delete the account as well, and that means all of the games you had for it. There is absolutely no way to get it back as far as I know. I think that Nintendo needs to change that.There is the Mii maker. You make a Mii. If you don't know what a Mii is, then you probably never owned a Wii. a Mii is a little character that you create for whatever reason. You can make it in your likeness, you can make it look like friends, you can do whatever you want to, really. There are some games that use the Miis to play instead of a character in the game.There is the Mii plaza thing. This is where things get pretty cool. So there is this a plaza. You can play games using the Miis here. You start off with only one, and that is the one you first created when you set up the console. There is a little RPG kind of game, there is a puzzle game, quite a few others. So even if you couldn't afford a game with this, you would at least have a few small ones built in. Anyway, most of the games don't work without StreetPass. This is a cool feature. Basically, if you put it in sleep mode (close it without powering off) and you walk next to somebody who also has a 3ds in sleep mode, then you get a copy of their Mii and they get a Copy of yours. Once you do this, you can use their Mii as well as yours to play the built in games. This feature does not have to be turned on if you don't want it to be. There are also parental controls and parental locks for this and similar features. Sadly, I'm old enough to not need these controls there, yet it still forced me to make a passcode to access these features, and enter the code whenever I wish to change them. Basically, whether you like it or not, there are certain things that you must have a lock on, and a passcode to use and change settings about those things. If there is a way to get rid of that, please tell me in a comment. It is getting annoying to deal with.There is the AR cards (my used one didn't include them) that I remember from the original. Basically, you use the cameras on these cards that come with the system, and then iconic Nintendo Characters pop on the screen, on top of the card. Neat, but only a few times. Especially since there aren't any new ones that I know of.There is Face Raiders. Weird little game. Basically, you take a picture of you face, and then it goes onto this little flying propeller thing, and you shoot them down. There can be tons of them.You are supposed to be standing when playing, and turn around to shoot ones behind you. interesting way to get people "active", Nintendo.Some of you might be wondering about how the 3d itself looks. I'll say: pretty good. It doesn't pop out at you like at a movie theater, but rather it looks like you could stick your hand in the screen and your hand would be in the game. At least that's how it is in the games I have played on it. Really though, I never really use the 3d for a few reasons. Some people say that it gives them a headache. I have never had that problem. The 3d is hard to really use. Your eyes pretty much have to be parallel to the screen. If the angle isn't just right, the screen will instead look horribly blurred. For that reason, I never use 3D. Plus, it drains battery more quickly.Speaking of the battery: it is pretty good. About 4 to 5 hours of straight gaming off a full charge, no 3D, Wireless on the entire time.To sum it all up, I'd say get it if you don't have it. It is more comfortable to use than a standard 3ds. I don't know about the New 3DS line of stuff though. If you're looking to buy a game console with quality games, is portable, and isn't overly expensive (including cost of games and memory card here. Looking at you, PS Vita) then I would say go for it. If you want a better one then get the New 3DS XL. I got this one because I'm poor.In the New 3DS XL, they fixed the 3D, so it will always look 3d no matter what angle you view it from(unless you turn it off). But even if I had that, I would only use it as a novelty.Update: I have owned the console for a while now. It is holding up fine. The buttons get a little weird from time to time, as in it is difficult to push them, but it goes away quickly. Also keep in mind that this is one I purchased used, and it looks as though it was used for many years. Sadly, I STILL only own one game for it, but I have quite a few that I really want to play. There really isn't much I need to add to the review. I slightly wish that there were more free games on the e-shop. It shows quite a bit of free software, but much of that software is simply updates for games that you have to pay for. Then there are demos. That leaves, I think 3 or 4 free actual games. I wish it had more variety, but I can't complain. I also wish that there were more free themes. The ones that are included in the device are boring, so I wanted to get something based on a game. There was only one free theme, and it was based off of Sonic Boom. Not happening. But other than that, I am pretty happy with it. When I get more games, I'll definitely be more happy with it. This got me back into Nintendo consoles after 5 years of not even looking at one. It even got me looking at a Wii U, but it was such a failure that it is already beginning to be abandoned, as Nintendo has started development of their next console already. If you are considering getting one, answer this question to yourself: Are you more of a casual gamer, or on the hardcore side of things? If you are a casual gamer, you have 0 uses for the 3DS console, a tablet will suit you just fine. If you wish there was more to phone and tablet games, wishing desperately for more content, then the 3DS is for you.Update: A bit longer with the console, a few things I feel like I should add. The volume. It isn't a big deal to me honestly, but the max volume is not all that loud. With or without headphones on, the max vol sounds like half volume on most smartphones of today. That's where I always have my volume when I listen to music or watch Youtube on my phone, but that might not be the case for everybody. I understand that Nintendo did this for a reason. Loud volumes for extended periods of time can permanently damage ears, especially the ears of younger children. I understand this, so I am totally okay with it. But I wish there was some way to change it. Like in the parental control thing, maybe you could change the max volume there, although I have no idea how somebody would program that. Point is, you won't be bumping up the bass with this thing. On a more positive note, Nintendo gives me incentive to be more active. I mentioned something about the Streetpass and all that. Well, I like going around with my 3DS in my pocket. There's something about going on a walk and hoping you meet somebody who also has their 3DS as well. And even if you don't meet anybody, you still get the Play Coins from the steps you'll be taking. I pretty much take it everywhere now. I never thought that I would, but I tried it once, and I ended up getting the Mii of a fellow 3DS owner. It is more fun than you would think. It works best in crowded places with lots of people. Such as your school, the mall, airport, grocery store, movie theater, local game store, all kinds of places. Make sure you put it in a place that people can't get to it easily, so it doesn't get stolen. Try it once, and you'll love it too.

Amazing console, bought this in 2013 I believe, was great for my son, it broke after a while because of my son but that’s alright he loved the console, also kept him busy😂. Great console 5 stars

I purchased this for my artistic nephew who is in this game . He refused to open it right away because he scared to get broken like the one he has before, so I bought him a case and screen protector when I know that .The other day he finally opened it and he tried to play with it unfortunately the games didn’t work on it he was so disappointed , frustrated and so upset.I tried to contact Amazon customer service for return put since it was out of the return window the didn’t approve it . I paid lot of money for this game for nothing.

I should start by saying that I am a huge Nintendo nerd. The 3ds is a cool console if you are used to holding devices at the recommended distance. Personally, I find the 3D distance perfect. I believe it is 14" but that was also about how far I had to hold my Gameboy Advanced (my first handheld) so I am used to it. Having tried out my friends' 2ds I can say that without a doubt I am glad I made the choice to spend more money. The larger screen has proven to help me in multiplayer competitive games like Smash Bros which, because of the shared camera view, is at times difficult follow. In addition, when comparing the two, even barely having the 3D on dramatically increases the clarity and quality of the picture. Interface wise, the device is fluid and easy to understand. Very little set up is necessary.

Si si le encantó a mi hijo.

System looks great but I was under the impression that it was brand new. Although I planned on hacking it already I’m not too cheesed that it already was. Its hacked but has none of the essential apps and sometimes the system crashes when going into settings because of it. Otherwise it’s a good product

I loved this thing (past tense because I recently sold it and preordered/received the newer model one)I love the vibrant red color and the larger screen was so worth the extra 30-ish dollars. The larger screen is an absolute joy to play on! The 3D is pretty crappy, I tended to leave it off. But it hardly has any impact on my feel towards the product itself, this is the first Nintendo handheld/portable system I've owned to have such a big screen! Yeah, I'm pretty in love with that bit. It has a good selection of games. And the Streetpass feature is fun. I highly recommend this product!