Nintendo 3DS XL
Variant of Nintendo 3DS
- Manufacturer
- Nintendo
- Released
- 2012
- Generation
- Gen 8
- Type
- Handheld
- Launch price
- $199
- Units sold
- 75.9M
About Nintendo 3DS XL
The Nintendo 3DS is a foldable dual-screen handheld game console developed by Nintendo. Announced in March 2010 and released beginning in early 2011, it succeeds the Nintendo DS and DSi. Building on the basic design of the DS, the 3DS retains the clamshell form factor and backward compatibility with Nintendo DS software, while introducing autostereoscopic 3D visuals that do not require special glasses. As an eighth-generation console, its primary competitor was Sony's PlayStation Vita.
Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Library & collector facts
1,432licensed games
- North America: 807
- Japan: 725
- PAL: 765
What's different from Nintendo 3DS
- Larger 4.88-inch top / 4.18-inch bottom screens (~90% larger viewing area)
- Improved battery life from larger chassis
- More comfortable grip for adult hands
- Matte finish (vs. original 3DS glossy)
- Included AC adapter in North America and Europe (sold separately or assumed from DSi/3DS)
- weight: 235g → 336g
- screen size: 3.53-inch top / 3.02-inch bottom → 4.88-inch top / 4.18-inch bottom (same 800x240 / 320x240 resolution — lower DPI)
- battery life: ~3-5h 3DS mode on small → ~3.5-6.5h on XL
Lineage
Pricing
Launch price (2012)
- 🇺🇸 USD
- $199
Launch titles & exclusives
Pilotwings Resort · Nintendogs + Cats · Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition · Steel Diver · Madden NFL Football · The Sims 3 · Ridge Racer 3D · Lego Star Wars III · Dead or Alive Dimensions · Bust-A-Move Universe
None at launch; Mario 3D Land bundle later popular
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D · A Link Between Worlds · Majora's Mask 3D · Super Mario 3D Land · Mario Kart 7 · Fire Emblem: Awakening / Fates / Echoes · Pokemon X/Y/Sun/Moon/Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon/Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire · Animal Crossing: New Leaf · Bravely Default / Second · Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate · Shin Megami Tensei IV / Apocalypse · Persona Q 1 & 2 · Etrian Odyssey IV/V/Nexus · Kid Icarus: Uprising · Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon · Yoshi's Woolly World / Yoshi's New Island
Just Dance 2020 (2019) was among the last major Western releases; JP eShop continued briefly before the 2023 eShop closure
Pokemon Bank exclusives; Cubic Ninja (Ironfall vulnerability vector, prices spiked post-modding interest); Culdcept Revolt sealed; Etrian Odyssey Nexus boxed; gold/silver Zelda Anniversary 3DS XL bundle
Hardware specs
- Cpu
- Dual-core ARM11 MPCore @ 268 MHz, Single-core ARM9
- Gpu
- DMP PICA200 @ 268 MHz
- Ram
- 128 MB FCRAM, 6 MB VRAM
- Sound
- Stereo speakers (pseudo-surround), microphone
- Os
- Nintendo 3DS system software
Hardware revisions
- Original 3DS CTR-001(2011)
launched at $249, dropped to $169 after just five months in the 'Ambassador Program' (offered free NES/GBA VC games to early adopters)
- 3DS XL SPR-001(2012)
~90% larger screens, no second analog stick
- 2DS FTR-001(2013)
budget non-folding flat form factor, no 3D effect, locked-hinge design
- New 3DS KTR-001 / XL RED-001(2014)
faster CPU, C-Stick, ZL/ZR buttons, NFC, exclusive games (Xenoblade Chronicles 3D)
- New 2DS XL JAN-001(2017)
folding 2DS with New 3DS internals, no 3D
Launch colorways & special editions
- Pokemon X/Y Red & Blue Edition (2013)
- Pokemon Yellow Pikachu Edition (2013)
- Zelda: A Link Between Worlds Gold Edition (2013)
- Monster Hunter 4 Edition (JP)
- Animal Crossing: New Leaf Edition
- Persona Q Edition (JP)
- Super Smash Bros Edition (2014)
- Majora's Mask Edition (2015)
- Hyrule Edition Gold/Black
Modding scene
- Difficulty
- soft-mod
- Custom firmware
- Luma3DS (CFW); Boot9strap (the underlying exploit chain); FBI installer; Anemone3DS for themes
Reception & legacy
Disastrous launch — $249 price was too high, library was thin, and the dramatic 'Ambassador Program' price cut alienated early adopters; recovered strongly through 2012
No AC adapter in NA/EU box was widely criticized as Nintendo cost-cutting (especially harsh for first-time buyers); lower pixel density on stretched screens looked blurrier than original 3DS; outer cameras still 0.3MP (unchanged)
Defined the early-2010s handheld market against the smartphone tide; eShop closure became a flashpoint in the game-preservation movement; final dedicated Nintendo handheld before the Switch unified handheld and home console
References
More from Nintendo
No Nintendo 3DS XL listings yet. List yours or browse similar items.