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Yeah a second circle pad would've been great, but then they would've had to add the second set of shoulder buttons too. That wouldn't have been great for the form factor.

Since the circle pad pro probably isn't even compatible with this newer form factor, it's a big mistake.

MichaelMullins, on 22 June 2012 - 01:00 PM, said:

To be fair, the XL is a mixed bag of goodies mixed with disappointments.

I don't mind the lack of a second thumbstick (not many games use the circle pad pro anyways), but I am interested in the bigger battery in the 3DS XL.
Another thing I'm interested in is seeing how this new model fixed a lot of the design flaws that plague the original 3DS (weak hinges, screens getting scratched, etc).

The big problem with this model is that you have a substantially bigger screen using the same resolution found on the original 3DS. My guess is that games and other graphics aren't going to look nearly as good as they do one the smaller 3DS.

ArmandoRodriguez, on 22 June 2012 - 01:19 PM, said:

That really shouldn't be a problem. Have you ever owned a DSi XL (going from an original, Lite, or DSi)? A lot of people complained about the resolution without seeing it for themselves. The graphics weren't stretched at all and looked better than they did originally on a smaller screen. And even if there happen to be issues with it on a new platform like the 3DS, I wouldn't be surprised if they were all quickly fixed via system update.

And I don't mind the lack of a second thumb stick either considering it's only available for a few games; would it have been nice though? Yes, but it's not my concern. While I adored the look of the original 3DS (even if it's not too durable) due to it's shininess, etc., this will grab my interest most since it looks to have a matte finish (similar to original DSi) where the only thing I'll have to worry about smudging is the screen, rather than the whole system itself. The battery life interests me as well, but I can't wait to see how durable it feels in comparison.

MichaelMullins, on 22 June 2012 - 01:00 PM, said:

I dont really care about a second circle pad since theres hardly any titles that are even conpatable with two... we should just be glad they actually made an xl version. face it, there is more pros than cons.

...whoops.

This post has been edited by EmoryMyers: 23 June 2012 - 03:37 PM

How would fragmentation occur? 3DS owners could pick up the Circle Pad Pro. If Nintendo was worried about fragmentation they shouldn't have created the CPP in the first place. This is like if they'd created the Wii Motion Plus add-on, then designed a new type of Wii Remote which neither included it nor was compatible with it.

EmoryMyers, on 23 June 2012 - 03:36 PM, said:

The Wii does not have fragmentation in its user base because the WiiRemote Plus is an optional controller for most games. The games that require it (which are few) typically have it bundled in. The Circle Pad Pro is also more than just a second thumbstick, but two additional shoulder buttons. Simply having included a second thumbstick would have been a nice move, but the lack of shoulder buttons because of it's form factor would be a loss too. I'm sure Nintendo's next handheld will include at least a second thumbstick. But really outside of FPS games it is simply a compensation for bad cameras. I currently have a 3DS and plan to upgrade to the 3DS XL. The more I look into this all I see are wins.

3DS XL and pro circle normal