Nintendo 3DS XL vs Nintendo DS Lite
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| Nintendo3DS XL | NintendoDS Lite | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | July 2012 | March 2006 |
| Performance | ||
| Type | Handheld | Handheld |
| CPU | – | ARM9 CPU and ARM7 CPU |
| Disc drive | No | No |
| Storage detail | – | Games on Nintendo DS cards or Game Boy Advance cartridges; no built-in game storage |
| Storage expansion | SD cards up to 2 GB and SDHC cards from 4 to 32 GB; SDHC card included (UK manual; capacity stated on the box) | Game Boy Advance cartridge slot |
| Display and video | ||
| Built-in screen | 4.88″ LCD, 800 × 240 | 3″ LCD, 256 × 192 |
| Built-in screen | Upper 4.88-inch 3D LCD, 800 × 240 with 400 pixels per eye in 3D; lower 4.18-inch touch LCD, 320 × 240; both display 16.7 million colours. Five brightness levels and power-saving mode (UK manual) | Two 3-inch backlit TFT LCDs, 256 × 192 each, approximately 260,000 colours; four brightness levels and a resistive touch screen on the lower display (Nintendo Japan) |
| Audio | Stereo speakers with pseudo-surround and headphone output | Built-in stereo speakers and microphone; virtual surround in supported games; stereo headphone and microphone connector |
| Design and power | ||
| Battery life (maker's claim) | Up to 6.5 hours | Up to 19 hours |
| Weight | 336 g | 218 g (better) |
| Battery life detail | SPR-003 replaceable 6.5 Wh lithium-ion pack; approximately 3.5–6.5 hours with 3DS software or 6–10 hours with DS software. Runtime depends on brightness, software, wireless use and temperature; cameras may shorten it further. Charge approximately 3.5 hours when off | Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery; approximately 15–19 hours at lowest brightness, 10–15 at low, 7–11 at high and 5–8 at highest, varying by software; full charge approximately 3 hours (Nintendo Japan) |
| Size | 156 × 93 × 22 mm when closed (width × height × thickness); 336 g includes battery, stylus and SD card | 133 × 73.9 × 21.5 mm when folded (width × depth × thickness) |
| Colours | – | Crystal White, Ice Blue, Enamel Navy, Noble Pink, Jet Black, Gloss Silver, Metallic Rose and Crimson/Black (Nintendo Japan's series page; regional ranges vary) |
| Connections | ||
| Ports | Game card and SD card slots, charging cradle contacts, AC adapter connector and stereo audio jack | Nintendo DS card slot, Game Boy Advance cartridge slot and stereo headphone/microphone connector |
| Wi-Fi and Bluetooth | Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11b/g, 2.4 GHz; infrared. Amiibo requires the separate NFC Reader/Writer (Nintendo UK); the retained Japanese page's NFC line conflicts with this accessory requirement | IEEE 802.11 and Nintendo's own wireless protocol; nominal range 10–30 m depending on surroundings; supported games allow several consoles to share one DS card |
| Controller | One Circle Pad, D-pad, A/B/X/Y, L/R, Start, Select and Home; motion and gyro sensors. One inner and two outer fixed-focus 0.3-megapixel CMOS cameras (Nintendo Japan) | Built-in D-pad, A/B/X/Y, L/R, Start and Select buttons; touch screen and stylus; built-in microphone with voice recognition in supported games |
| Backward compatibility | Nintendo 3DS, DS, DSi and DSi-enhanced game cards; 3DS and DSi software must match the system's region (UK manual) | Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance games; no Game Boy or Game Boy Color cartridges. Game Boy Advance communication functions, link cable, Wireless Adapter, e-Reader+ and GameCube–GBA cable are unsupported |
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