What reviewers say
Reviewers praise the more stable 3D, faster interface and customisable covers, with Nintendo Life and GamesRadar favouring the smaller model's screen size. TechRadar likes the C Stick; GamesRadar finds it awkward and sees little urgency for existing owners to upgrade. The missing charger and inconvenient microSD access draw criticism.
From nintendolife.com, techradar.com, techradar.com, techradar.com and gamesradar.com
Specifications
Report a wrong or missing specPerformance
- Type
- Handheld
- Disc drive
- No
- Storage detail
- A removable microSDHC card is included; the Japanese standard bundle includes 4 GB, while the UK manual says to check the box for its capacity. Nintendo's public specification does not state the internal capacity
- Storage expansion
- microSD card slot beneath the rear cover plate
Display and video
- Built-in screen
- 3.88″ LCD, 800 × 240
- Built-in screen
- Upper 3.88-inch glasses-free 3D LCD, 800 × 240 (400 pixels per eye in 3D), with face-tracking Super-Stable 3D; lower 3.33-inch touch LCD, 320 × 240. Both display approximately 16.7 million colours; automatic brightness adjustment
- Audio
- Stereo speakers with pseudo-surround support, built-in microphone and stereo headphone output
Design and power
- Battery life (maker's claim)
- Up to 10.5 hours
- Weight
- 253 g
- Battery life detail
- Replaceable KTR-003 lithium-ion battery, 5.2 Wh. Nintendo rates approximately 3.5–6 hours with 3DS software and 6.5–10.5 hours with DS software; runtime depends on brightness, wireless activity, software and temperature. Full charge approximately 3.5 hours
- Power use
- Approximately 4.1 W maximum while charging (Nintendo UK manual)
- Size
- 142 × 80.6 × 21.6 mm when folded (width × depth × thickness); approximately 253 g includes battery, stylus and microSD card
- Colours
- Black and white at the Japanese and European launches; interchangeable cover plates sold separately
- In the box
- New 3DS, stylus, microSDHC card, six AR cards, front and back cover plates, quick start guide and operations manual (UK); Nintendo 3DS AC adapter sold separately
Connections
- Ports
- Game card slot, microSD card slot, charging-cradle connectors, AC adapter connector and headphone connector; infrared transceiver with recommended distance within 20 cm
- Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
- Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11b/g, 2.4 GHz; NFC at 13.56 MHz; recommended wireless communication distance within 30 m (Nintendo UK manual)
- Controller
- Circle Pad, C Stick, D-pad, A/B/X/Y, L/R, ZL/ZR, Start/Select, HOME and touch screen; motion and gyro sensors. One inner and two outer fixed-focus CMOS cameras, 640 × 480 (0.3 megapixels) each; KTR-004 stylus approximately 76.5 mm long
- Backward compatibility
- Nintendo 3DS, DS and DSi game cards, including New Nintendo 3DS-exclusive games; built-in NFC supports amiibo. eShop purchases and new free downloads ended on 27 March 2023; most internet services ended on 8 April 2024, while redownloads and updates remain available (Nintendo)
Pros and cons
Pros
- Face-tracking Super-Stable 3D and larger screens than the original 3DS
- C Stick, ZL/ZR buttons and built-in NFC for amiibo
- Replaceable front and back cover plates
Cons
- No AC adapter in the UK or Japanese box
- microSD card access requires removing the screwed-on rear plate
- eShop purchases and most online services have ended
Closest rivals
Model | Type | Output | Memory | Storage | Weight | Released |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Handheld | – | 262 MB | – | 329 g | Oct 2014 | |
| Handheld | – | 640 MB | 1 GB | 219 g | Oct 2013 | |
| Handheld | – | – | – | 260 g | Oct 2013 |
Previous model: 3DS.
Sources
- cdn02.nintendo-europe.com/media/downloads/support_1/new_nintendo_3ds/NewNintend…
- nintendo.co.jp/hardware/3dsseries/new3ds/index.html
- nintendo.co.jp/hardware/3dsseries/new3ds/new3ds_set.html
- nintendo.co.jp/corporate/release/en/2014/140829.html
- nintendo.com/en-gb/News/2015/February/New-Nintendo-3DS-and-New-Nintendo-3DS-XL-…
- en-americas-support.nintendo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/57847
Photo: nintendo.co.jp
