Page 97 - Stuff - September 2017 UK

TESTED NEW NINTENDO 2DS XL
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Nintendo has ditched the door wedge design, but has this
much-needed makeover missed the portable party?

£130 / stuff.tv/Nintendo2DS
Nintendo has fixed the glaring
design flaw of the wedge-shaped
2DS with this latest iteration: it’s
gone back to the trusty flip-down
hinge, increased the screen size and
also slapped in a faster processor.
The edges have been shaved
down to make it as pocket-friendly
as possible, and even the slot-in SD
card has gone micro. Folded up, the
New 2DS XL is about the same size
as a 5.5in smartphone, only a little
chubbier. That belly padding doesn’t
ruin its dashing good looks, though.
The top screen has the look of
an iPod Touch, with chunky (but
flat) bezels on either side. Without
the protruding plastic of previous
devices, this screen looks a lot
cleaner – except there’s no room
for the speakers. They’ve been
pushed round the back, which
results in muffled audio.
The screens may be bigger but
they haven’t been afforded a pixel
upgrade to match. With 400x240
resolution, you’ll struggle to ignore
the blur when speeding around
Rainbow Road. And these aren’t the
brightest displays in the 3DS family.
Games like Super Smash Bros
demand so much of the standard
2DS and 3DS that there’s a painful
40-second wait for loading. The
new processor has slashed that
time in half, and games also run
that little bit smoother. The C-Stick
is another worthwhile addition,
effectively acting as a second
analogue stick for select titles.
A link between eras A switch in focus Tech specs
The 3DS family has a fantastic Sadly, there aren’t many new
catalogue of games. The Legend titles to look forward to. Hey! Displays 4.88in + 4.18in 400x240
of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, Pikmin and the Metroid: Samus LCD touchscreen Storage 4GB
Fire Emblem Awakening and Returns remake look promising… microSD card Features Camera, NFC
Super Mario 3D Land are all but not compared to the Switch’s Amiibo support, headphone port
Nintendo at its best, and there’s Super Mario Odyssey, Pokken Dimensions 163x160x20.3mm, 261g
also a strong lineup of remakes. Tournament and Metroid Prime 4.

STUFF SAYS A decent upgrade to the 2DS, but it’s come about four years too late

With its best There’s no disputing that the New 2DS XL’s smarter design, speedier processor and
games behind it, helpful C-Stick improve greatly on the regular 2DS. But considering this handheld
why would you console is approaching the end of its lifespan, and Nintendo’s focus is now on the
buy a new 2DS? Switch, it’s difficult to justify spending the extra £50. The New 2DS XL would have
Ryan Jones been a portable champion four years ago. But in 2017? It’s redundant.

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