Though, at this point, I would recommend getting a New Nintendo 3DS XL, an original Nintendo 3DS XL is anything but a bad choice for any gaming fan. I'm sure there will be more games exclusive to the "New" model, but there are plenty of games to play on the original XL, and more to come.

As far as the hardware goes, the 3DS XL model is a fantastic way to experience the 3DS family's expansive library of games. The system is heavy and not about to fit in your jeans pocket comfortably. However, like all Nintendo products, it's built tough, plus the buttons have a satisfying clicky-ness to them. And the circle pad moves nice and smooth. Casual players won't care about this, but hardcore players may despair over the lack of a second analogue stick. The bulky Circle Pad Pro attachment remedies this, but be warned: it's like carrying two full-size console controllers around.

It's all about the games, though, and the 3DS has some great ones. You can play 3 of the best Zelda games ever designed on this system, for one thing. Ocarina of Time 3D and Majora's Mask 3D are remakes, of course, but the 3DS-exclusive A Link Between Worlds is an absolute masterpiece in its own right. Other first-party Nintendo games are also worth picking up: Super Mario 3D Land, Animal Crossing: New Leaf, Mario Kart 7, Pushmo (eShop only), Kid Icarus Uprising, Luigi's Mansion 2, Pokemon X/Y, Pokemon ORAS, Super Smash Bros. 3DS, and even New Super Mario Bros. 2. There are many worthy 3rd party titles as well, such as the recent Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance, Bravely Default, Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, Resident Evil: Revalations, and more. The 3DS eShop is also full to bursting with goodness. Do me a favor and pay the measly $5 needed to enjoy Gunman Clive and Gunman Clive 2.

Finally, if there's one game that makes this system worth owning, it's Fire Emblem: Awakening. Anyone can enjoy this habit-forming gem thanks to multiple difficulty levels and the heaven-sent Casual mode. Another Fire Emblem game is on its way too.

Other than having what has slowly become one of the best current-gen game libraries, the 3DS XL also comes with some built-in software. It's not the deepest of stuff, but you can enjoy the 3-D effect and cameras with AR Games and Face Raiders, and the StreetPass games that are included free aren't bad either.

Finally, the 3DS XL systems play Nintendo DS games. This is most refreshing in an industry where backward compatibility seems to be heading toward a little town I like to call Obsolete. Getting a 3DS XL is getting two systems in one. You can't beat that.

At first I was leary of buying a 3d gaming platform as I usually get a headache from anything 3d. My brother wanted to play pokemon however so I got this. The screens are large and the interface is great. The 3d settings are adjustable and you can even turn them off if you like, although I got used to it pretty quickly. I've really enjoyed playing pokemon Y on this well made bit of hardware. You can really feel the sturdiness in the weight of it. And I don't even get hand cramps from holding it like my vita. I would encourage anyone on the fence about getting one of these to do it! The pokemon x/y series is incredibly fun and 3d with actual 3d models and animation, different from former incantations of the games. I really have enjoyed playing this device immensely. I do suggest getting the amazon 3ds case for this as it fits the XL perfectly, make sure to read the reviews to make sure it's the right one.

I recently got a 3DS XL and passed on my old one to my girlfriend. I had purchased it used some time ago and it wasn't in the best shape; I felt horrible delivering such a shoddy piece of technology to someone I care so deeply for.

So, I hopped online to see if I could find one for my girlfriend. Needless to say, I ended up purchasing this one for her (although, I REALLY wanted to get her a Pikachu one).

This is arguably the best console that has ever been. Now, I say that as an avid and seasoned gamer; one who has played since the NES/Sega era and played all the major consoles (god do I miss my Dreamcast...). The range of video games is fantastic, I can guarantee if you spend a bit of time looking around, literally anyone can find a game for them on this system. The buttons are easy to learn, the 3DS XL fits in a wider range of hands than almost any other handheld, and it all just feels right.

The HUD (Heads-Up Display) and general User Interface are intuitive and slick, complemented by contemporary styling and easy customization.

The 3D works surprisingly well. After setting up the best 3D depth with the slider, eyes adjust quickly (in a matter of minutes in most cases) and you don't have to fidget too much with holding it at any uncomfortable angles or distances from you. It plays well in almost any comfortable gaming position.

Setting these things up can be kind of a pain between logging into your wireless network(s), setting up a Nintendo account, transferring information (if you have another 3DS and, more difficult, a micro-SD card), customizing settings, and more. But it's ultimately worth it. That and the gyroscope (I think) inside the system can sometimes create issues in games (for instance in first-person mode in Mario Kart 7, where tilt is used to steer). Those are honestly my only complaints.

As for my girlfriend; she is madly in love with the system. It's been her pride and joy since I surprised her with the package. :) I highly recommend this for ANYONE; not JUST gamers.

I bought my 3DS because I spend almost three hours every day commuting to my job, taking the bus and the subway, and I'm happy with my decision. I almost bought a 2DS, but ultimately decided to go with this for the bigger screen and I'm very happy I did. The build quality is great, and after using it for several months it still feels as solid as it did on day one. The controls are really nice, but as many other people have said, your hands can start to hurt after a long gaming session. This isn't really a problem for me, as I generally only play for 20 minutes or so at a time. My only complaint is that, with the bigger screen, the image does not look as crisp as most people are probably used to when they play on a smartphone or other handheld console like the Vita. This isn't a huge problem, but the resolution definitely doesn't come close to current standards (but the 3DS is a few years old, so I let this slide).

I find the game selection to be great. During my commute I generally like to play more chill games like Mario, Zelda, and Animal Crossing, and the 3DS has a lot of these. The battery life is great, and I can usually go for a couple days playing (with the brightness all the way up) before having to charge it. I usually leave the 3D effect turned off, and only use it for certain games. For a lot of games, I find it to be distracting, especially since the viewing angle is extremely limited, plus the battery lasts a lot longer with it turned off. It is still really nice to use sometimes, and I'm glad it's an option.

Overall, I highly recommend it if you're not bothered by the lower screen resolution and aren't looking for a handheld system that has mostly hardcore fighting/shooting games.

I am very happy with my Nintendo 3DS XL so far. I would say that everything about it is great except for these flaws:

The 3D effect is very finicky. You can make it work if you are sitting in one position and are willing to fiddle with the position of the device to get everything to line up just so. Then the magic happens and the 3D works and its great, as long as you don't move. At all. If you reach over to get a snack or a drink or turn your head, once you refocus on the device you'll probably have to reposition again. Fortunately, I have read that very few games actually require the 3D to be on, so when you don't want to fiddle with it, you can just turn it off and get a nice 2D image on the top screen.

While the battery life of the 3DS XL is improved over the original 3DS (despite the larger screens here), I would still love to have more battery life. It's not bad, but as the device ages I know I am going to lose battery capacity, so I would like to have more up front.

While the top screen has been expanded into a wider format, the touch screen has been kept in the original aspect ratio. While this was probably done for backward-compatibility reasons with the DS, it means that some gameplay ideas from the DS don't translate as well to the 3DS. For example, in the Ace Attorney series, you are commonly asked to point to a spot on a map. On the DS versions, the map image would slide from the top screen to the touch screen so that you could tap on it. In the only Ace Attorney game for 3DS, because the top screen is wider than the bottom, this sliding effect is not used, and you have to slide your stylus on the bottom screen to move a cursor on the top screen to where you want to point. This is much less convenient than the system the DS games had, and I assume it was done because of the screen size mismatch on 3DS.

Lastly, sometimes when I insert a DS game into the game slot, the 3DS doesn't seem to recognize it. This is a minor complaint, as ejecting the card and reinserting it has fixed the problem in all cases so far.

What I like? Large screen, fun and easy to use interface (if you blow on the mic in the menu while hovered over an icon, the icon will spin), Backwards compatibility with old DS games (thank you for letting me play Pokemon Platinum again, and overall it's just a damn good handheld system, no surprise coming from Nintendo.

What I don't like. The memory card you get with the game is fairly small so if you're going for digital downloads you'll only fit one game on it. Another thing I don't like is how it doesn't have a GameBoy game slot on the bottom like the old DS but I understand that that was never in the cards for the 3DS so I'm not counting that as a negative really just more of a "I wish it were there".

Other than that its a damn good system that let me be a kid again by letting me play the games I used to play under by bed sheets at night.

I used to own a 3ds. I loved it. Had it for a bit over a year, and it started to get that wear and tear that comes with using something constantly for a long period of time. I thought about trading in my 3DS and getting an XL. At first, I was like "Ehhhh, do I really want to spend all this money for the same thing that I have, only a bigger screen?" That way of thinking made me procrastinate for a long time, but finally I decided to get it during all the Christmas sale shenanigans everyone has every year.

I'm not the kind of person who carries around a fancy Iphone and treat it like its my own child, but my goodness. As far as handheld device go, this is the absolutely best thing I've ever had in my life. I've owned every nintendo handheld device before this one, and I just have to say. The amount of recourcefulness you get out of this thing just tops it all. I mean hell, it even has Youtube and stuff these days. Its almost like your favorite game console combined with a notebook laptop. If anyone was ever considering getting this as a gift for someone for a birthday/holiday/whateverday, do them a favor and get it. Or get it for yourself. I can pretty much say 95% of people wouldn't regret the purchase (I don't say 100%, because there's always 'those people' who just can't bring themselves to like a good thing. Or maybe they just prefer using a laptop for PC gaming. People like different things, so maybe even 95% is too generous, but I definately say its worth a shot).

I am somewhat disappointed, because first of all, I trusted my husband with this purchase, we were waiting around a month for the product to arrive, however, it was delivered to the wrong address, fortunately, we were able to find the package, but, the biggest surprise we received was when we opened the box, it is simply the device, without the original box and even less with its respective accessories... nothing like it is shown in the photograph. We will see if it works correctly.

I am genuinely pleased with this DS. It arrived in excellent condition and much earlier than expected (3 weeks early to be exact), which was a welcome surprise. Although it was listed as the XL model and turned out to be the LL (Japanese) version, that did not diminish the experience in any way. It came with both a charger and an SD card, which made the initial setup simple.

It was already pre-modded to be region-free (I believe), which made adding homebrew and other applications much easier. The only thing I needed to update myself was the Luma firmware, and that process was straightforward.

The overall quality was impressive. There was a bit of rust near the L and R buttons and on a few of the screws at the back, but the buttons themselves were in excellent shape. The screens looked good, and the system played without any issues.

The price was reasonable, the process was smooth, and the console has been reliable so far. I even ordered another one for my little sister for Christmas, which should say enough about how satisfied I am with the purchase. For anyone uncertain about buying from third-party sellers, this experience was reassuring and entirely worthwhile.

(The photos included show gameplay in Tomodachi Life, and the ds with and without 3D mode, as well as the slight rust. Apologies if it’s difficult to see in the images it's more noticeable in person.)

Came perfection condition despite being used. I'm very happy that this was affordable and well taken care of!

Was exactly as described, arrived in timely manner

The charging port is a little gunked up and I was worried it wouldn't charge, but it does. The product works well and has no scratches on screen. I feel it was a little expensive for a used product but it made a little boy quite happy. So worth it.

Responded quickly when I had a concern about the tracking recieved Item in good condition having a blast playing it.