Nintendo New 2DS XL mini-review: The best version of the 3DS hardware yet

Enlarge (credit: Mark Walton)

While the Nintendo Switch is quickly becoming the handheld of choice—thanks in part to the likes of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey—the 3DS still has some life left in it yet. Kirby's Blowout Blast, Hey! PIKMIN, Metroid: Samus Returns, Fire Emblem Warriors, Layton's Mystery Journey, and Dragon Quest XI are all due for release in 2017 alongside updated (and cheaper) hardware in the form of the £130 New 2DS XL, which goes on sale July 28 (pre-order here).

For those keeping track, the New 2DS XL (the "New" is important) is the sixth revision of the 3DS hardware, which started with the original (and smallest) 3DS. That was followed by the 3DS XL, which sported a 90 percent larger screen along with improved battery life. Following developer demand for a second analogue stick—a problem Nintendo initially solved with the bulky Circle Pad Pro add-on—Nintendo released the New 3DS and New 3DS XL, which not only integrated a second analogue stick, but also incorporated more powerful hardware.

This lead to the a confusing state of affairs where games like Xenoblade Chronicles requires the New 3DS XL hardware, and won't play on an original 3DS or 3DS XL. Then came the 2DS, a stripped back version of the console aimed at a younger audience. It ditched the clamshell design, second analogue stick, and more powerful hardware, instead only playing games compatible with the original 3DS. The 2DS doesn't feature the glasses-free 3D screen of the 3DS either, although given the feature ended up being more of a novelty than a necessity, it was hardly missed.