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In case you haven’t noticed, the classic mobile gaming industry has been in an identity crisis for at least the past few years.
For the longest time companies like Playstation and Nintendo were accustomed to being the unchallenged kings of mobile gaming. Handheld gaming systems like the GameBoy, the Nintendo DS, and the PSP dominated the industry for all of the 1990s and most of the 2000s. These systems and their games sold by the millions to hungry consumers who couldn’t get enough of engaging and addicting entertainment.
That golden age of portable gaming has now given way to the age of apps. People with an Android phone or an iPhone have the ability to choose from literally millions of apps, any of which offer a whole wide range of interactive experiences. Users can not only play beautifully rendered games on their phones, but they can also manage their finances, take extensive notes, and access social media tools among other things. In the wake of such competition, the former giants of mobile gaming have definitely diminished their output. Nintendo and Playstation handheld systems don’t sell for as much as they did before, and smartphones are at least partly to blame.
In an attempt to contend with the iPhones and Android phones of the world (not to mention the tablets), Nintendo has released their latest mobile gaming device. It’s called the 3DS XL, and it builds upon the platform established by Nintendo’s 3DS system released just a year ago. So what’s the deal with this device?
Bigger is Better
The Nintendo 3DS XL (as its name suggests) is simply a bigger, more powerful version of the 3DS. You still play all the same games as the 3DS (and the original Nintendo DS, for that matter) on the 3DS XL, but you’ll be getting a much better gaming experience out of it. For one, both the screen sizes on the 3DS XL have been increased by 90%: the top screen comes in at 4.88 inches while the bottom one is slightly smaller at 4.18 inches. That’s going to make a whole world of difference to gamers who were accustomed to screens that are smaller than some of the bigger smartphones. The bigger screen size will definitely make 3D games more vibrant and interactive for players.
The 3DS XL will also have a longer battery life than the 3DS, ensuring longer playtime for gamers on the go with the system. That’s a smart move from Nintendo, as the battery life in smartphones and tablets just gets longer and longer with each new model. Nintendo will also be packaging the 3DS XL with a 4GB SD card to sweeten the deal, another smart idea considering that the price tag on the device will be $199.
Will the 3DS XL find a suitable market in America?
The Nintendo 3DS XL will be released in America on August 19th, during a relatively quiet time in the gaming industry. Many tech analysts and officials in the gaming industry will be watching sales of the 3DS XL and using it as a barometer of the old school mobile gaming industry. If the initial sales are strong, then maybe there is still some hope for Nintendo and Playstation to revive the mobile gaming industry that’s been dominated by smartphones lately. If Nintendo wants to succeed, they have to extend their market reach beyond younger gamers and nostalgic college students.
This release almost feels like déjà vu, because Nintendo released the 3DS a little over a year ago to much speculation about its impact on the industry. It didn’t do as well as many people hoped, but that doesn’t mean that the bigger and beefier 3DS XL will fare the same. We’ll just have to wait and see.
What do you think about the 3DS XL thus far? Let me know!