Following Nintendo's announcement that the 3DS would be receiving an extra large upgrade back in June of this year, there had been much speculation about just what the 3DS XL would offer to newcomers and owners of the original 3DS system alike.

Old 'n' busted; new hotness

Better designed; better built, It's huge, Matte finish is great, Seats five, System transfer is a cinch

New stylus is a disappointment; SD card door is a liability; Swapnote and photos take a hit

Nintendo may have had our childhood or that of our kids but they haven't been doing very well these past few years. Last year's attempt to penetrate the portable gaming industry was a flop.

In early 2010, when Nintendo's DSi handheld game machine was racking up record-breaking sales, the Kyoto gamemaker introduced an unexpected new model, the DSi XL . It was a classic example of Nintendo zigging where others zagged; as its competitors raced to make handheld gaming smaller and smaller,...

Colossal-size screens make old and new games look their best; Larger form factor and battery life make a more comfortable, convenient experience; Double the included memory

Games still cost each; Still no account system; Still waiting for Nintendo to unleash the floodgates of cheap digital content instead of trickling out zero to three games a week

Well the console is amazing and I knew it!! But what was surprising is you get a soft padded, dust free pouch with it, a scratch guard with it plus a charger with Indian plug points just free! Its amazing

I must say, this is a really great revision of the original Nintendo 3DS. I definitely love the size..the Nintendo 3DS always seemed a bit too small to me and so I'm happy with the increased 90% larger screen size.

The 3ds xl is a huge upgrade over the original 3ds but the original one is still good too. The Xl benefits from the huge screen upgrade, the improved hindges but the downside is you can't use your circle pad pro or any of the old accessories on it.

We all saw it coming. The original 3DS hadn't even been on the market for more than a few months when gamers everywhere were already predicting a revised version of the handheld. A few individuals such as myself were actually waiting for a new 3DS model.

Tweet When we first got some brief hands-on time with the 3DS XL a few months back, it was a bit of love at first touch. Having played with it considerably more since then though, the first love has become a full blown love affair. The reason, in part, however, has remained the same: namely because...

Larger screen makes for greater immersiveness; Excellent build quality; Increased battery life; Reasonable price

Power cable not included; Still no integrated second analog stick

When we reviewed the original Nintendo 3DS in March 2011 we thought that the lack of decent launch titles and limited battery life were its two biggest woes. But its believable, glasses-free 3D display - well, for some viewers, but not all - was an interesting prospect.

Better battery life than original 3DS; large 4.88-inch screen; can be used as a 2D device; enough decent games now available; more affordable than original 3DS was at launch

No power charger included!; same resolution as 3DS; the 3D mode won't be for everyone; is the age of the handheld console and pricey games challenged by smartphones and tablets