A Look At New Nintendo 3DS XL, The Missing Smaller 3DS And Games Coming To Nintendo’s Consoles

The Super Smash Bros. game for Nintendo 3DS is seen at the 2014 Electronic Entertainment Expo, known as E3, in Los Angeles, California June 11, 2014. Reuters/Kevork Djansezian

In the latest Nintendo Direct broadcast, the company revealed the newest 3DS XL coming to North America. And already, the reviews are outstanding, proving Nintendo has done justice with all of the improvements and new features included in the new console.

One of the more celebrated features with the Nintendo 3DS XL is the new 3D feature. Digital Trends reports that compared to the original 3DS, the newer version offers a much better experience in terms of gameplay. The new tracking system allows the 3D feature without the need to focus entirely on the screen, as was needed with the original 3DS console. Nintendo wasn't kidding when it said players could still see the 3D effect regardless of the angle they are viewing the screen from.

Why Others Are Missing The Smaller 3DS

Admittedly, most of the broadcast of the 2015's first Nintendo Direct has been welcomed by fans. However, it didn't expound on the fact that the revealed release of the Nintendo 3DS XL is not accompanied by another announcement for the new, smaller 3DS model.

Kotaku reached out to Nintendo to inquire whether the smaller model will also reach territories outside of Japan, Australia, Europe and New Zealand, where it had already been launched. The main explanation as to why this will not be happening any time soon revolves around the issue of differences in distribution.

"Different territories make their own business decisions regarding individual products and timing. We think New Nintendo 3DS XL makes the most sense for our market," said a representative of Nintendo of America to Kotaku.

Further inquiry proves there are currently no plans to announce the smaller model in North America. This can mean really, fans can only expect the new 3DS XL model—at least in the meantime.

In the hardware department, Polygon reports there is also an improvement in how the 3DS XL looks and feels as a console. Gone are the cheap plastic feel. It is now replaced with a sleek black case. Despite being bigger, the new 3DS XL is thinner, so handling should feel different as well.

Other Nintendo Direct Announcements

Though the most anticipated announcement was the New Nintendo 3DS XL, there were also a few games mentioned coming this year. On the 3DS, the new "Fire Emblem" and "Puzzle & Dragons" are coming out.

More than this, however, there seems to be a cross-buy offer now for the Wii and the Wii U. Game Informer reports Nintendo no longer requires gamers to pay for the games twice if they want it on the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS. This follows the trend Sony has pushed forward with its PS4, PS3 and PS Vita, where buying one game offered for the other platforms already entitles the player to the other versions for free.

However, according to the source, save transfers between the consoles have not yet been confirmed. The new feature is a good start and one that should be expanded to other titles in the Nintendo family of platforms.