Upgraded to death.

Unabridged Discussion

 

Nick: 

Nintendo's announcement of a new 3DS is most definitely unexpected and quite frankly, a little frustrating. Sure, the actual improvements seem great - better battery life, partly thanks to automatic brightness adjustment, extra shoulder buttons, a C-stick, 3D that auto-tracks to the position of your head, and improved specs - but it comes after they released the 3DS XL, which could've easily incorporated many of these improvements at that time. The Circle Pad Pro was already a thing at that point, so they should've just been rolled those features into the initial hardware revision.

More concerning are the slightly improved specs of the machine, which creates a new class of 3DS game that isn't backwards compatible with the existing hardware. This means that if you intend to play stuff like the Xenoblade Chronicles port, and (likely) other first party efforts going forward, you're going to have to upgrade. At that point, it's basically a new system, assuming it's actually adopted. The DSi was a similar type of revision, but thankfully its exclusive catalog was pretty thin. With the heavy hitters that have been announced for the new 3DS, I get the impression that Nintendo is going to be featuring it much more prominently than they ever did the DSi.

This puts gamers in the unfortunate position of feeling obligated to make the upgrade, which makes this feel like a cash grab on Nintendo's part. Given how much I really love my 3DS XL, I feel like I'm going to have to make the leap to the new hardware, so I can continue to be a part of that ecosystem. Right or wrong, it brings up bad memories of the poorly handled launch of the system, the price gouging, and the subsequent release of far superior hardware shortly after launch. While the 3DS is a great system, it's starting to feel like Nintendo has used its customer base as guinea pigs until it found the ideal hardware that should've been in the launch model to begin with.

Of course, like a sucker, I'll still buy this new system, but for the first time, I'll probably sell my existing hardware to fund it. I just have to hope that when the next real iteration of Nintendo handheld is launched, they don't use the 3DS lifecycle as a blueprint.

JD:

Upon hearing about the "NEW" 3DS and "NEW" 3DS LL (XL), I thought a few things. First off, unless Nintendo decides to change the name for the US release, they obviously haven't learned a lesson in naming conventions. 

Jokes aside, I initially thought that this update was nothing more than a few cool new additions to the already great platform. The Analog Nub looks like it could add just a bit to the gameplay experience on 3DS. I feel like for games like Smash Bros it will be very important for C-Stick smashes, and for adventure RPG's like Monster Hunter, it will come in handy for camera control. The size of the nub does spark my curiosity though. As a person with rather big hands, I wonder how practical it will actually end up being. 

The ZR and ZL buttons are also an interesting, yet unexpected addition. I never really thought I would need those for the games I currently play on 3DS, but perhaps Nintendo has plans to create deeper and more expansive games on the system. I again have to question the ergonomics, as they are oddly placed. That being said, it worked for the Wii Classic Controller (to a degree) so it could work here.

The thing that really sparked my interest, and the big game changer in my opinion, is the changes in processing speed. Once I heard that the 3DS version of Xenoblade Chronicles would only be available on this new 3DS, it opened up a huge can of worms. While its great that the 3DS will be able to handle bigger and more powerful games, it now makes everyone with a 3DS, or a 3DS XL question how much longer their systems will matter. I for one think it's a little unfair that I have even consider getting a new 3DS in fear of not being able to play all of the games on it. I was one of the few that stuck with my original Nintendo DS fat until the 3DS came out. I don't mind redesigns at all - but changing the game like this brings up a whole new discussion.

To me, it seems like Nintendo is adopting more of a Mobile Phone upgrade strategy. A year or two goes by, and Nintendo has a small upgrade to the hardware, that's just important enough to encourage an upgrade from its customers. On the business end, it makes sense. Apple has taught the world that people are more than willing to buy up minimally upgraded hardware on a yearly basis. And as I've stated before, Nintendo is no stranger to upgrading its handheld consoles. This is just the first time where the upgrade also includes a pretty important change to the system, that can host exclusive games.

Personally, I think that if there is a good upgrade plan, I'll end up getting the new system. Not only do the additions to the system intrigue me, but I want to be sure i'll be able to play the best games 3DS will have to offer. That said, this does worry me that Nintendo might make a habit out of these small system upgrades. I'd prefer to get my 3 to 4 years out of the system before having to upgrade in full.

Nate:

This is almost perfect timing for me. I got my first 3DS (an XL) last March and have been planning to get a second with a different design to keep and pass the current XL to my wife. I feel this could open the doors to a lot of new possibilities if done right. This is very similar to the N64 Expansion Pak and DSi hardware jumps but I suspect, with official Nintendo support, this could be a much bigger deal. Already we have Smash Brothers and Xenoblade, two relatively large names, supporting the add-on and I am sure more are on the way. With the nub replacing the Circle Pad Pro there is also the back support of these games as well.

I suspect Nintendo has several reasons for releasing this hardware upgrade. Firstly, they love hardware sales and this no doubt will help their bottom line. Second, they are trying to increase eShop usage and fixing the slow download and browsing capabilities allows them to encourage more shop usage and to offer bigger and better games as well. Third, this is most likely a stop-gap measure as well. We know the Wii U is floundering. In the short term this could bring a few more 3rd party supporters to the table which would help round out Nintendo's release list. In the long term I am sure they are working on a replacement console. They have spoken about creating a unified platform and have brought the handheld and console development teams together to make this a closer reality. This NEW 3DS will act as a "GameBoy Color" and allow some advancements on the system while they delay the true new handheld to release alongside the new console in the future, which is similar to what happened with the GameBoy Color/Advance releases. I can see a 2017/18 release of the next console/handheld hybrid system which has a unified platform similar to Amazon, Google and Apple with one "environment" all of their products can operate in.

This may be Nintendo's comprehensive response to the whole mobile/smartphone revolution. I only hope they bring their "A" game to the table. In the mean time I am quite optimistic for what this NEW 3DS will bring to the gaming table.

Matt S:

I don't have as much to write about this as you guys, but I have to admit I've never been so pissed and excited at the same time. I am relieved though that I haven't bought an XL yet... the opportunity didn't come up as much as I wanted one and as much as I hate my OG 3DS. But now I feel better that I didn't buy one, as this seems like it will be pretty cool.

That being said, it just seems weird and out of place, even though Nintendo does this sort of thing sometimes. It's kind of like the Wii U where people won't know the difference between generations, and I really think they should have called it the Super 3DS or something, instead of just "New 3DS". It's too Apple, and I understand where they're coming from, it's just kind of annoying.

But like I said, I'll be buying one to play Xenoblade and other games, and I hope it comes out sooner than later.