We are influencers and brand affiliates. This post contains affiliate links, most which go to Amazon and are Geo-Affiliate links to nearest Amazon store.
The Nintendo 3DS is an aging product on the market, but it did offer enough new features to keep Nintendo handheld fans in tow. It’s worth noting there’s this push to consider Nintendo’s handheld on its own merits, especially in comparison to PlayStation Portable and PlayStation Vita. It’s also keen to point out Nintendo did its part to establish the foundation of the handheld console market.
Handheld gaming consoles deliver to expectations, especially with the Nintendo 3DS price marked down, even bundled with solid titles. There’s also a super-sized incarnation in the Nintendo 3DS XL (charger sold separately, by the way), with improved face-tracking feature and a handful of design makeovers to boot.
In case you’re still on the fence on whether you’ll buy the Nintendo 3DS, I’ll give you a rundown of its new features, which are vast improvements over the Nintendo DS Lite:
- There’s a new analog button: you’ll notice Nintendo finally wised up and took a page off the PSP playbook, and added an analog knob on the right panel of the unit. It’s placed above the digital directional buttons, within striking distance from the left shoulder button. The new analog button handles precision movements nicely, especially with game like Super Mario and RPGs.
- Two new shoulder buttons, plus a C stick for enhanced control, offer more bang for your buck. The addition of the ZR and ZL button is nifty innovation in the design, offering new possibilities: players can hold the R button as build-up, for example, and then hit the ZR button to release. Additional buttons also never hurt any console controller, so long as these are placed in the right spot.
- Players will notice better screen quality with the 3DS, particularly when viewing the screen from the sides. This is an important feature for a device which is practically an upgrade on the DS Lite.
- Nintendo 3DS accommodates different cover plates, which is only appealing to users who actually care how their units are decked out. While this feature may turn off other users, it’s a welcome change for those who prefer anything other than monochrome, metallic colors. The Mario theme alone offers a handful of designs, one for each day of the week.
These new features don’t come with trade-offs, though. The battery life is severely cut down compared to the DS Lite, but that’s understandable considering the juice needed to power the screen. You could squeeze as much as 15 hours in DS Lite; the Nintendo 3DS can only offer half of that, maximum.
Nintendo’s games (well, most of the games in its library) are known to be intuitive, especially flagship titles like Mario and Donkey Kong. Mario Kart plays well on the DS Lite, and that’s considering the console only offered digital direction buttons to boot. Titles like Super Smash Bros. 3DS and Monster Hunter Ultimate ensure the Nintendo 3DS is worth the investment.
The Nintendo 3DS price is also reasonable, at almost $200. Replay value for the console is solid, with plenty of titles to play through. Recommended titles on your first crack: Super Mario Kart 7, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask, and Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire.
Okay, it begs the question: is it worth my money to buy the Nintendo 3DS when I already have a PSP or PSP Vita? It is, especially if you’re into Nintendo’s exclusive handful of solid games. Handheld games also have a positive response in child development, even those designed for more mature players.
So if you’re considering new game consoles, I recommend you check out and compare Nintendo 3DS price at PricePanda for up-to-date online offers.
We are influencers and brand affiliates. This post contains affiliate links, most which go to Amazon and are Geo-Affiliate links to nearest Amazon store.
Tin Vergara is a digital marketer from the Philippines. She currently blogs for PricePanda – a group of price comparison shopping sites where you can check out up-to-date prices of electronic gadgets and other deals offered by many online shops worldwide. When not doing DM-related work, she’s into reading e-books or finding the time to enjoy her new-found hobby (biking) and/or planning her dream trip/s (hopefully soon!). You can find her at Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.