New 3DS

When Nintendo first announced the New 3DS about two years ago, I wanted to get one, along with Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, but NOA had to go and screw all that up by announcing - in their infinite stupidity - that the standard-size New 3DS would not be releasing in the U.S.  Instead, only the XL version would be releasing here.

Since I don't want a massive-sized handheld, I decided to simply hang onto my original launch-version 3DS and send Nintendo a nice little email explaining my thoughts on the matter.  I also decided not to buy Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate because 1) for me, it's unplayable without a second analog stick for the camera control, 2) none of my friends seemed to be getting the game, and 3) I was pissed at Capcom for not releasing a Wii U version after they had previously released a Wii U version of Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate.

Well, shortly before Black Friday, Nintendo announced that the black version of the standard-size New 3DS would finally be arriving in the U.S., and it would only be $100!  Now that's a deal!  I pre-ordered mine from Amazon as soon as I could and just now got my system (Amazon's free shipping takes forever, but I wasn't in a rush).  I was surprised by how small the system box was, but it's basically just holding the system and the instruction booklets.  No charger, no charging cradle - nothing else.

Since the system doesn't come with a charger, I bought one separate (only $7, I should note), and I decided to buy a 32 gb micro SD card as well (I was already needing a 16 gb SD card on my original 3DS, so I decided to go even bigger.  The things are dirt cheap anyway)

Also, I had known about a special set of Zelda-themed cover plates, and since I thought they looked awesome, I went and bought a set (released in Japan only) before I even purchased my system.  The Mario-themed cover plates that came with the system really look nice, but the Zelda ones are definitely my favorite.

It took more than an hour, but I managed to transfer all of my data off my old 3DS.  I have never had a problem with the "glossy" design of the prior system, but I have to say, the matte finish on the New 3DS feels really nice.  Also, I really like the slightly larger screens.  The buttons and the D-pad feel better than prior versions, everything is placed in better spots, and overall, the New 3DS is more comfortable to hold.  I think it's just an all-around improvement from the prior model.  I can't see any drawbacks whatsoever.  I hear it also has a slightly better battery life, and the added system memory seems to make software boot up faster.  Hooray!

Hopefully I'll be getting Monster Hunter Generations for Christmas, but in the mean time, maybe I should go back and replay A Link Between Worlds, except this time on Hero Mode.

Oh, here's a better picture of those sexy new Zelda face plates.