Nintendo has released another iteration in their Iwata Asks series. This time the focus is on the creation of the upcoming 3DS XL system. The Nintendo President sits down with a number of people that helped design and build the 3DS XL system, so there are a lot of interesting nuggets to enjoy.
The 3DS XL will release in Europe in a little over a week, while us North Americans will have to wait until August 19th.
The feature is a long read, but I’ve got some highlights for you:
- Technology that wasn’t available during creation of original 3DS was used to reduce power consumption for the new bigger screens by increasing the “efficiency of light from the backlight.”
- 3DS speaker wouldn’t fit into first 3DS XL design picture.
- The 3DS XL speakers don’t have the same acoustic characteristics and are at a sonic disadvantage compared to the 3DS speakers because of a smaller size. So they worked on “fine-tuning the structure and capabilities of the speakers itself, and then optimizing the sound with the software” to have them sound as close to the original 3DS speakers as possible.
- The team worked very hard to make it as thin as possible. It’s only 0.1 millimeter thicker than the original 3DS.
- SD card slot location and stylus location & material changed.
- 3D slider now clicks when you move above 2D mode.
- The hinge has roughly twice the torque compared to the 3DS to firmly support the increased weight of the bigger screens.
- “The A, B, X and Y Buttons, as well as the +Control Pad are bigger and thicker, making them easier to use in play. In particular, we increased the thickness of the key tops height-wise for the L and R Buttons, so they’re easier to use too.”
- Reflectivity on the Nintendo 3DS was about 12%, but they decreased that to about 3% by adding a screen cover to the LCD because technology came down in price so that it was affordable.
- “The larger LCD increases parallax, so players can enjoy stereoscopic 3D with greater impact. The 3D Depth Slider has more range, making it easier to adjust to your own preferences.”
- 3DS XL comes with a pre-installed sample video to show off the stereoscopic 3D. It’s a CG movie that Nintendo made drawing upon 3D knowhow gained from the Nintendo 3DS.
If you want to read even more technical talk, head on over to the Iwata Asks site to read the complete feature.
