Some New 2DS XL questions

[bombatomba]

Any New 2DS XL players/owners out there?

I've found myself really wanting to get into 3DS gaming again, but my regular 3DS is trashed beyond belief and completely kills it for me.  That being said, I'm kind of torn between the New 2DS XL and the New 3DS XL.  My son has a New 3DS XL and it is a fine machine, but the New 2DS XL is fifty bucks less, and greatly appeals to my cheapness.

What do you think of the New 2DS XL, especially compared to the New 3DS XL?  Does having the speakers on the side of the unit really get in the way of hearing things (I have great big sausage hands)?  I've heard many different opinions about the build quality, so what is your opinion?  Just to let you know, I like the 3D stuff, but am indifferent if it means saving a bunch of money.

I'm waiting on some b-day money, and while I know the price isn't too huge a jump between New 2DS XL and New 3DS XL, nonetheless it will dictate whether or not I have to sell my Jak and Daxter Movie DVD to get it.

[MaterialHandlerMike]

I was going to get a New 2DS XL. Then my local eb games store manager, convinced me to pre-order the last Samus Returns edition New 3DS XL, that they had available.

[bombatomba]

Thanks for the info Mike.  After your comment I was pretty sure about getting a 2DS XL (I really don't care about the 3D), but while watching videos recently learned about there being two different kinds of display panels for these units (IPS and TN).  I was fine before learning all this nonsense, and now it is really bugging me.  My work laptop has a TN screen and it drives me nuts.  I know it will be different with a handheld system, but knowing that I could spend $110-$200 on a system and not be happy with it is stalling me out.   Does anyone have any experience with these screens?  I know the basics about the LCDs themselves (I do break/fix work) and I have watched the videos, but I trust the people on this website more than random people on YouTube. 

[nupoile]

I might be late to this thread and not know the particulars of IPS and TN for the DS, so these are just general comments.....

I have a New 3DS and love it. I leave the 3D on all the time. It's great, I have no complaints. Out of my unusually large collection of handheld consoles, it's the only one I honestly like as a gaming machine.

One of our PCs has a 3 monitor setup, two of the screens are TN and one is IPS. The TN ones are not low end or high end but somewhere in the middle. The IPS one is maybe what some people would consider as 'high end', it's been called a 'budget' 'art and content' developers monitor. It is certainly not super high end though, and not nearly as nice as some they make nowadays. It was in the $250-300 range when new.

Our IPS screen is clearly better than the TN ones. The most obvious difference is in viewing angle. It also has better color and a more even look but those are more nit-picky, however much obvious. The TN panels are nice enough and for the price I wouldn't hesitate to buy again. In fact, the second of the two I bought more than a year after the first because I liked it well enough. They were more in the $110 range. For both the IPS and TN prices...I shop for deals and value, a lot. You might be able to add a fair amount to those prices to find comparable.

My guess is that IPS monitors are mostly above a certain level of quality, TN panels might have a range of quality that starts far lower but gets up to IPS quality in the better examples and models. TN panels can be nice too and have some upsides, refresh rate for one.

Not knowing the particulars of the 2/3DS TN vs IPS thing, I would think the viewing angle would be a pretty minimal issue as you are always viewing straight on. Color is likely better on the IPS but I doubt you would notice unless they were side by side, and since we are talking a standardized console here, it might not have much difference at all?

Again, I didn't know about there being more than one kind of screen in the 2/3DS until your comment above, so I'm just making some parallel comments 

[bombatomba]

Well, I finally made a decision, and it came down to appealing to my cheapness while also my impatience (which killed the idea of ebay), and I now own a New 2DS XL.   I came pretty close to getting either a New 3DS XL from ebay (around $120) or a New 3DS Mario Edition (regular size, not XL) from a local GameStop ($150), but decided against it for a couple of reasons. First, the new system comes with a Nintendo warranty out of the box, which is very nice (not so at GameStop).  And if I hate it I can always return it for another, which isn't happening on eBay (at least without a hassle or return shipping).  Second, there was just no way tell if the 3DS has been banned.  There are a great deal of systems on eBay with custom firmware, and while we can debate the positives and negatives of this, I don't want to start out with a banned system.  In the future, when I really want to I might go down the CFW route, but not when I've played a minimum of games.  I get basic NES and GBC emulation from an R4 card, and playing games I do not own holds zero interest for me, so I don't really see the point right now.

So I've been playing the New 2DS XL since Sep. 30th and I have to say I do like it.  There are a number of issues that folks bring up on the Internet, most I find valid, and I would like to address them.  First it is also remarkably lighter than the New 3DS XL, which was more appealing only after playing Link's Awakening on the couch for an hour.  I was able to hold it better, where playing Super Mario Land 2 on my son's New 3DS XL in the same position (laying down) was more of a balancing act, as with all the extra hardware in the lid it is very top heavy.  Maybe not so much of you've never held one of the lighter handhelds, though (like the 3DS or a 2DS). 

Second, the stylus is comically small and the speakers are in a weird spot.  The first issue I corrected by getting a Zelda stylus (I don't really use them anyway), and the last issue isn't really an issue for me.  It all depends on how you grip the New 2DS XL.  I hold onto the lower side and kind of fold my unused fingers behind the system, so I don't cover them.  Sound is a little low, but it is the same on my kid's New 3DS XL.  Except in eShop.  No idea why it is only loud there, but it's always been like that as far as I know.

The screens are definitely TN.  Now, I was ready for this to kill the entire experience for me, but it really didn't.  The screen is much warmer than the original 3DS, and noticeably washed out compared to a New 3DS XL equipped with an IPS screen.  However, it didn't ruin it, as it was still better than the original 3DS I was using, and far brighter.  And while not unique to the New 2DS XL, the size of the top screen helps immersion with the GB and GBC VC titles (if you don't know and have one, hold in the Start button while starting the game).  Speaking of the start button, I really love having actual Start and Select buttons.  The old 3DS had these little things that you had to mash to get working, and when playing a game like Link's Awakening (where you will be swapping items literally thousands of times), it significantly speeds up gameplay and overall becomes a more enjoyable experience.

There is however, one caveat.  I personally find the d-pad to be uncomfortable to the point of it being almost unusable.  It seems like it sticks up a little higher on the directionals than the New 3DS XL and thus feel a little sharper when used by a person with large thumbs.  It makes diagonals a little bit hard to do.  Now, my left thumb isn't in the greatest shape, as it has a little painful scar tissue from a box cutter accident, but it was never a problem with the old 3DS.  I had read that the d-pads on these things (and the New 3DS XL) need a "breaking in" period, so I can only hope.  In the meantime playing Zelda games with the slider isn't too bad, but I've already purchased Super Metroid and Demon's Crest.  No idea what will happen with those.

Another note on the TN/IPS thing, after watching scores of videos and reading an equivalent number of blogs, forum posts, and articles, I have to say it was very impractical for me to obsess as much as I did.  It really seems that all the screens used in the 2DS/3DS handhelds are very cheap, and unfortunately really speaks to the new role that Nintendo has put their handhelds in, that being the "cheap" alternative to the main console, instead of being a continuation of a once venerated portable tradition.  There seems to be very little calibration (if any at all) done on the screens, and the variety is a little staggering.  I have seen (and read about) people with very nice TN screens (with great colors), terrible IPS screens (with huge blotches), and everything in between. 

At the end of the day, there is really only one (legal) way to get these games, and since I want to play them it really leaves me with little choice.  But to those that haven't dipped their toes in this arena, I hope at least some of the info helps.

[techwizard]

I had seen a video talking about the TN vs IPS 3DS screens a while back and I agree that it's not worth fussing over, only because there's absolutely no way to know which one you have until you open the box, and even then it's difficult to tell. Nintendo really doesn't advertise it so you have to know what to look for when staring at the screen.

I recently did a bunch of research on these screen types when helping my mom pick out a new PC monitor, and I agree that IPS is 90% the better option. I say 90% because for most people, it's significantly better, with much nicer colour gamut, more vibrant, way better viewing angles, and better brightness. The other 10% is because for gaming TN is supposedly the way to go. IPS screens have slower response times than TN screens making them less than ideal in any multiplayer game, or anything that requires low input lag. Even playing video on IPS can apparently have a slight motion blur that isn't there on TN. Of course they don't look nearly as nice so it comes down to deciding between better gameplay on TN or better graphics on IPS.

[bombatomba]

I had seen a video talking about the TN vs IPS 3DS screens a while back and I agree that it's not worth fussing over, only because there's absolutely no way to know which one you have until you open the box, and even then it's difficult to tell. Nintendo really doesn't advertise it so you have to know what to look for when staring at the screen.

I recently did a bunch of research on these screen types when helping my mom pick out a new PC monitor, and I agree that IPS is 90% the better option. I say 90% because for most people, it's significantly better, with much nicer colour gamut, more vibrant, way better viewing angles, and better brightness. The other 10% is because for gaming TN is supposedly the way to go. IPS screens have slower response times than TN screens making them less than ideal in any multiplayer game, or anything that requires low input lag. Even playing video on IPS can apparently have a slight motion blur that isn't there on TN. Of course they don't look nearly as nice so it comes down to deciding between better gameplay on TN or better graphics on IPS.

So completely true.  Even knowing what I know I still stressed myself out over this, which was pretty foolish.  I knew the type of LCD is almost completely irrelevant (except to the most hardcore), as a well tuned TN display looks almost as good as an IPS, and a poorly tuned IPS looks like complete garbage.  My own DS Lite is one of the best TN displays I've seen, and only betrays this when held up at extreme angles, and while the New 2DS XL I bought is most certainly a TN screen (lacking the full depth of 24-bit color), the display is so warm when compared to my old 3DS I can't help but like it, even if the colors aren't quite as vivid as my son't New 3DS XL.