New Nintendo 3DS XL — the most capable 3DS, tested
Personally tested · Shipped from the Netherlands with PostNL tracking · 3-8 working days
New 3DS XL consoles in stock
New Nintendo 3DS XL — Orange
€359.95Personally tested Playable condition
New Nintendo 3DS Black with Super Mario Cover Plates
€299.95Personally tested Playable condition
New Nintendo 3DS XL - Samus Edition
€977.95Personally tested
New Nintendo 3DS XL — Blue
€339.95Personally tested Playable condition
New Nintendo 3DS XL Metallic Black
€261.95Personally tested Playable condition
New Nintendo 3DS XL Metallic Black (boxed)
€362.95Personally tested
New Nintendo 3DS - Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer Edition (boxed)
€512.95Personally tested Playable condition
New Nintendo 3DS XL Metallic Blue (poor condition)
€249.95Personally tested Fair condition
New Nintendo 3DS XL Metallic Black (poor condition)
€249.95Personally tested Fair condition
About the New Nintendo 3DS XL
The New Nintendo 3DS XL (2015) is the most capable model of the 3DS family: faster, with an extra C-stick and ZL/ZR shoulder buttons, and a steadier 3D effect thanks to face tracking. A handful of games — Xenoblade Chronicles 3D among them — run only on the New models. The compact New Nintendo 3DS without XL is here too: the same fast hardware and C-stick in a smaller body, with swappable cover plates. Nintendo shipped these without a charger in Europe; whether one is included is in every listing. Every console here is tested on both screens, the touch screen, all buttons including the C-stick, the hinge and charging. Sent from the Netherlands, tracked, with no customs charges anywhere in the EU.
- Released in Europe
- February 2015
- Screens
- 4.88-inch top, 4.18-inch touch screen on the XL; 3.88 and 3.33 inches on the New 3DS
- Controls
- C-stick and ZL/ZR on top of the regular 3DS layout
- 3D
- Super-stable 3D: the inner camera tracks your face
- amiibo
- NFC built into the bottom screen
- Storage
- microSD card behind the back plate
- Charger
- WAP-002 — sold without one in Europe, so check the listing
- Cover plates
- New 3DS only; the XL has a fixed shell
What "New" actually adds
The New models are the 3DS with the things players had asked for since 2011.
- A C-stick: a small nub above the face buttons for camera control in games like Majora’s Mask 3D and Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, and a second stick in the New-exclusive titles.
- ZL and ZR: two extra shoulder buttons next to L and R.
- A faster processor and more memory: shorter loading times, and the New-exclusive games such as Xenoblade Chronicles 3D.
- Super-stable 3D: the inner camera follows your face, so the 3D picture no longer doubles when you tilt the console.
- NFC for amiibo built in, and a microSD card instead of a standard SD card.
New 3DS XL or New 3DS?
The New 3DS without XL has the same fast hardware in a smaller body (3.88-inch top screen, 3.33-inch touch screen) and, uniquely, swappable cover plates: the front and back plates click off and can be replaced with another print. It is rarer in Europe than the XL. The XL has the largest screens and the largest battery, but a fixed shell. Both models are on this page.
Colours and editions
The New 3DS XL launched in Metallic Blue and Metallic Black, later joined by Pearl White and Orange and Black. The printed editions are the ones collectors look for: the SNES Edition in the colours of the Super Nintendo controller, the Samus Edition released with Metroid: Samus Returns, and the Majora’s Mask, Monster Hunter and Pokémon editions. The small New 3DS came mainly in white and black, with cover plates in dozens of designs. Which one a console is, is in its listing, with photos.
What to check on a used New 3DS XL
The C-stick is a rubber nub that can wear smooth or come loose after years — we test it in the calibration menu. Then the top screen (lines from the bottom edge when closed), the hinge, the Circle Pad, the shoulder buttons and the battery. And the charger: it was not in the European box, so the listing says whether one is included.
Region, eShop and games
A European New 3DS XL plays European (PAL) 3DS games; DS games are region-free. The eShop closed in 2023, so games come on cartridge — including the few that only run on a New model. The 3DS and Pokémon 3DS lists in the Keep browsing row are the place to start.
New 3DS XL or New 3DS?
The same fast hardware in two sizes — and the XL’s little brother swaps its cover plates.
New Nintendo 3DS XL · 2015
Largest screens · C-stick · faster
The one to get if you only buy one. Bigger screens, a second analogue nub, extra ZL/ZR shoulder buttons and a faster processor; a handful of games run on this model and no other.
New Nintendo 3DS · 2015
Compact · C-stick · cover plates
The same speed and C-stick in a smaller body, with swappable cover plates. Rarer in Europe than the XL.
Nintendo 3DS XL · 2012
Same screens · no C-stick
The cheaper big-screen model without the New extras. Its own page.
- C-stick, both screens and the hinge tested
- Dead pixels, a loose hinge and a worn card reader are what go wrong on this family; on the New models the C-stick is checked too.
- Runs every 3DS and DS game
- Including the New-exclusive titles that the regular 3DS XL cannot start.
- Tracked EU shipping, 30-day returns
- Sent from the Netherlands — no customs charges anywhere in the EU.
What is the difference between a 3DS XL and a New 3DS XL?
The New models (2015) added a C-stick, ZL and ZR shoulder buttons, a faster processor and face-tracking 3D. A small number of games require that extra power and run only on a New 3DS or New 3DS XL; everything else plays on both.
Does a charger come with the console?
Nintendo sold the New 3DS XL in Europe without one, so it depends on the console. Whether a charger is included is stated in every listing — and if it is not, we can add one.
Is a New 3DS XL region-locked?
Yes. A European (PAL) console plays European 3DS games; DS games are region-free. We sell European consoles and European games, so they simply work together.
Does the New 3DS XL play Nintendo DS games?
Yes — every New 3DS and New 3DS XL plays original Nintendo DS cartridges, and the complete 3DS library on top.
What does shipping to my country cost?
We ship tracked to all 27 EU countries. A console travels as a parcel: €21,95 to Germany, France, Italy and Spain, €23,95 to Denmark and Austria, €28,95 to Sweden. The exact rate for your country appears at checkout before you pay — and there are no customs charges anywhere inside the EU.
Shipped from the Netherlands
- Your order leaves our own stock in Enter, the Netherlands, and travels to you with PostNL — always tracked, so you know exactly where your parcel is.
- There are no customs borders inside the EU: no customs, no import duties, no extra VAT. The amount you see at checkout is the final amount.
We ship exclusively from the Netherlands. Your parcel therefore crosses a border: it takes longer than a domestic delivery, and shipping costs more than it would at a seller in your own country.
I hope Gameshop Enter gives you back a piece of how it used to be.