Nintendo 3DS XL — big screens, the 3D, tested
Personally tested · Shipped from the Netherlands with PostNL tracking · 3-8 working days
3DS XL consoles in stock
Nintendo 3DS XL Pink
€192.95Personally tested Playable condition
2 conditions Nintendo 3DS XL Blue
€269.95Personally tested
Nintendo 3DS XL Blue (boxed)
€299.95Personally tested Playable condition
3 conditions Nintendo 3DS XL Silver
€264.95Personally tested
Nintendo 3DS XL Blue (poor condition)
€219.95Personally tested Fair condition
Nintendo 3DS XL Silver (poor condition)
€209.95Personally tested Fair condition
About the Nintendo 3DS XL
The Nintendo 3DS XL (2012) is the 3DS grown up: screens roughly 90% larger than the original, the same glasses-free 3D (switchable off) and the complete 3DS and DS library. It has no C-stick and no ZL/ZR buttons, so the handful of New-exclusive titles will not run — everything else plays just as well as on a New 3DS XL, and the XL is the cheaper of the two. Every console here is tested on both screens, the touch screen, all buttons, the hinge and charging; the listing says which charger comes with it. Sent from the Netherlands, tracked, with no customs charges anywhere in the EU.
- Released in Europe
- July 2012
- Screens
- 4.88-inch 3D top screen, 4.18-inch touch screen — about 90% more screen than the original 3DS
- Battery
- 3.5 to 6.5 hours with 3DS games when new; longer with DS games
- Weight
- About 336 g
- Plays
- Every 3DS and DS game except the handful of New-exclusive titles
- Region
- 3DS games region-locked (PAL); DS games region-free
- Charger
- WAP-002 — sold without one in Europe, so check the listing
The XL in numbers
Same resolution and same games as the small 3DS: the XL buys you size, not sharpness.
- Screens: 4.88 inches on top (with glasses-free 3D) and 4.18 inches below (touch).
- Battery: larger than the 3DS battery, for the longest play time of the pre-New models.
- Weight: over 330 g — a sofa and table console rather than a pocket one.
- Storage: a standard SD card on the side; a 4 GB card was in the box originally.
- Charger: the same plug as the DSi and the rest of the 3DS family, but not included in the European box.
Colours and editions
The 3DS XL launched in Europe in blue and black, red and black and silver and black, followed by white and by pink and white. The printed editions are what collectors look for: the gold Zelda: A Link Between Worlds console, the Pokémon X and Y editions with Xerneas and Yveltal, the white Animal Crossing: New Leaf edition and the yellow Pikachu edition. An edition is the same hardware in a different shell; which one a console is, is in its listing, with photos.
What to check on a used 3DS XL
The top screen: the edge of the bottom screen rests on it when the console is closed and leaves two lines — we check that they are not scratched into the panel. The hinge should hold both positions. The Circle Pad should have no loose rubber and the 3D slider should move smoothly. Then the shoulder buttons, the card reader and the battery. Everything we find is in the listing.
Region, eShop and games
A European 3DS XL plays European (PAL) 3DS games; American and Japanese cartridges will not start. DS games are region-free. Everything we sell is European unless the listing says otherwise. The eShop closed in 2023, so games come on cartridge, and the 3DS and Pokémon 3DS lists in the Keep browsing row are the place to start.
3DS XL or New 3DS XL?
Same screens, same 3D. The New adds a C-stick, two shoulder buttons and speed.
Nintendo 3DS XL · 2012
Big screens · original hardware
Roughly 90% larger screens than the original 3DS, same games, same 3D. No C-stick and no extra shoulder buttons, so the New-exclusive titles will not run.
New Nintendo 3DS XL · 2015
C-stick · ZL/ZR · faster
The one to get if you want the New-exclusive titles or the steadier face-tracking 3D. Its own page.
Nintendo 3DS · 2011
The compact original
Same games, same 3D, pocket-sized. On the 3DS-family page.
- Both screens and the hinge tested
- Dead pixels, a loose hinge and a worn card reader are what go wrong on this family. All three are checked.
- Honest about condition
- Scratches and scuffs are photographed, not hidden. A console with a tired battery says so in its listing.
- Tracked EU shipping, 30-day returns
- Sent from the Netherlands — no customs charges anywhere in the EU.
What is the difference between the 3DS and the 3DS XL?
The size. The 3DS XL has screens roughly 90% larger than the original 3DS and sits steadier in the hands; the technology and the games are the same.
3DS XL or New 3DS XL?
The New 3DS XL (2015) added a C-stick, ZL and ZR buttons and a faster processor; a small number of games run only on the New models. Everything else plays on both, and the regular XL is the cheaper of the two.
Does a charger come with the console?
Nintendo sold the XL models 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 Nintendo 3DS XL region-locked?
Yes. A European (PAL) 3DS XL plays European 3DS games; DS games are region-free. We sell European consoles and European games, so they simply work together.
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.