Review on Nintendo New 2DS XL - Black + Turquoise: Enhanced Gaming Experience and Sleek Design by Teambringit Truitt

I originally bought one of the early 3DS models a few years ago. It had smaller screens, but since that was before the trend towards bigger screens on portable devices, I didn't really care. However, after playing my Vita almost non-stop for 3 years and then returning to the 3DS, I really wanted bigger screens. Of course I wanted the latest and greatest model, but the question was how much did I really use the 3D feature? The new 2DS XL is launched, which is essentially an updated, more budget-friendly 3DS model. It was perfect for my needs. Unfortunately, in practice, this "upgrade” has a number of disadvantages. Firstly, even though it is an updated model, apart from the Virtual Console games, there are only a few games specifically designed for it. Some of my previously purchased games may use a C joystick and extra shoulder buttons, but I haven't discovered these yet, so they're pointless for now. Next are the speakers, located in the bottom corners of the case. Even though they sound nice, my fingers are constantly interfering with them and blocking the sound coming from them. With that in mind, the volume knob is perhaps in the worst spot. As I play, I usually smack it and move it, causing my ears to explode with the sound. While it's nice that sliding it all the way down turns it off unless I want to listen to music, it's pointless. The Vita uses volume buttons on the top of the system to prevent accidental volume changes. The next complaint concerns the pointless process of transferring your Nintendo Account to a new device, which has been a problem for Nintendo since the Wii. This process takes several hours and is made more difficult by the fact that this device still only has access to 2.4GHz WiFi signals. Not to mention how long it will take to download a bunch of previously purchased games. (It took me a few days.) One would expect all new devices these days to be able to access the 5 GHz frequency. Then there is storage. It is very annoying that Nintendo tries to superficially limit the usable memory, as only selected cards up to 64 GB are recognized. Of course, this can be bypassed by downloading a PC software to format a larger SD card to FAT32. Why use 32 or 64 when you can use 128 or 256 and never have to manage memory again? These last two issues go hand in hand for me because unfortunately I didn't realize that my account transfer process would be specific to an SD card. After purchasing a new card, I found that my computer could not transfer saved data from the old card to it. Do yourself a favor and DO NOT TRANSFER YOUR ACCOUNT UNTIL YOU RECEIVE A PERMANENT SD CARD. Some of these issues are either not specific to this model or will not be a problem for those who buy it as their first 3DS. However, I find that all of the hardware and software design issues really make the gaming experience less than enjoyable.