

The game that’ll arguably benefit from it most, Capcom’s Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, will launch with the NN3DS alongside Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3DS remake on February 13. The handheld’s new righthand C-Stick feels a little late to the party (Sony’s PS Vita finally landed dual thumbsticks in 2011, and games that benefit from left/right sticks have been mainstream since the 1990s), but at least it’s finally here. But in theory, the upgrades beneath the hood could be significant. The size, weight and frame appear unchanged.

Save for the new grayish nub poking from above the face buttons and some nominal switch realignment, you’d probably mistake it for the old 3DS XL.

The European edition was limited to 1,000 copies. The North American version included a golden console with the Triforce, and the European version a silver console with the game logo and artwork of Link and Ciela. A special limited edition DS Lite bundle was released both in North America and Europe, each one including a copy of Phantom Hourglass and a Zelda-themed console. The Nintendo DS Lite features a slimmer and more lightweight design, and a brighter screen. The console is also backwards compatible with the Game Boy Advance. The Nintendo DS features two screens, one of which is a touch screen, a built-in microphone, and wireless capabilities allowing for multiplayer games and applications.
