Yeah, the list of New 3DS exclusives is pretty short.
I am fairly sure that having a New 3DS does help with performance on some original 3DS games though.
this post was submitted on 24 Mar 2025
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The system will actually downclock when running titles that are not specifically flagged as N3DS enhanced. This can be overridden through softmodding though.
I'm guessing that Samus Returns is one of those flagged titles then. Because I was getting some chunky framerates in areas on my 2DS that ran smooth on my New 3DS XL.
Imo the main addition to that console is that face tracking made the 3d work properly.
The eye tracking was amaaaazing.
The clit joystick was a godsend for Monster Hunter, but it was absolute garbage until I replaced it with a PSP joystick. Then it worked amazingly!
I can second this. I got back into playing my 3DS last year and was quickly reminded how frustrating it was having to keep your head in the perfect spot for the 3D effect to work correctly. I ended up buying a New 3DS and was blown away by how well the head tracking worked and how big of an improvement it made to the experience when playing with 3D turned on.
The only 3DS I had was a N3DS, maybe that explains why I've never had issues with the 3D while most people seem to complain about it?
I had a 3DSXL and the 3D gave me intense headaches within minutes of turning it on, and you had to hold your head at a perfect distance and angle from the screen that I was basically never in. So I just kept it 2D at all times. It also helped with battery life and framerates, I remember turning 3D on in one of the Pokémon games (Y maybe?) and it chugged down to like 10 FPS in battles.
Ah, yeah okay, good to know!
My 3D experience went swimmingly on my N3DS 😅
There's some more games that benefit from the extra power, like Smash Bros.
And if you're interested in emulating older systems on it, you'll need the extra power.
If you use CFW you can toggle it on in games that don’t natively use it too. I have it toggled down specifically for Omega Ruby purely because otherwise it stutters when an attack goes
If you are interested in custom firmware, there are homebrew apps that either are better with the n3ds or outright require it. I don’t know which Moonlight is but you can stream your PC right to the 3DS which I find wholly awesome. I made the upgrade from regular to “New” back in the day and haven’t regretted it a minute but if you’re on a budget or just playing it the way it was meant to be played you may be better off with the OG
That's insane these prices are still almost the original retail price. If I'm remembering correctly, most the post-intro titles didn't even take advantage of the 3D screens after awhile, so I'm confused on the draw for the new revision except that it's bigger.
You'd be better off just getting a vastly cheaper and more powerful handheld meant for modern emulation.
Yeah, but there's only one handheld with DS/3DS emulation in mind and it's not cheaper.
Well I have a steamdeck, but it’s annoying to emulate the 2 screens.
I also like have a cheaper device to carry around. That way I’m not too worried about it breaking or theft and I can just enjoy gaming in short bursts on the go.
This is correct, however SNES Virtual Console games were also exclusive and a number of games were enhanced on New consoles.
If you're looking to save a bit of money, you might want to consider a Japanese console and modding it. 3DS prices are pretty crazy at the moment and no one knows if they'll ever come down.
Yeah, I just want to play 3ds and ds games on it. I don’t really care about the 3d, but I’ll mess with it sometimes.
I have a steamdeck for the rest, I just don’t like emulating ds stuff in a single screen.
Though some of the games that supported the circlepad pro also support the c stick on the New models.
Circlepad pro had suuuch a better joystick than the c stick… but I cut my c stick out and replaced it with a PSP joystick. Worked insanely well.
Wasn’t the remake of Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga New 3DS exclusive?
No it isn’t, just checked my copy to be sure. I played it on my regular 3DS XL.
Ah good to know! I think I avoided picking it up before because I thought it required the New 3DS. I’ll look for it at my local game store next time I visit.
I really don’t know. I only found this list online and assumed it was comprehensive.