3DS XL - Thoughts and Impressions

I love Nintendo handhelds and have one for as long as I can remember, I have had an Aqua Blue 3DS for around two years now and over the Christmas period I finally decided to jump and get a 3DS XL, more specifically the Limited Edition Legend of Zelda 3DS XL., these are my thoughts
*Queue Law & Order noise*

Now I love my 3DS, so I was curious about what the 3DS XL improved on in terms of performance, 3D effect and various other aspects.

In the box for my 3DS XL I got 6 AR Cards, the 3DS XL itself, a Club Nintendo Code and a digital download for The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Words (Which I did not use, I got the game physically at release and I prefer physical copies rather than digital).

Now the first thing you will notice when you pull the 3DS XL out of the box it is weight difference and more notably the size difference as well. In my opinion, the 3DS XL feels very light compared to the normal 3DS and is quite a lot larger, I mean even I didn't think it was going to be *that* large compared to the 3DS.

When I first saw the 3DS XL I thought it was very cheaply made and I did not think I was going to feel sturdy at all but let me tell you, I was completely wrong. It feels very sturdy and very well made, even compared to the 3DS and the hinge connecting the two sections together feels much better with it now having two solid clicks when opening and locking the top screen in place. Changing the face buttons (i.e. the 'Start', 'Select' and 'Home' buttons) into proper buttons rather than having them all as one like on the 3DS was something which I did not think was going to look as nice as the 3DS ones and I don't think they do, however, they are a lot more practical than the 3DS ones. 
Another noticeable thing with the buttons is the 3DS XL does not come with a second analogue stick so if you want another to play games such as Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate on the 3DS you will need to buy the extension which clips onto the 3DS XL (Note: The 3DS one does not fit the 3DS XL, so you will have to buy another one). The 3D slide bar now has a small clip lock if you will, so no longer will you accidentaly switch the 3D on and really hurt your eyes in the process. 
The only thing that I do not like about the buttons now is that the analogue stick can feel stiff at first and the Power button is not raised any more so sometimes it feels like you aren't holding down the power button. Also, I prefer the stylus which came with the 3DS over the 3DS XL, the stylus for the XL just feels cheap and honestly when I was first using it I felt like I was scratching the screen which made me very uncomfortable, I felt like Nintendo had made some progress with the 3DS stylus from the one which came with the original 3DS, but they have just reverted. 

Now, the 3DS XL is not shiny like the original 3DS... THANK GOD!
The 3DS is a magnet for finger prints and sometimes that could really bother me. The 3DS XL which I have purchased does get a few finger prints on it but they aren't as noticeable as they are on the 3DS. The 3D effect on the XL is also so much better, the range for what me and my friends refer to as the 'sweet spot' for the 3D is a lot bigger and doesn't require you to have the system really close to your face to get the full effect.  
Now I have read a few things where people have complained due to the stretching of pixels when playing 3DS games on the 3DS XL. Now I have not really noticed this, in fact, more recently released games actually look a lot better on the 3DS XL than the 3DS, I tired this with Bravely Default and it seems to suit the larger screen a lot more. 

Now the size difference and boy, is it a size difference. Pictures really cannot describe the size difference between the 3DS and the 3DS XL, because no matter how much you look at the pictures, the size difference is more noticable when you are actually holding the device itself... but for good measure I have inserted an image of the 3DS vs my 3DS XL. 
To put it into a measurable perspective, the touchscreen, yes the touchscreen on the 3DS XL is larger than the main screen on the 3DS... that's a huge size difference. The battery life on the console is a lot better lasting around half an hour longer when playing 3DS games and between 1 - 2 hours longer when playing DS titles. It also doesn't heat up as much, making it more comfortable for extended gameplay. 

*THE 3DS XL DOES NOT COME WITH A CHARGER SO THIS WILL HAVE TO BE PURCHASED SEPARATELY UNLESS YOU ALREADY OWN A 3DS OR 2DS!*

Final Thoughts
In my opinion, the 3DS XL is worth the price you pay for it. If you are someone how has not yet purchased a 3DS, I would strongly recommend purchasing a 3DS XL rather than a 3DS as it is worth the extra money you may pay for one. If you are a current user of the 3DS and are wondering if it worth the upgrade, I believe it is, there are a lot of good points about the 3DS XL which are worth the extra money to get one, maybe wait for a limited edition that catches your eye and drop some money on it yet. 

The 3DS XL is available at any good retailer for a variety of prices, so shop around for a deal that suits you before you buy!