Nintendo 3DS XL – unboxing

The XL's surprisingly lightweight, too, despite the inflated size and misleading weight of the box – and it certainly feels so much more comfortable in the hands.

Pop the 3DS XL's lid open and you're faced with a similar set up to the earlier model – analogue and four-way directional pads, buttons and shoulder triggers are all present and correct. Those who were hoping more screen real estate meant a second analogue stick will be disappointed, though – a pretty odd omission, especially since Nintendo's having to release a super-sized Circle Pad add-on for the XL. The 3DS XL rocks proper physical select, home and start buttons this time round, too.

And gone is the extendable metal stylus, replaced by a non-expanding plastic screen poker.

Fire the XL up and you're met with glorious 3D, as you'd expect. It's difficult to tell at this stage whether the 3D looks any better on the big screen (at the same resolution as the original 3DS) – though the larger screen means you can hold it further away from your eyes, which can only help. Rest assured we'll be putting Ninty's new third dimensional gamer through its paces, so keep your eyes peeled for a hands-on and full review very soon.