Nintendo 3DS XL – unboxing

Two weeks after the most important convention in the gaming calendar – that's E3 in case you were wondering – Nintendo outed the supersized version of its 3D handheld, the 3DS XL. And it's just arrived at Stuff Towers. Naturally, we couldn't wait to get it out of that box.

The box itself is positively weighty, which we're hoping is down to all the paperwork inside and not the console itself. Lengthy gaming sessions on a handheld akin to the weight of a brick will not be much fun for your wrists. Oh, and in cased you missed it, Ninty has upped the extra dimensional screen real-estate by 90 per cent.

Phew. It is indeed the XL's manual that's weighing down the box. Hopefully, you won't be needing that – the 3DS XL has exactly the same control layout as its junior cousin.

Nothing else in the box, we hear you say? Yep, that's it folks – Nintendo isn't shipping its new console with an AC adapter. It reckons enough people already own one of the previous models to omit it from the box. Arrogant or clever – you decide?

First thing's first. For the 3DS XL, Ninty's ditched its predecessor's shiny, angular stylings in favour of a much more sophisticated-looking curvy matte plastic outer shell. With its silver-and-black makeover, the 3DS XL looks more like a pint-sized business netbook than a child's toy – and its premium appearance fits in with the look of the forthcoming Wii U.

It's fair to say the 3DS isn't exactly the most svelte gadget on the block – and with a name like the XL, the new console is obviously going to be bigger. But the super-sized variant isn't any thicker around the waistline than the original 3DS.