Fact: I owned a Nintendo 3DS XL (Black) for roughly 48 hours...
Before I jumping directly into why I returned my Nintendo 3DS XL, I should probably touch on why I wanted one in the first place.
I've been wanting one for quite some time actually... I loved the Nintendo DS. I picked up a DSi and have been meaning to make the jump to 3DS for well over a year, but I never quite pulled the trigger.
At first, I wanted to wait until there was a solid stable of games available. That's certainly out there... Including a new Zelda game that has received AMAZING reviews.
Rhiannon recently starting playing my old DSi so that she could play Tetris when we take road trips, so the itch to get a Nintendo 3DS XL came back.
A number of months ago my co-worker bought one and he let me play StarFox 64 on it and I nearly bought one at lunch time. They just happened to be out of "black" ones so I never got around to picking one up.
There it is... the 3DS XL that I owned for 48 hours. Shout out to Best Buy, for allowing the return process to be so fucking painless.
I then had my heart set on two 3DS XL bundles (Animal Crossing/Zelda) that I couldn't seem to find in stores or at a price point I was willing to pay online...
As luck would have it... I'm in Seattle and while visiting a local Game Stop, I saw that they were carrying a special version of the 3DS XL that looks like an old NES. It wasn't bundled with any games, so I opted to find a black one this week - to pass the time.
I stopped by a Best Buy that was across the street... they price matched a lower price I found online and I walked out of the store with the handheld and three games. (Mario Kart 7, Mario Golf and Super Mario 2).
They didn't have the Zelda game I really wanted, but I figured I would occupy my time with playing the other games...
This is where things kinda went sideways. Did I enjoy the three games I listed above? Yeah... I mean, who doesn't want to play Mario Kart? But its a retread of sorts... I felt the same way about the Mario Golf game, which was exactly like the Mario Golf 64 that I loved - with the exception that it insisted that I create a Mii character and use the online features all the fucking time.
Super Mario Bros 2, like Mario Kart - kinda felt like a retread and I found myself disliking the way 3D felt when I managed to move my head or hands slightly.
Then, one night - while reading up on current events - I saw that the "New Nintendo 3DS LL (the XL in Japan)" was released in Japan.
The fucking new one, the day after I bought last years model. They cosmetically look the same, with the exception of a new button and faster internal processor.
This was reason enough for me to take it back today... that and I may have come to the cold hard conclusion that my days of gaming are over. I just didn't "feel it" when playing these games... I've become really disinterested in consoles over the years. The PS4, XBOX One and Wii U have been out for a while and I haven't had any interest in purchasing any of those systems...
Actually, I take that back. The PS4 and NBA 2K 15 - look really tasty... but I can see myself closing this chapter in my life. I'm holding out hope for a game to come out that has an incredible backstory or innovation to bring me back... but the enormity of games and their insistence to connect with others - turns me off.