Nintendo addresses 3DS XL 'pixel, blur concerns'

By Tom Ivan for CVG UK

Nintendo has moved to allay concerns over the visual quality of games on 3DS XL.

Addressing Takashi Murakami, who works in Nintendo's research and engineering department, company CEO Satoru Iwata asked: "With regard to the LCD, many customers appear to be worried, asking questions like 'If the screen is bigger, won't the dots stand out?' and 'Will the screen get blurry?' As a developer, what do you think about that?"

Murakami responded: "Apparently I have incredible eyesight, so if you look at it with eyes like mine, you can tell. (laughs) But for normal play, I don't think anyone will be able to sense anything awkward."

Iwata continued: "The dots are indeed smaller than on the Nintendo DSi XL1 system. When I played it, I wasn't bothered by anything at all."

Murakami added: "To get a bit technical, it is thought that you need the screen to have at least 100 ppi2 to view good 3D images, and I've set it as a goal. What's more, the Nintendo 3DS XL's attraction as a product is that it's bigger than the Nintendo 3DS and shows 3D graphics with impact - and when it comes to that, it's just fine."

In our 3DS XL review we said that the super-sized handheld's biggest problem is that it sports the same resolution as its smaller predecessor.

"Just like the DSi XL, imperfections such as jaggies and low resolution textures are now much more apparent on the larger screen. Again, like the DSi XL, you can occasionally make out the individual pixels on the top screen, which means that smaller 3D objects look a little less detailed. The lower, 4.18 screen features the same imperfections as the top."

But we also agreed with Murakami's assertion that 3DS XL improves on the original system's 3D effect, noting: "A redeeming side effect of the stretched screen is that the 3D effect is noticeably improved. As you'd expect with a larger display, the sweet spot in which you have to angle the device to consume your trio of dimensions is far easier to find on the XL, and the effect as a whole is better executed."