The New 3DS finally made me want to play in 3D

Who didn't love the Game Boy Advance SP? Nintendo has never been shy of hardware revisions, and the SP did a lot to right the wrongs of the original GBA. It made it tiny, its clamshell lid made it easier to carry about, and it had a lit screen that meant you didn't have to be inches from the sun in order to see what was going on. It also felt like it might be the only device still working after the world suffered an apocalyptic disaster. I've still got one, sat on a shelf in my living room, ready for action if ever called upon.

The New 3DS and New 3DS XL, however, simultaneously manage to offer more than the original models, making them somewhat sought after, while also feeling slightly pointless. Having been testing out the New 3DS for a few weeks it's undoubtedly a nice bit of kit that carries the desired "oooh" factor modern tech requires, but some of the design choices are odd.

First, the good. 3D, thanks to the slightly larger screen and new tracking technology, is better. That's not a hugely helpful or descriptive term, but playing with the 3D turned on is simply now a more pleasant experience. On the original 3DS, I'd regularly turn 3D off completely whenever the effect was lost due to head movement. The New 3DS fixes this problem by tracking your head and adjusting the screen accordingly. It works really well and it's hard to go back to the harshness of the original model. The screen will also automatically adjust its brightness, saving the battery if you're in a dark room and also preventing eye strain.

New controls have also been added to the device, essentially bringing over the functionality of the Circle Pad Pro. This means you have a second analogue stick, although it's here in the form of a slightly strange rubbery nub not too dissimilar to the mouse pointers found on some laptops. It does the job well enough without adding any extra bulk to the device, but the placement of the Circle Pad Pro's ZL and ZR shoulder buttons isn't as clever. Placed beside rather than beneath the L and R buttons, they are awkward to use and feel like they've been placed there out of necessity rather than good ergonomics.

An area of annoyance for some will be the switch to MicroSD, meaning you can't use your old SD card. You also need to unscrew the rear plate in order to access the card slot, which is a pain but hopefully something you'll only need to do once. Speaking of plates, the front and rear panels can be removed and replaced with fancy designs that feature patterns or popular game characters. Given the blandness of the standard white edition (New 3DS also launches in Black, while the New 3DS XL comes in Blue or Black), this is something a lot of people will want to do.

Both new models also feature in-built NFC support, meaning you won't need an adapter to use Amiibos when functionality is added for 3DS titles. Again, it's a nice addition but hardly something you'll be desperate to upgrade for.

Finally there's the matter of increased performance. The new systems are faster than the originals, meaning that menu navigation and web browsing is nippier, but software will also be released that can only be played on the new handhelds. Currently the only confirmed title to be exclusive is Xenoblade Chronicles, a port of the highly acclaimed Wii game of the same name. It's unclear if any other titles will also be exclusive or offer any improvements outside of extra control support.

Nintendo has wisely decided to launch Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate and Zelda: Majora's Mask alongside the new 3DS models, and both make use of the hardware - albeit in a rather basic way. Camera control is mapped to the right control nub, acting as if you've got a Circle Pad Pro installed, which is neat enough but hardly revolutionary. Testing Mario Kart 7 and Lugi's Mansion 2 across the old and new handhelds proved to be the biggest eye openers, with image quality in 3D being clearly superior on the New 3DS.

If you're yet to buy a 3DS or are thinking about switching up from the standard to a bigger screen, the New and New XL are decent improvements. The improved stability of the 3D image is for me the best new feature, and could well convince you that Nintendo's decision to go down the 3D route wasn't such a bad idea after all. Whether or not that's worth more than £60 over the cost of the original is something you'll have to decide.

A New 3DS was provided by Nintendo. The New 3DS and New 3DS XL launch in the UK on February 13, priced £149.99 and £179.99 respectively. Buy a New Nintendo 3DS from Amazon.co.uk.