n3DS XLs top screen could be IPS or TN

You just won't know until you buy the damn thing. It's like playing the lottery. Why isn't this talked about at all?! TN are cheaper to produce and people are paying the same IPS or not. Just a PSA for those thinking about getting the XL.

reddit post

Gaf post

Quick notes-

*Standard n3DS are never IPS

*Bottom screen for all units are TN

Wait, they manufacture it with two different top panels, charge the same and give no indication as to which one you will get before you open the box?

@nyadc: Apparent so. I was shocked myself and had to take out my Zelda MM n3DS XL to check if it was the cheap TN model or not. Thank god it wasn't.

That's messed up...

The differences are pretty different right away. My laptop is a pretty decent TN panel but the monitor I use for it is IPS and much better.

I just found this out the other day when trying to decide if I wanted a n3ds (pokemon 20th) or the xl model. It's pretty cruddy of nintendo. Customer service also says there is no difference in screens on any models. Thing is, it's not advertised as being either or. Still cruddy.

This is pretty old news, but yeah, you just have to hope you get lucky.

Who cares? The N3DS XL destroys the Vita, so stop trying to slander it!

Yeah, this was known since last year. I got lucky, got an IPS panel.

Hoping for some standardization with the NX handheld.

How can you tell?

And I was thinking about buying a New 3DS XL lately... this makes me so mad, seriously. WTF Nintendo.

Turn the 3D off, and look at the screen side on. The image should still be visible. TN panels break down into negatives when viewed from those angles.

You should get one still, anyway, it's worth it.

I got a TN Majoras Mask N3DS XL. Definitely put a damper on the excitement of getting it, but nothing I could really do about it.

And then return it if I got a TN display? Seriously, it's not like type a and type b differ in price, it's so shady of Nintendo to do it. Aren't one's money who got a TN as good as someone else's money who got an IPS??

This is so anti-consumer of Nintendo.

@aia89: Oh, I agree, they messed up there, there should be standardization.

Thank you OP for the heads up.

I didn't know about that, that's so shitty of Nintendo.

The difference is pretty big:

Shitty no doubt, but Nintendo's not the only one to do this. IIRC, Sony did this with the PSP or Vita.

That's really crappy, what the hell is wrong with Nintendo. Why can't they all be the same, is this to make more money off the TN models, rip off pricks.

PSP.

Vita has consistent screen types.

so that excuses them from randomly treating their customers inequally?

No idea what my 3ds screen is. Don't really care. Hasn't bothered me so far.

No, just a statement of fact.

i thought the vita had an oled and a non-oled one?

So whats the deal, is IPS still being made? unlike OLED vitas?

was thinking of getting another 3DS ...

@MBirdy88: It's a matter of luck apparently.

Okay, so let me clarify:

Vita has two versions- the original Vita, and Vita 2000, also called Vita Slim. The original Vita came with an OLED screen panel, and is no longer in production (and also extremely hard to get now, at least brand new); the thing with the Vita is, as long as you know what model you are purchasing (which you should, it's written on the box), you know what screen type you'll have- all original PS Vita systems have an OLED screen; all PS Vita 2000 systems have an LCD screen. It's simple.

The 3DS is more messy. There are five 3DS models on the market- the 3DS, the 3DS XL, the 2DS, the New 3DS, and the New 3DS XL. The 3DS, 3DS XL, 2DS, and New 3DS all come with TN screens, so they're not a concern here. What is a concern is that New 3DS XL models seem to be a mix- some of them come with an IPS panel for the top screen, while others come with a TN panel for the top screen. There is no differentiation between the packaging of an IPS 3DS XL and a TN 3DS XL on the box, and it's not even a difference that is acknowledged by Nintendo, so there's no way to know which one you are getting until you actually buy yours, take it home, and open it up. The split seems to be even across all production batches, meaning even saying something like 'buy a new batch, and you're guaranteed to get an IPS panel' or 'buy an older batch, and you'll get an IPS panel' is ineffective in this case. The worst part is, you're paying $200 for your New 3DS XL no matter what- and it's the luck of draw as to which screen type you get.

So if you do want to buy another 3DS, the best thing to do to avoid the headache is to either:

• Get a standard sized New 3DS;
• Ignore the IPS/TN difference entirely, and buy a New XL without worrying about this at all;
• Buy a New XL, check to see if it has an IPS panel, and if it doesn't, return it till you get one with an IPS panel

So does this effect the image quality/resolution/etc at all or is it just a "cheap v. expensive" difference?

It does effect the image quality at a screen level.

Resolution is constant, but image quality is affected. TN screens give more washed out colors with worse reproduction of blacks, as well as lower viewing angles, than IPS panels; the problem is compounded when you consider that color reproduction, light saturation, and viewing angles are important to the 3D effect.

Thanks for the heads up. Never knew about this. Something to look for when i buy a new 3dsxl. I probably won't gie a damn enough to take it back if I get Tn.

What do you mean exactly? Are the colours different straight on? Is it like LCD v. LED on monitors? One is washed out while the other is more saturated?

Refer to what Charizard just said, it explains everything.

IPS screen in computer monitor world is a big deal, TN is crappier with poorer viewing angles and washed out colors. TN is the lowest of the low, cheapest of the cheap. If you are buying a laptop or a PC monitor it's well known to avoid a TN panel. IPS screens are generally (if not universally) better.

The resolution can be exactly the same regardless of the type of panel, so it's not about resolution. I'm pretty sure this has to do with stuff like viewing angles, brightness, colors, contract, etc. Some or all of those things should be better on the IPS.

I have an 3DS XL and have always thought the screen is pretty bad, so I guess the fact that they are all TN screens explains that. (this was news to me). Unfortunately I've never see the IPS version of the new 3DS XL, so I don't know how much the difference would be. But there are all kinds of differences with computer monitor screens, so I could buy that even on a small screen it would be enough to be noticable.

The difference is pretty noticeable (you can check the video aia posted above to see). Going from the old, launch 3DS models to the New 3DS XL was almost literally eye opening.

It indeed is noticeable. I have a N3DS and the viewing angle is pretty poor; in contrast my DS light's viewing angle is perfect. That's pretty ironic.

The DS Lite also uses a TN panel, however. The poor viewing angles on the 3DS are endemic to the parallax barriers that the system and screens use to generate the autostereoscopic 3D effect.

I guess, but the difference is really noticeable. It's not a BIG issue because in the end you just play the game with the screens directed to your eyes, but it still bothers me that Nintendo sells an inferior batch at the same price!

Yep, it's pretty shitty, no doubt. If they had a specific serial model number or batch number or something that differentiated the IPS ones from the TN ones, I'd still find it excusable, but this is pretty shady, no doubt.

Wow, I had no idea this was happening. It looks like my 3DS has the bad screen. I noticed the viewing angle was rather poor when I got it, I just thought that's how the console works.

Damn. That sucks.

More like less desired than bad. TN got advantages too.

Interesting. I got my Gray N3dsXL on launch from gamestop. I'm pretty sure it has the IPS screen because the viewing angle is pretty good. I use 2 dell IPS monitors and my laptop has one as well so I'm pretty insistent on having IPS screens on my devices when possible. It sucks that they are using the parts interchangeably without telling us. I would not have been happy to have the lower quality screen. However I've also never looked at my 3ds and just thought how great the screen is. I'm don't play games on 3ds for the graphic or screen fidelity so if I hadn't known there was a difference I'm not sure I would care. Sometimes its hard to go from looking at my iphone 6 plus to the screen on my 3ds. :(

When you look for a gaming monitor you get advised both TN and IPS panels. I think mostly TN even. TN is used because it has much better response times and is cheaper but worse viewing angles and worse color reproduction. I don't like the color dissipation on larger screens (22'+) on the bottom or top even when you sit in front of it, so I bought an IPS monitor one time and the ghosting drove me nuts. I couldn't read anybody's name while the camera was moving. So I will probably never get a normal IPS monitor for gaming again. Right now I have something in between, the Eizo Foris 2333. It's a special IPS monitor that has just a bit of ghosting and still decent viewing angles.

IPS would probably be better for the 3DS because there are not many games with fast moving objects plus you might play with the screen at an angle because it has 2 screens, but I wonder whether the TN screen has less ghosting/motion blur (trail left behind by fast moving objects) than the IPS panel?

Companies switch out components all the time throughout a product's life cycle to lower the production cost. But if it has a large impact on the performance or quality, that should not happen. I hope the people who have a problem with this return to the shop fast enough. Maybe take a good video with you to the store that shows the problem.

Dafuq? Had no idea, that sucks! People should know what they're paying for.

The hell, And they're charging the same price? Wow that is F'ed up.

Lucky places like the UK you can take stuff back to the shops no questions asked, keep doing it until you get the right one.

Different manufacturing plants?

Regardless of the cause it's pretty uncool

Wow this is really not nice of Nintendo. I got lucky with my MH4U New 3DS (IPS) but have been cursed with an unresponsive C-stick that has been badly damaged due to intense sessions on Monster Hunter. Win some, lose some!

This is the kind of nitpicky stuff that makes me hate gaming sometimes.

I can see the screen, I can still play the game, who gives an honest shit if the colors are washed out or not? I grew up playing Gameboy and I swear some of you had a Gamegear or a Nomad growing up.

Now if the system had cheap buttons that would regularly fail THAT would be the issue I would get behind, but it looks like you guys are complaining about screens. Same shit that Sony did with their Vitas.