The 3DS gets another upgrade, actually it appears to be more of an upgrade in the style of the Gameboy to Gameboy Color.
Argh. A bit over a year ago I picked up an XL barely used off a local (oddly enough on ebay) and I've really enjoyed my time with it but damnit man why?!
Improved CPU performance
Better 3D technology and viewing (double blur gone viewing at an angle)
Internet browser uses HTML5, like the Wii U
NFC built-in
Improved brightness adjustment (even auto adjusts depending on area lighting)
New Nintendo 3DS now uses micro Sd instead of standard SD.
Wireless transfer between 3DS and PC through the same network.
Interchangeable 3DS plates.
Improved Battery performance.
Increased Screen size, but keeping the same resolution.
Coloured 3DS buttons, with the addition of C-stick.
Zl/ZR has been added.
All that added! F you Nintendo, seriously! I'd totally be on board for ignoring this, but the thing is look at this list. I just don't see them doing this much of a dramatic change to the system to have it end up like the GB Micro/DSi with like a years lifespan and change to get dumped. This is something far different then SP - micro and DSLite to DSI though closed to the ds swap. You're getting beefier hardware in the box but not a huge change (maybe like the old old school PC upgrade of the 486sx66 to a DX66 setup with nicer RAM with it. But no they also swap out the 3D tech and improve that in tandem with the screen. The battery is made less of an issue, bigger screen again but clean same resolution.
The kicker to me is that extra stick and set of top buttons. Let's be serious, between the hardware tweaks and then adding that stuff along with that Xenoblade port I think they're going to be trying to gobble up as many last gen or gen before(wii/gc/ps2) era ports and conversions as possible plus anything computer/tablet with pad based stuff from now too. This could effectively stretch out the 3DS life for a good stretch revitalizing the slagging sales on it which they need since the WiiU is crushing their wallet. These simple added stick and buttons plus the core system fixes will really get third parties wanting to more open up again to bringing games because it'll be easier when you have a standard controller now in your hands.
I really don't want to do it, but if this shapes up as I'm thinking I'll end up buying the damn thing...argh. Perhaps this is what Nintendo did with the Gameboy years ago with the updating with marginally better hardware and a higher clocked CPU on the GB Color.
I get the anger here I'm seeing online already, but it's not like Nintendo didn't do this before. Gameboy was around from 1989 through 2003, but in that time, the Gameboy was effectively trumped back in 1998 by the Gameboy Color. With the GBC came the black carts (works on the old) and the charcoal see through GBC only games. They're doing it again with the 3DS. It's a new, but not a new piece of hardware that happens to share a name and use the older games but will have some unique. This isn't the little step of the DSi, this is a bigger step and as such they'll end up dragging the life of the 3DS on the whole out a few years longer than it would otherwise (GBC was alone from 1998-01 then died in 03.)