Portability.

I'm also thinking of getting a new one, but I still have my regular 3DS, so I can wait till they announce a new model. In the mean time I can still play all the games that are coming out. In your case it'd be a pretty long wait *-*

Get the XL even though I prefer the original because the colours look better on it tbh. The XL's screen has a slight yellow tint to it to reduce glare but I don't like it. Most people won't notice the difference though.

I have the 3DS and I prefer it over the XL, personally I think the original one looks better in my opinion.

One thing to consider is that the XL's screens are a lot worse than the screens of the smaller model. They have a strange yellow touch (I've played on 3 different XL models now and all of them are yellowish... and yes, I know about the energy saving function ). A regular 3DS with energy save mode on is less yellowish than an XL with energy save off. I can definitely say this is true because I've tested it thoroughly - I like the XL and I still consider buying one but the lower ppi + worse screen combo is really a step backwards.

On the other hand I think I read somewhere that newer models of the normal sized version have the same yellow touch - to save production costs, apparently. Mine is a launch model.

XL, besides the much bigger screen it's a lot more comfortable to use.

Both have their ups and downs. The original model has a better build quality in my opinion, while the XL is made of cheaper components. However, the XL was tweaked so it's top screen wouldn't be scratched by the bottom one when it was closed. This is an issue that I believe still plagues the original model, and was quite annoying to me because I had to buy a screen protector because of a flaw caused by Nintendo.

The other main issue is the screen size. I personally like the larger size of the XL, but because the resolution is the same, you'll notice the pixelation of 3DS games a bit more than usual. It's nothing major, but if that stuff really bothers you, you'd be better off going with the original model. For some reason DS games look better on the XL's screen though, possibly because DS games are blurry and pixelated no matter what screen they run on? xD I have to say that the 3D effect on the XL really pops though on the larger screen. If you're going for a better 3D experience, then the XL definitely wins out over the original.

Of course you also have the issue of portability, The XL is obviously larger so its not exactly pocket friendly. It'll fit, but if you carry a bag around most of the time you'd be better off just storing it in there. Even in a bag, the 3DS will still count your steps with its pedometer.

Personally, I have both models and use the XL almost exclusively now. I happen to like the the features it offers over the original, but its really a matter of personal preference. If you're strictly going for portability, then the original model is the best choice. As for a new model, I think Nintendo exhausted its iterations, unless they do a redesign of the original model, in which case it's still the same screen size anyway.

I come here to be (surprisingly!) one of the few original supporters.

The XL feels cheap and 3D is not pleasing on that one, it's aesthetically worse than the smaller one and it's a little too big.

I also heard something about the speakers being of cheap quality, but simce I used headphoned when I tried the XL I can't comment on that.

You need an explanation? Just look at some pictures and compare. XL is an improvement.

Not necessarily, according to a few people here. But I might just go for an XL simply because I already bought an original 3ds. I'm going to try some demos again before I make my final decision. If I get an XL though, I'm going to wait for newer colors to come out, which I hope is soon.