The new Nintendo 3DS came out on Feb. 13 and many of its features have gamers excited. For those that don’t already know, the 3DS is a very successful handheld gaming device released by Nintendo that is currently dominating the handheld gaming market.

The 3DS has been around for almost four years now. It has been performing admirably on its 2011 hardware, but Nintendo has decided that it’s time for an update. The new 3DS will have a ton of updated features including a new “c-stick,” two additional shoulder buttons, “Amiibo” support, off-angle viewing support, improved CPU, improved GPU and an improved camera.
Wow, that sure is a lot of new stuff, but what does it all mean? That’s a great question, disembodied voice in my head, let’s break it down.

The c-stick is something that Gamecube players will remember from the old controller. It’s basically just another smaller analog stick that will allow players to play games like first person shooters that require the use of a second stick for controlling the camera.

The new shoulder buttons are just that. They are two additional buttons located next to the “L” and “R” buttons. There are no games that require their use yet, but the fact that they are there means more buttons to play with for new games.

The 3DS has had Amiibo support in the form of the often awkward Amiibo adapter. With the new update the 3DS will be able to download data from your Amiibo without any pesky parallel devices.
The new screen that Nintendo has developed boasts the nigh unbelievable ability to display 3D images from any angle. This would mean no more struggling to find the perfect position for your 3DS. How much of an improvement it will be over its predecessor remains to be seen, so don’t get your hopes up too high.

With all of these new features, the developers over at Nintendo decided that the 3DS needed some new tech to help it with the growing processing demands of new video games. The 3DS sports a new and improved CPU and GPU, meaning that it will play old games smoother, and that there will be more room for developers to make their games more demanding on the system.
To top off that list of awesome crap, Nintendo crammed into 4oz of plastic, the device has a new and improved camera. Just in case anyone cared.

So, there you have it. All that new stuff in one shiny brand new device. But, that sounds like it’s going to be expensive. Excellent point again, voices in my head. Some of you may be worried about the price tag, but that would make you a silly Billy because the new 3DS is only 200 bucks. The same price as its predecessor at launch.

So, is it worth getting a new 3DS? Absolutely. Do you have to upgrade to the new system if you already have a 3DS? Not at all, it’s unlikely that you will find many new games that the old 3DS can’t play so the new device is totally optional, and totally sweet. I’ll take three.