With the recent release of the 3DS XL, I go on a journey to find the perfect protection for my system.
With the recent release of the 3DS XL in North America, there has been much chatter surrounding the new system. When it was first announced, I absolutely hated the way it looked. Rounded edges, if there is anything that I loved about the 3DS was its sleek edges which made it look like a device that you could see an adult with. I thought that it straight out looked like a toy, and to make things worse, North America was only receiving Red and Blue colored 3DS XLs. Now I could go on all day about how I hate Nintendo for splitting release colors among different regions, but I’ll save that for another day…
After getting over the initial shock, the system started to grow on me. I started to hear rave reviews on multiple podcasts about the screen size, which quickly became my must have feature. After finding out that the top screen alone was very close to the size of the PS Vita’s screen I was absolutely sold. I mean, who doesn’t want a large screen like the Vita’s? Not to mention the additional bottom screen which is also huge in its own right.
After hyping myself up over the course of about 4 days, launch day had arrived. I had already pre-ordered New Super Mario Bros. 2 via amazon.com so the only thing left to do was to pick up a new XL to make the package complete. Considering funds are tight, I decided to take up GameStop on their 3DS trade up offer, which netted me $100 off of the $200 3DS XL. The only problem came when I discovered that Nintendo requires you to connect to the internet when initiating a 3DS transfer. In my opinion both GameStop & Nintendo did a terrible job at letting owners know that they will need an internet connection that most GameStops do not have, and will not supply if they do. Luckily I had both a nice GameStop manager and my rooted Android cellphone which enabled me to set up a mobile hotspot. After a long system transfer and about 35 GameStop TV promo clips, I was out the door with my brand new 3DS XL.

Finally I arrived home, I took a long look at the XL and realized two things. Wow, those are big screens… I need big protection, and Wow, I hate the red (and blue) colored 3DS XL. I decided that I immediately needed to do something about this. First up was screen protection, after a long search on Amazon I quickly realized that I was looking for accessories for a system which had only been out a short time. The selection was rough, between imports from Germany and screen protection sets that sell for $10 I decided that maybe I should wait on this one. Until I came across the ultimate, two birds with one stone solution. Skinomi’s TechSkin for the 3DS XL. Skinomi offers what they call a Carbon Fiber Skin protection kit for the 3DS XL, which at first I was highly skeptical of. The kit includes 2 screen protectors of the invisibleSHIELD ilk (screen protectors which are highly durable and have more of a rubbery feel than the traditional plastic screen protectors) and a complete body skin for the 3DS XL which comes in multiple detailed parts. Despite never hearing of Skinomi, I decided to bite the bullet and try it out. My major concern about the kit was that the skin simply had a “carbon fiber” print and was not textured or rugged in anyway. Much to my surprise, all of my doubts were put to bed the second I opened the packaging. My mind was blown by how texturized and scratch resistance the material actually was, not to mention how awesome my XL looked after I finished applying it. Full disclosure, a blow dryer will be needed during the skin’s application to round out corners and to fully adhere the material to your system, as well as patience and attention to detail. I have read a bunch of reviews with customers complaining about how it didn’t work. That’s probably because they weren’t doing it right. All in all when it comes to protecting my 3DS, I have been through several skins and cases, however this one is by far the best.

If you are like me and are seeking some quality protection for your 3DS XL. It’s hard to go wrong with Skinomi’s $20 dollar package. I don’t like plugging products, but if I come across one that kicks ass, you better believe I’m going to let you guys know. Check out the screens of my finished system.