Nintendo 3DS XL To Have Better Anti-Glare Screen

In addition to the larger screen size and slightly greater battery life, the Nintendo 3DS XL has one other advantage over the Nintendo 3DS—a better anti-reflective screen.

Like previous Nintendo portables, the Nintendo 3DS uses an LCD screen. LCD screens have three reflective layers, and each one reflects and causes glare. In the case of the 3DS XL, each of these three layers was specially treated, reducing reflectivity from 12% on the Nintendo 3DS to 3% on the Nintendo 3DS XL. Finally, the screen cover pictured above covers the screen as a whole.

This was possible due to the progress of technology and a drop in manufacturing costs costs. Nintendo staff say that the cost of anti-reflectivity coats was too high to apply them in the past, but that the current manufacturing process and cost balance make them possible to use.

“Anti-reflection has been a topic every time since the Game Boy Advance system, but most of the time we had to give it up because of the cost,” Nintendo president, Satoru Iwata, shared. Regardless, Nintendo kept an eye on the technology all along, hoping to use it when the costs worked out.

Image courtesy Nintendo.