The Essential Accessories for the 3DS

So you got your brand spanking new 3DS /3DS XL. And lets put it this way, you sayang/ love it a whole lot. It's your brand new baby that you happily got it and you're proud. You got your nice stack of games ready and playing. But, why not spruce it up a little bit? You know, get some screen protectors, or pouches, or some stickers on it (Ok maybe not stickers.). How about I help you refine your choices, based on what I think is the best choice available to put it in.

The Pouch Argument (Hard Cover? Soft Cover? Plastic Casing? Crystal casing?)

In my rank of preference, it would have be to this:

1. Hard Cover
2. Soft Cover
3. Crystal Casing
4. Plastic Casing (DEATH BE TO PLASTIC CASINGS)

I like a Hard Cover Pouch the most of all available options. Truth be told, I would choose Hard Cover Pouch or nothing else. The Hard Cover Pouch provides sufficient protection for 3DS. Whereas if there was a heavy impact (Like a fall), the soft cover pouch might not do much to help protect it. Crystal Casing would still protect, but the added layer of the hard plastic is just very weird. It doesn't make the 3DS look any better (Especially if you've got the Pokemon XY Edition.). Whereas Plastic casing, is akin to placing the 3DS in front of a fire and trying to barbeque it. It's that sad.

The Earphone Argument

By all means, A NECESSITY. You see, the 3DS XL has better speakers compared to the super soft 3DS. However, for the best experience, I recommend spending a little more for a good pair of earphones. However, that being said, look for a mid range one. I don't think it's necessary to splurge on super high end headphones. Where as using super cheap RM 10 ones would just be an insult to your ears and to the sound quality. A good range would be the RM 30 to RM 50. Sonic Gear and Phillips are my recommendations for this case.

The Screen Protector Argument (Do I really need that Hori screen protector?)

Truth be told, a Hori screen protector is decent in quality. It beats any of the cheap RM 5 to RM 10 ones. And even beats the Daiso ones. HOWEVER, in my opinion, I I would take the cheap RM 5 ones over a Hori one anyday. WHY? Simple, the RM5 ones are a lot more easily available. And I can see myself using the RM 5 ones for  5 to 6 months before really changing it (Note: I don't use a screen protector for the upper screen). If you're looking for a good quality one, sure, I'll give the Hori a shout out. But if you don't really care, just the RM 5 is good enough. :)

Extra Battery Pack (Doesn't matter from Powerbank or the ones you attach at the back of a 3DS/ 3DS XL)

Ah, this is a very famous one when the 3DS came out. NOT ENOUGH JUICE. All the time. That's the sad part. The good part is that, it mainly was a necessary thing. And there were very sleek ones made from Nyko.

But for the 3DS XL, your mileage may vary. For me, i'm good without having an extra battery pack. I don't see a real need. But there is of course no harm to getting an extra. The standard 3DS XL battery size is at 1750mah. So a powerbank would even help it give double it's life.

The Infamous Circle Pad Pro (Regardless for the classic or for the XL)

The Circle Pad Pro is Nintendo's answer to a right stick for camera controls and what not. Personally, I figured Nintendo should have just did both of them on the 3DS when it launched. However.... They were stricken by costs that they couldn't. (The steep selling price of the 3DS classic when it launched was the sad story) So this felt necessary, especially since the first game that came out to support it was the lovely and fantastic Resident Evil Revelations (Go play it if you haven't).

But is it really an essential item? Nope. Few and far in between games are made for the Circle Pad Pro. However, if you are playing say Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, Metal Gear Solid Snake Eater 3D and the infamous Resident Evil Revelations and Mercenaries 3D, then you might want to consider. Considering those are probably the few and far in between games that I mentioned. (Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance comes to mind as well)

The USB Charging Cable

Yes. No arguments from me. Go. Go buy it from Daiso. if you don't have a Daiso nearby your home, let me know and I will handle it. They charge RM 5 for a USB charging cable. Granted, I will be giving the DSi version, but it works both ways anyways.

That's all the essentials that I can think off for the moment. If I did miss something, let me know. :D