Another major game release, another themed console. They’re usually a bit of a novelty item, but this one… no, I’m sorry, we can’t do it; this one’s nothing more than a novelty, either. A trinket. A bauble. An unnecessary extravagance.
However, the difference between a themed home console – like a blood-red Gears of War Xbox One S, or a Final Fantasy XV-emblazoned PS4 – and a handheld is that you literally get to wear your colours out in public, and show the world which game you really love.
And if you really, really love pocket monsters, then you could do a lot worse than this Pokémon 3DS XL.
Released in time for you to get your grubby little mitts on it in time for the release of Pokémon Sun and Moon, the Pokémon 3DS XL is resplendent in black with sparkly midnight silver trim, with new legendary Pokémon Solgaleo and Lunala gracing the cover like ancient constellations in the Alolan night sky. Or something.
Anyway, the Pokémon 3DS XL is very pretty, and it does all the other important stuff that any other 3DS XL does – including amiibo support – but you might be surprised to learn it doesn’t in fact come bundled with a copy of the latest titles in the series, Pokémon Sun or Pokémon Moon.
It might seem a little odd that the Pokémon 3DS XL doesn’t come with a copy of the latest game. At a recommended retail price of £179.99 / $199.99 US it’s also a little steeper than a standard, game-less handheld. It also comes out three weeks before Pokémon Sun and Moon, so you can’t even play the latest game on it right away.
We can’t really a compelling reason to recommend buying one, but we know hardcore Pokémon fans will flock out and catch them in their droves when they release on October 28, 2016. It’s what you do.