New footage showcases the graphical and performance upgrades in Nintendo’s (NTDOY) recently announced New 3DS handheld, revealing some eye-opening results.

A new video has matched a side-by-side comparison of the New 3DS exclusive Xenoblade Chronicles 3D against the original Wii release, giving an excellent perspective of what gamers can expect with the port as well as the New 3DS’ overall performance.

Although the video is less than two minutes long it delivers some substantial results, and you might be taken away at how good the New 3DS looks when compared to the seventh-generation console.

It’s not better, but it’s close, and that says something about the new system.

And since Xenoblade Chronicles 3D is the first known New 3DS exclusive, it might set the precedent for future releases.

Only the New 3DS XL model is making its way to North America; the smaller variant is exclusive to overseas markets.

Thanks to its upgraded hardware specs like a faster CPU and beefier RAM, the New 3DS can achieve much more than the current 3DS models including rendering higher quality textures and shadows, improving load times, face-tracking as well as improved 3D functionality.

It’s also worth mentioning that only New 3DS exclusives will be able to tap into the new handheld’s performance upgrades–regular 3DS titles will work as they did on their native system and won’t reap the benefits of the new hardware.

Below we have a quick spec comparison of the New 3DS against the Wii for perspective:

New 3DS specs

• ARM11 MPCore 4x @ 268MHz (one reserved for OS)
• 4x VFPv2 Co-Processor (vector processors, like SPEs in PS3)
• 256MB FCRAM
• 10MB VRAM
• Screen resolution (Top) 800 x 240 / (Bottom) 320 x 240

Nintendo  Wii specs

• CPU speed – 729 MHz
• CPU cores – 1
• GPU speed – 243 MHz
• System RAM – 88 MB
• Resolution – 480p

Nintendo’s New 3DS releases this Friday, Feb. 13, 2015 for a $199 price point, and is limited to the XL model in North America.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3D, on the other hand, is slated to launch on April 10, 2015 exclusively for the New 3DS.

The post Xenoblade Chronicles 3D: New 3DS vs Wii Comparison appeared first on VR World.

Nintendo has released a new 25-minute block of glorious Xenoblade Chronicles X footage that is sure to tantalize and raise your hype factor for the Wii U exclusive a thousandfold.

As revealed by the developers at Monolith Soft, Xenoblade Chronicles X isn’t a direct sequel to its Wii predecessor, but rather a “spiritual successor” to Xenoblade Chronicles, and that the two games are unrelated in a direct way.

New info has also come to light regarding the game’s online component, which Monolith Software’s Tetsuya Takahashi describes as a “loosely connected” experience. Xenoblade Chronicle X‘s online features won’t be as dynamic as a traditional MMO, but despite the “feeling of solidarity” players can trade, interact and quest together.

Cheesemeister3k, a Twitter user well-known for his translation of many Japanese games, revealed that players will be able to team up in parties of four to tackle adventurous quests in the online mode.

Up to 32 players can be “passively” linked to chat, trade items and share information back and forth. The in-game city of New Los Angeles will serve as a multiplayer hub as well.

Cheesemeister3k also confirmed that Xenoblade Chronicles X has a massive 22.7 GB install size for downloads, and that the game supports Wii U Pro Controllers, GamePads and USB keyboards as far as peripherals.

#XenobladeX supports GamePad, #WiiU Pro Controller, USB keyboard. Miiverse support. Off-TV play. 720p. pic.twitter.com/doXkkkLoxj

— Cheesemeister (@Cheesemeister3k) February 6, 2015

#XenobladeX is 22.7GB to download. Better get an external HDD. pic.twitter.com/lc8BcfxDsw

— Cheesemeister (@Cheesemeister3k) February 6, 2015

Other staples like Miiverse support, off-TV play and full 720p resolution have been reported as well.

Destructoid reports that Xenoblade Chronicles X is set in a planet named Mira with five separate continents that will be featured in-game: Forgotten Canyon, White Tree Continent, Luminous Forest, Black Steel Continent and the Primal Wilderness.

Apart from its landmasses, Monolith Soft’s new Xeno game is truly massive in terms of content. To put its sheer scope into perspective, Takahasi confirmed that the most recent playtest check took over 300 hours to complete.

“But even [after 300 hours], there were still things in the game that weren’t played through to completion,” Takahashi adds.

If that wasn’t enough, Japan is getting a special limited-edition Xenoblade Chronicles X Wii U bundle priced at ¥ 35,000 (~$294) that includes the following:

• Black 32GB Wii U
• Matching Wii U GamePad
• Xenoblades Chronicles X physical copy
• Xenoblade Chronicles X art book
• Xenoblade Chronicles X special map
• ¥1,000 ($8) prepaid Nintendo card stylized in Xenoblade design

Last but not least we have a gallery of awesome concept art for you to feast your eyes on. I personally have these amazing pieces as mobile wallpapers, and every day I’ll change them up to revel in their beautiful brush strokes and fabulous colors.

Xenoblade Chronicles X is scheduled to release April 29, 2015 in Japan and sometime this year in North America and Europe. It will be exclusive to Nintendo’s Wii U console.

The post Watch 25 Minutes of New Xenoblade Chronicles X Footage appeared first on VR World.