So you want to upgrade to a shiny new 3DS XL, but don’t want to lose all of the games and data on your current 3DS? Good news, Nintendo has thought of that, and devised a relatively quick and painless system for doing so.
3DS to 3DS XL System Transfer
Transferring your system and games from your 3DS to your new 3DS XL is easy, says a British man that will walk you through the process in the instructional video below.
Step 1: Go to the “System Settings” menu on both your 3DS and 3DS XL and choose “System Transfer”. This can be found on the third page of the “Other Settings” sub-menu.
Step 2: There may be a short delay at this stage as both consoles will briefly connect to the Internet, so you’ll need an Internet connection for this step.
Step 3: Choose to transfer data between the 3DS systems. On the new 3DS XL, choose to “Receive from a Nintendo 3DS System” and on your old 3DS, choose to “Send from this System”.
Step 4: Follow the on-screen prompts on both consoles. Content on the source SD card will not be erased during this process. The system transfer may take a few minutes to complete, so be patient.
Step 5: Remove the SD card from your old 3DS, and put it into your new 3DS XL.
Step 6 (optional): The 3DS XL comes with a larger 4GB SD card, compared to the 2GB card that comes with the original 3DS. If you haven’t upgraded your SD card already, you’ll want the extra space. To upgrade to the 4GB SD card, connect them both to a PC and simply move all of the files from your 2GB SD card to the 4GB card (or bigger if you want to upgrade further), and put it into your new 3DS XL.
And we’re all done. You and your sizable new 3DS XL are ready to go with all of the data from your old 3DS.
What has been transferred?
Transferred to New 3DS XL
- + The license for all games and applications
- + Ambassador Program games
- + Save data, system settings & account funds
- + Your Friend Code and Friends List
Not Transferred
- - Stored credit card information is deleted. Funds up to $200 already issued to your account are transferred
- - Photos, music and videos remain on the SD card
What if I’m trading in my 3DS?
The only issue stems from trading in your current 3DS to purchase an XL. After all, the average user is unlikely to need to hang onto both, and your local bricks and mortar will tempt you with a discount if you hand over your redundant old console.
EB Games Australia, for example, will reduce the price from $248 to $129 if you hand over your current 3DS to upgrade to a 3DS XL, and $99 with the additional purchase of New Super Mario Bros. 2. System transfers in-store at EB should be allowed, but the exact policy is to be determined by each store individually. As you need the Internet to start the process, if you can supply your own hotspot (such as through your phone) store managers should allow you to transfer your system in-store. Hypothetically, they could let you use their wi-fi, but this will again depend on the store manager.
There are also reports of EB allowing customers to purchase a new 3DS XL outright, take it home to do the transfer, and then return with their old 3DS and the receipt to be refunded the difference (and hand over the old console). Again, this will depend on the particular store.
3DS to 3DS XL System Transfer Video Guide
By Ben Salter