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New 3DS/XL top screen displays: IPS or non-IPS?

F

Fr0stTr0n

Banned
Hey Neo peeps, new guy here thats also never new to the 3DS world after my first and last Gameboy was 1998 with Pokemon Blue

Last 2 weeks have been a whirlwind of activity and learning about the big inner differences of the 3DS, so I figured I"d give this thread a bump and share my findings and info. Two weeks ago, I ended an 18 year streak from my first and last Gameboy usage way back in 1998 to play my only Pokémon game ever, Blue.

I've been more a console and heavy PC gamer for 2 decades but lately I've been sick of sitting on my PC after doing IT work all day. Then the hype surrounded Pokémon Sun and Moon got me intrigued and before I knew it, I ended up with this day after Pokemon launch


Kpk62Cw.jpg



I've been amazed at how much I really enjoy this low resolution handheld system and playing Pokémon sitting in my chair all comfy with my headphones and my cat, it's more relaxing and enjoyable then I thought!

Then I found out about the TN vs IPS panel and my OCD has been going crazy trying to get a dual IPS screen. I've only found older used 3ds xl with them at Gamestop. Then I tried Fire Emblem demo and I was shocked at how much I liked! Then I saw the sexy white FE editon that went on sale earlier this year and I just had to have one!

Well, I got it yesterday and I got a lower IPS panel only and wiggly and loud hinges on FE vs my Pokémon Lunala edition. So, with the last bit of my patience and credit card room, I ordered ONE LAST 3DS Fire Emblem edition...

Woooo!! I'm so so freaking happy!! I got my second Fire Emblem 3ds awhile ago from Amazon 1 day shipping for free! Opened it up, crossed my fingers and toes, thought good thoughts and powered it on....

Wooooot!! I got dual IPS screens on this beautiful thing at long freaking last! After trying around 12 3ds at Gamestop and 6 local and online exchanges, I finally got a perfect one! Sadly, it does have the clicky hinges and wobble, but I guess that's the trade off for a much much more important IPS screens!

I can't believe the color difference! They are so rich and deep compared to the TN panels! I can definitely tell the screen is much darker but now blacks look great!

Now I'm playing my games all over and I'm really enjoying the Fire Zambezi Emblem Awakening demo, I've played it almost 6 times so far and I'm starting to see why people like it so much and it looks sooooo beautiful on these IPS screens and the 3D effect is just freaking beautiful with this game, especially the anime parts!

So glad and grateful this time, money and patience finally paid off cause I was at my last point of trying anymore if this second FE wasn't good


Left: Pokémon Lunara 3ds with dual TN panels

Middle: 1st FE with upper TN, lower IPS panel

Right: 2nd FE with dual IPS panels



fxOpgwC.jpg


54uwTLE.jpg


udEwPmY.jpg


R8QMHXh.jpg


tbF4KND.jpg


IdOYVvn.jpg


pkD9eIN.jpg


wYZkeAa.jpg



Those beautiful dark and deep contrast colors....

FZOFYBJ.jpg


rAO1l1S.jpg


4CfRIcg.jpg
 
F

Fr0stTr0n

Banned
speedlolita said:
That's the thing - RNG sadly.
Click to expand...

My Pokemon was all TN panel and all 8 of the new black 3DS XL's I tried out of the box at Gamestop were all TN panels as well. Only used/older one 3DS XLs did did I find 2 out of 4 had one IPS panel on TN. Even one Fire Emblem edition was lower IPS, upper TN panel.


m8XpYdd.jpg


TFR8zot.jpg


AxeKxiX.jpg
 
T

TheGamingBox

Banned
im not sure if its the just your camera your using, im pretty my fe n3dsxl is a top tn and bottom ips and the top screen doesnt look nearly as bad at angles as those
 
Z

ZiggyPalffyLA

Member
Funny this thread popped up again; I dropped my dual IPS n3DS on Thanksgiving and did some cosmetic damage to the outside of the system. Luckily the screens weren't damaged but I'm sending it in for repairs anyway (I also have issues with backlight leakage and a loose hinge).

I'm REALLY hoping Nintendo doesn't send me a refurbished n3DS or replace the screens, I paid a premium for dual IPS.
 
F

Fr0stTr0n

Banned
TheNintendoBox said:
im not sure if its the just your camera your using, im pretty my fe n3dsxl is a top tn and bottom ips and the top screen doesnt look nearly as bad at angles as those
Click to expand...


Nope, thats pretty much how it looks with my eyballs

Again, side by side, very apparent.

LEFT: Pokemon Lunala dual TN
MIDDLE: FE Upper TN, lower IPS
RIGHT: FE with dual IPS

54uwTLE.jpg
 
N

NoHeDidn't

Member
Starwolf_UK said:
Given the original 3DS XL had viewing angle problems with the 3D I can see why they went for a screen with better viewing angles on the New XL.
Click to expand...

Problem is they are also using old TN screens on N3dsXL,its like mixing lies with truth to confuse.Just by looking at frostrons frankenstein 3dsxls it seems Nintendo gives zero fucks about what screens are used and their top or bottom placement.
 
F

Fr0stTr0n

Banned
TheNintendoBox said:
in the process of taking pics of my device i learned that my phone's camera really does not like taking pics of the top screen at a angle in the dark

http://i.imgur.com/wYUZOvL.jpg
Click to expand...


Afraid your camera/phone CMOS sensor is just crap.

NoHeDidn't said:
Problem is they are also using old TN screens on N3dsXL,its like mixing lies with truth to confuse.Just by looking at frostrons frankenstein 3dsxls it seems Nintendo gives zero fucks about what screens are used and their top or bottom placement.
Click to expand...


Yep, cause little Jimmy and Janet don't know/care WTF the difference is nor do their parents, so they slap em together at factory for cheapest supply at the time
 
T

TheGamingBox

Banned
i dont mind the tn screen on my fe n3ds xl, i had a red n3ds xl with dual ips but sold it since i damaged the screen a tiny bit

but i wish nintendo would have just went stuck to dual tn or just went top ips and bottom tn for all units instead of doing it randomly
 
DonMigs85

DonMigs85

Member
anybody know if the lime green XLs are guaranteed to always have at least a top IPS screen?
Also, do all IPS screens have the flickery interlacing effect? That annoyed me greatly on the PSP 3000 and PSP Go.
I'm actually ok with my New 3DS TN screens, but the super stable 3D effect isn't so stable.
 
U

User 479360

Banned
Fr0stTr0n said:
My Pokemon was all TN panel and all 8 of the new black 3DS XL's I tried out of the box at Gamestop were all TN panels as well. Only used/older one 3DS XLs did did I find 2 out of 4 had one IPS panel on TN. Even one Fire Emblem edition was lower IPS, upper TN panel.
Click to expand...

How'd you manage to do that?
 
F

Fr0stTr0n

Banned
OCDChewie said:
What's the easiest way to check? Pretend you're talking to someone who's clueless.
Click to expand...


Angle the screens and look at colors. If they wash out or fade, it's a TN panel. If they stay colorful and don't white out, it's IPS. Looks at screens earlier in thread
 
U

User 479360

Banned
Fr0stTr0n said:
I'm friends with a guy at Gamestop and he let me open up several new 3ds XLs and power them on to see if they had IPS screens or not
Click to expand...

I'm glad he let you do that for your sake and peace of mind, but feel bad for those who bought the opened ones afterwards. New should mean sealed. (It'd bug my OCD if I knew mine was opened and touched before me).

Fr0stTr0n said:
Angle the screens and look at colors. If they wash out or fade, it's a TN panel. If they stay colorful and don't white out, it's IPS. Looks at screens earlier in thread
Click to expand...

Okay. I'll try that. Thanks.

I wondered if that was the best option, as I'd seen it mentioned in the thread but it felt a bit too easy. And maybe not as exact as other tests.
 
N

Naked Snake

Member
OCDChewie said:
I'm glad he let you do that for your sake and peace of mind, but feel bad for those who bought the opened ones afterwards. New should mean sealed. (It'd bug my OCD if I knew mine was opened and touched before me).
Click to expand...

The boxes don't come sealed though. You can open them and put them back exactly the way they were when "sealed".
 
F

Fr0stTr0n

Banned
OCDChewie said:
I'm glad he let you do that for your sake and peace of mind, but feel bad for those who bought the opened ones afterwards. New should mean sealed. (It'd bug my OCD if I knew mine was opened and touched before me).


.
Click to expand...


I barely touched unit and wiped my finger prints off before putting it back in and none of the boxes in America have sticky seals, so no one will know I powered it on for 10 seconds.

Take another prozac from one OCD to another
 
U

User 479360

Banned
Naked Snake said:
The boxes don't come sealed though. You can open them and put them back exactly the way they were when "sealed".
Click to expand...

True, but still. New should mean untouched.

(I'm not trying to start an argument, just stating an opinion. I like Fr0stTr0n and am glad he got one he liked.)

Fr0stTr0n said:
I barely touched unit and wiped my finger prints off before putting it back in and none of the boxes in America have sticky seals, so no one will know I powered it on for 10 seconds.

Take another prozac from one OCD to another
Click to expand...

I guess. I just won't touch my controllers, systems, handhelds (well, my good ones) unless I've showered and washed my hands well.

Just stopped Prozac, myself. Tried it twice, even at a decently high dose, but it didn't work. I'm starting to think those types of meds don't work for me.
 
Z

ZiggyPalffyLA

Member
For the n3DS SM3DL bundles, has it been confirmed that the YW7012 serial number models are dual-IPS? I went to http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/black.php to check and although there's an incredibly faint outline for some of the earlier squares, only 8 and up become easily visible for both screens. Does this mean dual-IPS?

Also, when viewing at certain angles, the colors become somewhat yellowed but definitely not washed out/inverted like with my TN model. And comparing it to an earlier dual-IPS model I had it certainly looks similar:

New 3DS:
http://imgur.com/LGw61nF
http://imgur.com/G6Eviu9
http://imgur.com/LLqp3gu
http://imgur.com/CIGnWyY

Old 3DS (IPS on right);
http://imgur.com/fN5tJcd
http://imgur.com/RFyiAI8
 
Kelegacy

Kelegacy

XBOX - RECORD ME LOVING DOWN MY WOMAN GOOD
Bought 2 BF systems for my kids and liked them so much I wanted an XL for myself. However, all 3DSs are hard to find right now. Found ine last one at a Gamestop and it is dual TN of course.

I want an IPS panel but dont want to keep trading in systems at the store. Can i even return this open system to Gamestop?

I may just keep it but man, i just want a better screen. I always want the best image which is why i also game on an OLED and prefer the OG vita.

I would do the kitchen scale trick to weigh them in store but stores are light on stock and i cant be that guy walking through a store with a scale in my hand. My wife would also shake her head at my ridiculousness.
 
Kelegacy

Kelegacy

XBOX - RECORD ME LOVING DOWN MY WOMAN GOOD
I ordered a Hyrule Edition used from Amazon Warehouse Deals and it came with dual ips. After researching, it seemed this edition had the best chance for ips screens and I got lucky. Really, the difference is not as dramatic as I thought it would be. Straight on it is almost impossible for me to tell them apart, but even my wife was able to pick out the ips system vs dual tn once I moved them slightly and she has no idea about these things.

I thought the colors would pop more but really don't see much of a difference in color saturation. Still, I prefer the ips obviously for viewing angle. And for the pretty cheap price, it was still hundreds cheaper than ebay dual ips auction. Now that I have tested it, time to return the TN system and have my wife wrap it for under the tree.
 
LQX

LQX

Member
GAF, I have new Lime Green 3DS from Amazon and I'm wondering if the top screen is at least IPS. They say a good way to tell is by the angle; games look good from the angle but when I first booted it up and was testing the angles it looked no different from the bottom, during gaming they kind of do. Is that good indicator it is not IPS?

Some pics.
IMG_0743_zpsddqpuefa.jpg

IMG_0747%201_zpsfj3erxoq.jpg

IMG_0725_zpsqwxvvttk.jpg

IMG_0729_zpsvils0f71.jpg
Click to expand...
 
Kelegacy

Kelegacy

XBOX - RECORD ME LOVING DOWN MY WOMAN GOOD
LQX said:
Anyone?
Click to expand...

Yeah, looks like a top IPS, if only because of the dark room image. I think a lot of the Lime Green Amazon exclusive ones are like this, going by owner accounts.

Bottom looks like TN, but it also isn't showing a picture. The black looks "white" on one of the images at an angle, like the TN I had.
 
P

Persona7

Banned
Anyone know if 2017 galaxy models have a chance for at least a top IPS screen? The stores around me seem to have received a shipment of 3-4 each this past week. I know the pikachu ones seem to be all dual TN.
 
M

Muzicfreq

Banned
Persona7 said:
Anyone know if 2017 galaxy models have a chance for at least a top IPS screen? The stores around me seem to have received a shipment of 3-4 each this past week. I know the pikachu ones seem to be all dual TN.
Click to expand...

Mine has dual ups but not calibrated correctly

Oh 2017... Dunno
 
N

Naked Snake

Member
I have a dual TN one that I was very happy with (colors and white balance look spot on), but due to all the IPS talk online I felt like I was missing out, so I got one on eBay with a top IPS screen, and... I hated it. The calibration on it is wrong and I much prefer the colors on my TN, and I didn't care much for the improved viewing angles, although that did make the 3D slightly more stable, which I appreciate, but wasn't enough for me to off-set the inaccurate colors...

Then I found one more difference between the two: my TN suffers from motion blur that the IPS does not. I first spotted it while running Super Mario Bros VC, the fine dark lines on the ground bricks were flickering when the screen scrolled on the TN. It looks quite odd and distracting. This doesn't happen on the IPS. This game was the easiest and most obvious way to show it, strangely the motion blur doesn't seem obvious in any other games I tested, but it's there if I look closely for it and compare it side by side with the IPS.

This surprised me since I kept reading the opposite, that TN screens have faster response times and that IPS should have more motion blur.

Even with all that, I still prefer my TN. Accurate and more pleasant colors trump the few advantages the IPS has for me. I want to sell the IPS one but haven't gotten around to it.

Someone was selling his Hyrule Edition N3DS locally, and I read that many of those have IPS displays, so I met with him to see it. It had a top IPS, and the first thing I did was go to the settings screen (because that shows the most obvious color difference between my TN and IPS units), and to my disappointment his also had the terrible obvious blueish tint in the settings screen (which is supposed to be a nice warm beige color). I told him I'm sorry I'm not buying it, and I showed him my TN next to his IPS on the settings screen and asked him if he sees a difference, he said "Yup".

I would love to find an IPS one that is calibrated properly, but those don't seem common based on my experience, so I'm not gambling on that again. Need to see it and compare it before buying. And ideally I'd like it to be dual IPS, with proper colors, and not cost a fortune, so yeah that's like hunting for a unicorn.
 
G

Galdelico

Member
One thing that I noticed, between my new 'mixed' N3DS XL (IPS top screen, TN touchscreen) and my Zelda ALBW 3DS XL (which is dual TN of course), is that the former - under specific circumtances* - seems to suffer from temporary burn-in/image retention, just like my LG 4K IPS monitor.

* - Anyone with the same N3DS XL and 3D Galaxy Force II can do the test. Basically, at the bottom-right of the in game UI, there's a spaceship silhouette (below 'SHIELD') which flickers extremely fast the whole time. Well, with the game's default screen settings, that silhouette gets burned-in (once again, it's temporary, and it goes away pretty briefly). Played the same game - with the same settings - for hours, on my Zelda 3DS XL, and I've never experienced anything like that.
 
O

orborborb

Member
For me it's easy to get used to slightly different yellower or bluer color temperatures but impossible to ignore the motion blur/ghosting/response time and viewing angle problems of TN.

Mismatched color temps and backlight bleed issues are only annoying in the OS or on blank screens when you are looking for them and don't affect gameplay (except the few games that span one image across both screens). But the motion blur/ghosting/response time issue comes up any time something moves across the screen and the viewing angle comes up any time I slightly move the system or my head.
 
M

Moreche

Member
Sorry for bumping this thread but I just received a 2015 manufactured New Nintendo 3DSXL boxed and new. With a top IPS screen but the colour temperature is off and in the cool side.
As great as the viewing angles are, I'm really struggling to understand why people think these are so much better than the TN screens.
I think I'll stick with my 2017 manufactured New Nintendo 3DSXL.
 
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