New 3DS owners hoping to get the new "Xenoblade" game would need to buy a new SD card.
According to Nintendo, the new "Xenoblade Chronicles 3D" digital download will exceed the 4 GB micro SD card that comes pre-bundled with every new 3DS system. The game is so large, both in terms of content and memory, that the game publisher set up a notice on both its U.S. and U.K. pages.
The note on the game title page says, "Please note that this title will take up nearly 4GB of space on the New Nintendo 3DS XL system's pre-installed 4GB microSDHC card. You may need to upgrade to a larger memory card to ensure you'll have room for this download and other Nintendo eShop purchases."
This might come as a surprise for those who are unfamiliar with the 3DS system. Those migrating from console gaming or other handhelds, such as the PS Vita, might think that the 4 GB card packaged with every new 3DS purchase is not enough for game data and file saves. However, 3DS games are actually small, and it is a rare instance that a game even takes up at least 1 GB.
"Xenoblade Chronicles 3D" is one of those rare games that needs all the space it can get on the 3DS. First, it was developer Monolith Soft's import from the original Wii title, so the content and gameplay is huge enough to exceed 4 GB. It is so massive that according to an interview by Nintendo Life, project coordinator Hiro Yamada said the game would take at least 100 hours to complete.
"There are going to be a lot of people who are too busy in their daily lives to sit down at a console for hours and wouldn't have been able to play 'Xenoblade Chronicles,'" Yamada stated. "Since with the New Nintendo 3DS you can play wherever you may be, I believe that our port will make this game much more accessible to these kinds of people."
Also, the new 3DS title is revamped, taking advantage of the new system's hardware and software enhancements to bring out the best for hardcore 3DS gamers.
"Xenoblade Chronicles 3D" is a new 3DS-exclusive and will be available on April 10.
