I've always been content with Nintendo's styli for the DS family and now the 3DS. They exist, I use them without much thought, and that's about all there is to say, unless I just botched a round of PiCTOBiTS. (In that case, it was totally the stylus' fault. Must've been.)
The folks behind the XStylus Crayon wanted us to give their product a try. After watching the site's mesmerizing transformation .gif far too many times, I figured it was worth a shot.
Given my hand size, I've never longed for a larger stylus -- at least not enough to make a purchase. Those in search of a size upgrade, however, might want to consider the XStylus. It fits in the 3DS (and DS Lite, etc.) as you'd expect, but it can also be widened.
This is accomplished through a quick rotational movement which snaps the top of the stylus in place, causing the sides to puff out slightly. It's a tight enough fit that you don't need to be concerned with unwanted movement during game play, but it's not so tight that it's hard to transform the stylus.
From left to right: XStylus in compact mode, XStylus in wide mode, 3DS stylus, and DS Lite stylus. In terms of form, the shortened XStylus is nearly identical to the unextended 3DS stylus.
There isn't a significant difference in width with the XStylus, although it is certainly noticeable if you do a comparison back to back. Sure, you could go out and get a fattened stylus if you really wanted to, although then you'd have to deal with the awkwardness of it not fitting in your system. A good balance is met here.
It's worth pointing out that the tip of the XStylus reaches out further than it probably should, presumably to allow for easier removal. Visually, this didn't seem like a big deal to me, and more importantly, the 3DS still fits in its charging dock as it should. Be warned, however, if you're one to keep your pencils in perfect alignment.
For the price, you get four styli, and worldwide shipping is included. Neat as the XStylus is, it's still on the expensive side. That said, in my experience, it did everything it set out to do. If you can split the cost among friends, or justify paying $19.99 by yourself, by all means.
Jordan Devore is Destructoid's PC gaming manager and founding ginger editor. He is said to be easy to love but difficult to know. When Samit inquired about his curious bio photo Jordan simply replied: "bitches love sandcastles" ... yet, there is no sandcastle in that photo. We may never truly understand his ways.
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When I had a Toshiba e310 I'd use the stylus from that for my DSLite. What a difference! I've got long fingers, so it's nice to have options when the proprietary stylus is so cramped.
So.. like.. wheres the review of this? I mean.. is it as cheaply made as it looks? It looks like after a number of uses its just going to snap apart somewhere when stretching out. Or when you put to much pressure on it if your a tight, white knuckle, stylus holder.'
Are they still comfortable to hold even when they're missing all that space in the middle. Is it distracting?
It also looks like if you push too hard its just going to cave in, like a weird set of clown tweezers.
And what about the tip that touches the touch screen? Is it too big to be precise or is it just right, or what? I've noticed, in particular, certain 3DS games needing better then usual stylus work that don't do so good with my fatter ended stylus' (forget if mine are Power A or PDP) for some reason, not to mention if your trying to use the net browser to look up something in a search box, the level of precise pointing without being ridiculously zoomed in, is just crazy.
I hate to seem all intense about this, but the company has an asking price of $20 on 4 stylus when you can get the same number for other brands, for over half that price, and without the weak gimmick. There has to be more to it when really trying to really sell why people should buy these over anything else then just the resizing gimmick.
@BoomingEchoes - I see where you're coming from. I've had these things for about a week and a half, so it's hard to answer some of these questions definitively which is why I did more of an impressions post.
If I thought snapping or caving in would be an issue, I would have said something. I don't think this is the case. In fact, squeezing the stylus as hard as I can multiple times didn't appear to cause any damage. I know these things look fragile, and they naturally aren't as sturdy as a Nintendo stylus when extended, but I haven't had any issues.
As for the tip, it's nearly identical in shape to the 3DS stylus like I said in the post. I didn't have a problem with precision so, again, I didn't explicitly bring it up.
Looks comfy and easy to use, but $20? Get the fuck out. It's just plastic. I could see $8, MAYBE $10 for this, but 20 is absurd.
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Granted you get 4 for 19.99 I don't see why they can't be sold per piece? at a slightly inflated value so you don't have to put up for 4 of them. 6.99 for 1 or something might go over a bit more reasonable for both parties.
As as (slightly) disabled gamer, I have a few grip issues on bad days, so this a godsend. Had a few larger-width styli in the past, but never found anything that was comfortable, portable enough, AND solid enough.
Sure the price might seem a lot, but the proof's in the pudding. If it has the right tip size/shape, and does the job without falling apart, it's worth the little extra. I'd probably want to buy 4 at a go in any case myself.
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Contest:
4:30 PM on 12.27.2011 | 
Nintendo,y u no give me a gold stylus!
I wouldn't be surprised if they released one. We got the Classic Controller Pro, Wii Remote, and now Nunchuck all in gold.
Are they still comfortable to hold even when they're missing all that space in the middle. Is it distracting?
It also looks like if you push too hard its just going to cave in, like a weird set of clown tweezers.
And what about the tip that touches the touch screen? Is it too big to be precise or is it just right, or what? I've noticed, in particular, certain 3DS games needing better then usual stylus work that don't do so good with my fatter ended stylus' (forget if mine are Power A or PDP) for some reason, not to mention if your trying to use the net browser to look up something in a search box, the level of precise pointing without being ridiculously zoomed in, is just crazy.
I hate to seem all intense about this, but the company has an asking price of $20 on 4 stylus when you can get the same number for other brands, for over half that price, and without the weak gimmick. There has to be more to it when really trying to really sell why people should buy these over anything else then just the resizing gimmick.
If I thought snapping or caving in would be an issue, I would have said something. I don't think this is the case. In fact, squeezing the stylus as hard as I can multiple times didn't appear to cause any damage. I know these things look fragile, and they naturally aren't as sturdy as a Nintendo stylus when extended, but I haven't had any issues.
As for the tip, it's nearly identical in shape to the 3DS stylus like I said in the post. I didn't have a problem with precision so, again, I didn't explicitly bring it up.
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Spray paint works wonders! Use some tape around the black plastic parts and voila! Gold stylus!
First, nice ad in the sig, bro.
Second, $20 is for FOUR styluses, and that's INCLUDING worldwide shipping. Read harder.
Having worn out two DS styluses myself, I can see wanting to buy four at once.
As as (slightly) disabled gamer, I have a few grip issues on bad days, so this a godsend. Had a few larger-width styli in the past, but never found anything that was comfortable, portable enough, AND solid enough.
Sure the price might seem a lot, but the proof's in the pudding. If it has the right tip size/shape, and does the job without falling apart, it's worth the little extra. I'd probably want to buy 4 at a go in any case myself.
4:30 PM on 12.27.2011 | Jordan Devore
323 comments"
i came here to find out why this article had 323 comments. it only had 14. i feel cheated, fuck the xstylus!
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