Need some Nintendo 3DS info.?

You are correct, it's a regional setting determined by the manufacturer. The United Arab Emirates is a PAL-region, so you'll want a PAL 3DS and games.

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PAL_region

Due to the 3DS's regional lock-out, playing an NTSC game on a PAL console will not work. The exception with the 3DS is original DS games (I have US Pokémon games which work on my PAL 3DS) which seem to be excluded by the lock-out.

In terms of the 3DS, there are three variants: the original compact model, the larger 'XL' model and the non-3D model which doesn't fold (2DS). All three are part of the 3DS family in that they can play 3DS games and are all compatible with DS/DSi software, but there are some differences between each console.

The original model features a glossy finish, an extendible stylus, a 3D LED which displays 3D availability in software (if on, 3D depth can be used; if off, 3D depth cannot be used), a wireless switch, a centered earphone/headphone outlet, stylus storage built into the top (similar to the original DS), non-locking top screen and a non-locking 3D slider. The Start, Home and Select buttons are covered by a 'ribbon'.

The XL model, as the name implies, features 90% bigger LCD displays, a matte finish (some limited edition models have a glossy exterior but retain the matte interior), a non-extendible stylus, the 3D LED was removed completely but this doesn't affect 3D capabilities (same as before albeit no visible display for 3D availability), a wireless switch, earphone/headphone outlet realigned to the left, stylus storage relocated to the right-hand side of the system (similar to the DS Lite/DSi), a locking top screen and a lock was added to the 3D slider to prevent accidental nudges which was all too easy with the original. The 'ribbon' was completely removed and replaced with easily-accessible buttons. Its battery lasts longer than the original model's.

Finally, the 2DS features a matte finish, no extendible stylus, no 3D depth functionality, the wireless switch was removed in favour of being integrated into the brightness settings interface instead, the earphone/headphone outlet remains aligned to the left, stylus storage remains on the right-hand side of the system and the Start/Select buttons were moved to the right; only the Home button remains on the bottom, represented solely by its icon. This model is the only one featuring a slate design. As with the XL, its battery is slightly better than the original mode's.

In terms of price, the 2DS is made with value in mind hence it is the cheapest available to buy, ranging from around £90 / $110 (varies per retailer). This includes the AC adapter, AR games and a 2GB SD card.

The 3DS costs around £130 / $150 again varying per retailer. This includes the AC adapter, charging cradle, AR games and a 2GB SD card.

The 3DS XL costs around £150 / $180-$170, again varying per retailer. This does *not* include the AC adapter or charging cradle, but does include AR games and a 4GB SD card. The AC adapter and charging cradle are sold separately, but the adapter is the same as the one used by the DSi/DSi XL.

Edit- Sorry for the essay-long answer. D:

For the purposes of pricing, I compared with online retailers such as those found on eBay or Amazon and local game stores such as GAME (UK) and Gamestop (US). Hope this helps you decide on which model you want. :)

There are many different firmware version 3DS XL on sales, such as V4.x, V5.x V6.x and V7.x

You'd better choose a V4.1-V4.5 3DS XL,

Because the firmware between V4.1-V4.5 has been hacked,

you can use the fashcarts Gateway 3DS to run all 3DS games for free

(download 3Ds roms online, and run from Gateway 3DS).

If you have used R4DS in NDSL, then you will know it, the gateway 3DS works the same as R4DS.

then you don't need buy games anymore.

Buy V4.1~V4.5 3DS XL consoles + Gateway 3DS flashcarts,

i think it is the best choice.

at the end, recommend a USA gateway 3DS reseller for you:

http://www.gateway-3ds-buy.com/

NTSC and PAL are region codes, NTSC is for America, PAL is for Europe, and NTSC-J is for Japan; the 3DS is region locked, so you can't play NTSC or NTSC-J games on PAL consoles

Also, there are 3 versions of a 3DS: a regular 3DS, 3DS XL (larger version), and 2DS (unfoldable 2D-only version)

The 2DS is the cheapest one and has all of the capabilities of a regular 3DS, the 3DS XL is a more expensive one that has a bigger screen to see more, and a regular 3DS is a regular 3DS