I am going with option 3. My little brother had a 3DS when he was 7, but wasn't responsible enough, and lost it, he is a little more responsible now, but he can be careless. He has been asking for a new one and I think I will buy him one since his birthday is at the end of October along with Disney Infinity as he wants that too. I personally think it is ugly, but a good investment on someone you don't want to spend 150+ on, and still get the same sized screen. I also find it to be a sly tactic as Nintendo promised they wouldn't redo the 3DS after XL...yay technicalities? I wonder what you call 3DS software now. Are they 3DS games or 2DS games with 3D capability?