I've had both and just today, went back to the 3DS. PROS: Portability CONS: Battery Life, Smaller Screen, 2GB SD Card Overall, I like the portability, the XL was just too bulky. As for the battery life, I don't play long enough stints to have an issue.  As everyone says, it goes back to personal preference.

I'm 32 and I can't seem to part with my Wii and 3DS XL. I've thought about putting my Wii on eBay many times but I can't do it, it's too much fun. I've bought and sold my DS Lite, 3DS, 3DS XL over the years and end up keeping 'em because the games are fantastic. At it's core, Nintendo produces fun games. Sure, they might recycle ideas over and over again, but it works. Just for the exclusives alone, you can get real satisfaction out of those titles. I'm not trying to take away from Sony or Microsoft, but Nintendo has a formula that has had staying power for almost 30 years in North America. Even with the Wii U issues, I'm pretty sure Ninty will pick up speed with more exclusives being released this year. I'll keep buying their systems as long as they keep releasing them, they're just that fun.