Nintendo has confirmed that the first title to make use of the New Nintendo 3DS's improved technical capabilities will be a version of the 2010 Wii RPG Xenoblade Chronicles.

The port will be playable only on the New 3DS line.

The game, lauded at the time for its ambitious scale and massive overworld, leverages the improved CPU in the new handheld. Nintendo has confirmed that some future 3DS software will make use of the New 3DS power, and some (but not all) of those software will be playable only on the new models. The company also confirmed that old 3DS software would not receive a graphical boost when played on a new system.