nintendo dsi xl
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Nintendo announces $199 3DS XL with 4.88-inch top screen, available August 19th
Folks holding their breath for a "3DS Lite" might want to exhale -- Nintendo has decided to go a different route. Company head honcho Satoru Iwata revealed the 3DS LL this evening on Nintendo Direct, featuring a 4.88-inch and 4.18-inch top and bottom screens, respectively. The new hardware adds over an inch to the current 3DS' display, and ships with a 4GB SD card, to boot. The oversized handheld doesn't adopt the Circle Pad Pro's second analog input, however, retaining just a single thumbpad on the console's port side. Japanese gamers will be able to pick up a 3DS LL in white, as well as in two-tone red / black or silver / white on July 28th for ¥18,900 (about $235). In the US, of course, the handheld will be rebranded as the 3DS XL, just like its predecessor's supersized variant, hitting Yankee shores (in red and blue, no less) on August 19th for $200. %Gallery-158888%
Nintendo may have supersized 3DS with 4.3-inch screen in store for E3, Mario never looked bigger (update: Nintendo response)
Nintendo might have more up its E3 sleeve than just final Wii U hardware and a boatload of franchise games. According to Nikkei, the Japanese console legend is readying a version of the 3DS with a big 4.3-inch main display. That's smaller than on some smartphones we've seen, but a more than substantial jump from the 3.5-inch original. We might not even have long to wait: the trade paper claims that this biggest of all Nintendo handhelds could be ready as soon as the summer, just in time to squeak in some vacation playtime (and prepare us for Luigi's Mansion 2). As always, rumors such as these aren't guaranteed roadmaps; don't be surprised if we just see a regular-sized 3DS in plaid instead. If the plans are real, however, expect the DSi XL to develop feelings of inadequacy. Update: Nintendo has been irked enough by the claims to issue a response, although it's non-committal in what it's denying: it says there's a "number of mistakes" in an article that's "entirely speculation," but it won't say what's wrong and is careful to stress that it hasn't unveiled anything yet. We'll add an extra grain of salt to the rumor, but we won't completely rule it out.
Nintendo looks to keep you warm, bundled even, with two more 3DS packages
So you've got a few folks on your holiday shopping list that just aren't Zelda fans. You can still spring for some Nintendo hardware with two more bundles due out December 4th. Inside, you'll find a pink Nintendo 3DS paired with your choice of nintendogs + cats: French Bulldog and New Friends or nintendogs + cats: Toy Poodle and New Friends. Both of the aforementioned bundles will set you back $169.99 -- the same cost of a lonely 3DS system purchased solo. If a pink handheld just isn't what you're after, you may opt for one of The Big N's other bundles already on shelves, including the Midnight Blue DSi XL. In need of a quick refresher before hitting the mall? Check out the PR below for a complete list of Nintendo's holiday package offerings.
Nintendo DSi XL bundles land on November 6th, just in time for the holidays
Looking to spring for a new handheld gaming system this Christmas? The Big N is doing its darndest to nudge you in that direction with a new spin on the Metallic Rose and Midnight Blue versions of the DSi XL. Both painted handhelds will be available in bundles alongside Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem!. These will set you back $170 a pop for each package deal, and you've got about a week to search the couch cushions for spare coin. You know, just in case the Mini-land ruckus can't wait for Santa's delivery.
Nintendo sells over 50 million DS units, 3DS sales fall flat in comparison
Nintendo's twin-screen wonder has seen almost as many reinventions as Lady Gaga, so it may not come as a huge shock to hear that the DS (in all its guises) has now sold over 50 million units in the US. The home entertainment maestros are still chasing similar success for its three-dimensional sibling, the 3DS, however. Nintendo has managed to sell almost half a million three dee units units after its weighty price cut, but there's now some very potent competitors seeking their own slice of the (portable) gaming pie. Good luck, Nintendo, you're probably going to need it.
New DSi XL colors coming to Europe October 8
Europe will receive yellow, green and blue DSi XL models on October 8, the latest colors in DS fashion (previously released in Japan). With uncertainty swirling over the launch date of the 3DS, it may be worth tapping the brakes just a little before splurging on one of the XL's latest colors.
Gorilla goes hands-on with Nintendo DSi XL at the San Francisco Zoo
Looks like Nintendo's DSi XL has finally found its target audience. Video after the break. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
DSi XL goes Midnight Blue on July 11
Well, that didn't take long. Less than two months after the North American release of the DSi XL, Nintendo has announced a new color variation for the handheld -- and it's one that doesn't make us think of a Cadillac at all! On July 11, the large-screened handheld will be released in Midnight Blue, which appears to be the same as the "blue" color announced for Japan this month. It'll retail for the normal $189.99 price Nintendo has set for the DSi XL in North America. Though Nintendo doesn't mention it in the press release, the timing of this new handheld coincides perfectly with Dragon Quest IX. The publisher is likely hoping to entice customers to pick up both together -- a Midnight Blue DSi XL at a midnight launch of the game, perhaps?
How would you change Nintendo's DSi XL?
It's bigger, it's bolder, but is it really that much better? Nintendo's heralded DSi line grew in more ways than one late last month, and now that you've had a handful of weekends to toy with yours, it's time to answer one majorly important question: how would you change it? We found in our review that the DSi XL was a solid option for those without a DSi of any kind, but we didn't feel that it was worth the $190 if you were just upgrading. For those that bought in, do you find yourself agreeing? Is the new size something you're into? Would you have made it a touch larger / smaller? Is the screen up to snuff? Do you think Nintendo went far enough with the advancements? Open up in comments below -- just keep it clean, okay? Your kids are probably reading.
NPD: Nintendo DSi XL outsold PSP in March 2010
Michael Pachter described the March launch of Nintendo's latest handheld, the Nintendo DSi XL, "solid." Considering it outsold both the PSP and PSP Go combined, we're inclined to agree. According to NPD figures (via Gamasutra), the DSi XL sold 141,000 units in March, besting PSP's combined 120,000. Even more impressive is that this figure only accounts for four days of sales; the DSi XL was released on March 28th. The tremendous success of the equally tremendous device confirms that there truly is "room to grow" for the DS market.
Was Nintendo pressured into revealing the 3DS early?
Hey, remember when Nintendo unveiled a 3D Nintendo DS, the 3DS, completely out of the blue? And you know how they announced it just a week before we Americans finally got our hands on the DSi XL -- effectively making it seem obsolete before it even hit retail? It seemed like curiously unfortunate timing, but according to M2 Senior Analyst Billy Pigeon, there was something more sinister behind the surprise unveil: the Japanese media. "Apparently, the Japanese press was all over it and talked with suppliers there and Nintendo just wanted to get out ahead by breaking the news to prevent a leak." That they did, but they also subverted the US launch of the oversized DSi in the process. It's a gaming system few really thought they needed in the first place, and now with confirmation of something better coming soon it looks even less appealing.
Nintendo DSi XL review
Since Nintendo first asserted sole domination over the handheld gaming market with the release of the paperback-sized Game Boy in 1989, the company has striven time and again to make its pocket systems smaller, meeting fantastic financial success along the way. Nintendo did it with the Game Boy Pocket, the Advance SP, the Micro, the DS Lite and again ever so slightly with the DSi -- the last even at the expense of backwards compatibility and battery life. Now, for the first time in the company's history, it's made an existing platform bigger, with questionable reasons as to why. Does the Nintendo DSi XL squash its predecessors flat? Or is Nintendo compensating for something? Find out inside. %Gallery-89058%
Nintendo celebrates launch of DSi XL with giant 10-foot sandwiches
We didn't know what to expect when Nintendo of America showed up to the Joystiq offices with a brown paper bag. On the bag was a "guest check" featuring one Nintendo DSi XL and one "XL sandwich." When we opened the bag we only found Nintendo's new hardware (which we'll be giving away soon, of course!). So where was our sandwich? And how big could an XL sandwich be? Two men carrying two ten-foot subs walked up the stairs and plopped it in front of us. Looks like Joystiq's current NYC representatives -- Andrew and Ludwig -- will have a pretty significant lunch to eat today.%Gallery-88731%
Nintendo sells 1.9 million DS and Wiis through Feb. 2010
Following last night's NPD report for February, Nintendo has issued a press release lauding the amazing selling power of its own products. In typical fashion, the gaming giant that got your grandma into gaming has managed to sell a ridiculous amount of DS and Wii systems in the U.S. -- 1.9 million in the first two months of 2010, to be exact. As impressive as that 1.9 million figure is, Nintendo's ability to break its own records is even more impressive. In selling 613,000 DS units throughout February 2010, Nintendo has managed to set a new monthly record, besting the previous top-selling month of February 2009's figure of 597,000 units. It would seem that two things are certain in this life: we're all going to die one day and before that day comes, each of us is going to own nine DS systems. With March 28 fast approaching -- that's the release date for the DSi XL -- Nintendo is hoping to further build on the success of its now six-year-old handheld. And, to think, even after all that time, the gif still hasn't gotten old.
Nintendo's Dunaway says DS has 'room to grow' in US market
[Business Wire] Nintendo of America VP Cammie Dunaway thinks the Nintendo DS is going to keep on getting bigger in America. (And no, not just literally.) Speaking with VentureBeat, the executive highlighted the tremendous success of the Nintendo handheld. "We had our best year ever, selling 11.2 million units. That has never been done by any game platform ever." Yet, in spite of its success, Dunaway believes there's still a lot more to be done with the US market. Dunaway notes that -- in terms of market penetration -- "in Japan, one in two consumers has a DS." But in America? "It is one in four. So we have room to grow." Essentially, if Japan is the benchmark for America, Nintendo must sell twice as many DS systems as it already has. If there's one thing we've learned not to doubt this generation, it's Nintendo's ability to sell systems and make money. In January, the company was able to sell over 400,000 units in America -- and that figure is likely to grow with the introduction of the DSi XL in March. Perhaps we need to add even more money to this already-overused JPG. [Via Edge]
Hands-on: Nintendo DSi XL
[Left to right: DSi XL, DSi, DS Phat] Perhaps it was no coincidence that Nintendo stopped by New York City to show off the Nintendo DSi XL, one day after Apple made its not-so-earth-shattering iPad announcement. Like the iPad, the DSi XL is a larger version of an already successful handheld device, but unlike the iPad, the DSi XL promises no added functionality, nor does it alter the electronics landscape in any way. It is, quite succinctly, a bigger DSi. One can't help but question why the device exists in the first place. To whom does the DSi XL appeal? Certainly, its gargantuan size makes it stand out as the least portable handheld system we've seen in quite some time, taking a completely opposite approach to that of Sony's PSP Go. Thanks to its larger screen size, it takes up even more space than the original DS Phat -- strange, considering one of the primary complaints held against the Phat was its unwieldy girth. What the XL excels at (sorry!) are games that require extensive use of the stylus. The massive stylus that's included with the system is easy to handle, making earlier stylus pens feel cheap and flimsy. The larger screen real estate makes it easier to draw on the system, perfect for intense Pictochat sessions or a round with WarioWare DIY. %Gallery-86403%
Nintendo DSi XL hands-on
Sure, it's been available in Japan for quite some time, but this is the first chance we've gotten to really sit down and play with Nintendo's "more communal" (as we overheard one PR rep describe it, given it's propensity for more eyes comfortably viewing the screens) portable gaming experience, the DSi XL. So let's get the comparisons out of the way: obvious volumetric differences aside, the maximum brightness versus the DSi seems to be slightly higher, and the stylus is inexplicably a handful of millimeters longer -- not a big deal, but you'll definitely figure it out when trying to stuff it into an older model. We're not really a fan of the top lid being glossy again -- we rather like the matte DSi lid, and this one seems even more fingerprint-coveting than its DS Lite predecessor. So with all that said, is the extra screen size worth it? Admittedly we do appreciate the extra room, and it comes without a cost to the picture clarity. The inherent tradeoff, however, is a complete inability to stuff this in our pockets -- we had better luck with the Mini 5, to be blunt. You'll be able to decide for yourself soon enough, but in the meantime, there's pictures below and video after the break! %Gallery-86454%
Nintendo to release 100 Classic Book Collection for DS on June 14
The Nintendo DS's dual-screen design has always invited book comparisons, and the new DSi XL even more so with those two 4.2-inch displays, so now's as good a time as any for Nintendo to announce that its 100 Classic Book Collection will be coming to American shores on June 14 for $20. Joystiq says they're expecting the book list to be the same as the Euro pack, so expect some choice public domain works here -- we doubt this has got any of the big e-book players shaking in their shoes, but just wait until Miyamoto releases the $129 Wii Eye Motion Detector with packed-in Mario's Read Speed mini-game. Then it's gonna get crazy.
Nintendo DSi XL video overview appeals to all hand sizes
The DSi XL is the star of the show at the Nintendo Media Summit, with the announcement an official price and release date for the system, as well as the marketing material posted above. There are no shocking revelations in the video -- well, aside from the fact that they actually went with "A Larger Experience" for the device's advertising catchphrase. A lesser blog might mention how that sounds like the slogan of one of those commercials that come on cable television after midnight. We'll abstain from making the reference. The video does a great job of showing the size of the the device in correlation to human hands of various shapes and sizes. Check it out, and imagine what that Squiggle Pen-sized stylus will look like in your own meaty grasp. %Gallery-86433%
Nintendo DSi XL coming to Europe March 5, US eventually
The last we heard, Nintendo's super-sized DSi XL (or DSi LL if you're Japanese) would be hitting the Colonies sometime in the first quarter of 2010. As of now we have no information contrary to that, but we do have news specifying when the European nobility will get theirs: March 5. That means UK gamers have less than two months to determine whether they are eligible for an upgrade from the slender DSi, and if you're not sure how to check, just measure the depth and breadth your pockets. If you have room in there for the new version, with its stereo 4.2-inch screens, you'd better make with that pre-order: Nintendo Japan sold more than 100,000 of the things in just two days.
