Big news — literally — from Nintendo. On Sunday, March 28 (Nintendo is not known to be sloppy on ship dates), a swollen-looking DS, called the DSi XL, will arrive in the United States.
While still pocket-sized, you’ll want a larger pocket, and a deeper one, too: The new gaming system will cost $190, just $10 less than a Wii.
According to the Nintendo press site, the system will be available in two colors. The 6.4-inch wide, 3.6-inch tall game system will function exactly like the current DSi, and run all the same software as well. The main difference is the size of the stylus (now pen sized) and the two screens. Both are backlit, 4.2-inch color LCDs with 256 x 192 pixel resolution. The lithium-ion battery life can vary greatly; from 4 to 17 hours depending on screen settings.
All the other specs are the same as the DSi: two 0.3 megapixel cameras, Wi-Fi, and an embedded microphone; plus ports for both DS software and SD cards. One minor change to the bundle is in the addition of pre-installed software. These include Brain Age Express: Math; Brain Age Express: Arts & Letters; and Photo Clock.
Some may call the larger screens unnecessary, until they consider that the first generation of Nintendo users, who may be about ready for reading glasses.