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Nintendo Officially Announces DSi LL
You read correctly. Less than six months after the release of the Nintendo DSi, a new DS iteration has been announced – the DSi LL. Rumor ignited earlier this week after an article in the Japanese newspaper Nikkei detailed the new handheld. Nintendo was quick to respond to our inquiry, stating that the account was pure speculation. Turns out it wasn’t. It’s getting hard to keep things secret these days – isn’t it?
On to the details. While Sony’s handheld PSP has gotten smaller, the DSi LL is doing the exact opposite. The DSi LL is larger than the DSi, sporting 4.25 inch screens. For comparison sake, the DSi boasts 3.25 inch screens and the DS Lite a set of 3-inch displays. The increase in screen size has resulted in a notably larger handheld, the speculated intent being to make the device easier for older users. Supporting the claim further is the addition of a new stylus, which looks and functions more like a regular pen than the flimsy piece of plastic standard to the DS. Click here for a interactive comparison on the official Nintendo site.
Colors announced so far include Wine Red, Dark Brown and Natural White. The DSi LL will launch in Japan on November 21 for a price of 20,000 yen, which roughly equates to $220.
VentureBeat has confirmed that the DSi LL will be making its way westward, appropriately named the DSi XL in North America and Europe, and will ship first quarter of 2010.
We’ve contacted Nintendo for more information and verification on the above details. We’ve got several questions about the DSi LL and are sure you do too. If you plan on jumping ship for the larger screens, what will happen to DSiWare titles downloaded to your device? Is the DSi LL intended to compliment other versions or replace them at retail? (we expect the former) Will the larger screens cut battery life? And will graphics from previously released DS titles scale up appropriately? You’ll know as soon as we do.
The Nintendo DS launched back in November of 2004 and now has four unique versions under its umbrella – the original brick DS, the DS Lite, DSi and DSi LL. Obviously the massive international install base makes the DS one of Nintendo’s most successful ventures, and we appreciate Nintendo trying to make their devices accessible to people with diverse needs. The question remains, will you spring for another new DS version?
Update: We heard back from Nintendo of America, who was able to give us the statement below:
“A new iteration of the Nintendo DSi system will be introduced in Japan on November 21, 2009. To be known as Nintendo DSi LL in Japan, and as Nintendo DSi XL in North America and Europe, it will offer a screen 93% larger than the current Nintendo DS Lite with a better view angle, an additional longer touch screen stylus, and preinstalled Nintendo DSiWare software. The new version will arrive in North America and Europe in the first quarter of calendar year 2010.”
So the DSi XL is confirmed for North America. Good news. We inquired about other details such as a price point and transferring DSi downloads, but were unable to get answers as this time. Again, we will keep you in the loop as new details come forth.
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