Nintendo DSi XL

Nintendo has been busy churning out different revisions of the Nintendo DS since 2006. First we saw the release of the original Nintendo DS in 2004. Two years later, Nintendo introduced the DS Lite, which improved on the original, arriving in a much smaller, less Tonka-truck-like form factor and sporting brighter screens. Last year, the Nintendo DSi further changed the console with the addition of two digital cameras. And now we have the DSi XL with its gigantic 4.2-inch screens and a larger stylus (by comparison, the DSi has 3.25-inch screens).

The console debuted in Japan, where it was called the DSi LL, on November 21 for $220.50. In the US, the same console was renamed the DSi XL and was launched on March 28th for $189.99. At launch the console will be available in bronze and burgundy color schemes.

The US version of the DSi XL comes preinstalled software and games: Photo Clock, Brain Age Express: Arts & Letters, and Brain Age Express: Math.
Also included in the package are two styluses (one larger) and the AC adapter.
If you're upgrading from the Nintendo DSi, note that you will have to repurchase your DSiWare games on the DSi XL, as the games are not transferable.

The rest of the gallery contains shots of the US version of the DSi XL paired with our thoughts on the console. If you read our coverage of the Japanese DSi LL, you'll find it to be largely the same.



The most obvious difference in the DSi XL is the size of the screens. The new displays are 4.2 inches, which actually makes them bigger than the PSP's 4.3 inch screen in terms of area. Nintendo didn't increase the resolution of the screens from 256x192, but the image quality doesn't seem to suffer.

Like with the DSi, there are five brightness settings, with the highest available only if you're connected to the AC adapter.

The DSi XL's 3.7V 1050mAh battery gives it roughly the same on-time as the DS Lite--four to five hours on maximum brightness and 13 to 17 hours on the lowest brightness. For reference, the DS Lite comes with a 3.7V 1000mAh battery, and the DSi comes with a 3.7V 840mAh battery.

Also of note, the DSi XL and DSi have interchangeable AC adapters. Previously, you could not swap AC adapters between the original DS, the Lite, and the DSi.



Control-wise, the face buttons, with the exception of the power button, are the same size as those on the DSi and have a similar clicky feel. By comparison, the DS Lite has squishier buttons. The wider layout of the buttons, a byproduct of the larger screens, might help gamers with larger hands find a more comfortable grip.

The shoulder buttons feel similar to the DSi's but are larger.


The DSi XL gets a larger power button, but not much else changes on the left side.


A screenshot of the included title Brain Age Express: Math.


The top cover of the DSi XL is smooth like the DS Lite's cover, but the underside has a grit that's coarser than the DSi's exterior. The interior, where the buttons and screens are located, feels similar to the DSi.


The DS Lite looks downright minuscule in comparison to the DSi XL. The Lite's entire width almost fits within the screen space of its larger sibling.



Nintendo shipped the DSi XL with two styluses. The smaller one stows away inside the console, and the larger one is the size of an average pen. In the picture (bottom to top): large stylus, small DSi LL stylus, DSi stylus, Lite stylus.