Big news — literally — from Nintendo. On March 28, a swollen-looking hand-held game machine, called the DSi XL, will arrive in the United States.
While it’s still pocket-size, you’ll want a larger pocket — and a deeper one too. The new gaming system will cost $190, just $10 less than a Wii, Nintendo’s living-room game system.
Nintendo says the system will be available in two colors. The 6.4-by-3.6-inch device will function exactly like the current DSi, and run all the same software.
The main difference is the size of the stylus (it will be bigger, the size of a pen) and the two screens. Both are backlighted, 4.2-inch color LCDs with 256-by-192 pixel resolution.
The lithium-ion battery life can vary greatly, from four 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, as well as 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.” Warren Buckleitner
