As many of you know, The DSi XL, the latest counsil veriant from Nintendo, saw its release in the United States on the 28th of last month. I was fortunate enough to pick one up on launch, and after having been using it for almost a week, am ready to give my opinion. The DSi XL has a retail price is $189.99, though it is possible to shave $60.00 off by trading in your DS Lite, or $90.00 for your DSi (just make sure you bring the stylus and the charger) at your local GameStop, and is offered in both black and burgundy. Just like the DS Lite was to the original DS, The DSi XL is nothing more than a physical upgrade to the DSi (minus a higher brightness setting :>). The counsel has had a 93% increase in screen size, as well as an overall scale up in dimensions. Beyond this, the DSi XL is identical to the DSi. Upon un-boxing the behemoth, you will notice right away the overall size increase, as well as the change in material from being mostly matte, to being glossy on the top, to rough and bumpy on the bottom. The real treat, however, is when you open it. The increase in screen size is truly remarkable. I could show you countless images comparing the two consoles, but in all honesty, you should make the comparison in person before making a decision. The sound quality has also received a decent boost in quality and range. An issue among consumers was that the resolution for all DS games was obviously not going to be changed, so a game’s screen images would be stretched to meet the new screen size. I have read many reviews complaining about this, but in my experience, the change in quality is barely noticeable. In games like Zelda, there are times where you will notice a bit more pixilation, but as far as I’m concerned, I’ll take the new screen size any day. It is also worth mentioning that DSi Xl comes not only with a pre-installed Internet Browser, but three different DS ware games (Brain Age Express: Math, Brain Age Express: Arts & Letters, and Photo Clock), as well as the widely popular Flipnote Studio; all of which were not originally present on a newly purchased DSi. Really, the only negatives for me are the extra weight the size increase has brought along (though this is something I got use to very quickly), and the fact that any purchased games or apps from DSi ware seem to be non-transferable.
I’ll leave you with this: If you have yet to pick up a DS system and have been thinking about it, have poor eyes or a lot of on lookers, or you are simply a devout Nintendo Fan, I would recommend you pick up this beautiful piece of hardware. If, however, you are fine with your DSi and are wondering why you would need a simple increase in size, then this iteration is not for you. We all know that Nintendo just wants are money, right? I guess I’m just a sucker from the start. All in all, I give the system a 3/5 star rating.
Keep in mind that Nintendo plans to release the 3DS a year from now!
I would also like to take this opportunity to announce that I have finally posted the first part of my editorial. I know it has come rather late, and I apologize for that. But it is finally on the editorial page for your reading enjoyment. I will post the second part as soon as I can!
