Nintendo recently unveiled a larger version of its popular DSi handheld, twice as big as the current DSi. Say hello to my little XL. (Handout)

(Evergeek) - In a surprise announcement, Nintendo has revealed it will release a new model of its popular DSi portable game system that sports a screen twice the size of the current DS devices - though at the same resolution.

Reportedly, the supersized unit will also offer better viewing angles, improved battery life, a bigger stylus and come pre-loaded with a selection of otherwise downloadable DSiWare.

The new iteration, dubbed the DSi LL in Japan, where it will launch on November 21, will not be available outside of its homeland this year, but is slated for release as the DSi XL in North America and Europe in early 2010.

The jumbo DSi also boasts a bigger battery, one that can reportedly extend up-time from somewhere between 13 and 17 hours, as opposed to the current DSi's nine to 14 hour charge capacity.

The announcement of the DSi XL came soon after news that Nintendo's profits dropped by 52 per cent over the last two quarters, purportedly due to aggressive pricing and updated hardware from rivals Microsoft and Sony.

The Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 have both come down in price and up in sales, up technical specifications and feature sets, too, while also offering an abundance of exciting new titles for the holiday buying season. It's a surprise displacement of the once-dominant Nintendo Wii, which also recently came down in price by 20 per cent - arguably too little, too late.

At any rate, supersized DSi will be sold in more sober, less-jarring colours, including Natural White, Deep Brown and Wine Red, and is expected to appeal to the "Touch Generation" demographic of older gamers. This is further evidenced by the eye-strain reducing larger screens of the DSi LL/XL as well as its other ease-of-use considerations, including larger buttons and stylus. Though it may be sacrificing a measure of portability in the process, the new form factor at 161 x 91.4 x 21.2 mm (6.34 x 3.6 x 0.83 inches) is still smaller than a paperback. In fact, folded up, it's about the size and shape of a Sony PSP (though twice as tall when opened up, obviously).

Once uncontested in the portable game system space, Nintendo has been facing increased competition from Sony's PlayStation Portable (PSP) and Apple's iPod Touch as of late, along with that of innumerable Smartphones and PDAs.

Link: http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ds/dsiLL/index.html

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