Nintendo DSi XL Is Launched

The Nintendo DSi XL was officially launched in Europe on the March 5. It's too early to report on sales figures but if the series continues to sell as it has been doing, it's likely to be one of the most wanted products of 2010.

Most of the features of the new console remain the same as its predecessor. It's major selling point is the size of its screens. The size of screens has increased to nearly double what they were before. Unlike the previous screen size increase, you won't need to sit two consoles side-by-side and closely compare them to appreciate the difference. You will notice the difference the second you lay eyes on the console. It is massive.

The new screens give you a new way to enjoy your games. It makes you want to replay all your old games just to see how they look on the new screens.

Along with getting a bigger picture, you also have an increased area to interact with the touch screen. This makes writing on the screen easy and you feel freer to make larger movements which is somehow more enjoyable.

The screen on the DSi XL is partly designed so that it can be enjoyed by groups of people. As well being big, it has a much wider viewing angle so you can see all the colours as you should from just about anywhere that you can see the screen.

One downside to the increased screen size is that it makes the pixels more noticeable since they are larger. Although this can be annoying at first, after a few minutes you are not likely to notice it anymore.

Along with the screens, the stylus has been supersized. The DSi XL comes with both a standard stylus and a new pen-like stylus. This is much more comfortable to hold for long periods of game play without cramping your hands.

Along with all the built in software which was featured in the standard model, including web browser, sound and image manipulation, the DSi XL includes some exclusive pre-loaded games and apps. The first is a new addition to the Brain Training series and it has a very long name, "A Little Bit of... Dr Kawashima's Brain Training: Arts Edition". It includes games from the original Brain Training series along with some games you won't have seen before. There is also a 6 in 1 Dictionary with Camera functions which includes 6 different languages.

In the UK the console is currently available in two colours; Wine Red and Dark Brown. In Japan there was an additional Natural White colour although I'm not sure what was natural about it. It's undoubtable that there will be more colours released over the coming months.

As the console itself is larger there is more room for a battery. This means that despite the size of the screens, the battery actually last longer than on the previous console.

The Nintendo DSi XL has several new features which could persuade people who are unsure about upgrading but by far the main attraction is the screen size. If you're a fan of big TVs or computer screens, this console maybe for you.