The Nintendo DSi XL FAQ – Everything you need to know

Nintendos oversized Nintendo DSi is almost here in Australia, what its all about and do you need one

The Nintendo DSi XL was announced late last year in Japan, with complaints from Nintendo’s ever expanding market (IE. older people) complaining that the DS screens were too small and that bigger ones would be much more beneficial. Since Nintendo is basically rolling money right now, it only seemed right that they would whip up a jumbo sized Nintendo DSi, which resulted in the Nintendl DSi XL.

What exactly is a Nintendo DSi XL?

The Nintendo DS is the fourth iteration of the Nintendo DS series. The original Phat launched in Australia in 2005 and was superseded by the Lite in June 2006. In April 2009, Nintendo released the Nintendo DSi to Aussies (first in the world, too). The Nintendo DSi added several new hardware like the two VGA cameras, music player, and SD card slot.

Software also saw several improvements but some features were removed. The Nintendo DSi XL is a DSi in every sense of the word except the fact that the screens and body are significantly larger – 93% larger than the Lite. The DSi XL features all the same additions to the DS family that the DSi introduced, such as the DSi Camera, music playback, web browser and access to the DSi Shop.

How much will one cost?

Nintendo has announced that the Nintendo DSi XL will cost the same as a Nintendo DSi, and that’s a RRP of $299.95. However, like with most new consoles, stores will often sell below that and usually bundle in games or accessories to soften the blow. It’s a lot of money but it could have been worse; everywhere else in the world the DSi XL is more expensive than a DSi. Not the case here in Australia.

What colours does the DSi XL come in?

Nintendo’s target audience for the DSi XL is older people or people who may not want to take a DS outside and thus have styled the DSi XL slightly differently to the DSi with a two toned effect. The two colours that the DSi XL will come in here in Australia are Bronze and Burgundy; bronze is a soft metallic brown like colour, while burgundy or wine red as it was known in Japan is a dark red colour. Both colours are more sedate than the classic white or black.

What’s in the box?

This is subject to final confirmation but Aussies should be getting the following in their DSi XL box;

• One Nintendo DSi XL Unit
• One extra stylus
• Manuals
• Extra large pen-like stylus
• Club Nintendo Points
• Charger (same as DSi)

Another DS upgrade? Come on Nintendo, what’s up?

Wait, hold on there a minute! Yes, the Nintendo DSi XL is another model of the DS and in turn the DSi but it’s in no way an ’upgrade’. The screens may be bigger, yes, and the speakers louder, but for all intents and purposes it’s exactly the same as a normal Nintendo DSi, just with the previously mentioned features. There’s no need to feel betrayed by this console if you just bought a DSi; it’s aimed a different market, one which Nintendo now caters to. Nintendo has also made the DSi XL the same price as the DSi, so if you’re yet to get a DS, or still on a DS Lite or DS Phat, you now have a great choice to make. Remember, bigger isn’t always better and a bigger screen brings reduced portability.

So it’s a jumbo sized Nintendo DSi? What else has changed?

Apart from the jumbo sized shell and screens Nintendo has also made changes to the console’s speakers, making them louder and clearer than ever before. Other changes include a three-position hinge so that you can rest your DSi XL on a table and use it like a Netbook or Laptop.

The LCD screens also have a wider viewing angle so more people can stand around you and see what’s going on. There’s also a jumbo-sized stylus in the box – which is more like a pen – that doesn’t slot into the console. The battery life is also improved, more on that later.

Nintendo’s enlarged the screen size yet again, surely it looks stretched now?

When the Nintendo DSi was announced to be having bigger screens but at the same resolution, many were worried about the display looking scratched or of lower quality. With the screens stretched to a bigger even size yet again, surely this is a problem now? The answer is no, but yes and it depends on the situation. Some games look absolutely brilliant on the screens, which are of great quality like the DSi; however, depending on the game it may look weird in places. We haven’t had extensive hands on time with a DSi XL, but from what we’ve played The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks looks great, as does Space Invaders Extreme 2. The main DSi menu does not look as good, though.

Do I still get 1000 Free Points to spend on DSiWare?

Nintendo’s promotion offered free 1000 points for new DSi purchasers before the end of March 2010; it was set to run out earlier but they extended it. That has now obviously ended but fret not, as DSi XL owners get three free DSiWare apps pre-installed on the console when they buy it. Here’s what you get;

Nintendo has also seen fit to pre-install Flipnote Studio and the Opera Web Browser out of the box.

It’s got bigger screens, how’s the battery cope?

Luckily the battery life on the DSi XL is better than the DSi, but still not as good as the DS Lite was. The bigger screens are powered by a bigger battery at 1050 mAh compared to a DSi which had only 840mAh. You’ll see about 2 hours better battery life from the console over the DSi for typical usage. Here are the stats directly from Nintendo;

* Lowest Level 5: 13 – 17 hours
* Level 4: 11 – 14 hours
* Level 3: 9 – 11 hours
* Level 2 : 6 – 8 hours
* Highest Level 1: 4-5 hours

To compare, here are the DSi’s figures from Nintendo

* Lowest Level 5: 9 – 14 hours
* Level 4: 8 – 12 hours
* Level 3: 6 – 9 hours
* Level 2 : 4 – 6 hours
* Highest Level 1: 3-4 hours

And finally, these are the DS Lite’s figures from Nintendo

* Lowest Level 4: 15 – 19 hours
* Level 3: 10 – 15 hours
* Level 2: 7 – 11 hours
* Level 1 (DSi Level 2 equivalent): 5 – 8 hours

I already have a DSi and I want to get this new XL sized one, what if I want to take my purchases from my DSi and put them on my DSi XL?

Short answer, no. Long answer, maybe. We’ve contacted Nintendo Australia for a response to this question and are yet to get one at time of writing. However, there is some conjecture floating around to say that you can, if you send your Nintendo DSi and DSi XL (or a new DSi) to Nintendo themselves they are able to do it. Remember, none of this is 100% confirmed.

Nintendo does need to figure out a solution to this, as what other digital distribution platform ties your purchases to the hardware in a way that you cannot move them? Steam? Xbox Live? PSN? iTunes? No, only the Wii does and that needs to be fixed, too.

We await word back from Nintendo Australia on this matter.

They’ve made more space, surely they’ve added back in the Gameboy Advance slot?

Nope, they haven’t.

So that’s all that’s different and new with the DSi XL. If you want to learn more about the camera, the new menu, region locking, SD card slot, music player, web browser then checkout our original DSi FAQ which has been updated since the launch with new facts and corrections

If we’ve missed anything drop us a line, and if you have any questions you think we should have in here (not what colour you should choose) then you can do so there, too.