Nintendo will launch its DSI XL tomorrow

WE'VE BEEN ANTICIPATING Nintendo's launch of its supersized DSI XL for the past couple of weeks. Except for the beefed up screen-size, we knew Nintendo had added little in terms of hardware upgrades. In fact, we were more attuned to Nintendo touting the DSI XL as an e-book despite the lack of named content providers in the UK. But blow me down with a feather because we've got one. And big is beautiful.

Lacking day-glo livery, the DSI XL is wine red or dark brown, in a nod to an ageing demographic brought up on a diet of pink Game Boys. Apart from the feted 93 per cent bigger screen size, the DSI XL has the same feature set as the DS.

You get the same button layout, a SD card slot, WiFi connection microphone and cameras. Nintendo has the same a bump matte surface underneath to make it grippier and it has a preloaded web browser. This has the more advanced version of the Opera browser that was on the standard DSI. Nintendo has also widened the viewing angle to give a much clearer display and bundled in a jumbo stylus.

The weight gain to 314g is entire justified, making much more ergonomic sense for every other display feature. The dual 4.2-inch screens no longer requires the nubile finesse of a Japanese school kids hands. It's now possible to use the touchscreen with fingers, and we even managed to navigate online using our fingers.

We didn't get a chance to try its e-book funcationality because Nintendo didn't pack a cartridge. But the display flips to portrait mode so we're betting it's a comfortable experience on the bigger screen. The only downside to its fatboy status is a little less resolution because games rescale to fit the screen. But that doesn't matter. Who plays a Nintendo DSI XL for its graphical prowess?

In every other respect, Nintendo's handheld console is as good as it always was. It's very responsive and just plain fun to use. Let's hope Nintendo is already talking to potential content providers in the UK to make the e-book angle more than a marketing-speak ploy. µ