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DSi XL
Nintendo's larger DS handheld with two 4.2-inch screens, for DS players and collectors comparing screen size with portability.
- Type
- Handheld
- Output
- –
- Memory
- –
- Storage
- –
- Weight
- 314 g
What reviewers say
Reviewers praise the larger, brighter screens and wider viewing angles, while noting reduced portability and unchanged resolution. TechRadar and Pocket Gamer find it more comfortable; Nintendo Life prefers the smaller DSi, and PCWorld questions its value for existing owners. TechRadar sees it as a worthwhile upgrade for regular DS players.
From nintendolife.com, techradar.com, techradar.com, techradar.com, pocketgamer.com and pcworld.com
Specifications
Report a wrong or missing specPerformance
- Type
- Handheld
- Disc drive
- No
- Storage expansion
- SD and SDHC cards up to 32 GB; miniSD and microSD cards require an adapter (Nintendo UK)
Display and video
- Built-in screen
- 4.2″ LCD, 256 × 192
- Built-in screen
- Two 4.2-inch transmissive TFT colour LCDs, approximately 260,000 colours each; five brightness levels and a touch screen on the lower display
- Audio
- Built-in speakers and microphone; stereo headphone output
Design and power
- Battery life (maker's claim)
- Up to 17 hours
- Weight
- 314 g
- Battery life detail
- UTL-003 user-replaceable lithium-ion battery pack, 3.9 Wh (Nintendo's Japanese manual). Nintendo rates approximately 13–17 hours at lowest brightness, 11–14 at low, 9–11 at medium, 6–8 at high and 4–5 at highest; software and usage affect runtime. Full charge approximately 3 hours
- Power use
- Approximately 2.8 W maximum while charging (Nintendo's Japanese manual)
- Size
- 161 × 91.4 × 21.2 mm when folded (width × depth × thickness); approximately 314 g includes battery and stylus
- Colours
- Dark brown, wine red and natural white at the Japanese launch; other regions and later releases differ
- In the box
- DSi LL, AC adapter, small stylus, large pen-style stylus, quick start guide and instruction manual (Japanese bundle); the large stylus is 129.3 mm long and the small stylus 96 mm
Connections
- Ports
- Nintendo DS card slot, SD card slot, AC adapter connector and stereo headphone/microphone connector
- Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
- Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11b/g (DSSS/OFDM), 2.4 GHz; nominal range approximately 10–30 m depending on surroundings (Nintendo's Japanese manual)
- Controller
- Built-in D-pad, A/B/X/Y, L/R, Start and Select buttons, stylus and touch screen; inner and outer fixed-focus CMOS cameras, approximately 0.3 megapixels each (Nintendo Japan)
- Backward compatibility
- Nintendo DS and DSi games and installed DSiWare; no Game Boy Advance games or DS accessories requiring the GBA slot. DSi Shop purchases and free downloads ended on 31 March 2017 (Nintendo UK); launch reviews describe the service before closure
Pros and cons
Pros
- Two 4.2-inch screens with five brightness levels
- Nintendo rates battery life at 13–17 hours at lowest brightness
- SD and SDHC support up to 32 GB
Cons
- No Game Boy Advance slot or compatibility with accessories that need it
- Larger screens retain the DS resolution of 256 × 192 each
- DSi Shop purchases and free software downloads ended on 31 March 2017
Closest rivals
Model | Type | Output | Memory | Storage | Weight | Released |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Handheld | – | 64 MB | 16 GB | 158 g | Oct 2009 | |
| Handheld | – | 64 MB | – | 189 g | Oct 2008 | |
| Handheld | – | – | 256 MB | 214 g | Nov 2008 |
Sources
- nintendo.co.jp/ds/dsiLL/spec.html
- nintendo.co.jp/ds/support/pdf/dsiLLmanual.pdf
- nintendo.co.jp/corporate/release/2009/091029.html
- nintendo.com/en-gb/Support/Legacy-system/Compatible-SD-Card-types-245271.html
- nintendo.com/en-gb/Support/Legacy-system/Nintendo-DSi-Shop-Discontinuation-FAQ-…
- Nintendo DSi XL in blue, open front and closed rear views with supplied styluses; Japanese Nintendo DSi LL colour-page composition: Nintendo official Japanese product/colour or launch-release image; complete supplied canvas, background and catalogue captions retained.
- Nintendo DSi XL in brown, open front and closed rear views with supplied styluses; Japanese Nintendo DSi LL colour-page composition: Nintendo official Japanese product/colour or launch-release image; complete supplied canvas, background and catalogue captions retained.
- Nintendo DSi XL in green, open front and closed rear views with supplied styluses; Japanese Nintendo DSi LL colour-page composition: Nintendo official Japanese product/colour or launch-release image; complete supplied canvas, background and catalogue captions retained.
- Nintendo DSi XL in red, open front and closed rear views with supplied styluses; Japanese Nintendo DSi LL colour-page composition: Nintendo official Japanese product/colour or launch-release image; complete supplied canvas, background and catalogue captions retained.
- Nintendo DSi XL in white, open front and closed rear views with supplied styluses; Japanese Nintendo DSi LL colour-page composition: Nintendo official Japanese product/colour or launch-release image; complete supplied canvas, background and catalogue captions retained.
- Nintendo DSi XL in yellow, open front and closed rear views with supplied styluses; Japanese Nintendo DSi LL colour-page composition: Nintendo official Japanese product/colour or launch-release image; complete supplied canvas, background and catalogue captions retained.
- Wine Red Nintendo DSi XL detail of the screen, hinge camera and right-side controls; supplied close-up: Nintendo official Japanese product/colour or launch-release image; complete supplied canvas, background and catalogue captions retained.
