Following initial rumours that emerged earlier in the week, gaming giant Nintendo has today confirmed that a fourth-generation of its market-leading DS handheld will indeed hit retail stores in Japan this coming November 21.
Bigger is better? Image: Nintendo.
As with many such stories in the gaming industry (i.e., Sony’s constant denial of the PS3 Slim), Nintendo’s initially strident dismissal of the Nikkei article leaking the newly revamped DSi have now given way to an official unveiling.
Arriving on the back of sales figures that show the Nintendo DS (in all its guises) has sold some 11.7 million units around the world in the last six months – and 113.48 million units since its 2004 launch – the latest ‘DSi LL’ offering will stand apart from existing models thanks to two generous screens measuring 4.25 inches each.
Thought to be a configuration shift designed to address viewing complaints made by older DS users, the larger screens are a marked increase over the 3.25-inch displays utilised on the current DSi, and also the 3.0-inch screens used on the DS Lite.
Other defining features associated with the DSi LL include a fatter stylus that’s easier to hold and more closely resembles a ballpoint pen as opposed to a stick-thin pointer, colour choices of Wine Red, Dark Brown and Natural White, and improved battery life.
While likely to annoy DSi owners who made the investment to Nintendo’s third iteration in the latter part of 2008, those keen to drop 20,000 Yen (approx. $220 USD) on the DSi LL can do so on November 21.
Nintendo has not yet announced the DSi LL for the territories outside Japan, although it’s only a matter of time before those enlarged screens find their way onto store shelves in the U.S., Europe and Australia.
The Tech Herald: Revamped Nintendo DSi to sport larger screens?
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