Nintendo DSi LL Gets Official [DSi LL (XL) to Sport Dual 4.2-IN Displays; Available Starting with November 21]

In case you happen to love your Nintendo DSi then I just hope you didn’t just purchase your own DSi. I am saying all this as there’s a new DSi in town, a bigger one that you’ll like even better. The DSi LL has been officially unveiled today by Nintendo and the new handheld console will be available in Japan starting with November 21.

The rest of us mortals will get the shiny new toy at some point in early 2010. Nintendo UK will launch the device in the first quarter of 2010 and it will be known as the Nintendo DSi XL. Other markets will probably get the new, improved DSi around the same time but there’s nothing official. I can’t help but notice how Nintendo has screwed the launch date. Why not launch it a little earlier? You know, just so most markets out there would be able to get it in time for Christmas?

So what will the Nintendo DSi LL have to offer? Well the new handheld gaming device is a lot bigger which seems to be one of the features that Nintendo fans asked for. Instead of the regular dual 3.25-inch displays the gadget comes now with dual 4.2-inch displays. That’s almost an inch extra in size which should count a lot when playing some of your favorite games. Therefore the LL is bigger in overall size measuring 161 x 91.4 x 21.2 mm and it weighing 314g which is 100g more than the original DSi.

One other important aspect is the new battery which will last longer even if the larger DSi LL will consume more energy. The battery will be able to offer 13-17 hours when minimum brightness is selected and 4-5 hours when maximum brightness is used.

Everything else has remained unchanged. You’ve got the same ports, microphone, speakers and cameras that are found on the DSi and that’s a little disturbing. Since Nintendo decided to refresh the product they could have at least made a couple of other improvements. The DSi LL (XL) will cost around $220 in Japan and we could see similar prices in other markets when the LL arrives. Anyone excited about the new handheld gaming device from Nintendo?