Nintendo has confirmed recent rumours as true by announcing the launch of a new version of its popular DS handheld with the introduction in Japan of the fourth-generation DSi LL.

The DSi LL will, as rumoured, and contrary to the usual trends in the handheld gaming market, take the form of a larger model than the current DSi offering dual 4.25-inch screens and come with a bigger, thicker, pen-shaped stylus controller.

Considerably larger - and more expensive - than the DSi, it's thought Nintendo might be offering such a super-sized device for its older (causal gaming) audience, who, without tiptoeing around and with a nice dose of generalisation, have poorer eyesight and a need for less fiddly gadgetry.

Alternatively, and less likely, the Japanese gaming giant could be planning a push into the pre-school educational gaming market, rivaling the likes of LeapFrog with coming-soon titles for little 'uns to be played on the chunkier console.

The Nintendo DSi LL will go on sale in Japan on 21 November for 20,000 yen - about ?132 - while here in the UK Nintendo tell us "a new Nintendo DSi XL console is launching in Europe in the first quarter of 2010. The retail price of the Nintendo DSi XL is expected to be higher than that of the Nintendo DSi. Further details will be released soon".

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Tags: Gaming Nintendo Nintendo DS Nintendo DSi Nintendo DSi XL Gaming hardware

Bigger Nintendo DSi XL caters to the older gamer originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:40:14 +0000

Nvidia has won the contract to supply Nintendo with chips for the next edition of its ultra-popular DS handheld gaming device. The chip in question will be the Tegra - a "system-on-a-chip" processor which comes in two editions - a 65nm one and a new 40nm second generation option due to be launched in early 2010.

The Tegra currently only powers two devices - Microsoft's Zune HD and Samsung's BeatPlayer YP-M1 portable media players. Reviewers have showered the performance of the Zune HD with praise, though, and it's unlikely that fact escaped Nintendo's attention when deciding which platform to go for.

The device that results should be showing up in late 2010, according to sources quoted by Bright Side of News, perhaps surfacing at the Tokyo Game Fair. Whichever Tegra option Nintendo goes for, this will mean a big step up in the power of portable gaming devices - it should be able to power higher resolution screens on the handheld while providing improved battery life.

It's still up in the air at the moment, but when we hear something more concrete about the DS, we'll be sure to let you know.

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Related links:

• News - Nintendo DSi due in three new colours

Tags: Gaming Nintendo Nintendo DS Nvidia Tegra

Next-gen Nintendo DS will come with Tegra chip originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 14 Oct 2009 15:12:52 +0100