Nintendo to release DSi XL handheld on March 5

Gaming giant Nintendo announced it will release the DSi XL--a larger version of its bestselling DSi handheld device--on March 5. Boasting two 4.2-inch LCD screens (compared to 3.25 inches on a standard DSi) and built-in low-resolution cameras, the DSi XL was designed in part to capture so-called "grey gamers"--i.e., older consumers who struggle with the smaller screen size on previous DSi units. Nintendo adds the new handheld also features a fatter stylus, created to be easier for older gamers to grip.

"The market for mobile gaming devices has been re-invented by Apple with its iPhone and iPod touch over the last 18 months, particularly with regard to digital delivery of titles and pricing," Forrester Research analyst Ian Fogg tells The Times Online. "Nintendo is now in a position where it is competing with a device that predates Apple's offerings. The DS is now approaching the end of its lifecycle, to the point where the real question is: What's next? Though Apple has disrupted the market, the disruption is not complete since its machines remain expensive. Nintendo now needs to address digital delivery of content for its next handheld device."

For more on the DSi XL:
- read this Times Online article

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