Big-screen DSi coming to Europe too

By Ellie Gibson Published 29 October, 2009

But not until next year.

Nintendo has said the new DSi with bigger screens will launch in Europe as well as Japan.

We'll have to wait, though. "Nintendo today confirms that a new Nintendo DSi XL console is launching in Europe in the first quarter of 2010," the company told VG247.

So how much will it cost? "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."

The Japanese launch of the DSi LL, as it'll be known over there, is set for 21st November. As reported earlier it will cost ¥20,000 (£135 / €150).

Picture of Ellie.

About Ellie Gibson

Since joining Eurogamer in the mid 2000s, Ellie has written about subjects as diverse as the fall of Gizmondo, the rise of Hollyoaks actresses in Red Alert games and the noise a bear makes under NSFW circumstances.

Read more articles from Ellie by visiting the Ellie Gibson archive page.

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Comments (45) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • JahB #1 2 years ago

    am i the only one who wants new portable consoles instead of these constant minor additions? same for the pspgo, it may be nice, but like the DS it's seriously dated tech.

    surely by now there should be plenty of technical opportunities to make something new...

  • wizlon #2 2 years ago

    Why do I get the feeling that Nintendo have actually invented a machine that can make things shrink or expand. Should we use it to solve world hunger? No, but a bigger DSi would be great for sales.

  • rock27gr #3 2 years ago

    Higher price? I would have expected them to reduce the DSi to DSlite level price, discontinue the Lite, and keep the new one at the current DSi price-point.

    As it is, I was considering upgrading my Lite to the new one, but if there is a price hike I certainty won't. Hell, any higher and I could be getting a PS3!

  • Malek86 #4 2 years ago

    And portability goes down the drain. Looks like I'll be skipping this.

    Edit: uhm, weird. According to Nintendo, the battery life has been upgraded. Not quite up to Lite standards, but better than the DSi. Did they put a better battery in there?
    Edited by 2 at 29/10/09 @ 10:03

  • Bazfrag #5 2 years ago

    Bigger AND more expensive! Thats Nintendo for ya.... The stylus is now a fat pen for the infirm to grip better and the screen aids reading for failing eyes. Its a DS: Pensioner Edition. (and yet i want one!)

  • thes #6 2 years ago

    Errrm - does this mean that existing games are going to have black borders - or is everything just going to be scaled up blurr-o-vision? Surely not just bigger, chunkier pixels?

  • Fuser #7 2 years ago

    That's mental - the DSi as it is is the perfect size for a portable console: I never carry my PSP3000 around as it is just that bit too bulky. Sony realised this with the PSP Go. And now Nintendo are going backwards! Very odd decision. And with no resolution increase it will probably make games look worse............

    They should at least upgrade internet browsing functionality seeing as that is one of the reasons they give for the bigger screens!

  • Digital_Forge #8 2 years ago

    I'm actually fine with the DS Lite, it's just the right size to throw in your bag / pocket and take it with you on your travels. Handheld getting too big sort of defeats the point for me.

    Price will be a big thing, the DS Lite had the magical £99 margin, and with this probably going to hit £150 over here it's dangerously in the realms of "almost console" levels.

  • Eldritch #9 2 years ago

    Presumably the DS consisting of two iPod touch-esque screens will come later next year then - which is when I'll get one.

  • WinterSnowblind #10 2 years ago

    I didn't bother upgrading to the DSi because I didn't feel it added anything over the Lite, I don't see why a bigger version would change anything. I guess older people may prefer the bigger shape, but has anyone ever complained about the thing being too small?

    I think I'll continue to wait for the next system.

  • Eldritch #11 2 years ago

    Well, allegedly, the GBA Micro didn't sell all too well, so, maybe...

  • LilithsCurves #12 2 years ago

    i think it's really for the elder generation, i have read it comes with two versions of brain training and a dictionary pre-installed in japan.
    DSi XL? not a name that i would have chosen.

  • Mkwone #13 2 years ago

    DSi OAP.

    Comes with a scent of lavenda.

  • RobTheBuilder #14 2 years ago

    Pointless waste of r&d time.

  • Retroid #15 2 years ago

    If I was a Nintendo handheld fan I'd be getting incredibly pissed off at stuff like this, odds on I would've been caught out at least twice by now with denied-then-unveiled-shortly-after-a-new-machine 'upgrades'.

  • Malek86 #16 2 years ago

    So the Micro costed more because it was smaller. And now the XL costs more because it's bigger.

    We can never win.

    @Retroid: honestly, at this point, we should all already know that when Nintendo talks of "speculation" it's basically a confirmation. Besides, this is not exactly an "upgrade", unless you like traveling with something bigger.
    Edited by 1 at 29/10/09 @ 11:30

  • Toothball #17 2 years ago

    I only got a DSi a couple of months back. I think I'll leave this one for a bit. More than likely I'll crack next year though.

  • Ignatius_Cheese #18 2 years ago

    Makes it easier to read the recipes without craning your neck.

  • el_pollo_diablo #19 2 years ago

    Complaining about this design is missing the point - this DS simply isn't for people like us.
    I think it's a wonderful way to get oldies involved. +10 Nintendo.

  • IneptPercy #20 2 years ago

    My good old DS lite has just had its first MOT, due to buying it 18 months ago and it getting about 6-7 hours use a week it was starting to look a little warn out.

    I did look at the DSi and decided it represented bad value so bought a new touch screen and replacement case/shell on ebay and after a few hours work its like a brand new DS lite again.

    It really does feel that nintendo are milking this, how many people 'upgraded' from a DSlite to DSi, and how many will do it again now.

  • peterfll #21 2 years ago

    I think we can all agree Nintendo has pushed the DS into new markets, one of them being for folk who are of the, erhem, older generation. And Nintendo have probaby got substantial market research going on, which has demonstrated there's a desire for a large unit with larger screens for this sort of market.

  • amv71 #22 2 years ago

    @Retroid "If I was a Nintendo handheld fan I'd be getting incredibly pissed off "
    I am a Nintendo handheld fan and am getting incredibly pissed off. I bought a DSi on launch and have been quite impressed with the DSiware (and it was a tough decision trading in my Lite andf losing the GBA slot). Now I feel I might have to upgrade again to get the next iteration (although if it is the same screen res, it might not be that important). Nevertheless, the Nintendo iterative upgrade cash cow keeps on rollin'...

  • Evolution #23 2 years ago

    The DS ill? Oh dear.

  • SL33PY #24 2 years ago

    Nintendo is still wondering why their profit margins are shrinking.... Could it be the minor tech updates not so many really care about? Or is it that not so many want to shelve out the cash needed to stay 'up to date'?

    I bought my wife a DS Lite a couple of years ago, the device is still working like a charm and put next to its successors, I don't think it is any less pleasant, fun or functional then the newer iterations.

    Discuss
    Edited by 1 at 29/10/09 @ 13:32

  • DaDon123456 #25 2 years ago

    Dont know why people are complaining.............. this is aimed at the elderly...... just stick with the Lite or orginal DSi!

  • spookyzombie #26 2 years ago

    Same situation as last year. All the parents buy a DSi for their kids for Christmas only to find out in 2010 that a newer model is coming out. I blame Ant and Dec.

  • Lamb #27 2 years ago

    I skipped the DSi although I did check it out instore first against the DSLite and found the stiff buttons stiff control pad not to my liking same with the matte finish as it makes for drier hands and the screen size increase was negligible.

    I would hope they would bring back the looser controls and the gloss finish in the LL with the noticeably larger screens but it doesn't seem to be enough for better graphics and game engines though I suppose this version will give it a small nudge in the proper direction.

  • scouserfuller9 #28 2 years ago

    This is annoying as I will want to buy this to use instead of my current DSi however where will all my current DSi Ware be? On my old DSi! Surely they should have come up with something by now to tranfer them all to another console!

  • canIdoyabombsforya #29 2 years ago


    what a bunch of spoilt little girls most of you are.
    How is having 3 different options on a current platform vastly different to other items on retaill?

    Boo hoo if you were fool enough to upgrade to the DSi, yes it's worth 20 euros more, but its the same platform.
    Good for the consumer that they now have a choice of 3 DSs, the cheaper lite still does the job.




  • canIdoyabombsforya #30 2 years ago

    DaDon123456

    "Dont know why people are complaining.............. this is aimed at the elderly...... just stick with the Lite or orginal DSi!
    "

    I do, because they are eaten up by consumerism and can't stand the thought of someone else having something better. Bad parenting I'm afraid. Or they are just shit stirring Sony fanboys from dysfunctional families.

    It's not even if Nintendo are really pushing current owners to 'upgrade', to what? the same platform? Also this doesn't mean Nintendo arnt planning a next gen handheld. It's good for new buyers in the meantime, they have the choice of slightly different versions. Just like TVs, cars etc.But I guess the people moaning will find out this is quite normal retailing when they grow up, and will eventually learn to be happy with what they buy in the first place.

    Remember this was the platform that the majority of the internet thought 'would never sell' because the Sony, and later Apple had the better screens and graphics. If thats what you want, stop being idiots and buying each revision of the DS. The DS phat still does the job FFS.

  • RobTheBuilder #31 2 years ago

    The worrying thing for me is that is starting to get just a little bit like Sega with the Mega cd and 32x.

  • amv71 #32 2 years ago

    @canIdoyabombsforya Boo hoo if you were fool enough to upgrade to the DSi, yes it's worth 20 euros more, but its the same platform.
    Wow - angry about something are we? It's not the same platform. DS can't play DSiWare. So it wasn't a foolish move to upgrade to a new platform.

  • smelly #33 2 years ago

    >Higher price?

    You do get games with it for free..

  • smelly #34 2 years ago

    "The worrying thing for me is that is starting to get just a little bit like Sega with the Mega cd and 32x. "

    Except it's not even a little bit like that.

  • FortysixterUK #35 2 years ago

    This DS should have a screen the same size as the Iphone, as should the PSP ( I think PSPs nearly is).
    It should also be easy to plug into your TV through an adaptor that will upscale the resolution so it looks reasonable on todays big TVs...then you can play the console as intended....as the SNES console it wants to be, but can't be 'cos of the stupid small screen.
    Oh hang on, maybe I'll just get my SNES out anyway and ignore the DS....

  • PatrickEwing #36 2 years ago

    pathetic

  • smelly #37 2 years ago

    >pathetic

    yes you are.

  • Telepathic.Geometry #38 2 years ago

    I'm not really sure what the draw of this device is supposed to be. Is it only that it has a bigger screen? Are they planning to release games that take advantage of the higher resolution? What's the dealio, where's the gaming advantage. Why is there a bigger screen at all. I don't understand the benefit. Are all the games upscalable or something?


    Nintendo, EXPLAIN!

  • Nephirion #39 2 years ago

    It's the make money, the practical benefits are questionable but im sure some fanboys somewhere will be decieved and they will love Nintedno for it

  • brod #40 2 years ago

    "I didn't bother upgrading to the DSi because I didn't feel it added anything over the Lite"

    Have you used one? The buttons feel considerably better (clicky instead of mushy), the screen is much better to play games on, and the sound quality is noticably better.

    The only reasons NOT to get a DSi are
    a) you can't afford it
    b) you need the GBA slot
    c) you need the longer battery life of the lite
    Edited by 1 at 30/10/09 @ 07:50

  • chukcyQ #41 2 years ago

    So when does DS2 come out? I'm pretty sick of this third iteration of Nintendo DS... How about some PSP level performance now that PSP's been out for five+ years?

  • RobTheBuilder #42 2 years ago

    @smelly Extending the life of a console with add-ons and slight improvements, sounds a little like it to me. Sure Nintendo are in a better starting position and they are all integrated in the system, but if they don't get a proper new DS out there in the next couple of years then the whole line up will start to feel extremely dated for the core user; and they will start to get frustrated (as some already are).

  • IneptPercy #43 2 years ago

    "The only reasons NOT to get a DSi are
    a) you can't afford it
    b) you need the GBA slot
    c) you need the longer battery life of the lite "

    How about, I can afford it, do use the GBA slot and had no idea about battery life but feel even better now.

    For what it would cost the average DS lite use on trading there DS lite and buying the DSi is it still worth it? personally I looked at it and said no.

    But it does seem many said yes.

  • canIdoyabombsforya #44 2 years ago

    "I'm not really sure what the draw of this device is supposed to be. Is it only that it has a bigger screen? Are they planning to release games that take advantage of the higher resolution? What's the dealio, where's the gaming advantage. Why is there a bigger screen at all. I don't understand the benefit. Are all the games upscalable or something?


    Nintendo, EXPLAIN! "

    It's called choice, and western gamers are not always their priority before we try to analyze every move Nintendo make.
    Last time I checked, old DS games don't have a 'use by date', so will still work on the bigger version if that's the version that suits the guy at the checkout.
    Edited by 1 at 31/10/09 @ 21:38

  • canIdoyabombsforya #45 2 years ago

    @amv71
    "Wow - angry about something are we? It's not the same platform. DS can't play DSiWare. So it wasn't a foolish move to upgrade to a new platform. "


    so you bought a DSi at launch because you considered DSiware to be a new platform. What game sold you, out of interest?
    (I doubt I'm alone in having at least 2 video games per console to sell me every new platform in the past)