For those of you who love the Nintendo 3DS but just find it a little too portable for your tastes, Nintendo has answered your prayers, announcing the larger Nintendo 3DS XL in a Web video presentation late last night. North American consumers will be able to grab the super-sized hardware and a 4GB SD card for $199 on August 19, alongside New Super Mario Bros. 2, while Japanese and European consumers get their hands on it July 28.
The redesigned hardware, which has the same internal computing power and software compatibility as the original 3DS, sports a glasses-free 3D top screen that is 4.88 inches diagonally, up from 3.53 inches on the original 3DS, while the bottom screen has been extended from 3.02 inches to 4.18 inches. That is 90 percent more total screen space, but keep in mind that the 3DS software will still be running at the same resolution, so the pixel density will actually be decreasing, leading to graphics that may look a little blockier.
Extra space inside the case means extra space to fit an expanded battery, it seems. Nintendo is touting an improved 6.5 hour battery life for the 3DS XL, improving on the paltry three- to five-hour charge that was a major sticking point in our review of the original 3DS.
from Ars Technica http://arstechnica.com
