Nerd Mentality

HARDWARE REVIEW – DSi XL

Posted March 25th 2010 by Daisy Garcia.

Whoever said "bigger is better" couldn't have known just how right they were when it comes to the Nintendo DSi XL.  With the latest installment of the line of handhelds from the Big N finally hitting US retail markets (it's been out in Japan since November), the DSi XL is definitely an upgrade from the last generation. With talk of the 3DS coming soon (you'll have to wait until E3 for a bit more info), one would think that the DSi XL would be something one could probably skip out on – but think again.  Nintendo has been pushing the idea for years now of compact gaming, first downsizing their Game Boy into the Game Boy Pocket, then reworking the Game Boy Advance into the clamshell GBA SP and pocket-friendly Game Boy Micro, and finally shrinking the DS into the sleek DS Lite (effectively turning the original DS into a dinosaur nearly instantaneously).  Then they took a baby step out into the good old fashioned American way of life, releasing a slightly bigger version of the DS Lite with some more oomph, the DSi.  The dual cameras seemed overkill to some; to others they were a fantastically cool addition.  But the people wanted more.  More functionality, more capabilities, more everything.  And more is exactly what Nintendo has given its people.

The back of the Nintendo DSi XL box boasts about its screen being 93% larger, comparing its size to that of the DS Lite, and yes, it is obviously bigger.  But oftentimes bigger does not equate to better, so we here at N-Philes decided to give it a trial run to test out if this system is really worth the $189.99 MSRP or if people would be better off waiting for the 3DS (which as of yet has no release date).  As usual, the timing of when to jump into a product line that seems to be constantly updating is largely based on how recent your current version of the product is, the expendability of your income, and your patience.   If you are the kind of person that always needs to have the newest iteration of a product, you will not be disappointed with this one.  But one obvious standard is to compare it to the version that came before, to determine whether the improvements were worth making in the first place.  By this standard, there are quite a few legitimate reasons to purchase this handheld regardless of your relative situation.  Beyond the leap in size, the clarity of the screen is also somewhat improved.  The sound is clearer.  The screen is brighter and more sensitive to the thicker stylus that comes with the DSi XL (not to mention the much larger pen-like stylus).  The camera's capabilities have not changed from the DSi (still featuring 0.3 megapixels), however, and the ability to change pictures with a few different applications remains the same.

The versions that you may choose from are the bronze, which features a glossy top unlike those dastardly matted DSi's that seemed to be more prototype than street release, or a glossy burgundy – although be warned, the glossy aspect is only on the top and leaves smudges.  Both colors seem to be trying to appeal to a more "mature" audience, which alongside the bigger screens will surely attract those generations that truly appreciate the large-font books found at the public library. What is lacking in the newest brainchild of Nintendo is the step forward in ergonomics that previous redesigns all brought with them.  Although bigger, the DSi XL is just as awkward to hold as the DS Lite and the DSi of yesteryear when held book style for games like the pre-installed Brain Age Express titles.  The basic overall shape has not changed; it's just bigger.  Turning it on its side to play through Brain Age Express: Math or Brain Age Express: Arts & Letters still feels as awkward as the last two generations of handhelds, something many have been hoping would have changed by now by making it more ergonomically pleasing to ones hands.

Speaking of the pre-installed games, Brain Age Express: Math and Brain Age Express: Arts & Letters are as fun as the full versions of Brain Age, if you're into mind games.  Having them pre-installed instead of being DLC is an added bonus.  While these are the "express" versions, what is bothersome is that there can only be one savable profile.  This means that if you want to compare your results of your real Brain Age with that of your compatriots, you'll have to have them save theirs as "guest," which only saves partial information. The third pre-installed tauted title is just that; it's not a game, it's a title.  The Photo Clock is probably the lamest of the DSi XL's capabilities.  All it does is allow you to have a background picture that you take behind your clock.  Whoo hoo.  It's unclear why Nintendo thought this to be worth putting on the front of the box as a selling point, but it is and it's kind of a waste of time.  You can set it so that the pictures change at random intervals based on what is in your photo album, but it's a yawn-fest in comparison to one of the better features of the DSi XL: the Facebook connectivity, seen first in the DSi late last summer.  Once you set up your wi-fi and agree to some terms and conditions (you'll have to go into the system settings and do all that stuff), you can take pictures and then upload them directly to your Facebook account.  This was tested and pictures were uploaded instantaneously, which seems to have a faster integration than the original DSi.  One issue is that there is still no caption capability for your pictures, so if you're one of those types that obsessively has to label everything, you will have to find another means to do so.

Remember when you were a kid and you'd doodle in class and make your own animations in flip-book style, instead of paying attention to your social studies teacher?  Well, one of the pre-installed items in the DSi XL is the FlipNote pad, a rather neat take on that childhood time waster.  While it has been available for download in the DSiWare Shop, now it's already there waiting for you in your menu screen.  This should have been the third title promoted on the box, not the PhotoClock.  in FlipNote one can simply create various pictures and make little "movies" including adding in synched sounds.  If you utilize the FlipNote Hatena, you can view other vignettes made by fellow artists.  Some are surprisingly well made and it makes one wonder just how much time some of these people have devoted to such pursuits.

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