Nintendo DSi XL Bronze

Firstly I'd like to say I'm a 43 year old mom. I got into gaming several years ago and my kids and I have a lot of fun with the Nintendo DS. We have had the original DS, DS Lites, DSi's, and now the DSi XL. I got an XL for myself. My son has many GBA games so he doesn't want one (because the DSi XL cannot play any GBA - Gameboy Advance- games) and my daughter thought it was too big to be portable. She likes something that fits easily into a backpack or jacket pocket. Although I think the XL could I'd probably agree if you are going for portability then the regular DSi should do you just fine. The reason I chose the XL is because I play primarily at home and I play a lot of puzzle games. Someimes these types of games are hard to see, especially the seek and find. I'm hoping this larger sized one helps that.

Even though I knew it was larger it is LARGER than I thought. That's a good thing because it is almost more like a PDA or something as far as size. Nice and substantial. It is also heavier than I anticipated. This is the only thing I'm a little concerned with as I like to play laying in bed at night and sometimes I'll play for a couple of hours. I would not want my hand getting extra tired holding the unit up. Additionally it is not as easy to hold this one handed and put the stylus in the other. It might be a fine line but it doesn't quite feel as comfortable as the DSi in that regard. It feels similar to how the PSP would feel if you held it one handed. Slightly off balance. Edited to Add: Played for 2 hours last night. Although it took a while I did find a comfortable position to hold the XL. It is not as comfortable for extended periods as the regular DSi but it did not get too heavy and my arms did not get sore. I'm quite relieved!

The top part actually has an audible click when you open up the unit. The DSi did not have this click although one of our DS Lite units did. The regular DSi opened smoothly without any catches--this one does not. There is definitely a click. The hinge looks strong enough. We lost one DS Lite to the hinge crack issue so I'm glad to see these hinges look sturdy. The other thing regarding the hinges is that the top piece moves a little when you move the unit. It is not super floppy but it does move when the unit does. I tested it against the DSi and the DS Lite and it took more effort to make those cover or top pieces move. It may be the weight itself which causes this. I will be keeping an eye on my hinges though just to be sure.

It connected right up to my internet with no problems. I went into the DSi shop and I didn't notice any difference between the XL and my regular DSi. Flawless. I must say, though, that I HATE that I could not take my DSi games with me to this upgrade (Nintendo is so far behind the ball on this and it is one of few complaints I have of Nintendo). Lame Nintendo. Seriously lame!

I got the bronze. It has a nearly black top and the inside is black. The bronze is only on the bottom and sides and it is definitely bronze. From the pictures online it looks more chocolate brown but it is not. I wavered back and forth with this and burgundy. I have not seen the burgundy out of the box but suspect it looks gorgeous. The glossy top looks like an overcoat similar to what is put on cars and trucks. Not like how the DS Lite covers were (although in two tone color this one is nearly exactly the same as the DS Lite Crimson or Blue with the colors in the same places and black in the same places except for the top because this one has the bronze color around the edges and the DS Lite's had the crimson or blue).

It does not feel "matte" on the bottom.It has a slightly grainy feel--not sure how to describe it. Kind of like how the non shiny cover of my printer feels. I remember when I got the DSi it almost seemed grainy and powdery. Not so with the XL.

Overall I'm very happy with the color-its classy!

Screen: This was my big worry. So far those worries are fairly groundless. I've tested out several types of games and in most apsects it is absolutely as good as the regular DSi. For the most part I get no pixelation or stretching and I definitely haven't noticed any ghosting or lines. While I was playing Bejeweled Twist I did notice that the gems were not as crisp as they are on the regular DSi. For me it was noticable but not bothersome. They were not blurry just a little more fuzzy than normal.

Edited to Add: I've tried several additional games and haven't noticed any issues except on games like Lunar Knights which already had a more pixelated look even on my DS Lite and regular DSi. Just slightly more noticable here but again not enough to impact. If I wasn't such a video game addict I likely wouldn't notice but I play every day.

My original DSi had several problems (Nintendo sent me a replacement)-this one has none of them. The battery cover does not "cave" in like my DSi and the insert window around the touch screen is solid--no light shows through. This XL feels as if it is a much higher quality console.

I've played with the regular stylus and the bigger pen type stylus. Either is fine but I prefer the regular stylus. The pen stylus might be good for someone who likes to hold the stylus like a pen but it is not a make or break for me.

The other functions (camera and the settings) worked well. No problems encountered. The charger looks to be the same as the regular DSi and this unit fits fine in my G Pak organizer. Edited to Add: Sound--it is actually slightly better sounding than the regular DSi. It feels as if it almost has a deeper sound. More like surround type sound. Also if you have a regular DSi there is a point when you are adjusting sound where it goes from quieter to regular and almost seems like it skips a step. The XL does not do this -- the sound progression is very good. I put in my Dragon Quest V as the music is very majestic and it felt more like it was enveloping me in the sound than a regular DSi (tested it with my daughters).

Overall I'm very happy and will update with the weight issue if it becomes a problem. Other than that I'm excited to go play my games and see them on the big screen!

I am a sixty year old gamer that likes to play Zelda and puzzle games. I had a black Nintendo dsi and loved the unit except for the fact that I was playing games two inches in front of my nose. In my own little nearsighted world, I got along okay and enjoyed the games. Then Nintendo came out with this XL unit......I got the bronze and think that it looks very fashion forward no matter what your age is. It is absolutely stunning and made my little black unit look pretty sad. That being said, Nintendo really did not promise anything other than a bigger screen and this unit delivers! You no longer have to struggle to see the screen. I have played Spirit Tracks on it so far and do not regret the upgrade from the dsi for even a nanosecond. When you think about it, would you rather watch a large television or one with a tiny screen...this is the same thing. The unit is larger but not so large that I would not put it in my purse and play it on the run. So far though, I have not found a small case for it that I like. I will let you know if the extra weight bothers me. I don't think that it will as the screen size alone is totally worth the upgrade. Also, I am not worried about the new 3D unit. I talked to some real Nintendo representatives that were in the store this morning and they had heard that the unit is a year away for US release. If it doesn't have a large screen, I won't want it anyway. UPDATE: I have had the dsi xl for ten days and play it daily. The heavier weight is not an issue for me. I would definitely buy it again and am extremely happy with my purchase. This item was specifically designed for people who need/want a larger screen and it fits this need perfectly. UPDATE 2: I have now had the unit for over a month and still play it daily-this never happened with the regular dsi as I lost interest due to not being able to see the screen well. DSI XL is worth every penny if screen size is an issue and I would still definitely buy it again. UPDATE 3: 09/02/2010 Still love it. My favorite toy ever!

Nintendo does it again!

I am going to be honest when i say i really wanted the BURGUNDY colored DSi XL. However, when i stopped by my local Toys R Us today, there weren't any on display. I couldn't imagine myself walking around with a Pink DSi XL. I'm a guy after all! Hahaha

This is an extremely well built device. One can feel the quality when the device is in your hand (Even though it says Made in China on the back). After all, this is Nintendo & they always deliver. I never upgraded to the DSi and i am so glad i held off because i didn't want to sacrifice my DS Lite and lose out on all my GB Advance games. I have been waiting for this device ever since i heard it was coming out last holiday and it's finally arrived in the US. I am beyond pleased with my upgrade. For anyone who is debating on whether they should shell out the money for the DSi XL - I would recommend that you do yourself a favor & UPGRADE! For the two huge screens alone, it's totally worth it. I still kept my DS Lite because I do enjoy the backwards capability of the GBA games. It would have been nice if the GBA slot was incorporated in the fourth-generation DS, but its not.

The main attraction of the DSi XL is OBVIOUSLY the two HUGE screens. All the DS games look absolutely GORGEOUS on this thing. All the games look exactly the same as they do on the original DS except they're all enlarged to accommodate the bigger screens. Yes, the blocks/pixels (Whatever you wanna call it) do look a bit more noticeable, but then again it did as well on the original DS. You'll notice it at first, but after a few seconds of playing you'll find yourself completely immersed in your game to even notice something so minor.

I have the bronze version and the only thing that is bronze is the side accent chrome and the back. The cover is a matte finish and yes, it's a finger magnet, but it has a sheik Manhattan trendy look to it (Very Fashion Forward). However, the cover and the inside look more like a charcoal grey and black more then it does brown or bronze. Even with my lamp turned on right next to the XL, it looks like black. It's still a very portable gaming device on the go. Despite what reviewers are saying, it's still a pocket friendly device and its easy to just throw in a purse, bag, or backpack on your way to work. Its exquisite use for a train ride, a plane ride, a scroll around Central Park, or when traveling abroad and you need a good diversion to keep yourself entertained.

Just when everyone thought thin was in for technology, Nintendo does a complete u-turn and marches to the beat of their own drum.

Pros:
Good quality sturdy build
Internet Browser
Ninety-Three Percent Larger Screens (Absolutely gorgeous)
New Interface (Not for DSi users though)
Music Player (I wish it had a video player)
Three Built in Games (Brain Age Math, Brian Age Arts, & some photo thingy)
DSi Shop (This is probably the future of gaming where everything is digital downloads)

Cons:
No video player
Micro card (I'd prefer Micro SD)
No Dictionary (I think the Japanese & UK versions had a built in dictionary)

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