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Today, a major hardware company with wide appeal outside the usual hardcore gaming space announced a new device, which is basically exactly like a popular existing device but bigger. Sound familiar? It reminded us of the day in late October when Nintendo announced a new version of the DSi, called the DSi LL (DSi XL outside of Japan). Like the iPad, it's a version of a current device (in this case, the Nintendo DSi) that is distinguished by its size.

So how does Apple's inflated iPod Touch stack up against Nintendo's luxury sedan of a DSi? We've compared the two in several totally crucial vectors, based mostly on the changes from the previous model.

There are all kinds of different reasons for choosing to write one story over another. For instance, I'm telling you about a Pokémon-centric GameStop promotion solely to irritate Joystiq co-worker and co-brother Griffin McElroy with my ignorance. It's a pretty big sacrifice for a major gaming website with millions of readers, but Griffin loves Pokémon more than you love most members of your immediate family, so it's absolutely worth it.

So, apparently, if you take Pokémon Platinum, Pokémon Diamond or Pokémon Pearl (are there really that many?) into GameStop between January 30 and February 14, you can get a Pikachu-colored Pichu. That Pichu will also give you access to the mythical, spiky-eared Pichu in Pokémon Heart Gold and Pokémon Soul Silver (There are more of them? And they're called that?!). So make sure to say "Hi" to Griffin and his girlfriend there.

Oh, and by the way: That thing to the right is a Pichu. I don't know how to break it to you, Griffin, but he is Pikachu-colored and has spiky ears.

You likely know Aardman Animations as the creators of the hilarious cheese-loving man and surprisingly capable K-9 duo, Wallace & Gromit. To celebrate last month's release of The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks in Europe, Nintendo tapped the studio to create a trio of custom animations paying homage to the game in Nintendo's free animation app for the DSi, Flipnote Studio. Now we get to see their labor bear fruit and, oh my, these came out looking sharp, as the video above this text can attest.

However, the real feather in this (Minish?) cap is the odd video past the break showing Link's game-long companion, Zelda. For us, the uneasy feeling we get witnessing Link's lack of concern seeing Zelda in poltergeist form is only exceeded by Zelda's apparent glee, despite being a creepy specter. That just weirds us out!

THQ describes the latest SpongeBob SquarePants game, SpongeBob's Boating Bash, as its "first demolition derby style party game," which makes it perfect for when you want to throw a demolition derby style party without all the cleanup.

Boating Bash puts SpongeBob and his friends behind the wheel of customizable "boat mobiles," as they attempt to knock parts off each other's vehicles to earn points and advance through the game. The ultimate goal of the thousands of violent collisions? A driver's license, of course!

Boating Bash will be out on Wii and DS this spring.

Much as it did for North America, Nintendo just tossed out a huge list of release dates for Europe in Q1. And right at the top of the list is a new DSi hardware bundle, to be released on February 12. If you don't feel like holding out one more month for the out-sized DSi XL, you can get a pink DSi with a copy of Nintendo Presents Style Boutique.

In other hardware news, the company announced that it will continue offering the previously limited-edition black Wii bundle, which includes both Wii Sportses, a Wiimote, a Nunchuk, and a MotionPlus.

As for the games, there's a lot coming up on Wii and DS in the next few months, including both Tatsunoko vs. Capcom and Ace Attorney Investigations from Capcom, Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, Phantasy Star Zero, Excitebike World Rally and more.

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Nintendo of Europe is planning an unprecedented move to promote its downloadable games: It's going to tell people they exist. The company kicked off a three-week ad campaign in the UK this week, intended to increase awareness of the kinds of things that can be done with an internet-connected Wii or DSi. The initiative will be supplemented by leaflets in retail shops, and signage advertising the availability of Nintendo Points, and it'll all link back to Nintendo's UK site, which features more videos of the Wii and DSi's downloadables.

According to MCV, a Wii-focused ad will highlight the BBC iPlayer, Band Hero DLC, and ... Bonsai Barber. Three different ads will focus on Facebook, the DSiWare Brain Ages, and Dictionary 6 in 1 with Camera Function, the latter two of which coincidentally will come preloaded on the DSi XL.

Nintendo may not have liked it enough to put a ring on it, but the company appreciated Beyoncé enough to continue its relationship with her. Players of Style Savvy will soon be able to download five outfits from the Deréon line, created by the actress/singer/dancer/best-video-of-all-time maker and her mother, designer Tina Knowles.

"Style Savvy is all about creativity and fashion, both of which are really important to me," says Beyoncé. "I love that I get to become a stylist and take over my own boutique, and it's so much fun to see some of my Deréon designs added to the mix."

You thought it was all about the money, didn't you? You stupid idiot.

It seems the past few weeks of excitement, chock full of NintendoWare releases, have come to an end. Other than the launch of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney on WiiWare, this week's offerings don't exactly fill our hearts with unfettered joy. That being said, if you're into variations of puzzle games, boy is it your week! Hit the break for the full release list.

Capcom's aggressive digital distribution strategy has led to major releases on everything from WiiWare to Xbox Live Arcade to PlayStation Network to Windows to iPhone, but there's been one notable absence: DSiware. Nintendo's underpromoted service hasn't had the support of a major release, so its easy to understand why Capcom targeted the platform with Dark Void Zero, the "8-bit" tie-in game due for release later this month. But while Capcom has found great success on the console platforms – including its 8-bit Mega Man 9 – they don't have any plans to release Zero there.

However, they do have plans for some other platforms. "We are actually going to be releasing on iPhone and PC, can't say exactly when but I'll say 'soon,'" a Capcom producer told Joystiq. "Xbox Live, PSN, I don't know yet. I would love to do it on those consoles." And there you have it: If you want to try and play a "very hard" game (her words) on your iPhone, with no physical buttons, you're welcome to do that "soon." We'll stick to the DSiware and PC releases, we think.

Netherlands-based handheld gaming studio Engine Software has developed a cool new piece of tech for the DSi: motion sensitivity. To show off this breakthrough, the company has developed a brief demo video of TILT, a kind of Marble Blast Ultra clone where the player guides a ball around the gameworld by tilting the DSi. It's not the first we've heard of this kinda tech, and it won't be the last.

Engine Software isn't stopping with just this tech demo, however. The company is currently working on a full DSiWare game that will incorporate this new technology; though it likely won't be a full version of TILT, but rather an entirely new game. Head past the break to check out a brief video showcasing the tech.

We're not sure what the tagline will be – "Is it first-party? Or is it Memorex?" – but the storied consumer electronics company best known for its blank cassette tapes (remember those?) has been busy branching out, and a new series of video games accessories targeting Nintendo's various products is its latest endeavor.

The company has taken the opportunity at CES to unveil a Wii racing wheel, a Wii wireless sensor bar, some sleeves for everything from your Wiimote to your Wii Fit balance board, a charging kit for your Wiimotes, a rechargeable battery pack for Wii Fit, and some DSi goodies as well. Like most of these offerings, there isn't much you'll find exciting here. Check out the full specs in the press release after the break, or, if you're a visual learner, flip through the gallery for some eye candy.

We expect this kind of thing from Tetris or Resident Evil 4, but whoever thought that Dragon's Lair would be appearing on so many consoles? It appeared on the iPhone just a week ago, and now the FMV adventure is (as rumored) set to appear on DSiWare on Dec. 21 in North America and Jan. 1.

Now, considering none of the DSiWare releases have been particularly large, we have no clue how they'll fit the whole game on the service. We do know from this video, however, that the console is powerful enough to handle the game. Now, the next obvious step in Dragon's Lair's quest for console domination? Well, Zeebo, of course.

Nothing's ever going to top Nyko's crazy Zoom Case, but Datel Japan's bulky DSi speaker attachment thing -- the official title is the Sound Speaker DSi -- is definitely making a strong play for Most Crazy DSi Accessory Ever. As you can see, the accessory is not only meant to protect by consuming the handheld whole, but it also amplifies the DSi's audio ... because that's what you want from your DSi. The multitasking capabilities of Datel's device also allow you to charge your handheld (through an included AC adapter or some AA batteries) after you've spent hours being kind of a jerk.

The Datel Sound Speaker DSi runs 3,990 yen (about $45) and can be purchased here.

[Via GoNintendo]

There's some classic platforming to be had in both Rayman and Shinobi in this week's Nintendo downloads, and even a way to deal with Jack's overabundance of stress in Stop Stress: A Day of Fury. There's over ten titles in all, so cruise past the break for the full list.

Nintendo announced that over 1.5 million of its various game systems were sold last week. Not last month, last week. Thanks to Black Friday and two new DSi bundles, Nintendo could afford all the trimmings for a resplendent company Thanksgiving. Not that we know whether or not Nintendo had one of those. The point is, Nintendo sold a bunch of stuff and made a lot of money.

According to Nintendo's estimates, more than 550,000 Wii systems were sold last week, and over 1 million DS and DSi systems. The release of two new DSi bundles (along with a few crazy prices) could have had something to do with that last statistic. By selling that many handhelds, Nintendo broke its own sales record for the holiday weekend! Though the company didn't manage to beat last year's 800,000 Wiis sold, which means that, despite still selling a huge number of Wiis, and despite all those DS sales, Nintendo is completely doomed, right?