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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.

Nintendo of Europe has provided a firm release date for the DSi XL, the up-sized, spectator-friendly version of the DSi. European gamers will be able to take the system home in a big bag on March 5.

The European edition of the system will launch in Wine Red and Dark Brown, skipping the Natural White color from the Japanese release, and comes preloaded with DSiWare, including A Little Bit of... Dr Kawashima's Brain Training: Arts Edition, Dictionary 6 in 1 with Camera Function and the Nintendo DSi Browser. We have no idea why Flipnote Studio, which is included with DSi LL systems in Japan, is absent. It's free, so users will have to download that themselves.

We all know a brand-new Nintendo handheld is coming eventually, but in what seems like an effort to detract from the buzz surrounding such a device (and likely to get some of that buzz back on the latest DS revision, the DSi XL), Nintendo has issued a statement regarding reported comments from Iwata on a new handheld -- what we've affectionately dubbed the "DS2." Charlie Scibetta, Nintendo of America's senior director of corporate communications told Kotaku, "Mr. Iwata did not make any comments regarding the functions of Nintendo's future hardware systems," adding that Iwata's statements as reported by the Asahi Shimbun newspaper were "misinterpreted."

As for those statements, it seems to be a given that Nintendo would add motion-sensing technology to its next handheld. Looking to ape the Wii's success, the entire industry has moved in the direction of motion-based gaming -- including Microsoft, with Project Natal, Sony, using the PlayStation Motion Controller, and Apple, a direct competitor in the portable market, chiefly with the IPod Touch. And let's not forget, motion control isn't out of the realm of possiblity for the current Nintendo handheld.

This week's Nintendo Channel update may be a bit on the slim side, but Nintendo Week is back and actually has a few worthwhile snippets in this week's episode. First up, Capcom's Seth Killian struts his stuff in Tatsunoko vs Capcom, explaining the title for the unaware and showing off some of the combo-heavy gameplay behind it. Then, there's the Reggie Fils-Aime interview where he talks about the Nintendo Week program, some of the third-party support Nintendo platforms enjoyed in 2009 and the DSi XL. He also manages to bring up the upcoming Zelda game without actually talking about it.

Head past the break for the full rundown of this week's Nintendo Channel content.

Like Honeycomb cereal, the DSi XL (LL in Japan) is big, yeah yeah yeah. And according to Enterbrain data, its launch sales weren't small, no no no. The super-sized handheld sold 103,524 units in its first two days on sale. Its immediate predecessor, the regular-sized DSi, moved about 170,000 units at its launch, and its most recent competitor, the PSP Go, only sold 28,000 on its Japanese launch day. Clearly, Sony should have made the PSP bigger instead of smaller. The DS Lite, whose launch predated the DS craze that ... it helped cause, sold 68,438 in its launch week.

Either the strategy of making a DS aimed at families and older gamers is working, or there's a large contingent of Japanese gamers who feel compelled to buy every new DS. Actually, it's probably a little of both.

[Via Andriasang]

The box design for the Japanese DSi LL has shown up on Amazon.co.jp, and, as usual, it is classy and fairly minimalist, featuring little more than a picture of the hardware on a white background.

We're childish enough to be amused by the fact that the whole DSi LL doesn't fit on the box. You know, because it's so big. Look how much room is on the DSi box! Somehow, despite not fitting on the box, the DSi LL fits in the box -- we can only assume it's in there disassembled like an IKEA desk.

[Via GoNintendo]

Early yesterday, Nintendo of Japan announced the DSi XL (DSi LL in Japan), a larger, larger-screened version of the DSi. It's a big system, and kind of a big mystery, given that the only advance notice we had of the thing was a Nikkei blurb two days prior. While we can't answer the big questions, like how long this idea has been in the works, and whether a bigger handheld is a good idea as an alternative to the DS's continual miniaturization, we can round up what we know and can reasonably speculate about the DSi XL -- right after the jump.

Not only will the first few months of 2010 play host to the release dates of a squadron of delayed aught-nine blockbusters, it's also when we can expect to see the recently announced, seriously embiggened DSi XL hit North American and European store shelves. According to a Nintendo spokesperson, the new model of the handheld will be released stateside (and ... union-side?) in the first quarter of 2010.

That just leaves us with one final, appropriately oversized question: How much is it going to cost? Don't get us wrong, we love the idea of buying a bigger version of a smaller version of a smaller version of an originally bulky handheld -- but based on the sheer number of titles we'll be buying in the dawn of next year, we're probably going to be kinda strapped.

Nintendo may have announced Japanese plans for the new DSi LL first, but it's not taking long for news about other regions to come out. Nintendo of Europe confirmed to Videogamer that the giant handheld will be released in that region as the DSi XL, in the already-packed Q1 time frame. "The retail price of the Nintendo DSi XL is expected to be higher than that of the Nintendo DSi," the statement reads. "Further details will be released soon."

The Japanese DSi LL will be available in Wine Red, Dark Brown (above), and Natural White, and will come preloaded with Easy Meikyo Kokugo Dictionary, Brain Age Express: Arts & Letters and Brain Age Express: Math. There is no word yet about the color variation or preloaded software selection for the European version.