NZ: Say Hello to the New Nintendo DSi XL

The new DSi XL doubles as an e-book reader. Compared to the original DS, shown in white, the DSi XL shown here in pink is definitely bigger than its predecessor.

Gamer? Check.
Avid reader? Check.
Gadget enthusiast? Check.

If you’re all three, like me, you’re gonna love what NZ is welcoming to its shores this April. Nintendo is releasing the latest gadget off its production line – the Nintendo DSi XL.

Just like its incredibly popular older brother, the DS, this baby is made precisely for gamers who also want more out of their portable gadget. And with the growing popularity of e-books through Amazon’s Kindle, Nintendo has come up with the perfect marriage between games and books.

Now, it could be argued that there are plenty of other devices already in the market that can offer exactly what the DSi XL is offering only recently. Fact though, is that it has already offered it before in previous versions of the DSi and the DS, but here’s why we like the latest addition to the DS line over its competitors as well as its predecessors.

First, the DSi XL has been upgraded with a bigger 4.2-inch screen than the previous versions, which were at 3 and 3.25 inches respectively. That’s even bigger than the iPhone’s 3.5-inch diagonal display. Great news for those who have been struggling to read off of the smaller screens currently available.

Second, and here’s the kicker, I love that the DS’s two-screen format is the only gadget around that comes closest to the way we traditionally read books – unfolded down the middle (just like the DS), with two pages in view simultaneously.

This means that the DS can actually let you read an e-book by holding it up the way you would hold a normal book. Cool, isn’t it?
Can’t wait to get my hands on it when it hits New Zealand stores this April