Free & Cheap

Emulators
While not the most social choice, you can’t beat the price on running emulator software. Programs like Dolphin will work great on most Windows/Linux PCs, and there are multiple options available for most mobile phones. Finding ROMs is fairly simple, and if you have problems you can probably find someone on your floor that knows where to track some down.

Portable
When it comes to portable gaming, there’s not too many choices. You can go with the the Nintendo DSi, (or DSiXL), the Sony PSP platform, the iPod Touch, or any of several indie Linux platforms. Realistically it comes down to the kind of games you like, and what else you plan on using your device for. Personally, I’ve gone with the iPod Touch and the Nintendo DSiXL.

Console Gaming
You’re going to have to make a choice. I’m not going to get into the PS3 vs. Xbox 360 vs. Wii war here, but let it suffice to say that all three platforms have their pluses and minuses. The PS3 obviously has not just gaming, but also Blu-ray going for it, while the Xbox 360 has XBLA and some outstanding gaming franchises making it a strong contender. The best thing to do (in my opinion) is see what your roommates/dorm-mates have, and then decide which would work best for you. The Xbox 360 has several bundles available, most recently the Halo:Reach special edition (and that’s the game you’re probably going to be playing on Xbox Live anyway). The Wii has those great party games and controllers, but is somewhat limited in the game selection. Again, it comes down to a matter of personal preference, so I’m not going to espouse one over the other.

Games
The most important thing to remember is to be careful choosing your games. Sure, having Rock Band in your dorm room sounds fun – right up to the point where you realize that there’s going to be at least 3 extra people in your room with you at all times. Let the guy down the hall be the one who has to deal with the noise, you’re going to need to sleep and study. Party games are great, particularly games like Super Smash Brothers or Mario Party. Just be careful spending those hard wheedled dollars on games instead of things like food and laundry detergent.

At the end of the day, it boils down to this: don’t spend all your time playing and drop out. But there’s nothing wrong with putting a couple of bean bag chairs down and letting off some Steam from time to time.

In all honesty, I don’t think the DSi XL is part of Nintendo’s standard line-up. It’s a reaction to the popularity of the Wii in retirement centers and is aimed at a much older – and much different audience – than the new 3D DS, aptly named the 3DS. Older folks who may have been put off by the DSi’s small size and “kiddie” features will be able to handle the XL just fine.
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CNBC is hand-wringing a little about the launch of the DSi XL being hampered by the announcement of the 3DS. This is a lot like worrying that bocce ball sales will go down because a new soccer ball has been announced – the two items are so different, and aimed at such different audiences – that the connection is dubious at best and ludicrous at worst.

Then you have this line: “The larger screen size will also let people see the games, rather than just the device.” I don’t have any idea what that means.

Anyway, as Dave noted in his review, this is a Nintendo for Moms and Dads, not kids. The obsessives who have to have the latest and greatest will pick up a 3DS. The old-timers will keep picking up the DSi XL for years to come.

Features:

• A larger screen
• Full size stylus
• Comes pre-loaded with Brain Age Express: Math and Brain Age Express: Arts & Letters
• MSRP: $189.99 (regular DSi is $169.99)

Pros:

• Large screen is easy to read
• Games still look great
• Case size easier to hold

Cons:

• Large size reduces portability
• Nowhere to put stylus
• Uncomfortable for people with small hands

I like Nintendo’s portable gaming consoles. I had a Game Boy, Game Boy Color, DS phat, and a DS Lite, but I never saw the point in the DSi. So when Nintendo sent me a DSi XL to review, I was pleasantly surprised by the functionality. Would I buy a DSi XL to replace my DS Lite? Probably not – but I do like the DSi XL, and would recommend it to someone looking to get into portable gaming.

Build quality is as you would expect it to be. Nintendo knows these things are going to be knocked around, and build them so they can take it. The unit I was sent is the bronze color, with the majority of the device having a matte finish. The top of the cover, however, is glossy and picks up finger prints. Not fingerprints like you’d see on a PSP but they are present.

I’m not going to reinvent the wheel here as far as reviewing the DSi functionality. Yeah, it’s a DSi, only bigger. It’s designed for the older crowd that play those little $10 blackjack games from Radio Shack, and if they market it properly it’ll be huge. I have large hands. I like the DSi XL because I like the larger form factor, and the larger screens. My wife isn’t as much of a fan. She’s got smaller hands and found that the DSi XL made her left hand start to cramp after playing Zelda: Phantom Hourglass for about 30 minutes. I saw another review mention issues with screen clarity. I definitely didn’t notice this issue. I love playing RTS games like Civilization Revolution, and if the screen was fuzzy I’d definitely notice it. The screen was crisp and clear, and it didn’t feel like the games were designed for a smaller display at all, which was one of the things I was concerned about when I first read about the DSi XL.

Should you buy a DSi XL? Sure, if you don’t already have a DSi. I’d just suggest that you check one out at your local game shoppe first to be sure that the size won’t be an issue. Is it a reasonable upgrade from the DS or DS Lite? Absolutely. Should you buy one for your mom for Mother’s Day? Only if you are a huge geek and you’re sure she’ll like it.

Product Page: Nintendo DSi XL

No Tegra chip for you! iFixit tore down the Nintendo DSi XL and found, not surprisingly, a bigger DSi. It’s running the DSi’s ARM processor and the motherboard is big enough to fit in the case, but that’s about it. Click through for more findings:

* Nintendo is again using a custom ARM CPU, manufactured in December
of 2009. This chip is marked identically to the DSi, and definitely
not the Tegra chip that had been rumored.

* The logic board grew proportionally to its casing. We’re sure
Nintendo’s engineers were happy with not having to pack as much
electronics as possible in a smaller design. In this instance,
Nintendo’s going against the normal trend in electronics

* Battery capacity is significantly greater than the DSi. The DSi
uses an 840 mAh battery compared to the DSi XL’s 1050 mAh battery.
Given the internal similarity of the XL to the original DSi, we assume
the extra juice helps power the larger-sized screens.

* The DSi XL weighs in at 314 grams, about 45% more than its smaller
DSi cousin (only 217 grams). A significant portion of the heft comes
from the larger screens, and 4 grams comes from the added battery
juice. The XL is really on the outer limits of what people consider to
be portable — especially for a hand-held game console.

* Nintendo redesigned the battery connector to eliminate a long ribbon
cable spanning the width of the old DSi.

* The lower display is held in place solely by the pressure of the
logic board secured over it — no screws!

Nintendo did confirm that this is a known issue, and they are looking into the problem. At this time though, they don’t have an ETA on when exactly you’ll be able to transfer games. The issue lies in the way the store is set up, and the fact that purchases are tied to a hand-held device, instead of an account.

[via 1Up]

As I said before, I haven’t really had a chance to play with it much, but I’m going to make time this evening and tomorrow. It’ll be nice to get a chance to play with the DSi XL, after reading all the reviews.

It also comes with the twee-est press release in the world.

Nicholas here, from the past communicating to the future! (The site is all messed up, so I probably wrote these words several hours before you’re reading them. It’s like a Metal Gear Time Paradox or something.) Nintendo has said it will release the DSi XL on March 28 for $190.

It’s pretty much just a slightly bigger DSi, coming with three games in Brain Age Express, Math and Brain Age Express: Arts & Letters, and Photo Clock.

If you want to compare it to the DS Lite, then you could say it has a 93 percent larger screen. But why would you compare it to the DS Lite?

The point is, it’s 10 days away.

via Techland, which has a much better server than good ol’ CrunchGear. What are you gonna do?

How much do you have to pay for this walk down Gutenberg Project Lane? $19.99, apparently, and the release will be timed with the launch of the DSi XL, the bigger DS for a bigger America.

No word yet on if they’ll release the royalty-free works of Hammurabi as an RPG.

That’s kind of the other side of the the coin in the games-as-art debate. They’re also mass market entertainment, and we gamers need to let go of the elitism that was born in disk-switching and mega-hard NES games. There really is a market for Grandpa games, and devices should reflect that.

At any rate, the XL will be hitting our shores on March 28th, according to a Nintendo spokeslady. $189.99 gets you a big old 4.2″ screen (two of them, I should say) and a real pen-sized stylus. I might just have to hit this up, since I get claw hand from holding onto that tiny little stylus all day. Well, not all day. I have to reach into the chip bag every hour or so.

[via Kotaku]

Play-Asia has the the Asian market DSi LL ready for your consumption for only $269. That’s only a tad bit more than the XL’s MSRP of $220. The site states that it ships within a week so you better get your order in quick if you want to be the world’s best dad this Christmas. [play-asia via i4u]

Nintendo moved 103,524 DSi LLs during the first 48 hours it was available. Compare that to the 28,000 PSPgos that Japanese gamers bought during the first 24 hours and draw your own conclusions.

Personally, I think the pic that Kotaku used for this story accurately describes the reason behind the DSi LL’s success. Somehow I don’t think that lady bought that red LL for her grandson.

The boys over at PC Watch put their precious DSi LL (or the XL here in the States) under the knife. If controller board pr0n gets you going in the morning, click on over to the Japanese trade publication for the gory pics. You probably don’t need to translate it.

Question: Are standard DS & DSi games going to look pixelated and stretched on the DSi XL‘s 4.2-inch screen? Idk. But the screen is huge when compared to the standard DSi. Check out the Japanese TV debut after the jump.

[via Kotaku]

Nintendo via Kotaku,

“A new iteration of the Nintendo DSi™ system will be introduced in Japan on November 21, 2009, to be known as Nintendo DSi LL in Japan, and as Nintendo DSi XL in North America and Europe, it will offer a screen 93% larger than the current Nintendo DS Lite with a better view angle, an additional longer touch screen stylus, and preinstalled Nintendo DSiWare™ software. The new version will arrive in North America and Europe in the first quarter of calendar year 2010.”

So the rumors about Nintendo releasing a new DSi with a bigger screen (we reported Monday and Tuesday) were true. Big N officially announced a new DSi in Tokyo today, the so-called DSi LL [JP]. It has a 4.2-inch screen, will be released on November 21 in Japan and is priced at $220. Buyers will initially be able to choose between brown, red and white versions.

You’ll get two pens with the handheld. One is thicker and 129.33mm long, the thinner model is 96mm long. There’ll also be three DSiWare games pre-installed (two brain-training games and a dictionary).

The DSi that’s currently on the market has a 3.25-inch screen (the DS Lite only had a 3-inch screen). Nintendo says the DSi LL is especially designed for a better Internet surfing experience. It’s 21.2mm thin, but it’s thicker than the current DSi (18.9mm) and way heavier (314g vs. 214g).

Nintendo Japan’s web site is in Japanese (obviously), but this page visualizes the difference in screen size between the “old” DSi and the LL (just hover your mouse across the screen).

Nintendo has yet to announce international sales plans.

Update:

Kotaku reports Europe gets the new DSi model in the first quarter of 2010. It’s going to be called DSi XL there. No word on a US release yet.

Update 2 (more pictures):