With the DSi XL set to launch here in North America on March 28th, Nintendo has released some information to the masses about what you can expect with the new handheld, things most of you already know.

The DSi XL will be available for the near-Wii cost of $189.99, and will come bundled with a few pre-installed titles. Brain-training games Brain Age Express: Math and Brain Age, Express: Arts & Letters, and Photo Clock are all included in the cost. The handheld will debut in both Burgundy and Bronze colors, with a glossy top and a matte-finish bottom for a better grip, sort of like a DSi/DSLite hybrid. The handheld will also come bundled with a larger pen-like stylus.

The most obvious upgrade for the handheld is the increase screensize, 93% larger than that of the previous version. “For some people, good things come in big packages,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “Our Nintendo DS family of systems has been going strong since 2004, and this new portable system really lets players enjoy the fun together.”

As part of their campaign for promoting the 93% bigger screen sizes, Nintendo is extending their promotion online asking fans what they would like to have 93% bigger (and they thought online voicechat was dangerous!). By visiting Nintendo’s new Facebook app or Twitter page, the company wants your responses as to what you’d like maximized.

Based on what the DSi XL has to offer, do you think you’ll be upgrading when the super-sized handheld releases March 28th?

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“Ever since the arrival of the first Game Boy, consumers worldwide have turned to Nintendo for their portable gaming,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “Nintendo DSi builds on Nintendo’s commitment to bringing fun and creative entertainment to everyone, and will allow consumers to personalize and share their very own experiences.”

Full press release after the break.

NINTENDO DSI LAUNCHES APRIL 5 IN THE UNITED STATES

New Portable System Offers Customized Gaming Experiences

REDMOND, Wash., Feb. 18, 2009 – Nintendo pioneered hand-held entertainment in the ’80s and made it fully mobile with the Game Boy™ video game system. Now, Nintendo is transforming the way people access, experience, create and share content with the new Nintendo DSi™ system, the third iteration of the world’s best-selling portable video game system. Nintendo DSi launches in the United States on April 5, 2009, at an MSRP of $169.99. The colors available at launch will be Blue and Black.

“Ever since the arrival of the first Game Boy, consumers worldwide have turned to Nintendo for their portable gaming,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “Nintendo DSi builds on Nintendo’s commitment to bringing fun and creative entertainment to everyone, and will allow consumers to personalize and share their very own experiences.”

Some features that will be built into the system and ready to enjoy upon purchase include the Nintendo DSi Camera, Nintendo DSi Sound and Nintendo DSi Shop. The most noticeable feature of the slim Nintendo DSi system is its two cameras – one camera is on the external body, and the second one points at the user when the device is flipped open. As the first truly interactive digital camera in a video game system with 10 different interactive “lenses” that can manipulate your photos, the Nintendo DSi Camera offers an easy way to take and share your photos with family and friends. The cameras also present people with unprecedented ways to interact with their games while giving developers a new tool to devise creative games and experiences. If the touch screen gave Nintendo DS a sense of feel and the microphone allowed it to hear, the two cameras give Nintendo DSi the sense of sight.

Another enhanced feature is the Nintendo DSi Sound application, which serves as both an interactive voice recorder and music player that allows users to play with their music while they listen to it. Users can access different audio filters or control the pitch and speed of recorded voice or music files to alter voices or change the tempo of a song. The mic is located between the two screens when the device is flipped open, and there is also a stereo headphone output that lets users listen to music saved on an SD card, even with the screen shut.

In the world of software, Nintendo DSi will be the platform for the most relevant and fun on-the-go games and applications. The Nintendo DSiWare™ application will populate Nintendo DSi with software that can be downloaded using Nintendo DSi Points directly to the portable system, just as WiiWare™ has with Nintendo’s Wii™ console. Developers big and small are invited to create software that makes use of the properties and functions of the hardware. Nintendo DSiWare games and applications will be available at a range of values, starting at 200 points.

In addition to downloadable games, Nintendo DSi is able to play games made specifically for the system and sold at retail. The system can also play most Nintendo DS™ games, and will have access to a library of more than 850 titles originally made for that system.

Also on April 5, a new Nintendo DS game, Rhythm Heaven™, will join this roster of games available for both Nintendo DSi and Nintendo DS owners in the United States. Having sold more than 1.6 million copies since its July 2008 launch in Japan and still increasing sales today, this infectious game challenges players to tap and slide the stylus on the touch screen in time to original music created by legendary Japanese pop-star producer TSUNKU?. Simple gestures with the stylus combined with fun music and quirky visuals make Rhythm Heaven a completely unique musical experience for players of all ages.

Additional features and news of Nintendo DSi will be revealed as April 5 approaches.

For more information about Nintendo DSi, visit www.nintendodsi.com.

About Nintendo: The worldwide pioneer in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wii™ and Nintendo DS™ systems. Since 1983, when it launched the Nintendo Entertainment System™, Nintendo has sold more than 2.8 billion video games and more than 485 million hardware units globally, including the current-generation Wii and Nintendo DS, as well as the Game Boy™, Game Boy Advance, Super NES™, Nintendo 64™ and Nintendo GameCube™. It has also created industry icons that have become well-known, household names such as Mario™, Donkey Kong™, Metroid™, Zelda™ and Pokémon™. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo’s operations in the Western Hemisphere. For more information about Nintendo, visit the company’s Web site at www.nintendo.com.

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