DSi LL - a new beginning or a false dawn?

Nintendo's surprise confirmation of the DSi LL is proof that the company is willing to change the way it operates; normally, such a launch would be hyped to high heaven, but here's a machine that we knew little about yesterday - other than rumours - and it's going to be with Japanese gamers in less than a month.

However, this isn't the only way in which the DSi LL bucks current trends. As this list published by Kotaku shows, it's going to be the heaviest portable console of this generation - which rather goes against the philosophy that mobile devices should be as lightweight as possible.

Here's how the DSi LL compares to other machines in its class:

158g - PSPgo
189g - PSP-2000
189g - PSP-3000
214g - DSi
218g - DS Lite
275g - Nintendo DS
280g - PSP-1000
314g - DSi LL

Oof! As you can see, it's twice the weight of Sony's recently released PSPgo. Ouch.

Naturally, it has bigger displays but the sticking point here is going to be resolution. The DS screen res is 256 x 192 pixels, while the PSP boasts a 480 x 272 pixel display. Those pixels are going to look a little blocky when they're blown up to 4.2 inches, we suspect.

Here are the all-important figures (thanks to Kotaku) for a quick comparison to other consoles in the DS range:

Screen Size

  • DSi LL: 4.2 inches
  • DSi: 3.2 inches
  • DS Lite: 3 inches

Hardware Size

  • DSi LL (across): 161mm
  • DSi (across): 137mm
  • DS Lite (across): 133mm
  • DSi LL (front to back): 94.4mm
  • DSi (front to back): 74.9mm
  • DS Lite (front to back): 73.9mm
  • DSi LL (thickness): 21.2mm
  • DSi (thickness): 18.9mm
  • DS Lite (thickness): 21.5mm

Touch Pen Size

  • DSi LL (short pen): 96mm
    DSi LL (long pen): 129.3mm
  • DSi: 92mm
  • DS Lite: 87.5mm

Weight

  • DSi LL (including Battery Pack, short Touch Pen): 314g
  • DSi (including Battery Pack, Touch Pen): 214g
  • DS Lite (including Battery Pack, Touch Pen, GBA Cover): 218g

Charging Time

  • DSi LL: 3 hours
  • DSi: 2 hours 30 mins.
  • DS Lite: 3 hours

Battery Life

  • DSi LL (Lowest Brightness): 13~17 hours
  • DSi (Lowest Brightness): 9~14 hours
  • DS Lite (Lowest Brightness): 15~19 hours
  • DSi LL (Second Lowest Brightness): 11~14 hours
  • DSi (Second Lowest Brightness): 8~12 hours
  • DS Lite (Second Lowest Brightness): 10~15 hours
  • DSi LL (Middle Brightness): 9~11 hours
  • DSi (Middle Brightness): 6~9 hours
  • DS Lite (Middle Brightness): No such setting exists on DS Lite
  • DSi LL (Second Highest Brightness): 6~8 hours
  • DSi (Second Highest Brightness): 4~6 hours
  • DS Lite (Second Highest Brightness): 7~11 hours
  • DSi LL (Highest Brightness): 4~5 hours
  • DSi (Highest Brightness): 3~5 hours
  • DS Lite (Highest Brightness): 5~8 hours

Supported Software

  • DSi LL: Nintendo DS, DSi, DSiWare
  • DSi: Nintendo DS, DSi, DSiWare
  • DS Lite: Nintendo DS, Game Boy Advance

Input/Output Slots

  • DSi LL: DS Card Slot, SD Memory Card Slot, AC Adaptor, Headphones, Mic
  • DSi: DS Card Slot, SD Memory Card Slot, AC Adaptor, Headphones, Mic
  • DS Lite: DS Card Slot, Game Boy Advance Slot, AC Adaptor, Headphones, Mic

So what are your thoughts on this new hardware launch? Is Nintendo making a mistake updating the DSi concept so soon after it was released? Are you a DSi owner who is more than a little annoyed at having your latest console superseded so swiftly? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

[source kotaku.com]