Nintendo 3DS XL UK Official Launch Date – Bigger Screens no AC Adapter

You know what the 3DS needs? A larger screen! That’s what Nintendo has decided and the 3DS XL will be hitting the UK in a few weeks.

Reports of the death of the Nintendo 3DS may have sparked Ninte’s latest move to super-sizing their handheld gaming console.

Following the latest trend of slapping a larger display on to your pocketables – yes HTC One X and Galaxy Note (which is getting even larger!), I’m looking at you – Nintendo have announced that a larger version of its 3D handheld games console will be launched in Europe on 28 July.

The Nintendo 3DS XL (or the 3DS LL in Japan) is 46% larger than the existing 3DS, yet the screens are 90 per cent bigger. The original version features a main autostereoscopic 3D screen of 3.53-inches, whereas the new XL will have a 4.88-inch 3D display. This is almost as big as the PS Vita’s screen.

Its bottom touch screen measures at 4.18-inches, a boost over the 3.02-inch equivalent on the smaller 3DS.

The 90% screen-size increase is squeezed in to a body only 46% larger thanks to a thinner bezel. The new handheld comes in at 156x83x22mm when closed up.

For all this larger screen business it doesn’t appear to have had a boost in resolution – so, although visuals will be physically bigger, there won’t be any more detail to see. Be prepared for some occasional blockiness 😉

The new rounded design of the handheld is in keeping with the Wii U’s aesthetics.

You’ll probably be more interested to read that the battery capacity has also been increased. When running 3DS games, the 3DS XL offers battery life of between 3.5 to 6.5 hours (an extra half an hour over the normal 3DS).

Normal DS software benefits even more, with battery life quoted at 6 to 10 hours (a marked improvement over the 5 to 8 hours quoted for the 3DS).

The 3DS XL will come bundled with a 4GB SD card in the box, and will be available in blue, red or silver.

Nintendo has made an odd move in not including an AC adapter in the box. The reasoning being that Nintendo expects a majority of its new owners will be upgrading from an existing Nintendo handheld. HMMmmmmmmmmk…

This, they hope, will keep the retail cost “reasonable”. Just how reasonable that price really is – I don’t know just yet.