Nintendo Handheld Console DSi XL - Dark Brown

I had a DSi and convinced myself that it would be a waste to get an XL, but it turns out I was wrong. The screens.. I never really gave much thought to how small the regular DSi screens are. The XL screens in comparison are massive. They are lovely and bright, and very clear.One thing I didn't like with the regular DSi was that the sound was pretty bad. The slot design of the speaker made everything sound a bit tinny. There's no issue here. The XL sounds great with no distorting or crackling.The interface is the same as with the DSi. You can scroll through the menu left and right to see what installed games/apps you have and you can connect with the Nintendo eShop via wifi. The nice thing with the DSi/DSi XL is that you can press the home button to quit back to the menu screen if you want to reset or change games, rather than having to turn the console off and on again like with the DS Lite.There are two cameras on the XL, but they're not up to much. They mostly serve as a bit of a diversion when you first get the console but with so many good DS games, I never used them past the first day to be honest.The other great thing about the XL is that although you get the regular skinny stylus, it also comes with a big pen shaped one too. I never gave much thought to how my hand used to get a bit cramped using the little stylus, but it's so comfortable using the pen one that I'll never go back now. The only downside is that it doesn't attach to the console, so you have to be careful not to lose it. The skinny stylus still slots into the unit itself though, so if the worst happens and you do lose the pen then you still have a backup.Lastly, I really like the fact the DSi and DSi XL have proper up and down buttons for the volume instead of the slider on the DS Lite. I would regularly be nudging the volume accidently on the DS Lite. No more accidental silent gaming here.The XL is solidly built and looks, and sounds, great. It's a bit heavier than the regular DSi but considering how nice the screen are it's a compromise worth making. The only downside is that probably won't fit in your pocket anymore.

I recently purchased this as my old-style DS (original) had begun to show signs of 'wear' - like a crack going through it. The large screens are a welcome sight - yes I can see the smaller one easily but (in this case) bigger is better. I like the way is flips open allowing the LEDs (for charging etc) to be shown when closed. The larger stylus (and especially the pen) are also a welcome. This is because you can grip it more naturally (and less 'hard') so that your fingers don't start going numb (after a few hours of playing!).The new software is also a welcome sight as it is much easier to use. Microphone and cameras are a novel addition although I doubt they'll replace the 3.2MP camera (aka phone) that I use. Free brain training (arts edition) is an interesting addition, along with the translation dictionary (although not much use for me).The only flaw is that the web browser is poor at best. My suggestion is do not use this to surf the web at all. It has slow loading times (which are excusable) but 9/10 times I go on it and google something the system crashes. (If this happens you have to hold the power button 5 seconds or more to reset the system). If you want to surf use your PC/Mac/lapton/tablet or even your phone before considering to use the DSi browser.

I bought a DSi XL for my son's Birthday. First unit arrived, charged up, set up and working well . . . then "An Error Occurred. Press and hold POWER to turn the system off." Updated the system, no change. Reverted to factory settings, set up, error occurred again. Amazon - no fuss, immediate dispatch of a new unit and old unit planned to be collected.New unit arrived, charged up, set up and working well . . . then "An Error Occurred. Press and hold POWER to turn the system off." This time I followed the Nintendo instructions to ring their "helpline". Colin (Nintendo customer rep in Ireland I think) was very unhelpful, denied that any such problem exists and told me I was wrong and that he wasn't willing to debate the issue with me! "If you send it to us, we will have a look." No chance. Amazon brilliant again - the whole lot (games, case, DSi XL) is going back for a full refund and my son will be getting Lego. Colin in Ireland should be ashamed. My opinion of Nintendo (based on the brilliant DS) has been very seriously damaged. The DSi XL is not robust and it's a real shame.