The new Nintendo DSi XL arrives in the U.S. on March 28. But Cammie Dunaway, executive vice president at Nintendo of America, showed me the product up close today during our interview in San Francisco.
She said that innovations such as a bigger screen — which can be viewed from the side by others who are watching you play — will keep Nintendo fans happy. To date, most innovations have been about making devices smaller. But this latest move from Nintendo is similar to Apple’s announcement of the large-screened iPad. And, as on the iPad, you can read books on the new DSi XL. And you really can see images clearly from the side.
The DSi XL’s screen is 93 percent larger than the current DSi, as you can see in the picture below. And the device will come in two colors. Will it be enough to ward off the iPhone, iPad and other competitors? Dunaway said she isn’t worried, since Nintendo set huge sales records in December and all of 2009.
Dunaway said that Nintendo will come out with a new DSi XL product that will have 100 classic books on it that you can read portrait style. Check out our video of the interview below. See what she says about the Amazon Kindle and the iPhone at the end. We’ll have a more complete transcript of our interview later.
Please check out our GamesBeat@GDC executive game conference at the Game Developers Conference on March 10. And if you’re a game entrepreneur, consider entering the Who’s Got Game contest for best game startup. Finalists will go up on stage at GamesBeat@GDC. The deadline is Friday.
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