DSi LL is Large and Ugly

Nintendo sends out sample display units to retailers.

2009-11-19 18:12 / Anoop Gantayat / 4 Comments

I toured the streets of Tokyo yesterday searching for signs of the DSi LL being promoted ahead of its Saturday release.

Aside from a few pre-order notices at some retailers, I found no such signs.

It turns out that Nintendo was waiting until today to kick off the system's retail promotional push. DSi LL hardware popped up at Shibuya's Bic Camera and Tsutaya retailers today, and I took the opportunity to snap some sneak pics with my iPhone.

Tsutaya has the system in a display case. It's next to other systems, including the DSi and Wii, allowing for size comparisons.

Bic has all three color variations in its DS section, available to touch, but not play. The shop also has box mockups.

I saw, I touched, and I have to admit that I lost a good amount of interest I'd initially had in the system.

DSi LL is a massive system. It reminds me of a really old portable. Unfortunately, Tsutaya didn't have old DS phat systems in its display case so I couldn't compare it with that monstrosity of hardware design.

The system also isn't particularly attractive, especially compared to the slick DSi. The glossy cover unit and matte base unit don't mix well. It almost looks like the system has a protector shell around its cover.

I'll wait until I've actually taken the system in hand and used it before totally passing judgment (the Bic units could not be picked up). It's possible that being able to play portable games on a large screen will make the size of the system worth the tradeoff.

On looks alone, though, this is one hardware revision I can probably live without.

See More Articles

Loading comments. If comments don't load, make sure Javascript is on in your browser.