Nintendo Doesn't Believe That the DSi XL Is Just for Old People

With roughly a year since Nintendo launched its DSi, the company has stitched together another installment in its handheld franchise, and this one should be bigger and badder. And while plenty of people felt that it was far too early for the “divines” to release another console, others just felt like this was directed at an entirely different segment of the market. With a bigger screen and a thicker stylus, pretty soon the DSi XL ended up with an “old people” sticker glued to it. But Nintendo doesn't agree, and it wants to make it very clear that the XL is not something the younger DS gamers should stay clear of.

“It's absolutely not [just for old people],” James Honeywell, Nintendo's DS senior product manager, said to CVG. “DSi XL appeals to as many people, if not more, than its predecessors. With bigger screens and a larger pen-like stylus it's likely that older users may find the DSi XL easier and more comfortable to use but there are many more people it can and will appeal to. Gamers will undoubtedly appreciate the bigger screens so they can experience their favorite and the latest DS titles bigger and in a greater level of detail than ever before.”

As for the audience the DSi XL is actually targeted at, Honeywell believes that families will be the ones that will enjoy the new handheld the most. “We certainly know that a lot of families who play DS together will enjoy the wider viewing angle the DSi XL allows so they can play together at home and the fact the bigger stylus is less likely to get lost down the back of the sofa is another bonus for them.”

Nintendo might not like the reputation its XL ended up with, but it's got no one to blame but itself for it. After all, the entire age-labeling the console got started from Nintendo's own advertisement for it, where while an entire family is present along the length of it, it's a sweet, little, old Japanese granny that plays and handles the DSi XL. You reap what you sow.