A photo of the new Nintendo 3DS XL handheld game system. (by Nintendo)
Nintendo's 3DS handheld is getting a resize.
A new model of the portable game system, the Nintendo 3DS XL, with a screen that's 90% larger, is headed to stores Aug. 19 for $199.99, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime announced during an online video event early Friday.
Earlier, Nintendo announced that the new system would be made available in Japan on July 28 for 18,900 yen ($240).
Available in red and blue, the new model has a larger, glasses-free 3-D top display (4.88 inches vs. 3.53 inches currently) and larger touch panel display (4.18 inches vs. 3.02 inches) and enhanced battery life. "Your handheld gaming experiences will be more intense and more engrossing than ever before," Fils-Aime said.
That August 19 release date for the 3DS XL is the same date that the anticipated 3DS game New Super Mario Bros. 2arrives, too. The date, "marks the beginning of a huge push for Nintendo and 3DS that will last for the rest of the year and beyond," Fils-Aime said.
Nintendo has sold 4.5 million units of the current 3DS, priced at $169.99, in the U.S. since its March 2011 -- a faster pace, by 1 million units, than the Nintendo DS after it came to market, according to The NPD Group. The Nintendo DS went on to become the best-selling gaming hardware system ever, selling more than 151 million units worldwide.
To see the presentation, which also included updates on upcoming games for 3DS and Wii, click on the video below: