Yesterday, in a Nintendo Direct video, Nintendo announced the release date for the 3DS XL. They did this kind of thing once before when everyone was expecting them to announce a successor to the DS and all they did was release the DS XL. This isn’t a huge surprise for a lot of people seeing as the 3DS just came out last year, but it is fairly interesting that Nintendo felt that the sales were already starting to lag so much that they had to introduce it. Maybe mobile gaming is hurting Nintendo more than we know.

The 3DS XL features an updated form factor and will feature a new system battery life that outperforms that of the original Nintendo 3DS, and it comes bundled with a 4 GB SD card. The screens are each 90% bigger, resulting in a 4.88 inch top screen and a 4.18 inch bottom screen but they will have the same resolution as the 3DS. The only problem I see is that once again they released a handheld without a second stick!!!!

“No other hand-held entertainment experience compares to the fun of Nintendo 3DS,” said Nintendo of America President and COO Reggie Fils-Aime. “With the launch of Nintendo 3DS XL on Aug. 19, consumers will be able to enjoy the great lineup of current and upcoming games on an even grander scale. Plus, Nintendo 3DS XL gives owners even more real estate on their screens to enjoy entertainment applications like Nintendo Video and Netflix.”

The “new” hand-held is due out in North America on August 19th which is the same day that the newest Mario game, New Super Mario Bros 2 comes out. The new system will be available in red or blue and will retail for $199.99 plus tax at any electronics store that carries Nintendo products.