JUNE 22, 2012 • Despite having very little to say about its 3DS products at the recent Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, Nintendo Co. Ltd. was holding back on a major announcement.  On July 28 the gamemaker will launch a new version of the handheld, the 3DS XL in Japan and Europe. The new unit is larger all around with a 4.88-inch main screen (up from 3.53 inches), and the touchscreen increases from 3 inches to 4.18 inches.  Battery life is promised to have improved, and the new model will include a 4GB SD memory card. Pricing in Japan is ¥18,900 ($235). European MSRP was not announced. The 3DS XL will launch in the U.S. later on Aug. 19, the same day as New Super Mario Bros. 2 at a price of $199.99.

Impact: We were surprised at how Nintendo did not talk much 3DS at the 2012 E3 show.  Now we have a good reason why they held off.  Most likely the 3DS XL was not fully finalized and Nintendo did not want to face the abuse they would have received if they announced yet another hardware system with issues like pricing and launch date to be determined later.  The new screen is significantly bigger and should make a big difference.  However, Nintendo will still face criticism for not adding a second thumbstick control as a feature and increasing the price $30.