Nintendo DSi XL Systems Easy To Find A Day After U.S. Launch

Nintendo of America (NOA) didn’t say how many $189.99 DSi XLs it shipped for the handheld system’s Sunday U.S. launch or how many it has sold through. But the XL wasn’t hard to find from major retailers Monday, at least when we checked online. The DSi XL shipped late last year in Japan, where it’s called the DSi LL, and in Europe early this month.

NOA shipped the larger version of its DSi in bronze and burgundy versions in the U.S. Supplies of both seemed plentiful Monday. Both were in stock at Amazon.com, where the bronze model was No. 31 on the company’s list of best-selling videogame products and the burgundy model No. 41 Monday afternoon. “It has been among our top 100 since its release” and was “the No. 5 bestseller on our list of bestselling Nintendo DS products,” an Amazon spokeswoman said.

But far outselling the XL at Amazon.com were the Wii and the 120-GB PS3. The Nintendo console was the No. 7 videogame product and Sony’s console No. 2. Those consoles have been in short supply at U.S. retailers since the holiday season. Amazon was among the few major dealers that had the PS3 in stock at its website Monday. Amazon was also the only major U.S. retailer that commented by our deadline about early XL sales.

Best Buy had both XL models in stock on its website Monday. The six Long Island and five Manhattan Best Buy stores that we checked had them, too, according to the site. GameStop had both models in stock on its website, but with a two-unit limit per household, and multiple New York metro area stores had them in stock, according to the retailer’s website. The websites of Sears, Target, Toys “R” Us and Wal-Mart all had both models in stock also. Of the 10 Target stores that we checked on Long Island, only the retailer’s Copiague location didn’t have the burgundy model in stock, and the Central Islip store was the only one without the bronze SKU.

At least one XL TV spot started running over the weekend. NOA didn’t provide specifics about it by our deadline. The company is apparently aiming the system more at DS Lite owners than at owners of the current DSi. It continues to stress in promotions that the XL’s two screens are 93 percent larger than those of the DS Lite and doesn’t compare the XL’s screens with those of the DSi, which are also smaller than the XL screens. And there seems to be no way for DSi owners who have downloaded DSiWare games to transfer them to the XL if they buy the new system. The DSi and DSi XL feature dual digital cameras and provide online access for game downloads, unlike the DS Lite.

The XL was prominently featured in the Sunday ad circulars of major U.S. retailers including Best Buy, Sears, Target and Toys “R” Us. Toys “R” Us featured the XL on the front page of its circular and offered 20 percent off the prices of all XL accessories. Best Buy had the XL on the back page and on page 7 of its circular, saying in both places it had at least eight systems in each store and there would be no rain checks. It was giving away Activision’s DS game Bakugan Battle Brawlers with the purchase of any DS system, in addition to the three pre-installed DSiWare titles that NOA is offering with each purchase, the inside ad said. The retailer also advertised that consumers could save 50 percent off the price of any DS title when buying another DS game at full price. The Sears circular said XL quantities were “limited,” and it, too, wasn’t giving out rain checks. Wal-Mart was including a free carrying case with each XL bought on its website.