iFixit tears down the DSi XL

No Tegra chip for you! iFixit tore down the Nintendo DSi XL and found, not surprisingly, a bigger DSi. It’s running the DSi’s ARM processor and the motherboard is big enough to fit in the case, but that’s about it. Click through for more findings:

* Nintendo is again using a custom ARM CPU, manufactured in December
of 2009. This chip is marked identically to the DSi, and definitely
not the Tegra chip that had been rumored.

* The logic board grew proportionally to its casing. We’re sure
Nintendo’s engineers were happy with not having to pack as much
electronics as possible in a smaller design. In this instance,
Nintendo’s going against the normal trend in electronics

* Battery capacity is significantly greater than the DSi. The DSi
uses an 840 mAh battery compared to the DSi XL’s 1050 mAh battery.
Given the internal similarity of the XL to the original DSi, we assume
the extra juice helps power the larger-sized screens.

* The DSi XL weighs in at 314 grams, about 45% more than its smaller
DSi cousin (only 217 grams). A significant portion of the heft comes
from the larger screens, and 4 grams comes from the added battery
juice. The XL is really on the outer limits of what people consider to
be portable — especially for a hand-held game console.

* Nintendo redesigned the battery connector to eliminate a long ribbon
cable spanning the width of the old DSi.

* The lower display is held in place solely by the pressure of the
logic board secured over it — no screws!

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