The original Nintendo 3DS hasn’t been quite as big a hit as Nintendo had hoped, so they’re coming forward with a supersized version called the Nintendo 3DS XL. This is essentially the same thing that they did by following the Nintendo DSi with the Nintendo DSi XL. The bigger version of the 3DS essentially has the same guts, but it gets 90% bigger screens for 18% more money.

Set to retail for $199.99 when it ships August 19, the Nintendo 3DS XL will have a 4.88-inch display on top and a 4.18-inch touchscreen below. It still has the three cameras (two in the back for 3D), just the one analog stick (or analog “slider,” if you prefer), and the same Wi-Fi connectivity. Is it worth the $30 premium over the regular smaller 3DS that you already didn’t buy?

Check out the official Nintendo Direct video announcing the 3DS XL, featuring Reggie Fils-Aime himself, on the Nintendo website.

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Well, a slightly updated version of the iControlPad has now been revealed and while the core idea remains the same — real gaming controls on a touchscreen smartphone — there is one notable difference: the clamp. You don’t need to buy special “sides” to hold your smartphone in place, because there’s an adjustable metal clamp that should be fairly universal. I can’t say whether it stretches out far enough for something like a Dell Streak, but I imagine something as big as the EVO 4G should be just fine.

As a quick refresher, the iControlPad features a d-pad, two analog nubs, four face action buttons, start and select, and a pair of trigger buttons toward the back. It works with Android straight up, as well as jailbroken iDevices. It’ll also work with non-jailbroken iPhones if you do the iCade emulation thing. Check it out for $62.49, including the metal clamp.

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There’s no denying that the Nintendo 3DS is one innovative piece of gaming hardware. Glasses-free 3D for the masses? That’s pretty cool. Unfortunately, at $250, it was just too expensive. Nintendo has now recognized that and they’re cutting the MSRP down to a more affordable $169.99. That’s better, but is it good enough?

The new price is set to take effect on August 12, but where does that leave the people who already bought the system? They’ll feel ripped off, right? Maybe not. Nintendo is offering 20 free downloadable games from the Nintendo eShop, so long as they log into the eShop once before midnight eastern time on August 11. That consists of 10 GBA and 10 NES Virtual Console titles. It’s up to you to decide whether those 20 games are worth $80 to you.

I’ve wanted a Nintendo 3DS  since I’ve always been a Nintendo fanboy, but I’m having a harder time justifying the purchase. That said, I spotted the 3DS on sale for $200 in the Best Buy flyer. So, if I pick that up today, I can still get those 20 “free” games for an effective price of $30. I’d want to know what games they were before taking the plunge, though, since the NES and GBA are filled with both gems and bombs.

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That little iPod Touch that hung around as an advanced MP3 player in its early days has all of a sudden become a mobile gaming powerhouse. Over 1.5 billion “games and entertainment titles” have been downloaded to the iPod Touch. With that considered, the iPod Touch olds a 50% marketshare for portable gaming in the US, that is beyond Nintendo and Sony’s portable game players combined. “It’s been amazing.” Said Steve Jobs.

We don’t know specifically how many actual games are downloaded, but its easy to look at anyones iPod Touch, they are usually littered with dozens of games. If that is considered gaming, then Apple takes the cake.

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A pre-sale for the ODROID went up back in September, but you may have forgotten about this device since then. In a nutshell, it’s a gaming handheld not unlike the original Sega Game Gear or maybe like the iPod touch, but the kicker is that it can output to your HDTV for big-screen gaming.

It’s powered by Google Android, of course, and it gets powered by an 833MHz processor. Inside the box, you get the usual set of cables and documentation, and then it’s up to you to load up on some games to play.

The video demo belows shows off a title called Speed Forge 3D, which bears a striking resemblance to Wipeout. It’s being played in 720p HD via HDMI. The ODROID sells for $349.

Source: Engadget

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We may still be basking in the glow from the E3 Expo last month, since it was there that Sony officially announced the new Sony PSPgo handheld. Well, it seems that a successor to the UMD-free sliding gaming console is already in the works and we have some of the preliminary details.

When we first saw the Sony PSP Go for real, the representatives at the company were quick to point out that this was not supposed to represent a PSP2. Instead, it was a half-step forward for the platform, creating what we may better consider as the PSP 1.5. That’s what the PSPgo is supposed to be. So, what can expect from the next generation?

What We Know and What We’ve Heard about PSP2

Rumors surrounding the possibility of a Sony PSP2 have been floating around for nearly as long as the original PSP has been in existence. Most recently, we’ve picked up on some new rumors that point toward the processing prowess of the PSP2.

Shown above is one of the early concepts that we’ve seen several times before, so don’t view it as an official image of the upcoming PSP2. Sony could take any number of directions in terms of physical design.

Looking inside, the current rumor is pointing toward Imagination Technology’s PowerVR tech. More specifically, we hear that they’ll use the “Hydra” chip that can push 133 million polygons a second and has a fillrate of 4GPizelx per second. The chip acts as both the GPU and CPU simultaneously, improving efficiency and “helping in other areas of programming for the device.”

This should really push the graphical envelope. According to Digital Foundry, this new chip will put the so-called PSP2 in the same neighborhood as the original Xbox. That’s very impressive for a portable platform.

Possible Directions, Designs, and Features

Based on what we’ve heard in the past and based on the direction that Sony has taken with the PSPgo, we can make some educated guesses as to what we’ll see when the PSP2 sees the light of day.

I think it is very likely that they will continue with the UMD-free experience, ditching the physical drive in favor of an all digital delivery format. Seeing how we’re still some time out from a PSP2, the new handheld should be able to push 64GB or more by that time.

The sliding form factor may also be maintained, helping to provide the largest screen with the smallest footprint. The vertical slider of the PSPgo is a possibility, though the horizontal slide of the image above may also be possible.

Will the PSP2 have a touchscreen? It seems that touchscreens are all the rage when it comes to smartphones. We’ve got the HTC Touch Diamond, Samsung Omnia, Palm Pre, BlackBerry Storm and… oh right, the Apple iPhone. Touchscreens are huge and it would seem prudent for Sony to join that arena as well. The Sony Ericsson Rachael seems to be heading that way.

So many PSP owners have long since wondered by Sony only included a single analog thumb stick on their portable gaming machine. The PS2 and PS3 both have dual analog sticks, so why not the PSP2 as well? This will be huge for first-person shooters and similar action-adventure titles for sure. Sony didn’t include one in the PSPgo, but the PSP2 may finally include this feature.

Sony PSP2 Release Date and Price

Realistically, we still know very little about what could come with the Sony PSP2. The PSPgo is working to revitalize Sony’s brand in gaming and the digital delivery is a big part of that. In this way, Sony will likely take a wait-and-see approach for the PSP2, tweaking it according to how the market reacts to the PSPgo.

In this way, it’s very unlikely that we’ll hear anything official until well into 2010, if not 2011. In terms of pricing, we already know what they did with the PSPgo, so expect an early adopter tax. I sincerely hope they keep it under $250.

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