Today Nintendo revealed a new portable: the Nintendo 3DS XL. It's a larger version of the Nintendo 3DS with bigger screens and a slightly better battery.
Rumors of a larger 3DS swirled. But time and time again, Nintendo wasn't exactly up front about the new 3DS. Or was it?
Right before the E3 gaming expo in Los Angeles, Japan's Nikkei newspaper ran a report that Nintendo was set to unveil a new, larger 3DS with a 4.3-inch screen. It was expected to be available worldwide this summer.
That sounds pretty much like the 3DS XL that Nintendo showed today.
When the report hit, Nintendo issued a press statement calling the report "speculation" and saying it contained numerous errors.
The Nikkei story did not mention a second thumbstick, but rather, a larger 3DS. The Nikkei was dead on. Nintendo is releasing a 3DS XL, which will be available worldwide this summer.
Yes, Nikkei was a hair off on the screen size (4.3-inches as opposed to a 4.88-inch top screen). Still, the paper has been so dead right about recent Nintendo news.
At E3, there were rumblings that Nintendo pulled an announcement from its press conference at the last minute. If true, it was probably the 3DS XL, and it was probably because of the Nikkei's report.
Website IGN asked Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto about the Nikkei story, and Miyamoto replied, "I really feel like I'm satisfied with the 3DS hardware as it is. I feel like it's the best for this generation."
This is the same hardware—just bigger. And that's exactly what the Nikkei published right before E3, where the 3DS XL was noticeably absent.