The fourth iteration, entitled Nintendo DSi XL,[cn 2] is a larger model that launched in Japan on November 21, 2009, and worldwide beginning in March 2010.

Reviews of the Nintendo DSi were generally positive; IGN and bit-tech decried the console's lack of exclusive software and removal of the GBA cartridge slot, though its added functionality caused many journalists to recommend it to those who had not purchased a previous DS model.

GamePro and Wired UK, on the other hand, praised the DSi XL's larger screens for improving the gameplay experience and revitalizing older DS games.

[5] Work went at a quick pace to meet deadlines; his team had to devise a theme for the new DS in time for a late December presentation, and by February 2007, most specifications for a chipset had to be completed.

Kuwahara reported that his team had difficulty determining the potential market for the handheld during the design process; he said of their goal, "We have to be able to sell the console on its own [without games at launch].

[4] Kuwahara's team originally wanted one camera with a swivel mechanism, but this was abandoned due to concerns of reliability, cost, and the need of a thicker console.

[9] Its original design included two DS game card slots, because of demand from both fan communities and Nintendo employees, which consequently made it larger.

When the console's designs were unveiled to Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development producers in October 2007, it was met with lukewarm reception due to its size.

He later pitched the idea of simultaneously releasing large and small versions of the DSi instead, but Nintendo's hardware team was incapable of developing two models concurrently.

[20] This feature was absent from the large DS Lite model due to cost issues at the time, which also limited LCD screen size.

[38] In the United Kingdom, the console totaled 92,000 sales within two days of release,[39] which GfK/Chart-Track data showed to be the fourth-best opening weekend ever in the region—higher than previous records set by other DS iterations.

[25] The LA midnight launch party featured several events, including merchandise handouts, signings and art galleries from iam8bit, parkour demonstrations, and performances by Gym Class Heroes.

[7] In response to media commentary following the DSi's announcement, Iwata insisted that its new audio and camera capabilities are not meant to compete with mobile phones, the iPod, or the PSP.

[58] He explained their role in the marketplace: While cell phone and digital camera manufacturers have been trying to compete against each other by intensifying the picture pixel quality and zooming ability of their camera functions, and while music players are making its improvements mainly by making smaller exterior design and by increasing memory storage capacity, DSi is trying to propose a different path of evolution by providing the users with the opportunity to be able to touch and play with photographs and sounds.

[75] Gamasutra called these price cuts the DS product line's "final send-off" and expects "by this time next year its contributions to the market will be minuscule.

[91] Numerous special-edition models and bundles have been released, including those for Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time, and the 2009 Black Friday shopping day.

[95] Developers reported the console has a native mode, which runs software specifically designed for its hardware, access to the system's extra processing and memory resources.

This was done to help keep their price reasonable and to maintain a preferable response time for viewing photos in quick succession, particularly since numerous applications will use them.

[120] The DSi has more extensive multimedia features than previous models; AAC audio files from other devices, pictures, and downloadable software can be stored to an SD card.

[123][124] Images captured can be uploaded to the Wii's Photo Channel, and, for consoles with the 1.4 firmware update or greater, to the social networking website Facebook.

The service offered demos of upcoming and currently available games, access to the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection and DSi Shop, and may have had location-specific content.

[cn 7] IGN's Craig Harris noted that the DSi-exclusive software library and DSi Shop were lacking in content even after five months on the Japanese market.

[86] PCWorld New Zealand's Jan Birkeland shared Bakalar's opinion, but believed that it was too early to judge the quality of DSi Shop software.

[99] Many critics were disappointed by the removal of the GBA cartridge slot,[cn 8] but some of them, such as PCWorld's Darren Gladstone, Bit-tech's Joe Martin, and IGN's Harris and Lowe, believed that it was a reasonable exchange for SD card support and the DSi Shop.

[166] Opinions on the DSi's photograph-editing tools were varied: Bit-tech's Martin and Reid considered them to be a gimmick,[83][167] but Bakalar and Cliff Edwards of BusinessWeek thought otherwise.

[86][118] Edwards said that the camera's use in gameplay was a new opportunity for developers; Martin did not think that the concept would be widely adopted, as he believed it to be "a gimmick that would alienate [...] DS Lite owners".

He argued its features are designed to "briefly entertain" early adopters while encouraging "developers to consider it as an alternative [of the DS Lite]" to build an attractive game library for the long term.

[cn 9] Pete Metzger of the Los Angeles Times considered the DSi to be "more like version 2.5 than a total reboot", but called its new features "worthwhile additions to an already great product.

"[173] Gladstone gave the DSi a score of 75/100, and said that Nintendo "puts in smart nips and tucks to its already-svelte handheld while adding a raft of useful multimedia features.

[176][177] CVG's Mike Jackson argued that the bigger screens, which made its unchanged resolution blockier, would probably be less noticeable to the older demographic for which the XL is undoubtedly designed.