Hot off the press, straight from the latest “Nintendo Direct” video stream, Nintendo has announced the Nintendo 3DS XL.

A simple revision of the standard Nintendo 3DS unit, the XL follows in the footsteps of the Nintendo DS XL, offering similar ‘improvements’ over the base model. Aimed at gamers who want a bigger unit, the 3DS XL takes the standard unit’s measurement of 7.7cm and increases it to 10.6cm. The screen itself will see a whopping 90% size increase over the 3DS, though with no additional resolution improvement. As expected, the larger unit allows for a larger battery too, improving charge length by an undisclosed amount.

Other than rounded edges for a more sleek design, that’s all the 3DS XL offers. The control interface and system features remain identical to the standard 3DS.

The Nintendo 3DS XL is planned to launch in blue and red on 28 July 2012 for us in Australia. A price has yet to be announced.