Following in the footsteps of the previous Nintendo DSi handheld and its own super-sized second iteration, the Nintendo 3DS will soon receive a much larger incarnation dubbed the Nintendo 3DS XL, which will be released in North America on August 19 in red and blue colors.

Priced at $199 -- a $30 bump from the standard model -- the 3DS XL boasts a 4.88-inch top display with a 4.18-inch bottom touch screen, which Nintendo says is a 90% increase on each over the original release. Improved battery life (3.5-6.5 hours for 3DS games vs. 3-5 hours on the original) is also in the offing, and the North American version includes a 4GB SD card, non-retractable stylus, and an AC adapter.

All Nintendo 3DS games will run on either version of the hardware; it's simply a plus-sized version for folks who want such a thing. And August 19 will also see the release of Nintendo's flagship 3DS title, New Super Mario Bros. 2, giving new 3DS XL owners a good reason to stare at the thing for hours on end.