Nintendo has opted to release a new handheld model, and I have to say that I’m a little shocked. The Nintendo 2DS is a non-3D, slab-style version of their existing clamshell 3D-capable model.
They’re posing it as a model for younger gamers, touting it’s ‘significantly’ reduced cost as a big plus. It costs $129, instead of the $169 of a 3Ds, so I’m not seeing huge savings here. On the other hand, the only things you’re losing are the folding, hinged design of a normal DS system and the 3D effects. The 2DS has been described as playing a 3Ds with the 3D slider all the way off, which is the way allot of people play it, anyway.
It does look a little childish and the cost discount isn’t as big as Nintendo says it is, but it’s still a nigh-full Nintendo 3Ds (wifi, street pass, all of the games and everything else a 3Ds can do, sans the 3D part) for $40 less, so it is a fairly interesting prospect for anyone who wants a 3DS but doesn’t have one yet.
