Nintendo 2DS

Let's just say that if you're put off by the compromises the system had to make to reach its price point, the system is not for you - this system is targeted towards young children and people that want to save as much money as possible to play 3DS games without the 3D.

The design is awkward, but that's what you get for cost-cutting on design. It's also technically one screen under the surface - the plastic is there to create a gap for consistency. It's cheaper to produce one larger, 2D screen than two separate screens, where one of them is 3D.

Just realised something. How would it be possible to play 3DS games when you hold it sideways? I'd imagine it would be very uncomfortable.

I can understand them re-designing a system to cut costs, but this slate design seems to do more harm than good in my book.

The design is bad in my opinion. Like a Game Boy partially burnt and melted in a fire.

The folding design for the DS line was essentially what made them good in a way, as the folding mechanisms allowed for easy storage. It's going to be sad to lug around that huge thing now, isn't it?

I kind of like it, in spite of myself. Not that I'd ever buy one, given that I have a 3DS of my own, but for what it is, it's not that terrible, really. It's cheap (not as cheap as people would like, but it's a start), it doesn't have the 3D (its unique selling point), and though the design is a little clunky, it's definitely functional for what it is. I'm not going to buy one myself, but I certainly won't be begrudging people who end up doing so when it comes out in a few weeks' time. If anything, I'm impressed that it managed to stay a secret for this long, given the leak culture that currently exists in this industry! :D

I can't decide how I myself feel about it. I'm a 19 year old casual gamer who mainly plays Pokemon, and I can definitely see how it would appeal to the younger crowd of gamers (4 and up.) The price will definitely be a factor IMHO because I know for a FACT that being a poor college student I saved from 1st January to mid-April before I had enough for my 3DS XL and a single 3DS game, being Luigi's Mansion. To this day I only have 3 3DS games total; I have Animal Crossing and Sims 3. I barely use the 3D as it kind of hurts my eyes after long periods and it's basically unnecessary in the Sims, Animal Crossing is just fine without it, and Luigi's Mansion I barely play as I can't focus on it for a long time. Parents will flock to this system, because I can totally see kids begging their parents for 3DS's to play the new Pokemon games. Releasing it at a lower price point with a kid-friendly form factor at the same time as XY is going to either make or break this new edition of the console, I think. I just think their advertising budget should be amped up for this system to reach more kids and parents, or else this system may not sell well.

They're digging their own grave and jumping in it at this point. They're keeping region-locking, their main console's controller costs egregious amounts of money, their main handheld has a 2 hour battery life, and now they make a handheld that isn't even portable.

Nintendo is dying, and I couldn't be more happy. Their fanboys are the absolute worst with their insane loyalty and affinity for branding anyone who doesn't like Nintendo as someone who plays nothing but Call of Duty and cares only about graphics.

Plus, they make nothing but Mario games.

I'm in favor of the 2DS. I will be able to trade with myself when I do get both X and Y without having to buy a full 3DS. To be honest, if this was an option in March of 2011, I would have gotten this instead of the 3DS because I only use the 3D out of guilt because I feel that it is the whole gimmick of the system.

Elgyem said:

Nintendo is dying, and I couldn't be more happy.

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lol.

Elgyem said:

Their fanboys are the absolute worst with their insane loyalty and affinity for branding anyone who doesn't like Nintendo as someone who plays nothing but Call of Duty and cares only about graphics.

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Whoa with that generalization! Did a Nintendo fan kill your cat or something? lol.

Elgyem said:

Plus, they make nothing but Mario games.

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Yeah, no. lol.

Elgyem said:

Their fanboys are the absolute worst with their insane loyalty

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Then why are you on a Pokémon forum, which can only be played on Nintendo consoles? Just a thought.

Spinosaurus said:

Whoa with that generalization! Did a Nintendo fan kill your cat or something? lol.

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Sony, PC, and Microsoft fanboys are fairly civilized in their arguing, but both of them turn into demons when you say that you like Nintendo consoles in addition to XBOX, PC, and PSx and that they all have their equal strengths and weaknesses (aka logic). Everyone hates Nintendo because of things like the 2DS but tbh they still make some decent consoles (the Wii, for example.) they just tend to throw in little gimmicks along with a well-formed console (3DS), which Sony and Microsoft do with whole new gadgets, like the Move or Kinect.










as for my personal opinion I think it's pretty! It might be kinda gimmicky to sell this but I've never used the 3D voluntarily past the Camera, and a lot of people who bought the 3DS have been complaining about the 3D never being used, so it's a way at least to address that problem.

Elgyem said:

They're digging their own grave and jumping in it at this point. They're keeping region-locking, their main console's controller costs egregious amounts of money, their main handheld has a 2 hour battery life, and now they make a handheld that isn't even portable.

Nintendo is dying, and I couldn't be more happy. Their fanboys are the absolute worst with their insane loyalty and affinity for branding anyone who doesn't like Nintendo as someone who plays nothing but Call of Duty and cares only about graphics.

Plus, they make nothing but Mario games.

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How is it not portable? The only place it can no longer fit is in your pocket.

And who can honestly say they always carry their 3DS in their pocket? I never do, it's in my bag.

Good article by Polygon covering the console: http://www.polygon.com/2013/8/30/4676984/nintendo-2ds-hands-on-surprisingly-not-the-worst-thing-ever

Elgyem said:

...now they make a handheld that isn't even portable.

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Using your same logic, iPads and PS Vitas are not portable and you have to drag it around like you're tugging a boat. This 2DS, while a stupid, stupid product mainly due to the affordability of the basic 3DS, is made to fit in a bag rather than a pocket.

Elgyem said:

Nintendo is dying,

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Someone's melodramatic.

Elgyem said:

Their fanboys are the absolute worst with their insane loyalty and affinity for branding anyone who doesn't like Nintendo as someone who plays nothing but Call of Duty and cares only about graphics.

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I actually agree with this. Most Nintendo fanboys just seem to scapegoat Call Of Duty and others FPS games all the time and put down people for not being a drone that will like anything which is a Nintendo product.

It's defiantly not all of them, but there shared intolerance for FPS games is really a bit silly.

Just to prove I'm not a fanboy, I dislike the Wii (although I like the Wii U) and this 2DS... thing made for toddlers and those who don't know how to use the 3D toggle switch on the 3DS.

Elgyem said:

Plus, they make nothing but Mario games.

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To say that this is a sweeping generalisation would be a understatement. Once again I can use your logic and say that Microsoft only makes Halo titles and Capcom only makes Mega Man titles (lol).

I feel like this is a good move on Nintendo's part. Kids throw their handhelds around all the time and this is clearly built to be durable since the 2DS is aimed at kids or those looking to save a few bucks. And it comes out around the time of Pokémon X and Y, so there is no doubt this thing will move several units.

Woo boy this thing.

Personally, I can see why Nintendo would want to design this and who this appeals to. It's tablet-like look is good for kids and the physical design address to the mindset of those young children. I'll admit, at first I was 'meh' on the shovel/slice of cake shape of the console, but it looks much smaller than I thought.

As far as the 3D is concerned, yeah I know the argument for the 3DS's 3D feature is that you can just turn it off through parental settings. What I don't get is how much vemon is being spewed about this thing. I'm sure those same have 3DS/3DS XLs of their own, so why does it really matter to them?

One thing I think everyone can agree on for the most part is the price. At what it costing PLUS being released on the same day as Pokemon X and Y...that's a pretty good deal.

On criticism I'll agree somewhat over is how informative will this sell to parents? That's something Nintendo had a tough time doing with the general public with the Wii U.

To be honest, I'm not surprised that Nintendo made a handheld console specifically for kids since that's their target demographic and it's a hell of a faithful one. If my daughter was a year or two older then I would definitely buy one for her because it's perfect for children. I'm actually really impressed with Nintendo for coming up with a solution like this to increase their sales because it's a really good move on their part. In theory, that is. There may be a chance that it might not sell, but personally I can't see it selling badly since this kind of console is a parent's dream.

I'm better off sticking with the 3DS btw, I mean...I don't see much of a point in buying this bricky thingy that only takes out the ability to view 3D. I'd rather shell out a few more bucks or so, and I'd rather keep the portability the 3DS already has. The 2DS just eliminates that.

For the target demographic, I think portability is not an issue as Nintendo handhelds only fit in teen/adult pockets anyway.

Okay, so...I understand who they're marketing this toward (and it's not me). It's for little kids who are too young for the 3D features. I get that, and it's a decent value considering that market.

But here's what I don't get: why in the name of hell would you design a handheld for little kids and then leave the screens unprotected? Little kids break things. The clamshell design protects the screen from being broken. So why would you leave the screen out in the open like that to get smashed and scratched to hell and back? It boggles the mind.

Apparently they just announced a 1DS.

OK this is just pushing it. I'm done.

EDIT: No fun.

Spinosaurus said:

Apparently they just announced a 1DS.

OK this is just pushing it. I'm done.

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From the bottom of the page:
"*Not actually a real device or price. See dreams for details."

It's a fake site. A really impressive one, but fake.

Morkula said:

Okay, so...I understand who they're marketing this toward (and it's not me). It's for little kids who are too young for the 3D features. I get that, and it's a decent value considering that market.

But here's what I don't get: why in the name of hell would you design a handheld for little kids and then leave the screens unprotected? Little kids break things. The clamshell design protects the screen from being broken. So why would you leave the screen out in the open like that to get smashed and scratched to hell and back? It boggles the mind.

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The benefits of the clamshell design are largely negated by the weakness of the hinges. All it takes is one drop in a public location (specifically, anything with concrete sidewalks, concrete flooring, or concrete foundation directly beneath the tiles/carpet) to completely destroy the hinges. And if a screen is going to get cracked or otherwise damaged from a fall with enough force, the clamshell design will do little to stop that.