Nintendo just announced the newest addition to their 3DS family tree, the 2DS, a 2D version of their 3D handheld.
Initial reactions to the new product seem to be heavily negative, many of which claim that Nintendo is just not even trying anymore and that they are simply pushing out products they hope people will buy.
Instead of instantly bashing on it because it is new and different, I’ll take a closer look at this new device and give my honest opinions, good or bad.
First things first, why is Nintendo making a 2D version of a handheld made for 3D gaming? The answer to me is quite clear; not everyone cares about the 3D feature which has been hurting Nintendo’s sales since launch of the 3DS. Many people still believe they won’t like the 3D and that it is just a gimmick Nintendo used to try and be innovative.
In order to win these customers over, Nintendo created a system that can play 3DS games without the 3D feature thus opening a market for those who have wanted to play the games but, have hated the idea of the 3D handhelds. Now, I know what everyone is thinking, “You can just shut off the 3D on the 3DS! GET OVER YOURSELF!”
This is where the price point and part of the design comes into play. For gamers that dislike the idea of buying a 3DS for $170 or the XL for $200 because they don’t think the 3D is worth the cost or whatever other reasons they have but, still wish they could play the new Nintendo handheld games, there is now another option. With a price of $130, which Nintendo for some reason left out of their announcement video, it is a much cheaper alternative for those still on the fence. The 2DS also appears to be the same or roughly the same size as a 3DS XL. That means, if the 3D isn’t a selling point, the 2DS is cheaper and bigger than the regular 3DS.
As for the design, there hasn’t been any real announcement as to the reasoning behind it from Nintendo. My personal opinion is that they are echoing back to their earlier handhelds like the Game Boy and Game Boy Advance as well as attempting to fix the hand cramp problem the 3DS produced for many gamers. The design appears to fit much more comfortably in the hands of the adults in the video and seems exponentially more durable making it more kid friendly which I’m sure will attract parents to it over the 3DS or XL.
I think the smartest as well as the dumbest thing about this new device is the release date. Nintendo has a release date of October 12 of this year, the same day as Pokemon X and Y. This is brilliant because, if you’re an avid Pokemon fan like I am, you know that many other fans scrambled out to get their hands on a 3DS as soon as they heard that the new game would be solely on that handheld. This date also puts it on sale right before the holiday season and slightly before Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds and Mario Party: Island tour are released.
The reason this is a bad date is because many customers who sucked it up and bought a 3DS or 3DS XL are now crying under their blankets wishing they had the option to buy the 2DS over the 3DS a few months ago.
And now you feel the pain I felt when Nintendo announced the XL only a few months after I bought my 3DS.
Overall I think this is a smart move by Nintendo to bring in more players and I believe that 2DS sales will do quite well this holiday season though, probably not as well as they are hoping.