When I first saw the above picture, I actually thought it was a joke. But no, Nintendo has officially announced their newest handheld system, The 2DS. Set to be released on October 12th, the 2DS will run $129.99 and features a flat tablet like design rather than the clamshell look that the DS and 3DS sport.
The 2DS will be compatible with all 3DS and DS games but will not feature the 3D mode. However, much like the 3DS, it will include WiFi (which can be turned off via controls in the software) and local multiplayer. It will also feature the ability to be put to sleep using the slider similar to the 3DS. It uses the same power source as a 3DS and DSi. It will have two cameras on the back side, so AR games still function and players can still take 3D photos though they will not be displayed on the 2DS. The 2DS only includes one speaker, which plays mono sound, but features full stereo via its headphone jack.
“Imagine a standard 3DS laid all the way flat, and with the depth slider all the way down,” Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime explained to IGN. “Everything else is there in the system.”
The new system will launch in red and blue models and will include a 4GB SD card. According to Fils-Aime, the idea for the 2DS came from wanting to appeal to younger consumers, as the standard 3DS is aimed at players age seven and up.
“We’re always thinking about what we can do that’s new, unique, different, and brings more people into this category that we love,” Fils-Aime said. “And so with the Nintendo 3DS, we were clear to parents that, ‘hey, we recommend that your children be seven and older to utilize this device.’ So clearly that creates an opportunity for five-year-olds, six-year-olds, that first-time handheld gaming consumer.”
He also added,
“We’ve always been thinking about, ‘how do we approach that as one target?'” he continued. “And that certainly helped spur the idea of the Nintendo 2DS. Let’s have the consumer have access to all of these great games – Mario Kart 7, Animal Crossing – but do it in a 2D capability with a device that has a dramatically lower price point. That’s just an example of how we’re always thinking about, ‘how do we get more people playing games? How do we get more people playing Nintendo games?’”
You can watch a video for the 2DS courtesy of IGN below:
