If you have kids who play games, chances are you may be a fan of the 2DS. Packing all the functionality of a 3DS (including the ability to play 3DS games) into a shell that ditched the hinge, and came in a chunkier form factor, perfect for small hands, the kids we tried it with loved it - and many of you did too. But how can you make a great console for little ones even cooler? How about by making it transparent.
Nintendo have announced that their flagship child-friendly handheld will soon be coming in two new, see-through flavours - the cunningly named Transparent Red and Transparent Blue. Set for European release on 7th November, the two consoles will come with a translucent design, letting you peer through to the internal workings from both the front and back. Forget being aimed at kids - these are so cool, we want to have one too.
Pretty funky, right?
Of course, the choice of red and blue was no coincidence, as the 2DS' have been coloured coded to coincide with Nintendo's other big November releases: Pokémon Omega Ruby and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire. Both games are a fresh take on Pokémon Ruby and Pokémon Sapphire, the "third generation" of Pokemon adventures, which were released over a decade ago on the Gameboy Advance in 2003 (as members of the Red, Blue and Yellow generation, this certainly makes us feel old!). Given an overhaul for today's handhelds, with fancier graphics, new wireless features, and the return of the ever popular secret bases, you can find more news about the remakes here.
But if a two month gap's just too long to wait to get your hands on the new Pokemon games, there's good news here too, as, in an unprecedented move, Nintendo have also announced a special, downloadable demo version of the game that will be available as of the 15th October. The first ever demo of a Pokemon game, not only will the downloadable demo feature unique gameplay and a self-contained storyline that won't be available in the full game - so you won't spoil anything for yourself by playing through the demo - players will also have the chance to "Mega Evolve" a Pokémon, which can then be transferred across when the full games launch at the end of November. The codes for the special demo version will be available in the UK from retailers including GAME, Amazon, Smyth Toys, ShopTo and the Nintendo UK Official Store, along with a number of other retail partners - so keep your browsers pointed to Everybody Plays for more details about how you actually go about getting your hands on it!
Available both as sole consoles on the 7th, or in a bundle with Pokemon Omega Ruby or Alpha Sapphire (for the red and blue consoles respectively), as of the 28th, there are four flavours available:
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Nintendo 2DS Transparent Red + 4GB memory card + charger.
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Nintendo 2DS Transparent Blue + 4GB memory card + charger
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Nintendo 2DS Transparent Red + Pokémon Omega Ruby : a Nintendo 2DS Transparent Red system and a copy of Pokémon Omega Ruby pre-installed on a 4GB memory card + charger.
- Nintendo 2DS Transparent Blue + Pokémon Alpha Sapphire: a Nintendo 2DS Transparent Blue system and a copy of Pokémon Alpha Sapphire pre-installed on a 4GB memory card + charger.
Oddly enough, while the solus pack doesn't seem to be available to pre-order anywhere, you can reserve the Pokemon bundles for the not too shabby price of £123.21 (at the time of writing) from Amazon. You can place a pre-order for the 2DS Transparent Blue + Pokemon Omega Ruby pack here, or the 2DS Transparent Red + Pokemon Alpha Sapphire pack for the same price here.
With just a few weeks to go until the big launch, whether to buy a transparent 2DS isn't the only big choice Pokemon fans will have to make. The bigger question is: will you be joining Team Magma (Pokémon Omega Ruby) or Team Aqua (Pokémon Alpha Sapphire)?
