The 12th October. It's a special day for Nintendo fans everywhere with the release of the one game that's going to shift 3DSs like no other - a new Pokemon game. Seemingly, Nintendo are well aware of the number of fans waiting in the wings, ready to take the plunge on their newest handheld, copy of Pokemon X and Y in hand. But Pokemon isn't the only thing about to burst into our lives come the second Saturday of October, as Nintendo are planning to introduce the newest addition to the 3DS family as well...
Ta-da?
Meet the 2DS. Intended as a budget entry-level version of the 3DS that removes the much-vaunted 3D features from the top-screen, the 2DS cuts around about $40 off the price of the console, taking it from $169.99 down to $129.99 on the other side of the pond, or £109.99 in real money. All the other features of the 2DS are identical to the 3DS - you can still play all your old DS games as well as all the new 3DS titles, you can still download new stuff from the built-in shop and you can still StreetPass with people you walk by - assuming you can fit it in your bag, that is. And you will need a bag, as there's no way that beast will fit in your pocket.
Apparently designed with kids (and their little fingers) in mind, the console's chunkier design makes it much easier to hold, whilst its solid tablet-like shape means there's no hinges to break either. While we may lament the loss of the ability to fold it up and slip it easily in your pocket with the screen out of harms way, for children it could be a plus as there's no danger of them shutting it too hard or shattering the hinge by dropping it on the kitchen floor - although we can't help thinking those 2DS screens do look rather vulnerable being out in the open like that. On the plus side, as the screen no longer has the fancy pop-out 3D effect that gave the 3DS its name, you won't have to worry about adjusting the Parental Controls if you don't want your children seeing 3D images (as the 3D feature isn't recommended for kids under 7) either. And cheaper is always a plus too.
What's perhaps a tad more worrying is how this may end up causing a new wave of confusion in the shops when it comes to figuring out which consoles work with which games. One of the reasons consumers were a bit slow on the uptake of the original 3DS was that Nintendo hadn't really done enough to differentiate the device from it's predecessor, the humble DS. Having been through the DS, the DS Lite, the DSi and the DSi XL since the console's launch in 2006 it was hardly surprising that customers simply thought the 3DS was yet another slight upgrade - essentially a DS but with a 3D screen, rather than a whole "new generation". Pitching the new device as a 2DS may only end up confusing things even further, as it sounds like a half-way house between the DS and the 3DS - something not helped by the fact it doesn't really look like either. It's fairly obvious now that a 3DS plays 3DS games, but with a different number stuck on the front of the console, things could get very confusing on the shelves this Christmas if the messaging isn't clear. After all, if Nintendo have had to stick stickers on boxes to say that the game "Also works on 3DS XL", will they have to redesign them again to point out it'll work on the 2DS?
In all, we're somewhat on the fence about this. Although the idea of a cheaper, tougher 3DS that'll appeal to children makes sense, the new design does leave those screens looking rather vulnerable - especially when you consider the console is intended to be taken out and about. That said, a lack of hinges is definitely a good thing when it comes to little ones, who tend to be a bit on the rough side. How big a hit the new redesign will be we shall see in the coming months, as the machine hits stores on the 12th October:
