The mouthful that is the New Nintendo 2DS XL, will be released on July 28 for $149.99.
If you've been waiting to get into the 3DS/2DS scene, now might be the time!
This is the first new product in the 3DS family since 2014/2015's release of the New Nintento 3DS and the XL version. The NN2DSXL (which is totally not an official initialization, but I'm going to make it a thing) comes on the heels of the Switch launch, the news of the NES Classic being canceled, and rumors of the SNES Classic coming later in the year.
If you've been waiting to get into the 3DS/2DS scene, now might be the time!
This is the first new product in the 3DS family since 2014/2015's release of the New Nintento 3DS and the XL version. The NN2DSXL (which is totally not an official initialization, but I'm going to make it a thing) comes on the heels of the Switch launch, the news of the NES Classic being canceled, and rumors of the SNES Classic coming later in the year.
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Yeah I saw this and think this is a good idea. The catalog of the DS/3DS is huge and this isn't a very powerful system so I imagine it can be made for cheap. I've been happy with my New 3DS and think the 3D is cool but isn't a deal breaker. I like the look of this new system too. The blue buttons are sharp.
So much for Nintendo merging handheld and console. Also, this is a ridiculous piece of marketing voodoo. The original DS had a hinge, and since this new machine isn't flat (which is what made the 2DS 2D...) why not just call this a DS XL? Nintendo, be more like Apple and less like Microsoft!
What made the 2DS 2D was the fact that it lacked 3D capability. But then that also made it sound like a previous version. DS -> 2DS -> 3DS.
So then you have the DS, DS Lite, DSi, 3DS, and 2DS. Plus the NEW 3DS and now the New 2DS. And the XL variants of some but not all of the 3DS generation. I pity parents who know nothing about which ones are newest.
Honestly, Nintendo's whole naming game is weird.
As for Nintendo merging handheld and console, that's still not out of the question. It's not super-common but it's not UNcommon for a final revision of a last-gen system to come out after the release of the next one. I imagine this is the last of the *DS line released for people who want to play the whole shebang of older games without shelling out a full $200 for the New 3DS XL.
Nintendo really needs to work on their naming conventions.
I think the 2DS was called that because it lacked the 3D feature, not because the unit itself was flat. It could play all the 3DS games just without the 3D effect. This is the 2D version of the New Nintendo 3DS.
Does that help clear things up? :P
I think Nintendo is hedging their bets by still not confirming a merge of handhold and console. They did a similar thing when the DS was released. They called it the third pillar, with the other two being the gameboy and the console of the time, but they were quick to kill off the gameboy when the DS did well from a sales standpoint.
The DS was 2D, which came first. The 3DS added 3D, thus the naming distinction. The 2DS is a DS with no hinge, the board itself being "two dimensional", if you will. They should have added a suffix instead, like they did with the DSi, instead of a redundant prefix, especially since they are going back to the old form factor (but not so old that it requires marketing reinvention). As you say, pity the parents. /endpettyrant (sorry!!)
The last half of that rant was meant to reference the new naming of the 2DS XL. Sorry if that wasn't clear. I'm typing on my phone and I only see a few lines and forget to scroll back before posting sometime 😬.
> The 2DS is a DS with no hinge
The 2DS is way more than that. A DS with no hinges would only be able to play DS games. This can play the 3DS series too.
The 3DS is a new handheld platform altogether with much better processor/ram/graphics. The 2DS just removed that 3D capability to make it cheaper. You can't play 3DS game on a DS, but you can on a 2DS.
Compare that to the DSi, for which there are only five games that are DSi exclusive. That was just a minor hardware iteration last gen. The 2DS whether it has a hinge or not is still firmly in this generation. Calling it the DS XL or something else that just adds a suffix to 'DS' would imply that it can't play 3DS/2DS games.
The fact that it has no hinges didn't factor into the naming I don't think. I could be totally wrong but all the marketing I saw was just about it playing 3DS games in 2D. And if the naming *was* in part because of the form factor, that's just kinda weird marketing on their part.
The 2DS was marketed for a younger audience since the 3D tech was apparently bad for kids' eyes. The removal of the hinges was because kids break those.
None of that helps the confusing naming choices though. I think the best choice would have been to call the 3DS something that didn't have "DS" in it.
But at this point people expect a 3DS that only plays in 2D to be called a 2DS and calling it something else would be even worse.
You're right about the compatibility of the 2DS. I guess I was thinking primarily of the concept (the DS already played 2D games), and the idea of going backwards (or in circles) to go forwards. Nintendo has a good thing with their handheld systems. Adding distracting titles to the naming of them is my biggest issue. I appreciate the consistency of Sony's PlayStation iterations, or Apple's mostly consistent iMac line and OS naming convention. Is it true that Nintendo has two 3DS XL systems on the market? Maybe Nintendo doesn't see the confusion, only the idea of "options." To them it doesn't matter as much, as long as people buy something.
There's the 3DS XL which is no longer in production, and the New 3DS XL.
Yes really. Adding 'New' to the title of something is not a good way to distinguish them since it's an adjective used to describe anything new.
Just look at what happened to New Coke. :)