What consumers get in return, however, is a much lower price tag of $149.99. Nintendo official website Nintendo, one of the largest video game companies in the world, is treating its fans and gamers to a really good year. Nintendo officially unveiled the 2DS on August 28, 2013 via a press release; members of the press were given a chance to demo the device in private prior to the announcement. List of New Nintendo 2DS XL/LL special editions Name Release date Japan North America … Some critics also felt that the lack of 3D support was an admission by Nintendo that the concept was a gimmick; however, Nintendo has since stated that autostereoscopic 3D would remain a part of their future plans. [40] During the third quarter of 2013, video game retailer GameStop reported that worldwide hardware sales grew by 15.3%, mainly due to strong Nintendo 2DS and 3DS sales. Gadgets However, the 2DS's design was praised by some critics for being more robust and comfortable to hold than the 3DS, especially for its target market. The Telegraph noted that the lack of hinges in the console improved its robustness, and that rounding out the footprint makes it an ideal handheld for children. [31], Calling it a "smart move" to redesign the Nintendo 3DS so as to lower costs, Wired felt that the 2DS might enable Nintendo to sell the console at a significantly lower price with a significantly higher profit margin. Compared to the 3DS XL, Nintendo's new handheld comes with a slimmer, lighter form factor but retains the same large screen.

With the release of the 2DS, Nintendo of America began to phase out the original 3DS, leaving the 2DS and 3DS XL as the only models still actively sold in North America as of its release. The New 2DS XL as promoted by Nintendo.

[21], The Nintendo 2DS's hardware specifications are almost identical to those of the Nintendo 3DS; retaining features such as its GPU, CPU and memory, along with compatibility with games designed for the Nintendo DS and Nintendo 3DS. In fact, some recent games, such as , has eschewed the 3D functionality entirely, meaning that you’re getting exactly the same experience whether you play it on a 3DS or 2DS. [8][9][10], With the 2DS, the company aimed to produce a device that would be "new, unique, different, and [bring] more people into this category that we love." The New Nintendo 2DS XL, in the same way as the original 2DS, will be able to play the entire 3DS games catalogue, despite lacking the 3D functionality of the original handheld.

[7] According to Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé, the Nintendo 2DS is primarily aimed at a younger demographic than the Nintendo 3DS — particularly, those younger than 7 years old; whom Nintendo had advised not to use the 3D features on the 3DS due to potential eye health concerns. All of Nintendo’s Virtual Console offerings for NES, Game Boy, Game Gear, and SNES are on there, and the 3DS has other gems like Sega’s arcade-perfect 3D Classics.

Additionally, the Nintendo 2DS XL will be compatible with the large catalog of games already available for the 3DS XL as well as for the 3DS and DS. As its name implies, the New Nintendo 2DS XL strips out the 3D display found in the 3DS’s that have preceded it, but will nevertheless be able to play all of the same games as the previous consoles, albeit in 2D. It looks like Nintendo’s shaved down the line of Nintendo 3DS systems to just the New Nintendo 3DS XL, the New Nintendo 2DS XL, and the Nintendo 2DS. [7] GamesIndustry also described the controls as considerably more comfortable than that of its predecessors. Recent releases have included Super Mario Maker for the 3DS, and last year’s best-selling Pokémon Sun and Moon.