On Aug 28, Nintendo announced their latest, greatest, and newest gaming system to the Nintendo family. The Nintendo 2DS…!
Great. Before anyone asks, this is a REAL thing.
As you may have guessed from the name of this product, Nintendo has completely taken out the 3D function of their prior system, the Nintendo 3DS. They have also taken out the famous clamshell frame of DS systems, and instead built it to have a flat, thick, rigid exterior, similar to a fat-version of a Gameboy. The 2DS will be able to play 3DS games (without the 3D function) and regular DS games, (though it should be noted that the 3DS can do that as well)
So now you may be wondering why Nintendo took this puzzling step backward. Why take out the 3D function of their old system, which gave it a unique difference to other systems? Why take out the famous clamshell frame, when it was famous for it’s safety, and portability? Why do all this when a regular 3DS has all the functions of the 2DS and more? Why do all this? Well the answer lies in marketing.
According to Nintendo, the “new” Nintendo 2DS will be approximately $130, about $40 cheaper than the latest 3DS. This is due to Nintendo taking out the 3DS function and the clamshell exterior from the 3DS to present the latest, cheaper alternative 2DS. Therefore with this move, Nintendo MIGHT be able to benefit. If a person is not really interested in the latest 3D technology, or dislike’s it, they no longer have to use that function, and can instead get a cheaper alternative that does everything else that a 3DS can. Maybe even with a better backwards capability system. Therefore, if you’re the type of person that doesn’t like the 3D function of the 3DS, the 2DS might look like a better choice.
If you want to get the 2DS, it comes out Oct 12th, which is also the same day that Pokemon X and Y are released. On that day we can see for ourselves whether or not people reply to the Nintendo 2DS as, “Great! I want one,” or “Get that thing out of my face.” I would personally shove away the guy that’s trying to sell it to me, as although the marketing scheme for this system seems fair, it only represents to me a system made by a company out of ideas. I just hope that Nintendo comes up with something better in the coming years.
As a personal note, to Nintendo; please show me in the near future, that the 2DS was just a simple marketing scheme, and that you have something better hidden in your corporate curtains. With upcoming next-gen consoles such as the X-Box One, and the PS4 on the rise, innovation is an even more important factor. I’ve loved your systems in the past, and will always be a fan of your staple game series.  Sincerely, a Nintendo fan.
Thanks for Reading!
http://www.nintendo.com/3ds/new/
http://kotaku.com/introducing-the-nintendo-2ds-no-thats-not-a-typo-1214807721
Picture:
http://media.heavy.com/media/2013/08/Handheld.jpg
