As Jeff said on twitter, "think of the kids"
As another person said on twitter "I would much rather buy this cheaper one and give to a kid than one of the ones that have hinges on it like some fucking idiot"

But yeah, I would get this for my 3 year old sister that's for sure. Might as well spend this money on something

Nintendo is on the ropes trying to do anything to survive the Wii U. Quite hilarious.

@zeforgotten:

You could just give me the money instead if you're just throwing money around.

@jasonr86: Hahaaa, no.

I'm curious about the triggers as it seems like your fingers have to reach higher on the device to reach them, which is odd if the thing is designed for kids with lil' hands.

The prevailing theory is that it's intended for children, but the millions of children with DS and 3DS systems now seem to get on just fine.

The prevailing theory is that it's intended for children, but the millions of children with DS and 3DS systems now seem to get on just fine.

Should have been $99. It is still too close to the regular 3DS price. $99 is that sweet spot.

I can't see the 3d effect of the 3ds and I like longer battery life and sturdy devices. Also the 2d display is probably better then the 3d one in 2d mode, so I think I'm gonna buy this thing :) Keep making fun of the 2ds all day long, I like it.

IGN has stated that the 2DS actually uses one screen separated out by some black plastic. While I see the cost cutting ability behind this is there not potential for the sections under the plastic to be damaged and potentially "bleed" onto the actual screen? (im not sure how often this potentially happens nowadays but its happened to me a few times with some laptops).

The idea makes a whole lot of sense, I rarely ever use the 3d unless the game actually plays well with it like mario 3d land did its just a shame its so weirdly ugly looking but how else could they have made 2 screens on top of each other not look so bad while aiming for a fixed tablet style design.

The 2DS is a great device for people like myself, who are stereoblind and don't want to pay for a feature they literally cannot use (i.e. 3D). Straight-up this is the only way I'd buy a "3DS" and the games made for it.

I was on board with this thing until I realized that it doesn't fold up. Goddamn, what a stupid decision. I would totally get this if it wasn't so hideous and cumbersome. I don't really care about the 3D on the 3DS, it actually kind of hurt my eyes to couple of times I've used one. Maybe I'll just keep on waiting for them to get super cheap.

Looks aside (and damn it is fugly), this is a marketing disaster waiting to happen. You sell a 2DS, but you have to communicate that it plays 3DS games. I really thought they would have learned from the Wii U naming fiasco.

@supamon said:

It would look a little like this

The idea of a cheap thing that plays 3DS games is cool, but that thing looks like crap.

I wouldn't get one of these unless I was a kid. Seems smart to me though, hinges are the first thing to break.

@isomeri said:

For some reason this move reminds me of the GameBoy Micro. It's a smart move for Nintendo to put this out well ahead of the holiday season so that parents who can't afford to buy a next-gen system for their children can buy one of these instead. And I bet that cutting out the 3D screen and hinges has drastically cut down on the manufacturing costs.

not to mention reduces the chance of mechanical failure which has plagued the 3ds and allows for parents to buy a system for younger gamers, the lack of 3D makes it a viable system for the under 6 and children whose parents worry about the 3D effecting their eyes.

Well, I think whoever designed this thing was probably blindfolded, but I like the idea. If this is Nintendo acknowledging the the 3D isn't exactly necessary for most games, the next step Nintendo letting us play 3DS games on the WiiU. I'd actually buy one if that were the case, there are plenty of 3DS games I'd like to play, but I really don't care for playing handheld games at home.

This reminds me of that segment of the Bombcast where someone from Japan sent an email about how games are played over there and how the 3DS market is composed almost exclusively of young children. This 2DS seems like it fits that mould.

I just checked: it definitely isn't the first of April.

I am utterly amazed this piece of shit isn't $99, the 3DS screens were never that good and now that the 3D is gone and the construction clearly costs less, why is it still over $100?

People must be really desperate to save the money if they choose this over an original 3DS.

I am interested in this. The 3DS XL costs much more and doesn't come with a charger (such a stupid decision) so that adds even more money to the cost. But I hate the design.

I like the design and will be picking one up as a Pocket Monster machine tomorrow. It is nice to have this cheaper alternative.

i will probably get one for $99 during the holidays.

Just a bit of personal experience, this thing is not friendly with big hands.

Luckily I have a 3DS, even if I didn't I wouldn't get a 2DS because it's ugly and pointless.

@dagas: Not sure what you're referring to but the 3DS XL does come with a charger. It's not the cradle charger that's with the original 3DS but it's a charger nonetheless.

I am quite interested in the 2DS. The 3D is not something that I really care, and I don't dislike the design of the 2DS. Since I also don't have a 3DS this would be a cheaper way to play those games. Only problem is the comfort you have if, like me, you have big hands (the DS lite, which I own and play, is not very good in my experience). Waiting for some more reviews before taking a decision.

They should've released this on April Fools' Day. Everyone would've been fooled. Nobody would've believed it was real.

Say what you want about the design but after comparing the 2DS and a 3DS XL at a best buy and the screens look wayyy better on the 2DS. Because it's actually one screen technically the screen warmth is the same on both sides where as the 3ds xl looks off because one screen will have a different temperature than the other. Doesn't help that they use cheap reused smart phone screens on the 3ds xl.