Nintendo 2DS: Pros And Cons Of The Latest Portable Device
The Nintendo 2DS was revealed yesterday to a lot of backlash as gamers everywhere asked them why they would waste their time “rehashing” the portable device.
The truth is that there are good and bad changes this time around. If you really look into what changed, it’s a mixed bag but mostly a good thing.
Among the negative backlash were gamers claiming that it was a bit late, or early depending on how you look at it, for an April Fools’ joke. One Twitter user, Justin McElroy, joked about a hypothetical ad with a kid complaining to his mom about how the 3DS accidentally dropped into his pocket again, followed by the 2DS logo.
First off, it’s no April Fools’ joke. Nintendo’s 2DS is a simplified touchscreen tablet with a piece of plastic dividing parts of the screen, and it was meant for kids at a retail price that may be around $100, much like the ill-fated Android powered Ouya. At that price, Nintendo could easily see a boom in sales over the Holiday season as kids everywhere, and possibly a few lucky spouses and relatives, get the revamped non-folding version of the 3DS.
Yes, the Nintendo 2DS is basically the 3DS, just smaller and flat without the 3D effects of its bigger brother. The lack of the 3D display could be enough to convince gamers that the value pricing is worth it, as the effect required looking at it from just the right angle to even be visually effective, and most gamers usually switched it off anyway. In general, the 3D effect of the 3DS was a waste of technology if the game didn’t require it.
True, the gaming console looks bigger and bulkier and can’t fold for travel like its predecessors. One could say the 2DS is a step backwards for Nintendo, going back to its pre-GameBoy Advance SP days with larger devices that didn’t fold into a pocket-sized case for easy travel, but would anyone complain about that when the console actually costs less than most smartphones?
Some of the more amusing Nintendo 2DS jabs we’ve spotted on Twitter today. http://t.co/qBJIoVApeO via @CNET #2DS #Nintendo2DS
— Leslie Katz (@lesatnews) August 28, 2013
The Nintendo 2DS could be a good move on their part, cutting costs as well as features that were hardly used anyway.
