Nintendo is no stranger to coming out with different versions of its handhelds. For starters, there was the Game Boy, Game Boy Pocket, and the Game Boy Color. With the DS, you had the original, the DS Lite, and eventually the DSi. The 3DS is no stranger either, as there is an original and the XL version, with bigger screens at a bigger price. If you’re a bit more budget conscious and yet want something to play 3DS games, then you might want to get Nintendo’s new version of the 3DS, the 2DS.
What makes the 2DS different from its bigger brothers? Well as you can probably tell from the name, it doesn’t feature the 3D capabilities that made the 3DS famous. It’s also forsaking the clamshell style of its predecessors, instead going for a solid “slate-type form factor” as seen in older Nintendo handhelds. It’s a bit cheaper than the 3DS and 3DS XL, though, as it’s going to be sold for $130, and yet it can still play all DS and 3DS games. Just because it forsakes 3D, doesn’t mean that those games won’t work.
The 2DS is set to be released on October 12th. It’s set to come in both red and blue, and if you want to take a look at it before buying it for yourself or your kids you can look at www.nintendo.com to see if there’s a Simon Mall near you that will be part of a sampling tour for the 2DS. It’ll be interesting to see if this budget 3DS catches on this holiday season.