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Nintendo Announces 2DS Handheld — Plays 3DS Games In 2-D

Posted by Soulskill on from the hook-them-while-they're-young dept.

Today Nintendo announced a new handheld gaming console called the 2DS. It will play all games from the DS and the 3DS, but games from the latter will be shown in 2-D (essentially as if the 3DS's depth slider was turned all the way down). The 2DS abandons the clamshell design of the earlier handhelds; instead, the device is a slightly wedge-shaped tablet with two small LCD screens — thicker at the top and thinner at the bottom. "It's a design that seems calculated to reduce manufacturing costs and durability issues, but it also seems fated to make the system nearly impossible to fit inside most pants pockets. The buttons and controls that were on the bottom half of previous DS and 3DS systems are now shifted toward the top, so you can reach the shoulder buttons that now rest above the top screen. This means you grip the 2DS from the sides rather than supporting it from the bottom with the corners resting in palm of your hand, like previous DS models." Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime said the new console is target at younger children, as the 3DS is recommended for players age 7 and up. It's also cheaper than the other models at $130.

14 of 156 comments (clear)

  1. Numbering .. by jxander · · Score: 4, Funny

    So we have, chronologically, the original DS, then the 3DS, then the 2DS.

    Apparently Nintendo is taking a page from Microsoft's console numbering playbook.

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    1. Re:Numbering .. by puddingebola · · Score: 5, Funny

      It's a sequence. What is the next number in the sequence? 1,3,2... the correct answer is 4. From this we can deduce that Nintendo has a 4 dimensional game device in the works, and that it will require inter-dimensional space travel to play.

  2. Nintendo's taking a lot of flak for this... by barlevg · · Score: 4, Insightful

    ...but really it's no different than when Amazon started offering the Wi-Fi-only kindle: some people don't want the added feature, so Nintendo's giving them the option to get a device without it.

    No defending the shape, though.

    1. Re:Nintendo's taking a lot of flak for this... by barlevg · · Score: 4, Insightful

      All 3DS games are playable on the 2DS, so no, it doesn't limit content at all. It only limits how you can view it.

    2. Re:Nintendo's taking a lot of flak for this... by barlevg · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Again, all 3DS content will be playable on the 2DS. If you want to use the browser analogy, I guess the closest thing would be a browser that only displays in grayscale.

    3. Re:Nintendo's taking a lot of flak for this... by alen · · Score: 4, Insightful

      parents like myself don't want my kid playing in 3D so its not a feature loss

    4. Re:Nintendo's taking a lot of flak for this... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      parents like myself don't want my kid playing in 3D so its not a feature loss

      Can't tell if you're serious or not, but we live in a 3D reality, are you really worried 3D is going to hurt their vision?

      Yes, there are reports and warnings that forced 3D perspective has negative effects on eye development of young children. While there's also reports to the contrary, it's worth paying attention to (and doesn't appear to be just ignorant fear-mongering):

      A report, for example
      And a counter report

    5. Re:Nintendo's taking a lot of flak for this... by Dogtanian · · Score: 3, Interesting

      The nice thing about Nintendo portables for a long time has been the pocketability (depending on your definition of pocket). But the 2DS looks like a disaster. Squares don't fit in pockets nicely, especially not big squares.

      Well, there is the bulk- to me, there's also the fact that the flat design looks a bit naff aesthetically, but mainly that the inability to angle the second screen *looks* un-ergonomic (whether or not it is).

      But regarding those screens and the inability to fold the device, there is a very telling comment after the Ars Technica article (emphasis mine):-

      Actually, according to USgamer it is a single screen, masked by the case design:

      http://www.usgamer.net/articles/oh-so-t ... -next-move

      This explains the hingeless design. A single screen is cheaper and more power efficient than two screens with the same area. The case merely makes it look (and function) as if it had 2 screens.

      Regarding your other point:-

      The D pad and buttons are halfway up the machine, making the lower touch screen a real PITA to use

      I agree; I'm no gamer (though I own a DS Lite that I don't use often) and my first thought was that the buttons should have been a *quarter* of the way up (i.e. halfway up the lower screen as they would be on the original DSes and the 3DS).

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    6. Re:Nintendo's taking a lot of flak for this... by captjc · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Though, it really does help in some games. Sure, you can play Super Mario 3D Land in 2D, but due to the camera angle, you might easily misjudge some of the jumps and die.Same with Animal Crossing, 3D really helps on judging distance with bug catching.

      Is it necessary, no. Is it damn useful when properly done, definitely.

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  3. Less travel-durable by SeaFox · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Besides the larger flat design not being pocketable, the new 2DS is also missing a great feature of the clamshell design from the AdvanceSP, DS, etc... the screen and main control button protection a clamshell design gave you. Unless you were really picky about the outer casing getting any scratches it essentially was it's own protective case. Now we'll have to work about scratched screens again.

    1. Re:Less travel-durable by barlevg · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Depending on how scratch-resistant the new screens are, this might actually be a plus in terms of device longevity. My DS Lite is unplayable now due to a loose connector somewhere in the clamshell hinge that's caused the top screen to white out.

    2. Re:Less travel-durable by Somebody+Is+Using+My · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Furthermore, according to the article, this device is intended for the 4-6 crowd (whereas the 3DS is aimed at the 7 years plus gamers). It's larger shape may make it - somewhat non-intuitively - easier to hold (more area to grip) and the lack of a hinge adds some robustness to the design. The kid won't be carrying it around in their pockets; Mom and Dad will have it in their bag.

      I don't know if this is what Nintendo was thinking (or if I would agree with that logic) but it may explain the change.

      Plus, the unibody design is probably much cheaper to produce than the hinged clamshell of the original.

    3. Re:Less travel-durable by TheSpoom · · Score: 4, Informative

      I would check the DS Lite guides at iFixIt, they're pretty good. You'd probably want to follow their upper LCD replacement guide except you'd just reconnect the one you've already got (hopefully it really is a loose connection and not a dead screen).

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  4. But will the games cost 99 cents? by Lester67 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    That's the battle they have to win now.