[Androgeos Exeunt]

Looks like Nintendo has a new product on the line.

From the video, the 2DS can:

• Play Nintendo 3DS games in 2D
• Play many Nintendo DS games

A quick look at IGN's article also reveals that the 2DS is supposedly an entry-level product and has all the functionality of the 3DS, except the ones listed below.

It's established that the 2DS cannot:

• Run Nintendo 3DS games in 3D
• Reduce its surface area

This feels like a placebo product. The 3DS can play some Nintendo DS games and it has a switch for the 3D function. Its clamshell design also means that it takes up less surface area when you close it.

A commenter on YouTube brought up an interesting point about the 2DS being designed primarily for kids because it has no hinges that can break, but the video shows adults using 2DSes as well. On Nintendo's website, they mention that it's cheaper than a 3DS, but that seems a bit of a stretch considering the US$40 difference. This makes the 2DS US$30 more expensive than a DSi, which seems capable of doing everything the 2DS can do except play Nintendo 3DS games.

The 2DS also looks terrible. Its slate design made me think of shovelheads when I first saw it (hence the thread title), and in the video, it looks massive when the boy is playing with it.

This Wired article seems to view things from a different perspective.

When 3DS stumbled out of the gate, Nintendo responded by swiftly slashing its price from $250 to $170 — exactly where it sits today. I have no special knowledge of the cost of goods of the 3DS and the 2DS, but I would not be surprised if the custom 3-D screen means that Nintendo is not making a whole lot of money on 3DS, and that the redesign of the 2DS not only lets Nintendo sell it at a significantly lower price but at a significantly higher margin as well. I can see 2DS getting under the magical $99.99 price barrier by next Christmas.

2DS is also, of course, the death of glasses-free 3-D as a fundamental feature of the 3DS platform. Now it’s more of an extra bonus for buying the more expensive versions. But it’s easy to imagine that if Nintendo had a time machine it would go back and take the 3-D display out of the thing to begin with. Mostly it seems to have increased the cost of 3DS with little benefit.

EDITS: Added link to Wired.com article; shifted Wired.com quote to bottom of post; more rage over the 2DS's appearance.

[Hobbie]

Yeah, found out about this earlier today.

The design is shocking. The purpose is shocking. The price is shocking. It's a portable system that isn't nearly as portable as everything else on the market. Why would you get this over a 3DS?

[Androgeos Exeunt]

I'm quite sure the market is already incredibly saturated with all the various incarnations of the Nintendo DS by now. Apart from Nintendo fans, most people who aren't anti-Nintendo should already have either a Nintendo DS, DS Lite, DSi, 3DS or the XL variants. Who else would buy it?

[swashmebuckle]

Not super surprising that they're trying to hook kids on the latest Pokemon stuff as early as possible. The handheld market seems super vulnerable to a decently supported and marketed Android phone with quality physical controls, so going niche like this and getting to the kids before they figure out emulators might turn out to be a really clever move.

[Mongoose]

Honestly I think looking at this in terms of the usual gamer audience is dead wrong.  It's definitely intended for younger children (especially because of the concerns with that age group and the 3D technology at use), so it's the sort of thing that can be tossed in a backpack without having to worry about it.  Besides that, I can't think of a time when I've actually carried one of my "portable" Nintendo systems in any sort of portable sense.

I'm quite sure the market is already incredibly saturated with all the various incarnations of the Nintendo DS by now. Apart from Nintendo fans, most people who aren't anti-Nintendo should already have either a Nintendo DS, DS Lite, DSi, 3DS or the XL variants. Who else would buy it?

The DS and 3DS are two separate generations of hardware, so this would be intended for people who don't have the latter.

[Androgeos Exeunt]

It's definitely intended for younger children (especially because of the concerns with that age group and the 3D technology at use), so it's the sort of thing that can be tossed in a backpack without having to worry about it.  Besides that, I can't think of a time when I've actually carried one of my "portable" Nintendo systems in any sort of portable sense.

The Game Boy was also quite like this back in my primary school days, actually. Those among us who had Game Boys would just chuck or even stuff them into our backpacks with absolutely no protective covers whatsoever.

The 2DS is considerably wider, slightly shorter and somewhat thinner than a Game Boy, so it'll be interesting to see how this plays out.

I'm quite sure the market is already incredibly saturated with all the various incarnations of the Nintendo DS by now. Apart from Nintendo fans, most people who aren't anti-Nintendo should already have either a Nintendo DS, DS Lite, DSi, 3DS or the XL variants. Who else would buy it?

The DS and 3DS are two separate generations of hardware, so this would be intended for people who don't have the latter.

The one thing I still cannot really understand after so many years is the difference between the DS and the 3DS. To me, the 3DS is essentially the same thing as the DSi, except that it plays games in 3D and can run carts that the DSi can't.

Something interesting to note about the whole 3D thing while I was looking up the Nintendo 3DS article on Wikipedia: if it's true that the 2DS was really conceived due to a disappointing profit margin with the 3DS, this would be the fifth time Nintendo has tried and failed to integrate 3D technology into their consoles and capitalise on it.

[Ghostavo]

It seems that the 2DS has a single screen that's just split by the plastic shell. Odd arrangement when you could just remove the shell and have a single larger screen.

[Mongoose]

The one thing I still cannot really understand after so many years is the difference between the DS and the 3DS. To me, the 3DS is essentially the same thing as the DSi, except that it plays games in 3D and can run carts that the DSi can't.

Like I said, the DS and 3DS represent two entirely different console generations, like the Game Boy and Game Boy Advance, or the Wii and Wii U.  3D aside, the 3DS is substantially more powerful than the DS is, and has other additional features that the DS didn't.  The fact that the 3DS maintains backwards compatibility with DS titles doesn't change that, any more than the PS2 being able to play PS1 games did.

[Phantom Hoover]

Nintendo have not helped the situation with their incremental naming scheme.

[Scotty]

It seems that the 2DS has a single screen that's just split by the plastic shell. Odd arrangement when you could just remove the shell and have a single larger screen.

This is an artifact of the DS having only one touch screen.  The other is non-touch, and I'm assuming a distinction between the two is necessary.

[Androgeos Exeunt]

Nintendo have not helped the situation with their incremental naming scheme.

You know, I was wondering if they would ever release a 3DSi, but that would be silly.

This is an artifact of the DS having only one touch screen.  The other is non-touch, and I'm assuming a distinction between the two is necessary.

Most DS games, I think, are also designed with that buffer space between the two screens in mind, especially during minor but still noticeable aspects such as cutscenes. If you joined both screens together, the results could be quite jarring.