It's really not as stupid as it sounds - but you still probably won't want to buy one.
When I heard word Nintendo were due to release a version of their popular 3DS console that didn't have 3D, I thought I was just hearing crazy rumours and it couldn't possibly be real. Yet that's exactly what Nintendo chose to reveal this 29th of September. "Why release a version of a console whose whole gimmick is a glasses-less 3D experience; and remove the 3D? Are they MAD?!?" But then when I thought about it, I realised actually, it makes sense after all - for a certain market, that is.
The Nintendo 2DS is, like the name implies, a new alternative to the 3DS which forgoes the 3D effect. It's functionally equivalent to the 3DS and plays both 3DS and DS games, so it's wrong to call it a "new" handheld console - like the Wii had the Wii Mini, this is effectively a trimmed-down redesign of the original concept. For the first time since the original DS in 2006, the new Nintendo 3DS foregoes a clamshell design and goes back to being a single, solid surface not unlike a tablet computer. Rumours suggest that to save costs, the dual screens that define the "DS" part of the entire line are in this console a single touchscreen, with the output of both screens carefully positioned onto separate segments. The plastic bevel hides the unused screen areas giving the illusion of two screens; while also disabling touch for the upper section as only the bottom screen of a DS/3DS has ever supported touch. Other changes include: L and R buttons with a more rounded profile so they can be easily reached (given your hands will have further to stretch); a Sleep switch on the bottom right replacing "closing the lid" on the previous handhelds; and the controls repositioned to the centre of both sides where the screens separate - a change that, unfortunately, has led to the removal of the right speaker from the console, though Stereo output is still possible via headphones.
So, it's a bulky, flat device with less speakers and reduced portability. Why would you ever want that?
I'll give you the one reason the 2DS makes sense: Kids playing 3D games. Until now, Nintendo has had real difficulty touting 3DS games and consoles to younger children, a market it has always excelled with before. This is because of the 3D effect itself. Due to the potential of eye strain from watching two images merged together (which is, in basic terms, how stereoscopic 3D works), children under 7 are not advised to use the 3DS with the 3D effect on, for their own health. The problem is, while parents can avoid buying games that use the 3D effect; or can switch it off with the slider on the console's side, the console's own built-in software uses the 3D effect and turning it back on is just a case of sliding the switch back up - so a younger child, who probably won't understand the health risk, can easily be exposed to the unsuitable 3D effect. Therefore, Nintendo can't target the console or its games to young children, closing it off from one of its best markets - parents buying games for kids. With a new handheld console, with the same features of the 3DS but without the 3D effect as a rule, Nintendo finally make this market their own once again.
Additionally, the lack of hinges on the 2DS, by making it a flat, single surface device, make it less fragile - and we all know how children are with electronics, always dropping them. (On the downside, as the device is permanently open, the screens are always exposed to damage - which Nintendo is resolving by proposing owners also purchase a carry case for the device or screen protectors.) The October 12, 2013 release date of the 2DS - the same day as Pokémon X and Y launches globally - cements the fact that this is a console for the younger children.
The clincher? You can get the new console for just £110 from many UK retailers - significantly less than any 3DS version currently available.
However, those older players like myself - who can take advantage of the 3D effect and which don't find it causing headaches for them - yet don't have a 3DS already, might just find the 2DS a bit of a hard sell. While it may support the same games; have the same two internal cameras; the same features; wireless capability and so on, the chunky, non-portable build and the stretch it will cause to press the L and R buttons may be a turn-off, as well as the single speaker; and 3D DOES help to improve the graphics and playability of a fair few titles.
Unless you're money-conscious, a young child, or concerned about the 3D effect, the Nintendo 2DS is probably best avoided. But if you ARE any of those, you now have an option. And THAT is where the logical insanity of Nintendo makes sense. You're always welcome at the Sanitarium, Nintendo
