Oh, Nintendo. How you’ve warmed the hearts of many throughout the years, bringing nothing but classics over and over. Following the ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’ motto, that has been their staple and they haven’t changed. We are now approaching the next generation of gaming. With the Playstation 4 and Xbox One looming in the distance you have to wonder how far behind Nintendo is. What are they doing to try to catch up?
When the Nintendo Wii U first launched, they finally made it almost on par with an Xbox 360 in terms of power and graphic capability. The sad part is it’s not being utilized. Since Nintendo is so huge w
hy can’t they utilize something to combat the new consoles? Well because Mario sells. That’s all that’s really needed to keep them in a comfortable zone. I personally am saddened by the lack of creativity Nintendo has shown. As of right now, they could be so much more.
Their biggest selling items are their handhelds. Recently, Sony just dropped the price of the Playstation Vita from $250 to $199, an extra fifty dollars off to land it right beside Nintendo’s 3DS XL. I feel that the price drop almost sent Nintendo into a price drop frenzy. Maybe they realized that they needed to or maybe they knew about the Sony price drop? Who knows, but now we have a new handheld abomination.
Everyone welcome the Nitendo 2DS!
For all those people that complained about the 3D (you could turn it off you know), we’re now going to manufacture this hideous system that still plays your 3DS and DS games, but with no 3D! This is going on sale October 12th, the same day Pokemon X and Y release. It will come in Red and Blue. Here is what Reggie Fils-Aime had to say about the 2DS:
“We expect consumers to use it just the way they use a current 3DS. And, really, from a target standpoint, this is designed for that entry-level gamer. For a family of four with two kids, when you’re looking at spending either $169.99 or $199.99 for two this holiday, now you’ve got a more affordable choice with Nintendo 2DS.”
Well said. I can see how this would be good for families. In this day and age spending close to two hundred dollars on a handheld can hit the bank pretty hard. So for those entry-level gamers and families this would be perfect. It seems they are targeting this directly towards families and small children. The 3D has been known to give headaches. So this newer, cheaper, 3D-less handheld is perfect for your little brother or sister.
Why not then, Nintendo, do you just cut your price on a regular 3DS? Do you feel that we’re not intelligent enough to turn the 3D off of our systems? There is that option on the side of the screen to alter the levels of 3D and to turn it off entirely. Why do we need another handheld for this? The fact that it looks cheap and almost like a black market knockoff doesn’t help either.
I personally rarely use the 3D on my 3DS XL. I turn it on when a cool cut scene comes up or I can tell the next part of the game would look great in 3D. This 2DS movement is just horrible. Nintendo is losing the hardcore gaming market fast. Maybe the families and little kids will keep them afloat. But they have to throw us hardcore gamers a bone here and there.
There are many things you can and can not do with a 2DS. You can take pictures with both cameras in 3D! All you have to do is transfer those pictures to a 3DS to view them. This system is what Reggie called a ‘slate’ design, no folding or closing necessary. That way both your screens and buttons are always exposed to any drops, scratches, and spills that occur on it. At least with a 3DS or a Gameboy Advanced SP you could close them to help protect them. Have you seen the tops of Gameboy Advanced SP’s or Nintendo DS’s? They are scratched and faded! That’s what your 2DS will look like down the road.
Just shortly after the announcement of the 2DS several more Nintendo announcements arise. The Wii U has price dropped fifty dollars! I’ll be sure to hop on that deal. (sarcasm)
