So are we just not going to talk about this?Follow

I don't see the problem. It looks like a modestly priced handheld that plays current generation games and would be suitable for budget-minded people or those with kids. Within its niche, the lack of 3D could be a boon; people who feel that they're overplaying for gimmicks they don't want or parents uneasy about the effects of the 3D on their kids' eyes, headaches, etc. The idea behind it doesn't strike me as significantly different than the stripped down Xbox and PS3 models that get released for the budget conscious.

While the name seems a step back, it immediately conveys that you're not getting the 3D effect and I can't think of a better name that would sound more advanced and yet let you know right out of the box what its capabilities are. Doesn't Nintendo have a pretty tight grasp on game publication? I'd expect newer printings of cartridges would say 3DS/2DS or something similar. After all, people want to sell their cartridges to the widest available audience.

The lack of folding doesn't strike me as outrageous in a world where people regularly let their kids play on their tablets and smart phones. Maybe you should get ahead of the curve and design a sleeve for it with a flip top for protection, tablet style. I'll accept 5% of your pull for giving you the idea.

Edited, Aug 29th 2013 8:17am by Jophiel

It looks like a handheld I had in the 80s. Beyond that it's just a 3ds that doesn't play in 3d. Personally I don't really play my 3ds in 3d anyway.

Maybe. Although the Wii U suffered (I believe) because the name didn't suggest that it was a significant upgrade from the Wii. So people weren't excited by it since everyone and their duck owns a Wii these days and didn't know why they'd buy the same product twice.

The 2DS isn't an upgrade from the 3DS, it's a somewhat stripped down variant model of the same product. If you own a 3DS you wouldn't want one of these. But if you don't, this might entice you.

GodDAMMIT would they just friggin' put a right thumbstick on there by default already?

Also, I never use the 3D on my 3DS. If I didn't have one already, this might interest me, though I don't like the button positioning with relation to the screens, and not being able to fold it is annoying as well.

Edited, Aug 29th 2013 10:10am by Spoonless

I don't think it'll make a difference. They're marketing to parents with young children who will likely break the thing, so price point is the biggest factor.

It's a valid question.

And it has a stylus thingy, oh joy. That works well for the first day, until someone loses it under the couch and then it's back to using the fingers and stuff.

Off topic, but this just isn't true. Yes, there is a huge perception issue on what exactly the WII U is, but they aren't doing sh*t about. I haven't seen a single commercial for the Wii U, ever. Not even back when it was released. Hell, I haven't even seen an ad for a single Wii U game. For some reason Nintendo just isn't advertising the thing, which is one of the major reasons why nobody is buying it.

I don't think it's that complex. You have "DS" games playable by the DS/DS XL and 3DS games playable by the 3DS & 2DS. That's only two tiers of games.

Even if the 3DS can play older DS games (I have no idea) it's still not complicated. You still have two tiers of games and the high end handhelds can play both tiers.

When I first saw this thing, I saw "cheaper 3DS without the 3D" and was all over it.

Then I saw the picture of it.

Honestly, I don't care how it looks so much (though it's pretty freakin' ugly). I care more that it's not compactable at all. I can't fold it up and stick it in a pocket or a backpack - something that's pretty important to me as a university student.

Couldn't tell you about the 3DS but I never met a school-age kid with a DS that had its hinges intact. A solid body sounds attractive to me.

Weird. Not that I'm dealing with a statistically significant sample size but the ones I've seen all got dropped at some point, landed on a corner and the hinge cracks/pops out. My son's was repaired with a shaved down Lego, a little glue and one of those padded Nerf cases to keep it all together.

If I ever have kids, they'll have cellphones, but they'll be Nokia bricks, and they'll like it. They can play Snake.

My new cell phone is the first electronic product I've ever bought the little warranty that they're always pimping out.