Debate of The Day: Is the Nintendo 2DS a Brilliant or Ridiculous Move?

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So, today news broke out about Nintendo’s new handheld device called the Nintendo 2DS. I don’t play Nintendo games regularly, but I would gladly play if there’s a Wii during a party. I don’t know if I can give a qualified opinion or stance about this whole thing because I am not familiar with their products. However, I wouldn’t want to let that get in the way of having a healthy discussion on its existence between Unreality readers.

Basically, what I know is that it is priced at 2DS and it can play the games from past handheld devices. However, it won’t have games developed for that particular platform if I am not mistaken. From an outsider’s stand point, I think it’s rather confusing to name it a 2DS. It’s obvious to gamers because it is not 3D (I heard the 3DS even has an option to turn it off). If they are marketing this to non-gamer parents, then the name might cause them to think that this is an inferior device. That’s just my thoughts.

In defense of the Nintendo 2DS, there are articles out there that argue that this would be a hit because a tsunami of moms will buy a Pokemon device for their kids as one writer from Kotaku pointed out. Perhaps, we aren’t the target market for the Nintendo 2DS?

What do you think?

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10 Comments

  1. There is no debate. It’s meant for children about 8 and under.
    No hinge = more durable
    No 3D = No screwing up kids eyesight while they are still developing

  2. It’s an odd move, but nobody understands the handheld market like Nintendo so it could be a big success. The 3DS has a slider on the side that let’s you adjust how much 3D you want, which is pretty genius, so I don’t think that’s the issue. I think the idea is to either do away with the hinge (is breakage a problem there?) and/or give it a tablet feel since the iPad has kind of created a different breed of gamers unto itself. This design could appeal to those people.

  3. I think Nintendo doesn’t blindly make a product. The 2DS won’t be for most of us talking about it, but it problably will sell or have a market.

  4. As a parent, I can see the appeal for the under 8 crowd. But that’s about it – and as a consumer, I’d prefer a system that’s more adaptable and grows with my child, not something I have to replace as often as their shoes because they outgrow it. My son had a V-tech when he was four – he’s now 10 and it’s… uhm… probably at someone else’s garage sale somewhere. Now simply because its Nintendo it will likely have more staying power than LeapFrog and other “kiddie” devices, but I don’t see this as being widely marketable outside its core audience/fanbase.

  5. the 2DS is an awesome thing and anybody who thinks otherwise is simply an idiot.
    1. The 3DS is not just a DS that has a 3D gimmick, if you believe this you are incredibly misinformed. The original DS was barely on par with an N64 powerwise, while the 3/2DS is about on par with a Wii. This makes all your “What’s the point of this when the original DS is still out” arguments completely pointless.
    2. The 3D was a pointless gimmick that most people don’t even use and just added onto the price of the system, hell Nintendo doesn’t even really market the 3D feature anymore like it used to when the console first launched and is instead focusing on the games themselves now like it should have been doing from the start. Releasing this not only makes the system much cheaper and more affordable for people who weren’t able to afford a 3DS before, but also makes it appealing to people who weren’t able to use the 3D in the first due to eyesight or health issues.

  6. I think It’s a smart move, there are plenty of people who are put off by the 3d features, and if there is a version that cuts that stuff out and a price to match, I think it will be nothing but a plus for them. removing the hinges just further reduces the cost, and when you are trying to make a case for your system, a larger pricetag is basically going to make it compete with other devices, lower costs will just increase the appeal.

  7. “There is no debate. It’s meant for children about 8 and under.”

    But the 3DS was for children 8 and under. What’s any different now?

  8. @Johnnaes P Anderson
    3DS is marked as for 7+ on the box. So yes, I was wrong in that I said 8 instead of 7. But you are still wrong, it is not for children. Google it if you don’t believe me. Nintendo put it there because of the possibility of it harming children’s eyesight. Now that the new Pokemon is coming out, they want children to be able to play the awesome game that it will be.

  9. 1) It’s marketed towards kids below the age of 7.
    2) According to the internet, yeah there is a pretty big problem with young children breaking the hinges and that is not really hard to believe.
    3) There is no point in really talking about this one. It’s not marketed towards you in any way. Hardcore gamers are not there target audience. This is a cheap ass way to shift more durable 3D-less pokemon machines to kids.
    4) Though I suppose, I believe its 40 bucks cheaper than the 3DS so if your on a budget, don’t care about 3D and the design then at least you have another option and more options and price points are always good.

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