Leave it to Nintendo to ensure nobody in their user base gets left behind. Even as they were hyping up their now-available revolutionary hybrid console/portable game system the Switch, they continue looking out for the fans of their older hardware. This was supremely expressed in their limited production piece of nostalgia, the NES Classic that brought back some of the best titles of the NES era in an evocative package.
The same goes for their portable gaming corner. The 3DS may still be going strong, but they’ve also introduced a more affordable entry-level variant of the thing in the 2DS.
The original 2DS configuration was a wedge-shaped tablet that displays 3DS games without 3D support. Now however, Nintendo is introducing a new and larger-display version of it.
Familiar clamshell design
The Nintendo 2DS XL is a revision of the main 3DS hardware that is Stripped of its 3D functionality to serve as a cheaper alternative to the “New 3DS” upgrade of the original portable system. Despite showing only a 2D display, the 2DS XL retains its base model’s other features like the Amiibo NFC reader, a C-stick, and better processing power for games.
What’s more arresting about the 2DS XL is that it also adopts the clamshell design of the 3DS, likely out of not-so-positive reactions to the slab form of the first 2DS version.
The body is also thinner and sleeker, again unlike the wedge-like thickness of its predecessor. For those players who feel they can do without 3D support, this model is the one to go for in the 3DS line of portables, to the point that it once again ignites allegations that the 3D ability was merely a fad, despite Nintendo’s insistence to the contrary.
Long runner
It may be because the new Nintendo Switch can also pass for a portable, but thus far there has been no word yet from the company of plans to develop a successor to the 3DS line, which has been selling ever since 2011. And if the most recent earnings report by Nintendo is anything to go by, the last fiscal year saw them selling over 7 million 3DS units (of various types) worldwide.
For 2017 they expect to sell at least another 6 million more of the 3DS line, even as the new Switch is projected to hit 10 million unit sales in the same timeframe.
This staying power of the 3DS design is due to it being priced much lesser than a full console yet having impressive power all the same. While the Switch is priced at $299.99, the Nintendo 2DS XL is announced to be only $149.99 in comparison.
