Nintendo 2DS

[The Damned]

a) how many people carry around a 3ds in their pocket? you literally must be wearing cargo pants or be very comfortable with a huge bulge in your pants to do so.

Normal pants. Carry it with me half the time. Never had a problem.

[The Derrit]

Normal pants. Carry it with me half the time. Never had a problem.

what qualifies as normal pants.. maternity pants do not qualify

for reference, the pants i am wearing now are very much average. i just put my 3ds in them. there is a 3 x 1 inch brick sticking out of the side of my leg. most people consider this inconvenient. the 3ds has never been a particularly portable system i don't see why this is now a problem because the product is a square

https://securecdn.disqus.com/uploads/mediaembed/images/600/7258/original.jpg cut out the picture because it's too large for the forum

the whole thing is not a ton bigger than a closed XL

Edited August 29, 2013 by The Derrit

[Melbu Frahma]

be very comfortable with a huge bulge in your pants

...I'm just gonna let that one go...

This looks awesome. I like my Nintendo handhelds built like a brick, not a cheap 90s personal organizer.

I, too, like my electronics on the durable/long-lasting side.

[cobaltstarfire]

what qualifies as normal pants.. maternity pants do not qualify

for reference, the pants i am wearing now are very much average. i just put my 3ds in them. there is a 3 x 1 inch brick sticking out of the side of my leg. most people consider this inconvenient. the 3ds has never been a particularly portable system i don't see why this is now a problem because the product is a square

https://securecdn.disqus.com/uploads/mediaembed/images/600/7258/original.jpg cut out the picture because it's too large for the forum

the whole thing is not a ton bigger than a closed XL

I can fit mine pretty fine in the inner pocket of my jacket, although not the outer one. It fits in my my pants pocket fine two, but I wear mens cargo pants (cause even girls cargo pants are cursed with small pockets)

But to say the 3ds is not portable? It's smaller than the original Game Boy, GBC, and GBA when closed, that seems pretty portable to me.

As far as portability for the age group goes, it seems unwieldy for us, but it's perfect for them. It's still smaller than most things parents are toting around for their kids (tablets, portable dvd players, ect) it's harder to lose and break, and most parents aren't going to let their kids carry one of these around alone whether it could fold up and be stashed easily or not. While I'd be skeptical of it for my own personal use it's absolutely perfect for young children and the way you'd expect them to use (and be allowed to use) it.

I've said elsewhere and I'll say here though, even after seeing gameplay footage of it, that button placement looks rather awkward...

[Annie Felis]

oh no the gaming industry made something for children not us entitled adults let's throw a shitfit

[Meteo Xavier]

oh no the gaming industry made something for children not us entitled adults let's throw a shitfit

This is typically where I would ask you to marry me, but I don't think my wife would approve.

Or maybe she would. I don't know. I don't want to know. Good comment is what I'm getting at. Let's pretend I didn't say anything at all.

No Meteo, don't press that Submit Reply button.

No, don't!

Don't!

Don't!

...

YOU FOOL!!!!!!!!

[Brushfire]

[Eino Keskitalo]

I did think "how silly that looks (I love it)" at first, this thread being the first time I hear of this thing.. I actually thought that it looks like a toy but didn't manage to think that it is for the kids.

Anyway, I do want to get a 3DS eventually so I'll probably get this.. durability sounds good, we already play on the old DS with my little daughter. But yeah, I have no problem getting this basically for myself. edit: Assuming it comes to Europe some time..

--Eino

[Malaki-LEGEND.sys]

What were the sales numbers on that new Wii redesign in Canada? I can't help but think that this new 2DS was born out of the same ethos; provide a cheaper, more durable version aimed at the kiddies at a much reduced cost at the expense of some functionality.

Either way, I don't like it. It has little to do with its aesthetics(but damn is it ugly), and I realize this isn't "made for me"(and yet we have several adults saying they'd be all about getting it posting in this thread), but I can't see how this can be healthy for the 3DS as a whole.

It was bad enough that Nintendo decided that they wanted to include the 3D slider on the original system, thus already creating a fragmented user-base, which has already meant less daring efforts into 3D-dependent gameplay experiences, but now we have a version of the system that straight up can't even produce the effect. I'll be interested in seeing sales numbers on this thing when it hits, because regardless of what Nintendo is saying now about how they aren't abandoning 3D with this model, sales are going to dictate what they actually do.

[PixelPanic]

I could see Nintendos next ACTUAL handheld being a tablet, and this design would test the waters

[Argle]

Are children not deserving of glorious stereo sound?

[Lampje4life]

Are children not deserving of glorious stereo sound?

It has stereo when you plug in headphones

[StreetFlare]

a) how many people carry around a 3ds in their pocket? you literally must be wearing cargo pants or be very comfortable with a huge bulge in your pants to do so.

Last year, I would carry around one in my school pants at lunchtime during my last year of high school. It didn't create the kind of bulge you mention, in fact, it just looked like I had a phone and iPod in the same pocket. Of course, if I wanted it in class (lazy sod that I was), I'd have it in my blazer, but eh, my point stands.

[OceansAndrew]

looks awesome, I love saving money. I'll be getting one!

[Garrett Williamson]

freaking genius

[cobaltstarfire]

.

It was bad enough that Nintendo decided that they wanted to include the 3D slider on the original system

Considering that there is the concern of causing damage to a child's visual development from using the 3D it really isn't that surprising they would put a slider on it. Not to mention all the other people who never wanted it, the people who get raging headaches from it, and the people who just can't get the 3D to work and instead get a jumbled up image for whatever reason.

If you want to really want to see development into 3D dependent gameplay look up the Occulus Rift, it's a pretty nifty thing although the people working on it are deliberately going about it very slowly and methodically.

[Radiowar]

lol i saw ppl retweeting why cant i fold it this morning and thought it was just some kind of dumb parody joke

well

[Mirby]

The whole reason for the slider was to make it work for not just one person's eyes, prevent it from being a menu so you can actively see the changes, and also so it wasn't a button you had to keep pressing. It was meant to be intuitive, which it is. Not everyone can see 3D images the same way, so the adjustable depth was meant to accommodate that by letting you choose the depth that works for you. Or you can turn it off entirely. That's the whole point; it wasn't for some "fragmented user base" (seriously, where the hell did that come from?), it was to let more people experience the 3D by letting them choose the depth that works for their particular set of eyes. Simple as that.

Also as for those people wondering why you can't fold it, they should try folding their TVs or iPads. Same deal; one screen pervades the whole device. The only difference with the 2DS is that there's a plastic divider sitting atop it in the middle.

[Gollgagh]

Also as for those people wondering why you can't fold it, they should try folding their TVs or iPads. Same deal; one screen pervades the whole device. The only difference with the 2DS is that there's a plastic divider sitting atop it in the middle.

I don't think that the single screen is the reason why; I think both the lack of hinges and the single screen are both effects of making the thing as simple and sturdy as possible, which is an awesome design philosophy and I fully support it.

[Mirby]

I'm just sayin', that one screen makes it a lot harder to fold than the two separate screens we've had for the entirety of the DS family until now. It may not be THE reason, but it certainly is A reason.

[Crowbar Man]

I wonder if the next gen DS iteration will have one big touch screen ala Wii U GamePad / the one secretly hidden inside the 2DS. It looks like they've worked out "backwards compatibility" using a single screen with the 2DS after all. There are designs for foldable screens by various manufacturers too, so they wouldn't even have to sacrifice the clam shell design. Food for thought. Just hope they go for multitouch next round.

Edited August 30, 2013 by Crowbar Man

[Garrett Williamson]

this article sorta makes a point

[Rexy]

Even though I have a 3DS myself, I have to say I'm down with the idea of giving a child a sturdier alternative to play their first videogames on. I even mentioned in conversations regarding the subject that you'd benefit from the 2DS if the 3D feature is a health risk to you (yes I know there's a slider, but that's beside the point) and/or you simply don't want to pay some extra money for a fancy graphical effect. I bought the 3DS because its game library was finally starting to build up - not because of some fancy effect. And I am saying this from the point of view of someone who has been following Nintendo's handhelds since the days of the original Game Boy.

Talking of which, did any of you guys ever had your old Game Boys sent away for repair as a child? Those were sturdy machines and could last for years when handled right - heck, even my deep pink GBC is still working today. I don't know if my personal experience with past systems isn't the same as anyone else's, but let's face it - it's easier for a child to snap a 3DS in half than it is to smash an original Game Boy into pieces. Now I don't know what kind of build the 2Ds would have - it may be as sturdy as modern day smartphones, or maybe more fragile than the PSP, but who knows; the point is that the decision to make the 2DS "unfoldable" works for the intended target audience.

Still, all we can do is just wait and see how it fares at retail. We shrugged off the original DS as a stupid idea, as well as the Wii and Wii U, but Nintendo likes pulling off risks and often it goes in their favor financially (except for the Wii U, but that's for another thread). It may go well for the 2DS, but we'll just see about that.

[Penfold]

That's the whole point; it wasn't for some "fragmented user base" (seriously, where the hell did that come from?), it was to let more people experience the 3D by letting them choose the depth that works for their particular set of eyes.

I think by "fragmented user base," he was making the point that developers will be less likely to make 3D a central mechanic because there is no way to know whether a game's consumer base will actually take advantage of the 3D display functionality. If the 2DS really takes off, it would just compound that potential problem. I totally agree with you as to the reason there is a slider, and I think the 3DS needs the slider for all the reasons that have already been stated in this thread, but at the same time, it at least feels like it could be a major roadblock to getting the full potential out of the 3D functionality.

That said, I do not own a 3DS and do not really know to what extent developers have really used 3D, though I am really interested in getting a 3DS/2DS at some point. Because I personally do not care about the form factor and could take or leave the 3D functionality if it is unimportant to the gameplay, the only thing that would keep me from getting a 2DS over a 3DS is whether there are games that really require the 3D display. Do you guys know of games for which you would be missing out on something if you didn't play it in 3D?

[Ando]

Do you guys know of games for which you would be missing out on something if you didn't play it in 3D?

I've not played them myself, but apparently Super Mario 3D Land and Kid Icarus: Uprising become fairly to significantly more challenging if played in 2D (added difficulty in determining platform location, projectile position, etc.), and it looks like the upcoming A Link Between Worlds might make fair use of the 3D as well. Kind of a bummer that they rely so much on the 3D if they know that a fair portion of the user base isn't going to be using the 3D, especially if they release a system that lacks 3D capabilities altogether.