You either love it or hate it. Or love the idea and hate the design. Actually, the response to the Nintendo 2DS has been wide and varied but now, finally, we have Australian details, including the price and release date.
First the release date: the Nintendo 2DS will hit Australian stores on the precise same day as the US, October 12. It will retail at $149.95 Australian, in comparison to the US price of $129.95. Considering GST and the dropping price of the dollar, this seems like a very good price. The White + Red and Black + Blue versions will both be available here.
We’re still waiting to hear information on the Wii U price drop and whether it will apply to Australia. More news as we get it.
Head here for our hands on with the Nintendo 2DS.
Comments
40 responses to “The Nintendo 2DS: Australian Details”
To all the naysayers: I’m not into 3D, and $150 seems like a good price of entry for the 3DS exclusives I’m interested in (that said, I recently ended up buying a VIta because of all the free games I have on PS+, and I’m not sure that I have the spare time to justify two handhelds in my life).
The only thing keeping me on the fence over this is the standard screen size. It would be nice to have that XL screen.
Same here I would never use the 3D but i like the 3DS XL screen size, i think i will wait till I have the 2DS in my hands to make my decision.
It’s all well and good to like a bigger screen, but I’ve never understood the appeal since its just bigger pixels, making the game look more blocky and aliased. I’m curious to know what it is about having a big screen that is so desirable, given the above fact… I always thought the XL was like the “babby’s first game console” version. Of course if your hands are huge that’s a different story, but you guys are definitely talking about the screen here, what gives?
The appeal is, I have terrible eyesight, so the small one is pretty much a no go for me. 😉
I can’t get over how completely ugly and unportable this one is though. The price is right, but holy shit is it ugly.
I’m happy they have gone with the original 3DS screen sizes. Whilst the screen size of the 3DS XL is nice, the resolution is horrible. We have both a 3DS and XL in our house and I always go back to the 3DS because the resolution looks so bad on the XL. The problem is I much prefer the size of the 3DS XL as I find it more comfortable to hold. The 2DS might be the perfect blend of the two for me. Preferable screen resolution mixed with a bigger form factor for my hands. That being said I can’t justify buying one (unless I trade one of the others).
If the product is good for you, why even address the naysayers? If you like it, buy it. Screw everybody else.
Well – I like to come here and debate viewpoints :P. Like whether there is a market for this thing. My contribution is that I might be that market, so now we can debate whether I’m part of a large enough group of users.
Worth pointing out – you can get a normal 3DS used (and sometimes new) for $150. Just saying.
Yeah, I was thinking the same thing
Never seen it that cheap new…. In fact im willing to bet on it that a new 3DS is never below $198….MAYBE $179 if you are super super lucky
But its a fair point 😉
Kmart, original 3DS brand new, $169. Was almost going to buy one, but then reminded myself how my DS and PSP just gather dust.
I think its a bold move but I hope it is successful, in fact I plan to buy my 5 year old son one so we can play some multiplayer games. I have a 3DS XL which I traded my launch 3DS for and recently replaced the battery with one these: http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2013/05/hardware_review_mugen_3ds_xl_battery_replacement_grants_20_hours_of_staying_power
Good luck! I had to ban my 4 year old from games recently. Only gave him 2x30min sessions a day, but I noticed his behaviour changed and it became ALL he wanted to do.
Eg. “I don’t want to go to uncle’s house because he doesn’t have a playstation or an ipad”.
So no gaming for my little dude. It’s too intense for his young mind.
I know it’s just that picture – the photos in the main article looked different – but wow, that really looks like it was made by Fisher-Price.
Still no second circle pad. :/
A moot point given most games (read over 95% of them) don’t support the second circle pad.
A moot point as a second circle pad could improve many of the games… And I’m a monster hunter fan, and I can safely say that playing MHFU on vita with that second stick is an absolute dream…
Absolutely it would. But it still doesnt change the fact they havent been programmed with it in mind. Its a major flaw of the 3ds and always has been.
I think we should remember that the 3ds was made to 1up the psp… so it didnt need a 2nd stick, as well as the fact that nintendo’s first party games often dont even think about moving the camera…
My point wasn’t that the games have been made for them, but WHEN they bring out a DS with two native sticks they will START to make games for it (and not exclusively for it either like how you CAN use the second stick on the Vita for PSP games camera in some games) Point not moot seeing as it is the biggest downfall of the PSP, DS and most other handheld renditions.
Yeah, but the low-end budget model just isn’t the place for that. The point of something like this is to get it into more people’s hands with as few features and thus costs as possible. Adding a second pad for the sake of it being there would have made that price point a LOT harder. Like the XL, this isn’t an ‘upgrade’, it is a pure sidegrade to the existing hardware. Maybe next gen we’ll see 2, maybe not, but not on the Big or the Cheap alternatives.
Won’t happen with the 3DS. Aside from only a handful of games supporting a second circle pad, if you introduce a second built in circle pad you fragment the market and force people to upgrade because developers begin to develop more with the second stick as a vital part of gameplay rather than an option.
Also people seem to forget constantly that the Circle Pad Pro has two extra shoulder buttons as well as the second circle pad.
Also, from the comparison article, it looks like it’s non-foldable which is a bit odd… Can’t really fit it a pocket if this is the case…
To be fair you’d need to have some late 90’s style phat-sk8r pants on to fit a 3DS in your pockets.
I’m sure today’s One Direction loving, tight pants wearing, floppy fringe having kids will be able to fit the console nicely into their man-bags.
3ds goes easy into a pocket, vita and 3ds Xl aren’t ideal pocket fillers.
This seems like a real step back from the vision of nintendo. This must be a niche product. Props to the pricing though, good conversion
lol @ 90’s style phat-sk8r pants. If I’m wearing cargo pants (I know, I’m so cool right), even my vita can fit in a pocket!
Also, my partner calls colourful skinny jeans ‘one direction pants’
If a pocket can’t hold a Nexus 7, it’s too small. 😛
I bought a standard 3DS for $119 from Harvey Norman at Christmas.
BEST INVESTMENT EVER!
Such an awesome machine with plenty of fantastic games.
That said I do 99% of my gaming with the 3D completely off and if it is on it’s on the lowest setting possible. If people can’t get a ridiculously good deal like the one Harvey Norman had I’d certainly recommend buying a 2DS at this price.
Cool to see Nintendo giving customers a cheap entry-level option, I do hope this machine is a success.
well jels.
It does look like it would be more comfortable to hold instead of your hands being all cramped up on the bottom half like it is on the current model.
It looks more comfortable for sure, especially with things spread a bit wider on the system, by largest issue with the design (on all models) is there is nothing in the way or a ridge or mold that you can use to rest it in your hands, you have to expend so much effort grasping it.
Will it get a circle pad pro though?
I don’t see an ir port for one.
This will blow everything out of the water come Xmas
The lack of a clamshell means you pretty much have to get a case for it if you’re keeping it in a location with other stuff, unless they have the screens treated with Gorilla Glass or something similar. While the hinge in the 3DS is theoretically a point of weakness, when the 3DS is closed it’s basically a solid brick and pretty durable.
Once again Nintendo demonstrates their eloquence in executing terrible ideas.
Time to pop the canopy and pull that shoot Nintendo. As a hardware manufacturer you have completely lost the plot and it’s time to get out of it. Substandard products that look like sweaty dogs balls that no one wants to support. It’s a shame with that awesome IP library you have.
This bastardisation of a handheld reminds me of the GameGear and Atari Lynx, both failed and Nintendo will fail as a company within the next 5 years unless they follow Sega down the third-party software producer route.
So how will the touch interface work with the device only having one screen split by a bit of plastic? Does this mean that the top screen also has touch capabilities, even if not used?
……………….I actually want this. I never use the 3D function on my 3DS and it hurts my hands to play it for longer than an hour………………………. and its cheap. I’m sold!
how can that be comfortable to hold.
i am not convinced
i have no issue with the lack of 3d but the form factor confuses me
I just look at it and think it looks like it’s Fisher Price.
That’s likely the colour scheme. The black and blue one looks a bit sleeker…