Nintendo 2DS facts for kids
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An Electric Blue Nintendo 2DS
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| Developer | Nintendo |
|---|---|
| Product family | Nintendo 3DS family |
| Type | Handheld game console |
| Generation | Eighth |
| Release date |
October 12, 2013
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| Retail availability | 2013–2020 |
| Introductory price | US$129.99/AU$149.95 |
| Discontinued |
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| Units shipped | 9.68 million (as of 30 September 2018[update]) |
| Media | |
| Operating system | Nintendo 3DS system software |
| Power |
1300 mAh lithium-ion battery
3DS games: 3.5 to 5.5 hours
DS games: 5 to 9 hours Sleep Mode: ≈ 3 days |
| CPU | Dual-Core ARM11 MPCore, single-core ARM9 |
| Memory | 128 MB FCRAM, 6 MB VRAM |
| Storage | Included 4 GB SD card 1 GB internal flash memory Cartridge save |
| Display | Upper: 3.53" LCD @ 400×240 px (WQVGA) Lower: 3.02" resistive touchscreen LCD @ 320×240 (QVGA) |
| Graphics | DMP PICA200 GPU |
| Sound | Mono speaker, microphone |
| Camera | One user-facing and two forward-facing VGA cameras. |
| Connectivity | 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi, Infrared |
| Online services |
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| Dimensions | Width: 14.4 cm (5.7 in) Height: 12.7 cm (5.0 in) Depth: 2.03 cm (0.80 in) |
| Weight | 260 grams (9.2 oz) |
| Backward compatibility |
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| Successor | New Nintendo 2DS XL |
| Related articles | Nintendo 3DS |
The Nintendo 2DS is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo. Announced in August 2013, the device was released in North America, Europe and Australia on October 12, 2013. The Nintendo 2DS is an entry-level version of the Nintendo 3DS which maintains otherwise identical hardware, similar functionality, and compatibility with software designed for the Nintendo DS and 3DS. However, the 2DS is differentiated by a new slate form factor rather than the clamshell design used by its precursors and by lacking the Nintendo 3DS's signature autostereoscopic 3D display. The 2DS was sold concurrently with existing 3DS models as an incentive to expand the market for Nintendo 3DS games; former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé stated that the 2DS was primarily targeted towards younger players (such as those younger than age 7), whom Nintendo had previously advised not to use the 3D functionality on the 3DS due to potential eye health concerns. The Nintendo 2DS's successor, the New Nintendo 2DS XL, was launched in 2017.
Reception to the Nintendo 2DS was mixed; while Nintendo was praised for how it priced and positioned the 2DS alongside its higher-end counterparts, much of its criticism was directed towards its regressions in comparison to the 3DS, such as a design that some considered less appealing than that of the 3DS, its lower sound quality, and its battery life. However, the 2DS's design was praised by some critics for being more robust and comfortable to hold than the 3DS, especially for its target market. Some critics also felt that the lack of 3D support was an admission by Nintendo that the concept was a gimmick; however, Nintendo has since stated that autostereoscopic 3D would remain a part of their future plans. The Nintendo 2DS was discontinued in Japan in 2019 and in the rest of the world in 2020, along with the other systems in the Nintendo 3DS family.
Contents
History
Nintendo officially unveiled the 2DS on August 28, 2013 via a press release; members of the press were given a chance to demo the device in private prior to the announcement. According to Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé, the Nintendo 2DS is primarily aimed at a younger demographic than the Nintendo 3DS — particularly, those younger than 7 years old; whom Nintendo had advised not to use the 3D features on the 3DS due to potential eye health concerns. The validity of Nintendo's claims were questioned by vision experts, however, who believed that the 3DS could actually help detect certain eye problems, and felt the warnings were for liability reasons rather than any realistic harm.
With the 2DS, the company aimed to produce a device that would be "new, unique, different, and [bring] more people into this category that we love." Part of this goal was achieved by positioning the device at a lower price point than the 3DS; in the United States, the system retailed at US$129.99 on launch, in comparison to the US$169.99 price of the standard 3DS. By May 2016, the U.S. price had been lowered further to $79.99.
As part of a promotional effort for Nintendo's late-2013 releases, the Nintendo 2DS was featured on The Nintendo Experience promotional tour at Simon Malls locations in the United States throughout October and into early November.
Launch
The Nintendo 2DS was released in North America, Europe and Australia on October 12, 2013, the same day as Pokémon X and Y. In North America, it was available at launch in black models with Blue or Red bezels, while in Europe and Australia, it was available in white with red bezels, or black with blue bezels. Each console is bundled with a 4 GB SD card and an AC adapter. Matching red and blue carrying case accessories were also released on launch. With the release of the 2DS, Nintendo of America began to phase out the original 3DS, leaving the 2DS and 3DS XL as the only models still actively sold in North America as of its release.
On December 7, 2013, the Nintendo 2DS launched in South Korea, in white/red and black/blue models that respectively included a digital copy of Pokémon X or Y.
A Sea Green variant, with a white body and mint green accents, color was released in North America on June 6, 2014 to coincide with the North American release of Tomodachi Life. Crystal Red and Crystal Blue versions, which feature a translucent front cover, were released in Europe and North America in November 2014 as a tie-in for Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. In North America, the translucent models were also sold at a lower retail price of US$100 as opposed to the base US$129.99 price of the normal 2DS. On August 20, 2015, the U.S. price was permanently lowered to $100, and units began to be bundled with coupons for a digital copy of Mario Kart 7.
In December 2015, it was announced that the 2DS would be released in Japan on February 27, 2016 to coincide with the Virtual Console release of the original Game Boy Pokémon games. They were made available in translucent red, green, blue and yellow versions with colored buttons. Each were bundled with the corresponding Pokémon game, a special Home Menu theme, a poster, and a code to obtain Mew on the bundled game, or Pokémon X, Y, Omega Ruby, or Alpha Sapphire.
On May 11, 2016, Nintendo announced that the U.S. price would be lowered to $79.99 effective May 20, 2016. On September 15, 2016, the 2DS was released in standalone bundles in Japan, in blue, black, red, lavender, and pink color options. On October 5, 2016, Nintendo announced refreshed versions of the stock Mario Kart 7 2DS bundles for the U.S. market (Crimson Red 2 and Electric Blue 2, based on the new Japanese variants), with "swapped" color schemes featuring red or blue bodies and black bezels.
Hardware
The Nintendo 2DS's hardware specifications are almost identical to those of the Nintendo 3DS; retaining features such as its GPU, CPU and memory, along with compatibility with games designed for the Nintendo DS and Nintendo 3DS. However, its hardware still contains some slight differences. Unlike the Nintendo 3DS, which uses two display panels, with a lower touchscreen panel and a top dual-layered screen panel capable of displaying autostereoscopic 3D, the Nintendo 2DS uses a single, non-stereoscopic LCD touchscreen, which is overlaid with a frame mimicking the screen dimensions of the 3DS. Despite its inability to display 3D content, the 2DS retains the 3DS's dual cameras for taking photographs in a 3D format. The Nintendo 2DS only has an internal mono speaker, as opposed to the internal stereo speakers of the 3DS, although stereo sound can still be output through the headphone jack.
The Nintendo 2DS's design is a significant departure from that of its precursors; while it is roughly the same size as its counterpart, the 2DS uses a "slate-like" form factor instead of the clamshell form used by the DS and 3DS. Its buttons are positioned towards the center of the device instead of near the lower screen, and its shoulder buttons are concave in shape and relatively thicker than those of the 3DS. The 2DS uses a switch for entering sleep mode in lieu of closing the shell, and the hardware wireless switch was replaced by a software toggle.
The Nintendo 2DS contains the same 1300mAh battery present on regular Nintendo 3DS systems. Despite not supporting the 3DS's automatic brightness setting ("Power Save Mode"), the 2DS was rated by Nintendo as having slightly longer battery life than the 3DS; Nintendo rated the 2DS as being able to play from 3 to 5.5 hours of 3DS games or 5 to 9 hours of DS games on a single charge.
Software and services
Aside from minor adjustments to reflect its hardware design differences, the system software of the Nintendo 2DS is otherwise identical to that of the 3DS, remaining compatible with all games released for the 3DS (in two-dimensional mode only) and DS (excluding those requiring the Game Boy Advance cartridge slot), and offering online features such as Nintendo Network for multiplayer and online gaming, Nintendo eShop for downloading and purchasing games, and SpotPass and StreetPass.
