Nintendo 2DS

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Michael McWhertor for Polygon:

Nintendo is releasing a new version of its Nintendo 3DS hardware that’s playable only in 2D. It’s called the Nintendo 2DS and will be available in North America on Oct. 12 for $129.99.

A very odd piece of hardware compared to the 3DS; a non-clamshell monoblock with reportedly a single screen divided by plastic casing. The 3D capabilities of the 3DS have been dropped too. It’s able to play DS or 3DS games.

I’m sure they’ll sell boatloads of them, but it is decidedly strange.

Also, the current Nintendo branding around the DS and Wii properties is almost impressively confusing at this point. Chris Plante from Polygon explains:

This is as layman an explanation as you’ll find for Nintendo’s current hardware.

DS games run on the DS, 3DS and 2DS; 3DS games run on the 3DS and the 2DS, but not the DS; and there are no 2DS games.

Wii U runs Wii and Wii U games, but to play Wii games you’ll need to run the Wii on the Wii U. Wii doesn’t run Wii U games. The GamePad is portable, but it’s not mobile, and it’s like a DS, but it doesn’t play DS games.

What a mess.