Nintendo 2DS is Nintendo’s newest addition to the Nintendo 3DS family. It was released on October 12th, 2013 with the highly anticipated Pokémon X and Y. The handheld retails for $129 and is offered in either a red/black or blue/black color combination. Nintendo’s 2DS is very similar to it’s big brother the Nintendo 3DS in terms of UI and specs but removes 3D stereoscopic gameplay, stereo speakers and the clamshell design.
Like the 3DS, the 2DS produces some of the best mobile gaming you can experience. It’s integrated joystick and tactile buttons are an impossible match to any smart phone. We tested the Nintendo 2DS and are delighted to tell you about why it is a good buy if you are in the market for handheld gaming.
In the box you will find the same items as you would a Nintendo 3DS:
- Nintendo 2DS Handheld Console
- Stylus
- 4GB SD Card
- AC Charger
- Manual
An additional case is offered by Nintendo for around $15 if you want some protection but the system is pretty solid and should hold up on it’s on.
Nintendo 2DS features the same dual-display gaming experience as it’s brothers and so the visuals are great! The touch screen is responsive and accurate and comes in handy during normal game play. 2DS is built on the 3DS platform so you can play any 3DS and DS game on the system. It is so much so a 3DS that the 2DS says “3DS” on screen whenever you enter and exit games. (a little odd but no big deal)
The battery on the 2DS is excellent, we rarely charged the handheld when playing the system in 1 hour-long interval. We got about 5 hours of game play while playing 3DS games which actually better than the 3DS console. Nintendo DS games use less power so the battery life increases to around 8-9 hours on the 2DS. Using the sleep function let’s the system hold it’s charge while holding your spot in the game. We’re unsure how long the 2DS lasts in sleep mode but it sleep for over 2 weeks without draining any battery. When you do have to charge it, the charging speed is similar to the speed it takes to drain but Nintendo gives you a pretty long AC cable so you can continue gaming while it charges.
We did notice the headphone output wasn’t as powerful as we would have expected but that may be because the handheld is predominantly marketed to kids and parents often worry about their kids ears these days.
The 2DS features a camera that can take 2D and 3D photos, though the camera quality is nothing to brag about. Our recommendation is to stick to your smart phone if you go to an event and want to take photos. If you like it the 2DS’ camera, you can take approximately 3000 on the included SD card.
The user interface of the 2DS is very simple to navigate, a common feature of Nintendo game systems. It also features aspects of the Wii U console where your Mii is your avatar in some games. We played Luigi’s Mansion which is a 3DS game and the experience was ultimately as excellent as on the 3DS. Though the 3DS’s 3D visuals are impressive, we don’t think it will leave 2DS players disappointed in the end.
When you crave more games, you can always download and store them on the 2DS. Many of the games range in price with the average virtual console classics starting at $5 a game.
The overall build of the 2DS is solid and ergonomically it works very well for the more advanced and in-depth mobile gaming experience. If you are in the market for a gaming system that is handheld and has a D-pad with buttons, consider the Nintendo 2DS for it’s high quality handheld gaming at an affordable price.
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