Nintendo 2DS unboxed, first impressions

We just got our hands on Nintendo‘s new handheld gaming console – the 2DS. It arrived here in the Philippines for quite some time now, and the unit that we have here is the red one. It’s basically a 2D version of the 3DS in a much different form factor designed to appeal to budget-conscious gamers.

We bought our unit off DataBlitz for a price of around Php6,150USD 105INR 8,884EUR 100CNY 763 and along with that, we only got hold of one game – Sims 3. We were supposed to get games such as Pokemon X / Y or Resident Evil Mercenaries 3D, but it seems like inventories are still depleted from the holiday season. Also, the device that we got is charging on 110v.

The Nintendo 2DS flocks away from Nintendo’s foldable DS design language, and while I personally like half of the story, some people won’t. What got me is the combination of two-tone colors & the lack of a fragile bending part while the part that I didn’t like was the fact that it can no longer fit in a pocket.

While it looks like a toy for the most part, as compared to the shiny finish of Sony’s handhelds & Nintendo’s previous models, it still feels good and ergonomic to hold. It is still the same console that people love – from the connectivity ports to the games. We’re not a fan of Nintendo’s 3D features anyway, so we guess the much affordable 2DS can fit our needs. If some of you still crave for a little bit of 3D though, the company stacked two cameras on the back of the 2DS.

For a price of around Php6k, the Nintendo 2DS is worth looking at – not just for children but also for adult enthusiasts who wish to play games such as Pokemon too. We have yet to immerse ourselves in Nintendo’s gaming ecosystem once again so we can’t really conclude much for the experience, but know this for now – from what we heard & from what we saw, this device was able to capture our attention despite the tough competition offered by Sony, Apple’s iPads & different Android tablets. Nintendo seems to have a great game collection & a good price point in set, and it’s all going to be working in their own favor.