When will Nintendo learn more hardware is not the answer? Announces Nintendo 2DS anyway

It’s not exactly a secret that Nintendo isn’t doing brilliantly right now, the Wii U is flagging and the 3DS platform is only just beginning to show its strengths. The handheld side of things seem to be where the money is for Nintendo right now so, what do they go and do? Throw more hardware at it, because of course, that’s Nintendo’s answer for everything. Well, guess what Ninty? More hardware is not the answer.

Nintendo have just come out and announced the device you see above, dubbed the Nintendo 2DS. No, it’s not a very late April Fool’s joke, this is indeed Nintendo’s next entry into the handheld arena. As you can see, the device is a little freaky looking, compared to the 3DS and the venerable DS Lite designs. There’s no hinge at work here, this is two screens in one strange slab of mediocrity. Sure, it’s far too early for me to be judging this device, especially when it doesn’t launch until October 12th but, c’mon, just look at it.

The 2DS is essentially the DS Lite of the 3DS line, with no 3D capability and hardware that’s nowhere near as portable. If you thought the excellent 3DS XL wasn’t easy enough to take with you, just try and get StreetPass Hits with this thing. Nintendo’s 2DS is going to cost $129, with a 4GB SD Card, a single speaker and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Aside from those “extras”, this is the 3DS, with no 3D we all know and love.

So, onto the good news, which is that the 2DS will play all of the 3DS titles – with no 3D – and thankfully still play all the DS classics. Nintendo is squarely aiming this at the entry-level market, with the 3DS still retailing for $170 or so. Overall, we can’t quite fault Nintendo for delivering more hardware to get their software titles out there but surely, wouldn’t a price drop for the original 3DS be good enough?

I’m a big Nintendo fan, I have a 3DS XL and I’m really happy with it but, why the sudden need to move away from the hinged design that Nintendo is now known for? We’re sure that Nintendo has thought about this long and hard but frankly, I don’t get it. Nintendo have some strong titles in the pipeline and already on shelves for the 3DS, with Pokemon X and Y launching soon and games like Super Mario 3D Land and Ocarina of Time 3D having been out for some time now. The answer, Nintendo, is not moar hardware but more of the great titles we know and love. If you could just deliver more quality content and get more third-party developers onboard, maybe buyers will spring the extra for a bog standard 3DS.