Nintendo announced Tuesday two new 2DS models that will see the light of the shopping centers at the end of this month. The "Crystal Red" and "Crystal Blue" version of the handheld, will be available 21st of November for the competitive price of 100$.
This new price tag is a 30$ drop from the current price of the regular 2DS and it's a smart move from Nintendo in light of the holiday shopping season. The timing of this release is of course not arbitrary. The same day, infact, the new Pokèmon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, remakes of the classic Pokèmon Ruby/Sapphire for Gameboy Advance, will be released at the price of 39.99$ each. I can almost smell a bundle in the distance.
It's not the first time Nintendo releases a transparent version of their handheld. Many of our readers will remember the semi-transparent original Game boy. The game machine the coolest kid on the block owned. Nintendo is marketing these new semi-transparent and cheap versions of the 2DS mainly to the youngest demographics:
Kids will love the slick semi-transparent design, and gamers of all ages will enjoy having access to a library of more than 3,000 games, including the recently launched Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and other great games like Mario Kart 7 and Animal Crossing: New Leaf.As you can understand from the quote and in case you were not aware of it, the 2DS can run any 3DS game (obviously minus the 3D feature) and shares all the other features with the older brother like the Miiverse, downloadable games via Nintendo eShop and Streetpass. It's also backward compatible all the Nintendo DS games in case you're feeling particularly nostalgic.
Crystal Blue and Crystal Red Nintendo 2DS promise to be a good gift idea for this Christmas. With the ever expanding library of great 3DS games already there and with more coming out, this is an option to strongly consider. Especially for people who never played on an handheld. By Nintendo's words:
Without any hinges, Nintendo 2DS is an affordable, durable gaming system and offers a great entry point into the Nintendo hand-held experience.
