Ten days after the release of the Nintendo 2DS, retailers in the UK including Argos have begun discounting the questionable handheld by up to a tenner.
The Nintendo 2DS went on sale on the October 12th costing £109.99 and already Sainsbury’s and Tesco have knocked down the price of ownership to just £99 in store and online, with Argos also offering a pair of accompanying games (LEGO Lord of the Rings, Moshi Monsters) for the same price in a promotion lasting until Saturday (October 26th.)
Like many others, we were a little bit dumbstruck by the 2DS. This surprising addition to the Nintendo product family comes with a bizarre wedged shape in a design that defies the tried and tested hinged concept which Nintendo has employed since retiring the trusty GameBoy and moving on with the dual-screened DS products.
The aim of the Nintendo 2DS (we think) is to offer an inexpensive introductory platform for younger players and those who don’t demand all the frills and gimmicks that come with the price tag of the superior 3DS.
The ability to play any 3DS game on the 2DS, but only in 2D (as the name suggests) was a seemingly backwards step and just another head-scratcher from Nintendo whose recently self-destructive trend for confusing hardware started with the Wii U – a product the company is still trying to explain to the consuming masses over two years after its introduction to the world at the E3 in 2011.
Price cuts for the Nintendo 2DS were inevitable. We just didn’t think they’d start so soon.