Hello Malstrom
I believe by now you are already drowning in mails about the new Nintendo Ghetto DS, so I’ll add my comment as well. I have to admit when you first started talking about Nintendo’s obsession with 3D I dismissed it as just a crackpot theory. Sure, some people like Miyamoto were obviously obsessed with 3D, but it couldn’t be the entire company, right? The Ghetto DS however was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
It was actually quite simple what we wanted: take the basic DS design, keep what’s good about it, remove the 3D nonsense and fix some of the usability issues lik D-pad position and button size. A screen that works in sunlight would have been great as well, but let’s take it one step at a time. This is simple enough, there is no way anyone could screw this up, unless they were trying to. And boy, did they try!
First of all, no clamshell design; this is a major fuckup in a *portable* console. The (3)DS has two screens, making the device huge. By using the clamshell design you can still keep it small and the screens are protected. My DS Lite can easily fit into any packet, but this abomination cannot fit anywhere. It’s like Nintendo is so ashamed of the 2DS, they don’t want you carrying it anywhere, so they make it as unportable as they can. On top of it battery life has only been increased by half an hour, the device is actually heavier than the 3DS (XL) and it has no stereo speakers! What the shit!?
http://www.gonintendo.com/content/uploads/images/E3/bildschirmfoto2013-08zcsjl.png
http://www.gonintendo.com/?mode=viewstory&id=210965
It’s clear what is goig on: investors are demanding from Nintendo to release a 3DS without the 3D baggage, so Nintendo intentially half-asses it. Then when the 2DS sells even worse they can point at it and say “see, removing the 3D makes it sell even worse; we need to add *more* 3D instead”. It reminds me of the Wii days when 3rd party companies would throw their shovelware out on the Wii as a token effort to investors, just so they could whine about how only Nintendo games sell on Nintendo consoles. It’s really surreal to see Nintendo now do the same thing with the hardware. They don’t even want this thing spreading, so they keep it as ugly and unportable as possible. What’s that, you want to have a Nintendo you can fit into the pocket of your jeans and play on the go? Well, the 2DS might not be the device for you, but check out this 3DS. Now that’s a real handheld! i mean, just look at this video and tell me it doesn’t have Ghetto DS written all over it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Kx6yGsB2KI (Preview)
Hardware is too expensive to put out for sabotage purposes. I don’t think the 2DS is being put out there to intentionally fail.
Nintendo really does have problems with the hinges. They often get broken, many 3DSes have them be returned, and they seem out of date in a world of smartphones and tablets. I couldn’t put my Gameboy in my pocket. It didn’t stop it from selling.
I think Nintendo is really acting out of financial concerns. Their 3DS overshoots young children due to the price tag, the vulnerability of the hinges, and the 3d output that young kids shouldn’t use. 2DS solves those issues.
I’m curious what Nintendo’s sales expectations are for the 2DS. They’re probably not high as the product is to fit into the overshot audience the 3DS created. This hints that the Generation 9 Nintendo handheld will be designed to NOT overshoot this audience.