As many of you know, Nintendo announced the Nintendo 2DS on Wednesday, August 28. A lot of people are wondering about Nintendo's reasoning behind taking away the 3D from their next system. Wasn't that their primary selling factor for the 3DS? Is Nintendo crazy?

Nintendo's executive vice president of sales and marketing - Scott Moffitt - had a lot to say about everyone's concerns. Why would Nintendo turn away from 3D?

"A lot of it is driven by wanting to achieve a price point that is more accessible for consumers. The 3DS screen is a fairly expensive piece of equipment that's built into the system. Removing the 3D capability allowed us to get to a better price point. The hinged clamshell design is also an issue."

(For the full interview, go here!)

According to Scott, the folding top screen of the 3DS was removed because no one really puts their DS in their pocket anymore. I, however disagree with that statement. If I have to make a quick dash to the store or visit a friend's house, that's exactly what I do. That's part of handheld gaming. Being able to take it anywhere without all the cords and cables is the best thing about Nintendo's DS's. The 3DS is not the smallest piece of equipment, but it's still nice to have the option to slide it into your pocket on the go. I know maybe some will argue that XL DS's are too big for a pocket, but the clamshell design is also a great way to protect both of the screens. What if I threw my 2DS into a suitcase with a necklace or something else hard and sharp? The chance for the screen to be scratched is very high unless you prepare well.

Taking away the 3D functionality is a little unexpected, but I can't really see where they are coming from with the whole "price point" thing. I myself only use the 3D when I feel necessary. Certain games are just not worth turning the 3D on at all. Some are so good that I have to turn it to max, like Animal Crossing: New Leaf. Yet, the price is only 169.99 USD for the 3DS. They only reduced the price by about fourty dollars, since the 2DS is coming October 12 (the same day as Pokemon X and Y) with a release price of 129.99 USD. I suppose that is a great enough decrease to make it somewhat more affordable, but not by much. Although, you could use the extra forty dollars to buy Pokemon X and/or Y.

In a slightly off-topic comment, Scott said there will be no Pokemon X or Y bundle, even though they are being released on the same date.

Finally, I'll talk about the 2DS's features. Pretty much, you get a 3DS without the slider and 3D ability. DS, DSi, and 3DS games are playable on this new system. Sadly, there is only one speaker on the left side of the system, taking away the surround sound that has been available on all of the previous DS systems.The power button is no longer square, but round and embedded into the 2DS. The start and select buttons make a return on the middle right-hand side of the system, with the ABXY above, and power button below (with its LED indicators).

On the left-hand side of the system, is the speaker (top), the analog stick above the D-pad (middle), and microphone (bottom).

A new thing on the 2DS is a sleep mode switch. On the bottom, there is a slider, sort of like the wireless on/off switch on the 3DS and power buttons of the DS. This makes up for the fact that you can't close the system. The home button is ovular, and remains in the bottom-middle portion of the system. Stylus holder and SD card slot are positioned on the right-hand side, whereas the stylus holder on the 3DS is behind the top screen. The left and right buttons are on the top.

The cameras look and are positioned the same relative to the 3DS. The charger input and cartridge input is at the top. As for a headphone jack...there isn't one. You have to deal with the one little speaker.

So, in summary, the 2DS is Nintendo's way of saying, "No 3D for you!" The design change is absolutely crazy, and it seems like it would be uncomfortable to hold in-hand. I think with the audio limits and odd design, it would be best to just save up for that extra forty bucks.

Until next time I write something about nothing, I'll type to you later!