Dawn Of The 2DS: Why Nintendo’s Newest “Misstep” Is Their Smartest Move Of The Year

Don’t Underestimate the Power of Cheap

Though $99 is widely regarded as a magic number for selling gobs of product, when it comes to videogame hardware there’s very little that can be had for that amount. Consoles drop to $99 on their deathbeds occasionally. The Nintendo DSi, a five-year-old handheld, can be had for $99. The Wii Mini, a revamp of a seven-year-old console, can also be had for $99. In other words, you don’t get modern gaming tech for $99, you get the old stuff. There is no price-dropped HP TouchPad of gaming.

With that idea in mind, a $130 2DS is without a doubt firmly planted in impulse territory. A parent can grab the 2DS and one game for their kid for the price of the regular 3DS, and two games for just over the price of the XL. The device will be able to play all current games, so the child will be happy with it compared to what his or her friends have. Imagine the alternative for a budget-conscious parent up until now – buying little Johnny a DSi. It looks great on Christmas, but he won’t be able to play all the games his friends are playing. Good effort, Mom! But sadly, an instant letdown.

Kids aside, the price tag of the 2DS comes at just the right time. Nintendo has always been about stomping the competition in the handheld space, and though the Game Gears and N-Gages of the world can be swatted like so many mosquitos, Sony’s offerings need serious attention and planning to fend off. When the PSP was poised to knock Nintendo from its handheld throne, Nintendo pulled a complete 180 and released a dual screen, touch-based device that very few saw coming, and it succeeded where a beefed up, PSP-like Gameboy Advance sequel may not have. Though the 3DS would likely have done very well this holiday on its own, Sony recently cut the Vita to $200, an extremely compelling offer considering its capabilities and the fact that the 3DS XL also costs that much. With the reveal of a $130 2DS, the price gap between systems is again restored, and the Vita is once again — despite looking better than ever — a tough sell.

Of course, there’s more to the impulse buy than just grabbing a 2DS and going home, and Nintendo knows this. If a consumer (adult, child, or otherwise) does his or her research and decides on a 2DS for whatever reason, Nintendo wins. Say the decision was made because the 2DS is so cheap. Big victory there, as the system turns a hefty profit. But consider this. A consumer has decided Nintendo, and walks into Best Buy or Target. They head to the gaming section, and see the regular 3DS and the XL propped up nicely across the way from the 2DS. They try the 3D visuals and they see the more stylish design and clamshell portability. And just like grabbing something for $130 when you didn’t originally plan to is an impulse buy, adding just thirty more dollars to that to net yourself some nice form and function is without a doubt an impulse add-on. There’s something sophisticated about having an actual product line, and 3DS is the only gaming device offering such a thing.

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