Nintendo has revealed a hot new 2DS bundle coming to the US August 25th. Instead of pairing a game with the recently released New 2DS XL, the deal includes a regular old 2DS and New Super Mario Bros. 2.
The $80 bundle comes with a red-and-white 2DS and costs the exact same as the handheld on its own. Except the 2D consoles normally aren’t even sold on their own but with Mario Kart 7 packed in. With this bundle, buyers will get a digital copy of New Super Mario Bros. 2, not to be mistaken for Super Mario Bros. 2… Confused yet?
This same bundle was actually sold in Europe back in 2014. Like then, the system also comes with a removable 4GB SD card for storing digital games, screenshots, and whatever else you want.
The 2DS features the same dual screens as the 3DS but lacks the clamshell design and 3D viewing options. It’s always been a cheaper, less breakable option for budget gamers and parents buying for children, and Nintendo’s trying to keep it alive.
While all these different DS systems may seem confusing to consumers, Nintendo says they have their reasons. Earlier this year, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime explained why the market has so many versions of the 3DS at once and the reason for the New 2DS XL being added into the mix.
“The Nintendo 2DS really focused on that entry level gamer,” Reggie told Time. “The four-, five-, six-year old that is just getting into gaming, but wants to play Mario Kart, wants to have a Super Mario Bros. experience, wants to play Pokémon. And we feel with Nintendo 3DS XL at $199 that it’s a fully-featured product, that it is, if you will, the Cadillac of handheld gaming. And then we heard from consumers, ‘Boy, I wish there was something in between.'”
Will you US gamers be picking up this Mario bundle? Or perhaps the “in between” New 2DS XL? Let us know in the comments!