When comparing New Nintendo 3DS vs Nintendo 2DS, the Slant community recommends New Nintendo 3DS for most people. In the question“What are the best portable game consoles?” New Nintendo 3DS is ranked 4th while Nintendo 2DS is ranked 13th. The most important reason people chose New Nintendo 3DS is:
The New Nntendo 3DS (not the XL) is the only 3DS with support for interchangeable faceplates. This allows one to purchase new plates to customize the look of their device to their liking.
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Pros
Pro Customize look with interchangeable faceplates
The New Nntendo 3DS (not the XL) is the only 3DS with support for interchangeable faceplates. This allows one to purchase new plates to customize the look of their device to their liking.
Pro Improved glasses-free 3D
The New 3DS has an improvement over the regular 3DS model when it comes to the 3D, there is now an infrared sensor that allows for eye tracking, which keeps the 3D focused, even when the device moves. The older model had trouble with the 3D focusing when moving the device around, that is now fixed for the most part.
Pro Has microSD support
Users can use their own micro SD cards for expanded storage with support for up to 32GB cards (though there are users using 64GB or 128GB cards).
Pro Has built-in NFC
This means Amiibo and Amiibo card support for scanning in figures and cards with a tap to then use as addons in certain games. Previous models did not have this function.
Pro Half the price/Comparable features
The Nintendo 2DS retails for $99.00, but can be purchased for slightly less in various retailers. As for features, the only real difference between the 2DS and the 3DS XL is the screen size and 3D display. Almost all other features are identical, with the 2DS even able to play older DS games.
Cons
Con Screen is smaller than the XL
Con Poor battery life
The battery life is not really improved over the previous models and will last between 3.5-6 hours, which is not really that long for a handheld.
Con No charger included
In order to keep the price down on the unit Nintendo has chosen to not include a charger with the device, meaning that if you do not have one already or purchase one you will not be able to use the device past the half charge that it has out of the box.
Con Low resolution screen
Technically the resolution of the main screen is 800 x 240, but each eye gets half that making it functionally 400 x 240. A 1080p screen has more than 10 times the pixels.
Con Only available a white themed bundles in the US
So far the only model available in the US is the white one and it can only be purchased as an Animal Crossing Happy Home Designer bundle or the Pokémon 20th Anniversary Bundle. This raises the price of the unit as each bundle comes with a game.
Con Missing some features
The top screen of the device is not able to display any of the 3DS games in 3D (hence the 2DS name) which may make some games that heavily rely on 3D such as Super Mario 3D Land difficult to play. There is also only a mono speaker built into the device (though the headphone jack is stereo) as well as no way to fold the device as the shell is all a solid frame.