Shoddy design and minimal sound quality make this a secondary choice, at best.
Wish I could say the same for sound, though. In an effort to condense the system's price, Nintendo designed the 2DS with a mono speaker. This doesn't work nearly as well as older models, and some of the music and sound effects are dwindled down as a result. I was a bit disappointed in this department, to be honest.
As for long-lasting ability, the 2DS has a decent battery life, maybe a slight bit longer than the 3DS, but, really, you're probably not going to take this one on the road unless you have a dedicated carrying case or absolutely, positively need to chat with Pokemon fans at the park. Seriously, just keep it at home.
One nice note here – Nintendo did up the size of the memory card to 4 GB, so you can actually get a couple of good downloads going on before needing to upgrade. It's considerable to see Nintendo give owners at least a little something.
While I can't completely recommend the Nintendo 2DS as a "hot toy" this Christmas, I can't completely condemn it either. It's comfortable and practical as a young gamer's system, especially to those who aren't into the whole 3D gimmick Nintendo introduced with its initial system last year. That said, it's still a flawed design, so try to go hands-on with one before you go all in for the purchase. Cheaper isn't always better.
Score: 6.5 / 10
