In a trailer quietly released on its official YouTube channel, Nintendo has announced the 2DS XL, an upgraded version of its low-cost 2DS handheld game console.
The new dedicated portable system, set to be released on July 28th, will launch in Canada at $199. Nintendo says the new 2DS XL gives consumers a third choice in its handheld lineup, “one that offers pricing and features that fit between the 2DS and the New 3DS XL.”
The 2DS XL is set to launch alongside Hey! Pikmin and Miitopia, two of the 3DS line’s major 2017 game releases.
The new handheld is set to be available in black and turquoise colour variants and features the same larger screen found in Nintendo’s New 3DS XL console. As the name of the 2DS XL implies, however, visuals are only displayed in 2D, though the system is lighter and is compatible with games specifically designed specifically to run on the New 3DS.
The 2DS XL also features built-in NFC support for amiibo compatibility. With the Switch, Nintendo’s recently released handheld-home console hybrid system, largely replicating the functionality of the 3DS, many assumed the company would slowly stop supporting its dedicated handheld line of products. With this new announcement of the 2DS XL, however, that does not seem to be the case.
Nintendo recently revealed its fiscal 2016 earnings, indicating that the consistently out-of-stock Nintendo Switch is off to a “promising start” and has shipped 2.74 million units. The Switch version of Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, on the other hand, sold 2.76 million units.
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