Nintendo 2DS: Coming to an Excited Kid Near You

Every year, our friends at Nintendo swing by Denver to show us the latest and greatest on the market. Last year, it was the WiiU, and this year it’s the 2DS handheld, which will be released on Oct. 19. We got one of the first looks and they had enough security there to make sure we didn’t keep on looking by walking out with if afterward. :-)

The Lobby’s lovely back patio

We congregated at The Lobby, a welcome reprieve after all of our flooding and rain. But forget the charming courtyard with flowers, ivy and delicious food (caramel-bacon ice cream Sammies, anyone?) When we pulled up to the restaurant and saw a huge Nintendo-theme trailer, the kids went wild.Seeing is doing with Nintendo so after a brief overview, the kiddos and adults were set loose to try out all the new games and devices on the back deck and also in the decked-out trailer. Both kiddos fell in love with Pitkin 3 (can you say Christmas present?) and we all really, really liked the new 2DS. In fact, while the kids eventually gravitated back to what they were familiar with (the 3DS), the adults and I universally agreed we preferred the 2DS. Not only is it a more light, affordable ($129.99), family-friendly unit but I prefer its flat, tablet-like design because it’s easier to hold and navigate…the perfect starter device. All the capabilities seem to be the same so I think it will be a winner in the family market.

Nintendo 2DS

There’s nothing quite like a Nintendo event.

The best way to describe it: an anti-social, social bonding experience.

When Bode first entered the Nintendo-themed trailer, he marveled at all the technology and peppered the PR rep with questions.

Q:”Where do you drive this?”
A: “All around the country showing people the games.”
Q: “This is your job?”
A: “Yup.”

Let’s just say Bode has new career aspirations.

Bode is my Nintendo guy and I can get him to do pretty much anything in exchange for some highly-coveted Wii time (how do you think I potty trained him?)

Hadley, on the other hand, can take it or leave it but I think she found her game, Animal Crossing. You essentially design your own world with the perfect house, outfits and animals while learning life skills with in-game currencies but with a lot more depth than in your average Webkinz or  phone app. The interactivity is mind-blogging; when you play it adapts your scene to whether it’s night or day and as the seasons change in real life, so do your scenes. That’s only the tip of the iceberg, of course.


I knew she was having fun when I brought her an extra-gooey brownie (her favorite) and instead of inhaling it like she usually does, she reprimanded me, “No dessert, I’m busy right now.”

The 2DS may be my new diet technique.

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