We all know Pokemon Sun and Moon is right around the corner and who isn't excited? The problem I've found is not in your favorite games, but in your favorite 3DS consoles and their costs in light of the releasing of Sun and Moon. They have a very wide variety of consoles and an even wider price gap, but what do you really get for your money? First lets start with the newest 3DS system,

The New Nintendo 3DS

In my personal opinion stat wise and as an owner of this console, it doesn't deliver what it should. At about a $200 price point it doesn't even come with a high speed charger, and stat wise it doesn't actually give much variety. In truth you're really only paying for a slightly larger screen and a smoother feel to the edges. From my personal experience I have trouble with the hinges. They work great for like a month (maybe two) of competitive ORAS gameplay, then they become loose which inevitably affects the power saving option because repeated opening and closing. The 3D and camera is nicer then the original 3DS and 2DS model and the 2DS doesn't offer 3D. That, and about the only other way it differs aside from the improved gyro sensor and an extra hour of game play, is it has the luxury of folding and still being the heaviest of all the systems!

Lets now focus our attention on the original 3DS.

This in my opinion is a delightfully middle of the road system and is still an all time great. Personal feelings aside lets dive in shall we? This system's low-light camera and facial tracking system leaves much to be desired but it is pretty much the same in most categories as its successor the New Nintendo 3DS XL. It has the same battery life, the 3DS XL only has a slightly improved stereo sound component. While the processors are massively different the 3DS XL boasting a 804 MHz ARM11 MPCore quad-core + extra weaker single-core (one reserved for OS) and the original 3DS's ARM11 MPCore 2x at 268MHz (one reserved for OS) 2x VFPv2 Co-Processor, 128MB FCRAM, 6MB VRAM, PICA200 GPU @ 268MHz, Now what does these numbers actually mean when playing your old favorites? Absolutely nothing because the GPU still clocks in at the same speed on both systems not giving the New Nintendo 3DS the edge it should to increase the frame rate on all the classics and most common 3DS games. Its price point is pretty nice and will get better around the holidays so it definitely should be considered.

Now lets focus on the awesome rock star of this article (and my personal favorite) The Nintendo 2DS.

Lets just start off by saying, you really have to try hard to break this thing. I've dropped it on the side walk and it got rained on which it survived and it got ran over by a robust man trying to ride a ten-speed bike which it also survived. Sure freak occurrences happen but I've dropped this thing down a flight of stairs and it survived. Sure there is always the random chance it can break but this thing is built like a child proof otter-box. Cons on this though, it lacks the ability to fold which I don't mind (original gameboy throw back can I get a hell ya) the stereo isn't as powerful but with ear plugs it delivers stereo quality sound. It doesn't have 3D capability but that's more of a style choice in my opinion due to 3D being optional on every other console anyway. Pros, it shares the exact same specs as the original 3DS system but was built child proof and get this, its only $79.99 new at Gamestop with a pre-loaded game $90 at Walmart. It has a dedicated sleep switch, so no problem there. The tracking is practically nonexistent. The camera can be unwieldy but remember its built kid tough. With Christmas being around the corner, sure it doesn't have the ARM11 processor to play the New Nintendo 3DS XL's very limited exclusive game list, but if you've got a family of budding handheld gamers then this is the console to buy. Its battery life is pretty much the same as the original 3DS at around 5-6 hours for 3DS games and 9 hours for DS games. you can essentially get two for the price of one 3DS XL which we know won't make it six months or will get stolen at school and still be able to afford one copy of Sun or Moon. At least then you're not out of a crazy amount of money. When in line for Black Friday or Christmas, aim for this system; you won't be disappointed! It plays all the 3DS games and DS games (excluding their bogusly short list of 3DS XL exclusive games) and also comes with a charger.

To wrap this up, if you want a system with middle of the road specs that will last, get a 2DS. If you want a 2DS that folds and has 3D, get a 3DS original. Want a bulky $200 investment that offers a larger screen, get The New 3DS XL.

Thanks for reading!

-Silvercrow12