Nintendo has announced that clear red and blue Nintendo 2DS units will be sold in North America. The handheld gaming devices in "Crystal Red" and "Crystal Blue" will be available on Nov. 21 for $99.
The devices will launch along with Pokémon Omega Ruby and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire, which are remakes of the classic Pokémon Sapphire and Pokémon Sapphire games.
"Kids will love the slick, semitransparent design, and gamers of all ages will enjoy having access to a library of more than 3,000 games," said Nintendo in a statement. "The Nintendo 2DS system plays all Nintendo 3DS games in 2D, is backward-compatible with a huge library of Nintendo DS games and also offers the ability to download games from the Nintendo eShop. The system maintains many of the same hardware and connected features as Nintendo 3DS such as touch-screen controls, StreetPass, Miiverse and online multiplayer functionality."
The devices mark the return of translucent plastic in tech; a trend that many were thankful had died when it did. Vintage, however, is in right now and Nintendo is doing a good job of capitalizing on the trend.
The Pokémon games that launch alongside the console, Pokémon Omega Ruby and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire, will cost $40 each.
The news comes as Nintendo also begins offering subscriptions to its NFC Amiibo figurines. Through Loot Crate, Nintendo will allow users to subscribe to get a total of 10 of the toys across three shipments, which will be delivered during the upcoming holiday season.
Subscribers of the service will pay between $12 and $14 per month plus shipping, depending on the subscription term. Subscribers will also get a themed pack of goodies each month. There are a total of 18 figurines available, so users who subscribe will be getting most of them, but not all.
Nintendo has been changing a lot over the past few years. Largely unable to compete with the likes of Sony and Microsoft in the gaming space, Nintendo has to think of different ways to appeal to customers, which is largely the basis behind the Amiibo toys.
The figurines offered in the subscription include Mario, Pikachu, Donkey Kong, Fox, Yoshi and five other characters, which will be revealed at a later date. The toys will be most functional once the new Super Smash Bros game launches, and will be able to unlock new characters in the game.
The Amiibo toys will also launch on Nov. 21, along with the Nintendo 2DS consoles and the new Pokémon games.
