TOKIO – Nintendo is accepting pre-order for four models of Pokémon-themed 2DS in Japan. Limited editions of blue, red, green and Pikachu-yellow portable gaming consoles will be the first 2DS to arrive in that country.
As part of the acclaimed Pokémon series’ 20th anniversary, the devices will come out on February 27th, 2016; the same day the gaming giant will globally launch versions of the original Game Boy Pokémon titles for the 3DS Virtual Console. The 2DS will be available for 9.980 Yen ($83).
In October 2013, the 2DS arrived first in the United States. As reported by Polygon, the Japanese consoles, which include a pre-installed monster-capture game that matches the color of the gadget, have a different set of Pokémon stickers, a poster inspired on the map of the Kanto region and a special menu theme.
It remains unclear whether the Pokémon versions will come to the United States, but red and blue 2DS consoles have been available in the country since last year, as well as the Pokémon Alpha Sapphire and the Pokémon Omega Ruby. However, those devices do not come bundled with Pokémon. The 2DS’s price was dropped in August from $129.99 to $99.
Gamers in Japan will receive a download code to get Pokémon Mew, which includes the latest games such as Pokémon X and Pokémon Y. Moreover, unlike the old versions of Gameboy that required a link cable to play against other players around the world, the latest Nintendo handheld consoles allow gamers to connect them wirelessly via Internet to fight against others and trade Pokémon with them.
The next Nintendo’s release will come in spring 2016 with Bandai Namco and Pokken Tournament, an arena fighting game based on the Pokémon series in which gamers take part in one-to-one battles. Similarly to the Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi games, Pokken Torunament features the up-close duel mode.
Source: PC Magazine