thenewblu - Tumblr blog

thenewblu · 1 year ago

Text

Budget Gaming: Making the Case for the *Old* 3DS/2DS in 2024 and beyond

Playing video games in 2024 is more expensive than ever. More so if you’re looking to purchase a new video game system. In a time where there are constantly new games coming out, that are more expensive and more monetized than previously thought possible, I want to make the case for the 3DS. The original 3DS not the models with the “New” designation. Not only can you find the systems on the cheap, but you also have access to an excellent library of software I believe is truly for any kind of gamer. For the price of a new Switch you can be up and running in style with some of the coolest games the system has to offer. Games that are fully realized complete experiences that wont nickel and dime you with loot boxes, or not work because you need a 50 GB day one patch.

I know, I know, $300 bucks, and I can be gaming anywhere with some of the coolest Nintendo games from the 10s’!? It’s True, and you wont be alone, either. The 3DS has a large community of fans across the internet. Look on YouTube you’ll see all kinds of videos lauding the system and people reminiscing on times past. The 3DS subreddit r/3DS has over 1 million follows, and has spawned several more niche subreddits to help direct people to more esoteric discussions about the system. You’ll have no difficulty finding discord servers to join either.

Enough about the online presence, lets get back to that price. It might seem like a large number, but it’s just an arbitrary number that was easy to pick since it’s the new price of the Switch, which is cheaper than either of its competitors. The nice thing about what we’re doing is you can break this up into several smaller purchases that reach this total, or you can just ignore me entirely, and make your own choices. I’m a stranger on the internet and only you know whats right for your budget.

Maybe you’re looking to get into Retro™ gaming. Maybe the Switch has you curious what your favorite games looked like last console generation. Maybe you just want to play some damn games and don’t have the prerequisite stash of gold to shell out for current generation hardware and games. I’m here to introduce the 3DS, and make a case for its earlier hardware revisions as great entry points.

Consoles

The 3DS, more than any other system, had many different revisions over its lifetime. Over time the later hardware revisions have become the most sought after, driving their prices to insane heights. The New 3DS and New 3DS XL are fast approaching our target number on their own. A lot of buyers have instead opted to search for a somewhat cheaper New model from Japan. The catch here is that the system is region locked, so after your purchase there’s a little legwork you have to put in to unlock it. I instead, am here to champion the cause of the older brother and cheaper base 3ds and 2ds models. I’m not gonna lie to you. There’s definitely a reason these are not the models people are after. The newer hardware revisions improved a lot about these systems. However, either of these two handheld systems could easily be your daily gaming driver, and in the process save you some serious scrilla, which means more money for what we’re really here for the games!

Okay, so what are we giving up? The newer systems have slightly more processing power under the hood. I won’t go super technical on you, just know a slim number of games are exclusive to those newer systems. Additionally we get slightly longer load times, and slightly worse frame rates. The 3D screen the system is known for also works a lot better on the new revisions. It has a tracker to help align the 3D effect with your eyes as the systems tilts or rocks about in your hand. Battery life is where I feel you can most try to justify the higher cost of the newer systems. I like a long play session, I want battery life. I’d say it’s one of the most important metrics to care about when looking at a hand held gaming console of any kind. According to Nintendo support, we get between three and five hours on the 3DS and three and a half to five and a half hours on the 2DS. Not bad per se, but a far cry from the potential 7 offered by the New 3DS XL.

However, these systems are likely a decade old. Our first expense past getting us a console is a replacement battery. Just do yourself a favor and replace it now. Swollen batteries can leak and cause damage, and as they age also just lose some of their ability to hold a charge. With a replacement battery, we are still at roughly $115 dollars, which means we are looking good! I would also advise purchasing some screen protectors (roughly 5 to 10 bucks) and a case or shell of some kind to protect against some wear and tear. These can range anywhere from 8 bucks to any amount. There are SO MANY case options and everyone’s preferences will be different. As we are on a budget I’d say we cant go wrong with anything in the $15 to $20 range. Lastly, we’re gonna want a memory card. Your system likely comes with one but SD cards come cheap now. you can grab a 32 GB one on amazon for $10 or less. With all that I’d put our total for system and extras at $135 for a 2DS and $155 for a 3DS. ($80 for a 2DS $100 for a 3DS, and assuming you paid on the higher end for all accessories listed). With those purchases now though you are big chillin’! Got a new battery, protection, we are in it for the long haul with this setup! (and only halfway to the price of a new switch!)

Games

Okay, so that was a lot. It’s a little more legwork than just buying something new off the shelf for sure, but now we’re to the section that justifies the previous one. THE GAMES! If you've owned a Nintendo system before then you know this is where we really shine. If you haven’t played any Nintendo games prior to this, then I really cant think of a better way to get acquainted with some of Nintendo’s games than on this platform. At the end of the article I’ll total everything together with what I would get, but there will be plenty of choice here for you to make your own list to pick from! You truly are spoiled for choice in a multitude of different genres with the 3DS. Two genres where I do think you’re hurting though are shooters and racing games. That’s not to say they’re absent but if that’s your go to genre you may find the selection lacking.

Let’s start with first party Nintendo games. There are easily enough to justify owning this system and they are more affordable than you could hope for (for the most part!). Let’s start with Mario. The man needs no introduction and yet here I am trying to write one anyway like a dunce. You could do a lot worse than buying yourself a copy of Super Mario 3D Land. If your coming from non-Nintendo hardware you may have not done much platforming and this is a great way to get your toes wet and have a good time. If you opted for a system with the 3D screen it also does a pretty good job flexing that effect if you want to see what its like with the 3D on. Another great option in this genre, especially if you think you want to put your platforming chops to the test, is Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D. The music is great, it has an aesthetic and vibe i really dig. Perhaps not a great buy for someone not accustomed to platforming, but in the long run I wouldn’t ignore this gem of a game. Grabbing both will run you about Twenty Five bucks and shipping, which is a steal if we were to compare that to picking up Super Mario Odyssey and Donkey Kong Country Tropical freeze.

“Platformers!?” I hear you say, “I’m here for Pokemon!” Well I have good news and bad news for you fellow Pokemon enjoy-er. The good news is that the 3DS can not only play the largest number of Pokemon games, but is also where Pokemon hit its apex. The bad news is that about half of those games are going to cost you more than what you spent on your system, extras and accessories included.

For those of you still here lets talk Pokemon for a bit. The 3DS era of Pokemon included generations six,seven, and spans across 3 different regions (Kalos, Hoenn, and Alola). Although well received at the time, discourse has changed to mixed on these Pokemon offerings and only gotten worse into the Switch era. Everyone has different ideas of what they personally want from a Pokemon game. Some want the grindy endgame of a battle frontier, some want a tough as nails nuzlocke, and some just want a chill turn based RPG with cool and cute monsters. Pokemon is a game wearing a lot of different hats and although it wears most of them well on the 3DS it doesn’t wear them all well. The 3DS also being backwards compatible with previous DS games means that you have the choice to re-visit generations four and five(Sinnoh, Johto, and Unova). This is where the games skyrocket into supreme un-affordability, sadly. If you just want a single Pokemon game because you want to see what it’s all about, or you haven’t played one in a while and you just need to scratch that itch, my pick goes to Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. These games are a little more expensive than the previous two 3DS titles we've discussed, but you’ll get a decent amount of play time out of them. If you’re a ride or die Pokemon fan and you disagree with my recommendation then its likely this entire article isn't really for you anyway. You wont necessarily come out cheaper here compared to a copy of a switch Pokemon game, but you also wont have to purchase any DLC, and few would make the claim any of the switch titles are better than the gen 3 remakes.

Okay. We are past Pokemon now. I’m gonna rapid fire some games now or this games section is gonna continue on for a while! We’ve talked Mario, we’ve talked Pokemon but there’s a really big Nintendo franchise that's escaped this discussion so far and that's ZELDA! Yes, there’s a nice number of great Zelda games on the system! If you haven’t experienced them then I can’t recommend the N64 duology more! Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask are both fan favorites and justify owning the system in their own right. Both are thankfully readily available on the cheap too! The real under talked about Zelda in my estimation though is A Link Between Worlds. If you can only get one Zelda right now it should be this one. It even won awards if you care about that sort of thing! A loose copy of the Switch’s Breath of the Wild isn’t an expensive grab either, but it once again has paid DLC where as these 3DS games are complete out of the box

Fire Emblem had it’s renaissance on this system! My pick, especially if your just looking to try the franchise out or not used to tactics based RPGs goes to Fire Emblem: Awakening. Like most of our switch title comparisons Fire Emblem: Three Houses isn’t going to cost you much more but offers paid DLC.

Unless you haven’t been on the internet these last few years, you've probably heard people talk about the ineffable cozy game. This is a system that helped sow the seeds of that genre, with a great title in Animal Crossing:New Leaf. Not a great game for long single sessions, but a game with an incredible amount of longevity nonetheless and one of my most played games.

That’s probably enough of the first party games, I’ll let you discover more of Nintendo’s own catalog for yourself. There’s a plethora of great 3rd party developed software to talk about as well!

This is where we really start to see the 3DS truly can offer up something for everyone. I could not start this section without first talking about what brought me to the platform. Monster Hunter. An action RPG series, that at the time was niche outside of japan, in which you fight increasingly difficult boss monsters to craft better gear to do it all over again and again. There are three amazing entries in this series on the 3DS and I love them all to bits. If a cozy game is a game that feels like a digital security blanket than Monster Hunter is my cozy game. Monster Hunter 4:Ultimate is what I’m going to recommend as your entry into monster killing on the system. It is by far the game most likely to give you the best dollar per hour rate at $18 a copy. I was never able to complete this game and my system still has me recorded at 178 hours of playtime. Our switch counterpart is Monster Hunter Rise Sunbreak, and it’s also coming in at a great price. Monster hunter is just one of the best deals in video games.

Okay, if I write too much more about specific titles this post will never end so I really am gonna mention a few great titles here before we move to our conclusion. Rune Factory 4 is an action RPG fused with a farming simulator you’ll see a lot of playtime out of. Bravely Default is a traditional turn based JRPG with stunning visuals. Resident Evil Revelations is worth a look too, if your a fan or just want to try a horror game out on the system. Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call is a cute rhythm game offering a great package mostly because the music is majority composed by the absolute legend Nobuo Uematsu. A great time, even if you never played a Final Fantasy game, the music is just that good. Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars is another tactical RPG, great especially if you aren’t vibing with the Fire Emblem aesthetic or just want more tactics games.

Conclusion

Let’s get to that total! What games would I get to hit that $300 total? Well, I can’t pass up on Monster Hunter, which would also mean I’d be purchasing a Circle Pad Pro so I can actually move the camera like a normal person. This would mean I’m going with the 3DS and not the 2DS as it doesn't work with this accessory. I’d also spring for Pokemon Omega Ruby, Mario 3D Land, Resident Evil Revelations (it also works with our circle pad pro!), and Animal Crossing New Leaf. That’s about $120 in games (including the CPP). Which with our previous $155 For the console and other accessories totals us at $274 which leaves us some leftover for those other costs like shipping and taxes. That’s getting you two fantastic RPGs, a platformer, a horror game, and a cozy game all for less than the cost of a Switch. IF you were to do something similar with the base switch model I could see you easily getting closer to the $400 dollar mark without any games. A case, a memory card and taxes would at least put you to $350. Add five games to that and we are flirting with five hundred dollars.

So obviously we cant get every game I’ve discussed, but that was kind of on purpose. I want to show off a wide array of games, and show you could get many before we ever approached getting to the price of a Nintendo Switch. With its Lite revision you could likely do something similar to this with the switch itself as well! Unfortunately, in my subjective estimation I’ve found many titles on the switch to just not be as fulfilling. Don’t take that as a knock against the system, I still own one and play games on it, but i just don’t connect it with the same way I do on the 3DS. For my money I want to continue expanding my 3DS library and enjoying the games I’ve fallen in love with on it.

What’s next? If you find you really enjoy the system then I would wholeheartedly recommend saving long term for a New model 3DS. They aren’t getting any cheaper. You could also look in on the thriving homebrewing scene. You have many great games to discover, there are so many I did not mention here. Don’t neglect the original DS library either! I hope this writing has been of some help to you, and I hope that not matter what sort of games you play, you enjoy them. Thanks for reading!

#nintendo #3ds #retro gaming #handheld #pokemon #Budget gaming #nintendo 3ds #legend of zelda #monster hunter 4 ultimate #bravely default #rune factory #DS #nintendo ds #I wrote athing and i dont know how to share it pls help

0 notes