Nintendo 2DS review

The 2DS screens measure at the same size as those found on the standard 3DS: the upper screen is 3.53 inches and the bottom is 3.02 inches.

We talk about them like they're two separate things but actually it's one big touchscreen divided by a bit of plastic and with another layer of transparent plastic covering the top half of the display.

Anyone who's got used to the more spacious dimensions of the XL might find it hard adjusting their eyes back to the smaller displays but quite honestly we find them substantial enough.

It's certainly a rival to the Vita, but there's enough screen real estate for likes of Pokemon and even flying around on Kingdom Hearts was as good as ever.

Nintendo says you'll get about 3.5-5 hours of play with 3DS games and 5-9 hours with older DS titles. We found that was pretty accurate though online play obviously sucks that down a fair amount.

The even better news is that the 2DS actually comes packed with a mains charger this time, not making the same bizarre move of the 3DS XL.

As mentioned, the 2DS can play all your 3DS titles and your DS games too. If you're familiar with the 3DS then there's nothing new to tell you here in terms of what titles are on offer

In terms of how you play, removing 3D on most of the games won't affect gameplay, but there are a few exceptions such as Mario 3D Land where parts of the game will become more challenging as a result.

There are a few puzzles in Mario 3D Land that rely on trickery with the 3D, and without that in place it makes the experience a tad more frustrating.

The other small thing to note is any games that normally require you to close the 3DS system at any point (and there are only a couple) are now dealt with by sliding the sleep button on and off again.

But the 2DS arrives in time for the new Pokemon games - X and Y - and it's unlikely that this is a coincidence, especially as the new pocket monster installment doesn't really utilise the 3D effects on the 3DS at all.

As for other games, you'll get a 4GB SD card with the 2DS which will let you download a few titles but anything more than three or four big games and you'll want to get something bigger. Trust us.