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This new Nintendo 2DS looks like a Pokeball

It wants to be the very best, like no DS ever was.

Sean Hollister Senior Editor / Reviews
When his parents denied him a Super NES, he got mad. When they traded a prize Sega Genesis for a 2400 baud modem, he got even. Years of Internet shareware, eBay'd possessions and video game testing jobs after that, he joined Engadget. He helped found The Verge, and later served as Gizmodo's reviews editor. When he's not madly testing laptops, apps, virtual reality experiences, and whatever new gadget will supposedly change the world, he likes to kick back with some games, a good Nerf blaster, and a bottle of Tejava.
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Sean Hollister
2 min read
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Nintendo

Sometimes, a single picture tells the whole story. 

Nintendo has a new version of its 2DS XL dual-screen folding handheld game system. It looks like a Pokeball, those things you throw to catch and enslave monsters in the popular Pokemon series of games. It's coming out in the US on Nov. 3 for an undisclosed price, though it'll probably be the same $150/£130/AU$200 you'd pay for the vanilla version today.

And unless Nintendo's wised up about supply and demand -- its recent decision to produce more NES Classics is a good omen, I suppose -- you'll never, ever be able to buy one.

I guess that's not the entire story, though, because there are other versions of the 2DS XL coming as well.

Like this delicious (50-50 bar, anyone?) orange-and-white variant coming on Oct. 6:

Or these purple- and green-highlight versions headed (exclusively?) to Japan on Oct. 5:

And if you're truly not embarassed to proclaim your love for Pokemon in public, you could import this Pikachu-faced variant:

Pikachu 2DS LL Japan
Nintendo

Choices, choices. 

All of these devices were announced during a Nintendo Direct livestream today, along with an awful lot of Nintendo Switch game news. The highlights: