Nintendo 2DS seems like an admission that maybe consumers don't really care for 3D. Was Nintendo's vision flawed? No, company CEO Satoru Iwata says. He defended the 2DS by saying it's been in development for "a long time," and was always meant to offer a budget entry point into the 3DS ecosystem.

"Generally speaking, it takes approximately one and a half years before we can bring a new hardware system onto the market, and we already realized beforehand that it would be difficult to maximize the sales potential of Nintendo 3DS without an entry-level product ready in time for the release of a new Pokémon title," he told investors. "Because we already knew that the range of price options for Nintendo 3DS was not sufficient in light of the highly appreciated yen at the time, we had been preparing for this launch."

Iwata argues that the existence of 3DS doesn't mean the company is less focused on 3D, pointing out it is just one option for consumers. "We are offering such an option in order to further propel the popularity of the Nintendo 3DS platform in the overseas markets. Nintendo 2DS is, however, simply one of the options for consumers and we will continue to offer the existing Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo 3DS XL platforms in the overseas markets, and we are not saying that we will abandon 3D or cease to make new propositions in 3D."

He concluded by pointing out that the upcoming Zelda game is "a super showcase of the 3D effect." However, series producer Eiji Aonuma said that the upcoming adventure had to be changed due to the 2DS system.