Pokemon Anniversary 3DS Bundle Available for Pre-Order
By Sarah Fields 26 December 2015
The Pokemon New Nintendo 3DS Bundle, which is designed to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Pokemon Red and Blue, is now available for pre-order online.
Western Pokemon fans looked on with envy when it was revealed that a Japan-only Pokemon-themed 2DS was on its way. Thankfully, news soon came that a special Pokemon New 3DS would be released in the U.S., and pre-orders for it are now open.
The Pokemon Red and Blue New 3DS won’t be released until February 27th to celebrate the anniversary of the series. However, Gamestop has opened pre-orders today, selling the units for 199.99. The Pokemon New 3DS comes with two cover plates, so gamers can swap between the classic artwork from Pokemon Red and Pokemon Blue, as well as a pre-installed copy of both versions of the game and a redeemable code for a Pokemon 3DS home screen theme.
Unfortunately, it looks like Pokemon Yellow won’t be a part of this bundle, though Pokemon Yellow will be sold on the 3DS eShop. While a Pikachu cover plate would be nice, Pikachu has already appeared on the original 3DS XL, so that may be why it’s been left out this time around.
Playing a retro game like the original Pokemon on a 2DS makes plenty of sense, since it doesn’t need the 3D feature a 3DS offers or the additional processing power of a New 3DS. However, since many gamers probably haven’t upgraded to the New 3DS just yet from their original 3DS, it’s a great opportunity to get the New 3DS at a good price with a special Pokemon flare.
Additionally, western players technically have a bit of an advantage, since they can simply swap between plates to celebrate different versions of the game. While Japan is releasing four separate versions of the 2DS for Red, Green, Blue, and Yellow respectively, buying every 2DS (or even just the Red and Blue variants) would get quite costly.
This is just the latest in the wave of exciting new Pokemon news planned for the months to come. Pokemon Go, the augmented reality mobile game and Pokken Tournament are both slated to release this year. Even fans of the original series that haven’t quite gotten accustomed to the more recent games have something to look forward to, with classic cards from Pokemon TCG being re-released later this year.
Unfortunately, in order to maintain the collectible nature of the Pokemon edition of the New 3DS, chances are the Blastoise and Charizard cover plates won’t be sold separately for those who already own the device. However, since they’re interchangeable between all New 3DS units, it’s possible that they may show up on auction sites or even be traded between fans.
Pokemon fans, are you planning on picking up this Pokemon New 3DS? Let us know in the comments.
The Pokemon New 3DS will release on February 27th, and is available for pre-order now.
Source: Gamestop
