GameStop to Sell Zelda-Themed New Nintendo 2DS XL

Nintendo on Tuesday unveiled a special edition Legend of Zelda New 2DS XL.

The $159.99 blue-and-silver gaming handheld, which launches exclusively at GameStop on July 2, is designed to look like Link's Hylian Shield from The Legend of Zelda series and comes pre-loaded with the beloved action-adventure game The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds originally released on the Nintendo 3DS in 2013 and earned a rare five-star "outstanding" rating in PCMag's review. "The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past on the Super NES was arguably the greatest Zelda game ever," PCMag's Will Greenwald wrote. "The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds on the Nintendo 3DS beats it."

The New Nintendo 2DS XL, which hit the scene last July, earned an "excellent" rating in PCMag's review. It plays the entire library of Nintendo 3DS games in 2D and features a 4.8-inch screen on the top half, a 4.2-inch touch screen on the bottom half, and a built-in Amiibo reader for games with Amiibo support.

"The New 2DS XL is the best iteration of the Nintendo 3DS hardware so far, and that puts it in a very strange position," Greenwald wrote. "Even the newest, nicest 3DS systems pale in comparison with the Switch, and if money and availability aren't factors we easily recommend the Switch."

About Our Expert

Angela Moscaritolo

Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

My Experience

I'm PCMag's managing editor for consumer electronics, overseeing an experienced team of analysts covering smart home, home entertainment, wearables, fitness and health tech, and various other product categories. I have been with PCMag for more than 10 years, and in that time have written more than 6,000 articles and reviews for the site. I previously served as an analyst focused on smart home and wearable devices, and before that I was a reporter covering consumer tech news. I'm also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade.

Prior to joining PCMag, I was a reporter for SC Magazine, focusing on hackers and computer security. I earned a BS in journalism from West Virginia University, and started my career writing for newspapers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

The Technology I Use

My little Florida beach bungalow is brimming with smart home tech. I have a smart speaker or display in every room, allowing me to control other connected devices by voice. The Nest Hub on my bedside table lets me set wake-up alarms, control my smart light bulbs, and set the temperature on my smart thermostat. I use the Amazon Echo Show 8 on my kitchen counter to browse recipes, reorder protein powder, check the weather, and watch the news while I do dishes.

Because I suffer from allergies, air purifiers are essential. My favorite model is the Dyson Purifier Cool TP07, which doubles as a fan and continuously sends indoor pollution data to its companion mobile app.

My pitbull Bradley sheds, so a good robot vacuum is a must. I currently use a premium Ecovacs Deebot that can both vacuum and mop, empty its own dustbin, and wash its own mop cloth.

For fitness, I like to mix up my routine with cycling, indoor rowing, running, and strength training in addition to yoga. I take classes on the Tonal 2 smart strength training machine, I row indoors on an Aviron machine, and track my beach runs with an Apple Watch while listening to music on my Apple AirPods Pro. On the weekends, I love riding e-bikes like the rugged, beach-friendly Aventon Aventure for fun and fitness.

My job involves a lot of virtual meetings, so a quality webcam, microphone, and ring light are important. I use the Jabra PanaCast 20 webcam, the Elgato Wave: 3 microphone, and a Yesker tripod ring light.

As for my preferred phone platform, I'm an iPhone person, but I've also extensively used Android for product testing.

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