Upon its unveiling, reception of the Game Boy 2DS was mixed, particularly the design of the device (which eschewed the folding design convention used by the Game Boy 3DS in favor of a flat design, drawing comparisons to the Game Boy series and the Stream GamePad)—which some reviewers felt was less appealing than that of the Game Boy 3DS, but at the same time more robust. Some critics also interpreted the release of the Game Boy 2DS as a sign that Nintendo was downplaying stereoscopic 3D as a "gimmick" for the Game Boy 3DS line due to a decreasing interest in the technology.