Last FY year, 2DS had 20% of all 3DS sales in Japan, 30% in US, and 50% of sales of all 3DS sales in Europe.

https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/pdf/2017/170428_2e.pdf

It will sell well.

It's the only unit that is decently priced considering the 3DSXL is only $100 cheaper than the Switch.

I tell you this, I'm buying this New 2DS no matter what. I sold my 3DS a while back and now that the library has grown and is continuing to grow, I think it's time for me to get it. This is probably the sexiest device Nintendo has ever made, can't wait to get one. I agree, the old 2DS was a piece of shite but I think Nintendo is going to push it hard with Miitopia and possibly that Mario Luigi Superstar Saga remake.

No, it will sweep up the usual suspects that are picied up by final revisions like the Gameboy Micro, backlight GBA SP, PSone, PS3 Super Slim, Xbox 360 E.

Young kids who can't afford the new Switch or standard N3DS (or parents don't want them habing the 3D effect), people who game basically a gen behind (yes these groups do exist), those who refrain from buying competitor machines or secondary devices until very late in their life span, and those looking to upgrade from the standard 3DS models but felt the N3DS XL was just a bit too pricey and/or don't care for the 3D effect (this is the group I'm in).  It is also aesthetically quite pleasing and more in line with the sleek look Nintendo is pushing. It will find an audience, several millions comfortably. And with the hardware almost certainly being sold at a comfortable profit margin, that will be plenty of success for what it is.

+1

This is  part of what I have written in thread about the announcement...

New 2ds xl is for people who can't afford anywise a switch or those who're waiting for a more portable handheld part of switch and of course considerably cheaper ( as switch is kind of expensive for the handheld console only gamer ) ! Those who can comfortably spend 299$, will go for the premium switch hardware and software and if they want they can buy a new 2ds xl later for the vast library of 3DS...

Also New 2ds xl is perfect for those who want the fairly better hardware ( I mean owners of old models ) of New 3ds xl ( the unusable browser on 3DS is usuable on New 3dxl, it even supports html5, it plays youtube videos smoothly ) but not at 200$...

What will be harmed for New 2ds xl is New 3ds xl... New 2ds xl has the same hardware with it, it's lighter by 60g, sleek and elegant! Also, it fixes a long time problem since DS family, the  durability of hinges and the best thing, it costs just 150$ ( all that time people were paying/had to pay 50$ for something they didn't desire/use/had problems with it. )  It's basically the best 3DS ever!

P.s Guys, are we six years old according to soundwave? lol

Yeah, basically Pokemon go effect went towards 2DS significantly more than to new 3ds xl! In spite of 2ds design, its super low price is something that you can't ignore if you want to play some specific games.

I thought the 2DS sold quite well

You ask if anyone has a seen 3ds in the wild...
So this answer your question about New 2ds xl!

3DS is scarce since January ( in the USA for sure, maybe EU too ) because sales in holiday were fairly bigger than what Nintendo was expecting ( Pokémon go + Pokémon S/M )! Of course they tried to fix the supply issues with the release of New 3ds xl Pikachu edition in the end of February but this sold out quickly and there is the switch which has tremendous demand for the moment ( Nintendo target was 2m and they shipped 2.74m ) , so Nintendo is in tough position regarding production and they rightly chose to focus to their newly console production/meeting demand as much as possible instead of manufacturing and shipping as much as units of their older console are needed...

For reference, Nintendo originally planned to sell-in 5m 3DS for the FY, which essentially means that they had already produced 5m units ready to be shipped through the fiscal year! Nintendo had to raise their aim to 6m in summer and again in autumn, to 7m owing to Pokémon go effect, they ended up selling-in 7.27m...
Hence, the scarcity in the beginning of 2017 was inevitable, especially with an upcoming hot new product by them ...
Also, you have mentioned NES mini... ;)

Anyway.
New 2ds xl, isn't an xl hinged version of 2DS, it's new 3ds xl without 3D effect, with better hinges, lighter, sleek and sexier... That for 150$, 50$ less than New 3DS XL ( or 90$ less as the current 3DS scarcity has inflated the prices ), and 19$ less than the price of 3DS after the price drop...

Even if no one that hasn't bought a 3DS yet wants it, it will still sell well thanks to more owners of older 3ds models finally upgrading because it combines value with performance, something that new 3ds xl didn't do and New 3ds does but it has small screens...

It was never supposed to set the world on fire or anything... It'll sell good enough, the price point alone will take care of that.