Topic: Kakuchou Slide Pad Impressions

[the_dan_x]

Is bigger better? Are two better than one? Read on to find out more about the upcoming 3DS add-on.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/impressions/27895

The news of the Circle Pad add-on for Japan has surprised many and left others wondering about the inevitability of a hardware re-release (a 3DS Lite or 3DSi). Regardless of what games are going to use it or if a second Circle Pad will be included in a future hardware redesign, this add-on is coming nonetheless. Although it wasn’t available for compatible titles on the show floor, the Circle Pad add-on was still at the show and I had a chance to get my hands on it.

Obviously, the biggest addition to the unit is an additional Circle Pad, or Slide Pad as it is referred to here in Japan, to the right of the 3DS face buttons. The add-on also adds about an inch (about 2.5 cm) to the control space, giving the 3DS a more controller like feel. The right top side of the 3DS is covered by the unit, which adds not only it’s own R button, but an RZ and LZ button as well, essentially giving it all the functionality that was found on the Wii Classic controller Pro. The back is also designed to fit more comfortably in your hands, veering away from the original flat design to something more rounded and contoured. 

The size of the Circle Pad add-on is very comfortable, and it using it for titles that are more console like in nature (Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil, etc) will feel a lot better and less cramped during long gameplay sessions. The additional Circle Pad itself is a different story. The placement feels awkward, and if you are playing a game that makes use of both the second Circle Pad and the right should buttons, it could potentially be a uncomfortable. The shoulder buttons are digital and feel a little stiff and the add-on also makes it a little bit difficult to reach the L button located on the 3DS. As it stands right now, the use of the additional shoulder buttons are shrouded in mystery.

The Circle Pad add-on will make playing lengthy 3DS games more comfortable, but the placement of the additional Circle Pad and the stiff shoulder buttons have the power to counteract this. That said, it is clear that some 3DS games (Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D and Monster Hunter 3G) will benefit from the additional functionality. As of this writing, there are no plans to bring this add-on outside of Japan. 

[Ceric]

What does Kakuchou loosely translate to or is it a made up word?

[MegaByte]

Expansion

[AV]

Since RFN did mention it uses the RF signal would that mean it actually DECREASES your internal battery as you use it. So it need a battery and eats up your internal batteries too 


If they redesign 3DS how would they do L2/R2 buttons on the system. The 2nd circle pad below face buttons seems easy, but shape of the 3DS2.0 would be dramatically different.

[MegaByte]

It uses infrared, not RF, so it will cause little, if any, extra drain on the system.

[Chozo Ghost]

Yeah, infrared is what your TV remote uses. The batteries in a tv remote can last years, so I don't think this is something you will be needing to swap batteries with very often.

[Oblivion]

How does it stay attached to the system?

[Adrock]

Alchemy.

[Ceric]

How does it stay attached to the system?

I'll bet its friction fit.  I have a set of grips that already do that.  I got them didn't like them and now I'm using them as safety packaging for my system.

[Discostew]

The IR on the addon's side may act like a TV remote, in that it only send signals when the actual input components are being used, but the receiving end (the 3DS) needs to be on continually to receive those signals.

[Enner]

I was afraid that the placement of the second slide pad would feel weird. Oh well, maybe it's something one can get used to.

[Chozo Ghost]

I bet when they redesign the 3DS and incorporate the 2nd slider they will position it above the face buttons, and keep things the same on the other side with the left slider kept as it is above the D-pad. This will make the layout symmetrical, but more importantly it would make it identical to the layout on the Wii U Tablet controller. This is important because the 3DS is supposed to be able to fill in as a Wii U controller, so I would expect the layout of the revision to be identical.

[Mop it up]

I didn't see anything about how the face buttons feel with this attachment, that's one thing I was wondering about.