Topic: 3DS Analogue stick/Circle pad

[Dannymcl]

Right, I don't know if anyone else has thought of this and I apologise if I'm just echoing someone else but I haven't read anywhere mentioning it. Could Nintendo use the removable back as somewhere to mount a second right circle pad I don't know how they would do it but it would be more comfortable than having it stick out a mile. It may bulk up the system but would satisfy current 3DS owners like me and give me peace of mind that my system isn't going to be null and void. Any ideas anyone? Please don't just put links to here: http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/rumor/27572

[zachs1997]

I dont know. But if they do revise the system they better have some way of switching were the dpad is and were the circle pad is

[MaryJane]

http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/07/is-this-nintendos-3ds-joystick-add-on/



Not so shabby, and article says it adds an R2 button as well.

[ejamer]

Not loving how bulky the (already biggish) 3DS looks with this add-on. Certainly moves it out of portable size for my pockets at least.


Slightly concerned about accessibility to the L and R buttons, and expect that Start/Home will be a stretch... but otherwise it looks comfortable enough. Might be more comfortable for people with big hands?


Will it be supported by (required for) many games? Will there be a new, dual-slider 3DS model released in the near future? Reeks of desperation from Nintendo if so. I wonder if developers will view this add-on as a concession to their demands and increase their support for the system, or as an admission that 3DS is a failure and avoid the system altogether?






The uncertainty makes me regret buying a 3DS when I did. If I hadn't already purchased, I wouldn't touch the system until getting a clear picture of what its future looks like.

[Pajamas]

Look very closely at the new circle pad. If you zoom in on it, you can see a clear split down one side of it. I smell a shopped.

[Caterkiller]

This is the most disgusting thing I have ever seen. That really boils my blood! Stupid extra pad better be included in the second 3DS design. I can't believe how angry I am about this thing, i'm always pro nintendo.

[Chozo Ghost]

I'm excited about the second analog pad. It should have been built into the 3DS from the get go, but it wasn't and this addon corrects that problem. I don't know why so many people doubted it, but I never doubted it. I understand why it was needed and why Nintendo would want to add it. Now I get to say "I told you so" to all the non-believers, and that's a really awesome feeling.

[Ceric]

Just looking at the pictures that thing doubles the size of the 3DS folded down.  Is like if I had two 3DSes taped together in my pocket. An extended battery only sticks out about as much as having another of the first color sections would.

[zachs1997]

What.... the.... hell.any way if you buy the reviesed version will you be able to transfer ALL data to the new system

[TJ Spyke]

There is no revised system, this is just a clunky peripheral for the existing 3DS (possibly for one game).

[stevey]

This is the most disgusting thing I have ever seen. That really boils my blood! Stupid extra pad better
NOT be included in the second 3DS design. I can't believe how angry I am about this thing, i'm always pro nintendo.

Fixed and fully agree.

[Caliban]

http://kotaku.com/5838197/nintendo-officially-confirms-comments-on-3ds-circle-pad-add+on

Ouch.

[ejamer]

http://kotaku.com/5838197/nintendo-officially-confirms-comments-on-3ds-circle-pad-add+on

Ouch.

I don't get it. Ouch what?


Nintendo confirmed that the circle pad accessory will be released. They didn't confirm that the model shown in photos so far is the final design, didn't confirm that there will be a full redesign for the system, and didn't even confirm that any games outside of Monster Hunter 3G will require the accessory.


So they didn't really say anything meaningful outside of confirming that it's not a big hoax.

[Chozo Ghost]

There is no revised system, this is just a clunky peripheral for the existing 3DS (possibly for one game).

That's not what the rumor posted weeks ago said. According to the original rumor it is Nintendo themselves who are behind it and a revision which incorporates it is in the works.

At the time the rumor was posted everyone doubted it entirely, but now we know the addon is real, so maybe the other details of the rumor are true as well? Why would you still continue to doubt the rumor's minor points when the bulk of it is already confirmed?

I would be willing to bet money on it. Care to make a wager?

[Adrock]

I don't think he's necessarily doubting it; just pointing out that it's not official.

More importantly, I certainly hope no one takes that bet. Betting against Nintendo introducing a handheld redesign (even with the right slide pad) is like betting against the Harlem Globetrotters.

[ejamer]

Of course I won't make a wager. There is a very good chance those things will all happen in the not-too-distant future... but there is still a chance that some won't. I'm simply not going to waste time being concerned about (or betting on) a rumor that is totally out of my control.

I stand by my comment before: this "confirmation" changes nothing that wasn't already known, so there is no reason that 3DS should suddenly become more upset or disappointed than they were earlier.

[Ian Sane]

There was no way I was ever going to buy a 3DS prior to a revision anyway.  I'm not dumb.  The GBA and DS each had at least one revision so I naturally assumed this would have one, too.  I wonder if that is part of the reason for the underwhelming 3DS sales.  Nintendo has tried their little bullshit trick of trying to get you to buy their handheld twice and most of the world has finally caught on.  Maybe there is a lot of interest in the 3DS but everyone figures the 3DS XL or whatever is going to come out at some point so they might as well wait.  Nintendo has been taking advantage of everyone the last two handheld generations and maybe this time it blew up in their face.

And if that is the situation they're pretty screwed for next gen as well because we know they're going to go with a 3DS revision so they would need a handheld that had no revisions in order to regain trust.

[Chozo Ghost]

I honestly don't think the majority of consumers anticipate revisions and hold off buying a system due to waiting for them. Many people on this site do but that's just because we follow these things and are more knowledgeable about it than the average consumer. I'm not saying it doesn't factor into it at all, but clearly most of the 3DS' underwhelming performance can easily be explained by the price and the small library of games.

[Adrock]

The original model isn't a piece of crap just because it gets redesigned. Nintendo isn't tricking anyone. Expect improvements to be made due to technological advancements and the passage of time. That's how it's always been. There will always be something better around the corner. The original model still plays the same games.

[ejamer]

There was no way I was ever going to buy a 3DS prior to a revision anyway.  I'm not dumb.  ...

Wow... Way to come off like an ass.


Previous revisions in portable hardware have never been so important, so quickly.  The GBA SP improved the GBA design, but it still played the same games. Same for DS revisions until the DSi came along.  I fully expected that there would be a hardware revision, but didn't count on a major feature that would be required by some games being added to the system so quickly after initial release. After skipping over the DSi I figured that the basic 3DS hardware would be stable for at least a year or two (instead of a month or two).


Of course, I'm dumb that way.

[Chozo Ghost]

No one is dumb. All it takes is a $10 addon to make the original 3DS model the same as the future model. Its not like its now a paperweight or anything.

[leahsdad]

The GBA SP improved the GBA design, but it still played the same games.

I had a GBA, never bought the SP, and never really felt cheated about it, especially since with the side-light (instead of a backlight), the SP was (in terms of the viewability of the screen, and only that aspect) the GBA with one of those third-party lighting devices built in.

If the 2nd analog is built into the next revision, I don't think that a reason to regret purchasing the original 3DS.  Anyone here upset terribly about owning a Wiimote that doesn't include M+ inside?  Anyone here feel wronged because they bought an N64 that didn't include the memory expansion?  Anyone outraged because their NES bundle didn't include the NES Advantage Stick? 

And if the only improvement in the next hardware revision is built in 2nd analog and extended battery life and cosmetic design change, I for one will probably pass on that.  I think the current 3DS is designed well enough that I will be happy with it in its current form, with or without that add-on, for a long time.  What really spoiled me in the last handheld generation, what will really make me give Nintendo money that I really can't afford, would be a 3DS XL.  Now that gets me excited.   When I went from my Lite to my XL, it was just amazing. 

[Ian Sane]

I actually was quite annoyed that my original GBA had an incredibly hard-to-see screen.  I used to fuss around all the time with lights and such and it was always a royal pain.  Then Nintendo released this backlit GBA, the GBA they SHOULD have released in the first place, and I was pretty damn pissed off.  Everyone complained about that problem since day one.  You telling me the Nintendo testers did not immediately notice how dark the screen is?  They just didn't give a **** and released it as is.  Thankfully the GB Player, something I would gladly have bought even if I had a GBA SP, came out allowing me to, you know, see the games.  But I refused to buy a GBA SP out of principle.  They released a substandard product on purpose only to release the "real" product later.  The DS was not as annoying as the differences between the DS and DS Lite are much less significant.  I'm fine with a DS Phat.

The significant thing is that it is a completely new purchase.  M+ doesn't mean I have to buy a whole new Wii to use it.  Handhelds often had that problem.  As a result I played it safe with the 3DS.

Though Nintendo actually did find a way to offer the new functionality to old 3DS systems.  I think with a handheld you make sure to get it right the first time and if you don't, you stick with your mistake until the successor comes out.  But at least Nintendo didn't offer a new dual-analog 3DS and left the early adopters in the cold.  This example is more like M+ or the expansion pack.  With previous handhelds it was not like that.  It was all or nothing.

The problem with this whole thing is that it really seems like you can't trust Nintendo to stay put with a handheld.  If you buy one, it will be replaced before you know it.  I don't think it will do Nintendo any favours for that to become expected.  The 3DS looks like a big scam.  Maybe that wasn't the intention but it doesn't look good.  The timing of this isn't good either.  They just admitted they overpriced it and now they're suggesting they flubbed on the control layout?  Could they work harder and making the 3DS look like a disaster?  The very existence of this and the price cut suggest that the 3DS is a substandard product.

And if they ever ditched the 3D like some rumours have stated that would just completely **** it all up.  What about people who bought the 3DS because they liked the idea of 3D?  That was supposed to be the hook in the first place!  So they get like a year of 3D games and then everything is 2D because the revision doesn't support 3D?  That would be such a screwjob.  Hopefully that rumour has no basis in reality.

[Chozo Ghost]

Ian, there were things you could buy from 3rd parties to light up the GBA screen. I even remember seeing websites years ago that had tutorials that showed you step by step what to do in order to solder an LED light yourself into it for mere pennies worth of materials. There may even have been an official Nintendo GBA backlit peripheral, but I'm not sure on that. I know 3rd party ones did exist, though.

[Ian Sane]

Ian, there were things you could buy from 3rd parties to light up the GBA screen. I even remember seeing websites years ago that had tutorials that showed you step by step what to do in order to solder an LED light yourself into it for mere pennies worth of materials. There may even have been an official Nintendo GBA backlit peripheral, but I'm not sure on that. I know 3rd party ones did exist, though.

I bought a third party light.  It sucked.  Total waste of money.  I do remember all the various hacks to make your own backlight or make the GBA output to a TV.  Once the GB Player showed up however though I was fine.  Still pissed me off though.  It was an obvious problem so why not have the backlit GBA out right off the bat?  I felt like a huge chump when the SP was revealed.  Huge problem from day one and it's all fixed!!!... if you buy a whole new system.