Topic: The OFFICIAL Big N rumor thread *bring your own salt*

[Mop it up]

We know virtually nothing about this.  We don't know who made it, we don't know if it'll be used beyond one game, we don't know hardly anything about it, we barely know what it looks like, aside from a single scan that may or may not even be a prototype version... hell, we don't even know if this'll get released in the US... yet we're all ready to boycott Nintendo over it.

Some people, like meself, are passionate, and just like to react to things how they happen, whether it be positive or negative. I don't find anything wrong with that. Now that I've had some time to reflect on it, I don't particularly care about this attachment... for the time being. My impression from what's in the magazine is that this accessory is actually made by CapCom, and will be used only with Monster Hunter Tri G, and maybe some other CapCom games. That's what I'm going to go with unless more facts surface, and as long as there are no games that require the accessory (beyond MHTG, in which I have no interest), then I'll be fine with its existence.

However, if it is indeed Nintendo's invention, I'd still criticize their poor decisions with the 3DS even if it doesn't directly affect me, but I'll handle that if it comes to it.

[Chozo Ghost]

Hey, isn't 10% of the space on 3DS carts reserved for patches and DLC and such? It should be possible to add in dual slider support even for games which have already been released via a simple update. Right?

[MegaByte]

That space is for patch installers to the system (i.e. system updates, same as Wii discs), not for patches to the card itself.

[Oblivion]

You know, the more I look at it, the more it looks fake. Look at the size and angle at the second pad. Doesn't it look off? At first I was raging like almost everyone else but I'll try to stay positive. Plus, this could be just a Capcom add-on for Monster Hunter Tri G.

[MegaByte]

Uh, it's off because it's a poor photo/scan of a curved page (there have since been better scans). The peripheral is very real.

[Oblivion]

****.

[TJ Spyke]

But Nintendo did not give any details. For all we know, this could be a peripheral just for the Monster Hunter game.

[nickmitch]

The fact that this is real shows that Nintendo is desperate. Can't wait for the snide comments from Sony execs.

[bustin98]

What sucks about it is that Monster Hunter will be the only game to take advantage of the second slider, and before you know it, a new 'DS' will be coming out and it will sport two sliders. Attachments suck because 3rd parties can't be convinced to take advantage of them.

[Killer_Man_Jaro]

Regardless of its eventual use, the peripheral is a bit of an eyesore. It just adds further credence that Nintendo will bend over backwards to serve Monster Hunter on its platform - looking at the original Tri, they revised the Classic Controller with the Pro and did a new hardware colour pretty much solely to suit that game (no disrespect to the CC Pro, it's an excellent control pad). It's unfortunate that the Circle Pad attachment was announced in response to a leak with no details given. That's not really a good way to introduce that concept into people's minds, because even if this will be a Monster Hunter-specific thing released only in Japan, giving people a week to speculate and draw the worst conclusions they can think of is exactly the sort of buzz they need to avoid.

[nickmitch]

It's unfortunate that the Circle Pad attachment was announced in response to a leak with no details given. That's not really a good way to introduce that concept into people's minds...

The same thing happened with the 3DS itself. At least with this we have a picture.

[Chozo Ghost]

This is no different than M+, plain and simple. What I don't get is all this hatred towards this but as I recall when M+ was revealed no one complained and the reaction was more or less positive if I recall correctly. So what's the difference? M+ made the Wiimote more bulky and I guess required ate up more battery power, so its kinda the same thing. Yet people weren't cursing Nintendo over it.

I agree with MegaByte that what we've seen is probably just a prototype and the finalized version will probably be more refined. If this also boosts battery power then hopefully that will appease a lot of the complainers.

[Killer_Man_Jaro]

Again, we know very little about this add-on, so I'm not going to argue one way or the other. I'll wait until the 13th.

Getting back to those oh so fun unannounced game rumours, we've got another batch, this time leaked by a Japanese game blog.

Link

According to said blog, we'll be seeing the following titles next week:

• Yoshi 2D platformer, supposedly developed by Good-Feel Inc., the group that brought us Wario Land: The Shake Dimension and Kirby's Epic Yarn
• Unknown game from Intelligent Systems... so not Paper Mario
• Gyakuten Saiban 5, known over here as the fifth Ace Attorney, said to include cases where you play as Miles Edgeworth
• Etrian Odyssey 4, fairly self-explanatory
• Various other lower-profile things, like God Eater, The Silver Case and more obscure Japanese stuff

3DS eShop announcements are also apparently to come, including a Super Mario 3D Land demo and the Legend of Zelda: Fours Swords situation.

[Chozo Ghost]

All that sounds retarded. It doesn't sound legit. Well, besides for a 3DS revision in 2012.

Does it sound legit now?


Anyways, I just wanted to go back to the original text of the rumor from weeks ago before the whole thing was confirmed. Now that we know the rumor of its existence is true it might be worthwhile to examine the rest of the rumor as well because odds are if the gist of it is correct then maybe the details are correct also.

This is what the rumor said which I'm finding interesting:

Ooops… I think we forgot something
It’s a mistake beyond belief, but Nintendo honchos finally had to admit, after the 3DS went through the mass production and release stage, that they had made a terrible omission: a right analog stick was a requirement to provide a superior gaming experience. According to our source, right as you read those lines, Nintendo engineers are spending many sleepless nights working on an additional device, which should be sold separately for about 10 dollars. Its shape and fixation mechanism are still unknown, but it needs a tight grip on the right part of the console. Will it have to be removed everytime you want to close the 3DS?

 
Feeling the pressure
Very recently, Nintendo asked a select group of developers to create titles specifically designed for two analog controls… even if that will entail an additional cost of 10 dollars per console to be played on currently available hardware. Although such noises rarely if ever reach the higher strata of the company, most Nintendo employees working with third-party developers are indeed feeling the heat, as disgruntled studios and publishers become more vocal in their disappointment.

If the whole rumor is to be believed (and there's no reason it shouldn't at this point since the existence of the add on itself has been confirmed), then this means this add on comes from Nintendo themselves and it is not a mere 3rd party add on from Capcom that will only work with one game. If you look closely at the parts I've bolded the rumor appears to be very adamant that Nintendo is the one behind it and that they are putting pressure on 3rd parties to develop games that make use of it.

So Monster Hunter 3G is probably only going to be the first of many such titles. Since that game is a port of the Wii game which is already complete it makes sense it could be thrown together quickly and that's probably why it was chosen to be the standard bearer of the new add on. Other games which have to be made entirely from scratch are going to be slower in coming, but this will be out much quicker so that's my guess why it was chosen as the first game the device comes bundled with.

Face it guys, the more you look at this and the more you think about it the more it makes perfect sense.

[Adrock]

The 3DS Slide Pad attachment is nothing like Motion Plus. It's not even close. First, Motion Plus made the Wii remote longer. The slide pad accessory turns the 3DS into a hulking Megazord. Second, 3DS no longer comfortably fits into pockets, making it not portable anymore. The same problem is not encountered on the Wii with or without Motion Plus since it's a home console and people don't normally carry controllers around. Third and perhaps more importantly, the slide pad peripheral isn't just adding functionality, it's patching a severe design oversight. I believe Nintendo claimed Motion Plus was too costly to implement into the original Wii remote. Fair enough. I think most of us bought that reasoning. With 3DS, Nintendo is charging people $10 for what would have cost them less than a dollar per unit and without the hassle had it been implemented in the first place. Everyone would have been happier.

I'm not opposed to the peripheral. I agree that it addresses a major shortcoming. However, I won't sit here and act like it's not a big deal when the implications couldn't be worse for consumers. It sets a bad precedent.

Nintendo made some of their best games without a second analog stick and they did so by coming up with ways around it. PSP developers did the same and games like God of War: Chains of Olympus were still fun. Nintendo didn't need to create the slide pad accessory. Some games will benefit but there's no denying that this makes Nintendo look bad. The missing slide pad was one of the first things everyone noticed and Nintendo had months to fix it. This makes their research and development department look like bumbling fools, especially since their solution looks like the way it does.

[Chozo Ghost]

When I went back in time in this thread to dig up that old rumor I read a post BnM made back then which I think is spot on. He said something about how Miyamoto proposed the 3DS could fill in as a 2nd controller for the WiiU, but the problem is the WiiU tablet controller has two analog sticks whereas the 3DS only has one. So BnM suggested that this is part of the reason why Nintendo was so desperate to add an extra stick to the 3DS. I think he hit the nail right on the head.

So its not just about what the 2nd analog means for handheld gaming that is at stake here. The whole idea of the 3DS being usable as a 2nd, 3rd, or 4th controller for the WiiU also depends firmly on the 3DS having the same number of buttons and inputs. That's why I'm firmly convinced this isn't just going to be used for one 3rd party game and that's it. This is going to be the new standard just like M+ and it will be integrated in a future revision. I would seriously bet money on that.

I know it sucks if you were an early adopter of the 3DS, but let's face it we all knew the 3DS was going to have multiple revisions just like the DS and GBA and GB did. There has been a long firmly established precedent for this so no one should be shocked by it. At least this $10 addon means the original 3DS model isn't reduced to a paperweight. It might be bulky and ugly looking, but at least it can get the job done. Fitting it in your pocket might be difficult or impossible, but that's what carrying cases are made for. I'm sure Nintendo and other companies will come out with official 3DS carrying cases where the system and the addon fit snugly inside like a glove and it will be kept much more safe than it ever would have been in your pocket anyway.

[Adrock]

Those carrying cases are for squares. No self-respecting person is going outside with a handheld game system carrying case or fanny pack. It's like you want people to be ridiculed and beaten up for looking like a douchebag.

3DS shouldn't have to be an additional controller for Wii U because multiple tablet controllers is what Nintendo should be aiming for and they shouldn't release Wii U until they get that part right. Besides, using 3DS as the controller makes no sense except in Dr. Suess's Wacky Wednesday. Instead of asking people to buy an additional controller which Iwata claimed was too expensive, they want consumers to buy an entirely separate system that probably currently costs more than twice as much as a tablet controller will cost. Right, that makes sense.

There's no benefit to using 3DS in this way over another tablet controller. The screens are smaller. It costs more. It's way more confusing.

[UncleBob]

Those carrying cases are for squares. No self-respecting person is going outside with a handheld game system carrying case or fanny pack. It's like you want people to be ridiculed and beaten up for looking like a douchebag.

...I use a carrying case...

There's no benefit to using 3DS in this way over another tablet controller.

1.) I already have a 3DS, so there's no "additional" cost for me.
2.) Access to the entire DS/3DS library of games (including downloadable titles).

[Adrock]

If people wanted a 3DS, they'd get a 3DS. Asking people to buy a 3DS just to play local multiplayer on A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT CONSOLE is fucking ridiculous. Asking that up to 3 be brought to a single console is beyond pushing the boundaries of acceptable. It's not just crossing the line. It's clubbing a baby seal, burning down a village, raping its women, and forcing its children into slave labor. Then clubbing another baby seal. On top of that, Nintendo tried this before and it failed but at least GBA was sub-$100.

Sorry about the fanny pack comment. Nothing personal.  I still think they're lame though.

[Chozo Ghost]

If the WiiU ends up being the same huge smashing success that the Wii was then requiring a 3DS as an additional controller would be extremely helpful for Nintendo because then they could use the WiiU's popularity as leverage to get people to buy the 3DS as well, whereas otherwise some people might not have bothered with it.

[UncleBob]

If people wanted a 3DS, they'd get a 3DS.

Some people already have a 3DS.  Some people want one, but are waiting for the right time/reasons to buy it.

Is it such a horrible, horrible idea that Nintendo reward these people with extras?

Look at games on the 360 that provide for extra modes online.  No one would accuse Microsoft of asking people to buy multiple 360s in order to access these modes.

[Adrock]

@Chozo - Of course. However, that's a big "if" and doesn't change it from being a ridiculous requirement for local multipayer. Nintendo sells bundles that include 2 controllers. The day we start being required to buy a separate console to play another console for the majorty of multiplayer games is the day I stop playing video games. /insert the Professor Farnsworth "I don't want to live on this planet anymore" pic

@Uncle Bob - Making it an option is fine. Making it a requirement and the only way to play multiplayer games locally (with screen equipped controllers) is wrong. It's asking too much.

[Chozo Ghost]

The 3DS has been dropped to $169.99, and will probably get even lower at some point. Meanwhile it has been rumored the WiiU tablet thing costs $100 per unit, so if that's true then for only $70 more you could just get a 3DS instead and have something which is capable of much more.

[UncleBob]

@Uncle Bob - Making it an option is fine. Making it a requirement and the only way to play multiplayer games locally (with screen equipped controllers) is wrong. It's asking too much.

In your opinion, of course.

Personally, even if I didn't already have a 3DS, I could see someone preferring to pay the extra to get a system that can do so much more beyond what the WiiU controller can do vs. buying a piece of equipment that's good for one thing and one thing only.

[Adrock]

The people who see the value in that probably want a 3DS anyway. Others just want the controller and the larger screen. I don't think it's fair to put that expectation on consumers. If a tablet controller is supposedly too expensive, where does Nintendo get off asking people to buy something that costs more and offers a worse experience for Wii U games (smaller screen, fewer buttons/functions specifically the extra shoulder buttons and magnetometer)? Just because something is capable of more, doesn't mean people are willing to pay for it. Making it an option is fair even if it's clumsier. Not only would people need a 3DS but the peripheral too. Personally, I'd rather use the tablet controller and I have a 3DS.