Nintendo 3DS XL Getting Circle Pad Pro Add-On

TSA Staff 25 Comments

Remember when Nintendo used to do everything right?

The 3DS XL, announced last week, didn’t have the silly Circle Pad Pro built in – it just has the one analog stick. That meant that Nintendo were abandoning the peripheral for good, yes?

No, it’s back. The bigger, fatter, beefier XL will get its own Circle Pad Pro attachment, according to Famitsu (via AndriaSang) – the one for the 3DS looks daft, so we can’t imagine how massive the one for the XL will be.

There’s no picture yet, but you can imagine what it’ll look like.

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25 Comments

  1. That Phatboy will soon need its own ticket on the train! :O

  2. It’s as though Nintendo are trying to be as idiotic as possible. The 3DS XL isn’t the prettiest as it is.

  3. Hmm, seems they have taken a bit of a leaf out of a few others books this gen & have become a touch greedy – They must have known that a second device for control was probably one of the most requested features of the 3DS, so to bring out a new model that requires yet another add on, just screams of money grabbing to me.

    I mean, why build it in when you can sell it seperately eh? :S

    • Good point mate, I’d also suspect that complacency might have played a part….
      “We know best”
      Although you could be on the mark ;)

  4. I’m glad I’ve never had a Nintendo console if this is what people have to put up with from them.

  5. then why the bloody hell didn’t they build the second one in?

    oh yeah, to sell another bit of hardware. :(

  6. There’s only a handful of compatible games so no big deal.

    • Exactly. I got mine free with Resi Revelations (a game I was going to buy anyway) and have only used it once or twice. It’s nowhere near as “essential” as most anti-Nintendo people seem to think it is.

      • Yeah but if they had included it from the 3DS XL onwards maybe more developers would use the second analog stick.

      • they don’t really need to in my opinion. For me the Vita has confirmed that the best games to play on handhelds are arcade games and minis, neither of which need a second analogue stick. A second analogue stick is better suited to “core” games, which are far more suited to a home console.

      • It’s the opposite for me. Uncharted, fifa, unit 13 and resistance are easily my favourites so far. All are enhanced by the second stick

      • I completely disagree, for me the second analogue stick has been a godsend for my PS Vita. One of the big reasons I never used my PSP was the control allowances that had to be made for the single stick (look at games like the POP trilogy, which were ruined by the camera controls). Being able to enjoy games like Uncharted and Gravity Rush without having to battle with the camera is something that can’t be overstated.

        The DS has always had the touchscreen, so there was always a modicum of control allowed by that instead (Metroid Prime being a good example), but I wouldn’t wish away the second stick regardless.

      • Unfortunately including a second stick would send the public into an uproar.
        Also… as much as including it means more people might dev it in, it would then alienate people without one. They always have to allow the second stick an an alternative, not a default. By including it, it might send a weird message to developers that it’s okay to make it a primary feature.

      • “Anti-Nintendo”

        It is not anti, it just looks plain ugly and a unnecessary solution to a design that was flawed from the start. Really no excuse for the 3DS to not have been the XL from the start. Ninty wouldn’t even have to waste god knows on a add-on.

  7. I fear for Nintendo, they had this opportunity to admit their mistake. This thing will be bigger than the wiiu tablet pad at this rate.

    • Faceplates to be manufactured by third party coachbuilders!

  8. I seem to have the palm of my face stuck to my face, how inconvenient.

  9. so, that’s what they meant, when they said they were working on selling the 3DS at a profit again

  10. Well I normally always get the revamped Nintendo product, with the DS Lite being the best one. But this is borderline ridiculous. I have a 3DS, and although a bigger screen would be nice, this is no-buy for me-along with the 3DS XL.

    • I was waiting for a revamped slim 3DS with a built in second stick. Not including one in the XL version tells me that they will not integrate it in future iterations either, which means I will not get a 3DS at all.

    • I don’t think its worth looking forward to a Nintendo product anymore they’ve just lost the plot.

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