Nintendo 3DS Gets 2nd Analog Stick

nofi 53 Comments

Nintendo – I love you.  Have done since I was a child.  But you’re seriously in risk of totally screwing up the 3DS.

Any new hardware addition always splinters the market – look at Move, Kinect, the N64 Expansion Pak.  But a second analog stick that, from the description in this week’s Famitsu magazine appears to bolt onto the portable in as retrofit a manner as possible, seems utterly absurd.

[drop2]The ‘Kakuchou Slide Pad’ (Expansion Slide Pad) is actually more like a cradle – Microsoft Paint version here and another sketch here – that fits around the front of the device and thus provides a second stick just off the right hand side of the 3DS.  Yes, really.

It’s a first party product, produced by Nintendo, and it’s made – at least at first – for Monster Hunter.  The expansion is likely to be built into a future 3DS hardware redesign, at which point it hopefully won’t look like Frankenstein was involved.

According to reports this morning, the expansion also adds two more shoulder buttons (and replaces the right shoulder) and an earphone port, and could possibly house another battery.

Monster Hunter series supervisor Ryozo Tsujimoto said that the device “provides a good grip on the system” and will allow players to play the game with a similar feel to Monster Hunter 3 on Wii.

This face?  It’s one of shock.

Update: thanks to people photographing the Famitsu page (and Klart for directing us to one), here’s an actual photograph of the abomination addition.

Via AndriaSang.

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53 Comments

  1. I do remember reading a quote from Nintendo a few months ago claiming that they got the design of the 3DS right so there won’t be any need to release updated models. I guess this blows that completely out of the water.

    The only good thing I can see from this is it might make the 3DS a bit more comfortable to hold. My hands have started to ache a bit after using it for a while as it can be a bit uncomfotable to hold.

  2. Oh dear, that is quite terrible. Having said that incorporating dual sticks from the outset might have got me interested in the 3ds.

  3. HAHA are they seriously? Firstly that loooks ugly as hell and second who wwant’s to have the analog to the right of the buttons? This pretty much confirmes a new 3ds for next year.

  4. Nintendo – Neither do I love nor hate you. Your choices, however, have always been respectable and all about the games. Hell, the Wii showed us something entirely new and the casual gamers swarmed to it. So… how many Lemsips did you take to conjure up shit like this? Wow!

    I believe you have lost your way a bit as of recent (both with Wii U and your 3DS). Put down the sachets of flu remedy and sort yourself out!

  5. That’s a new 3DS confirmed.
    It’ll still be a success in the long run, but what are Nintendo thinking?
    It’d have been better to wait until the new 3DS was announced to release details of this- an alternative for their loyal customers who don’t want to upgrade or something. They could have spun it into something positive!

  6. Oh Nintendo, your really suffering aren’t you?

    i would love to buy a 3DS just for Monster Hunter 3G, but in order to properly play MH id need to also purchase this add-on (which is absurd, as the console itself should be able to play the game fine without the need of any add-ons)

    Two sticks are great, but they would be a lot better if they were already on the device and not used as an addition.

    Hell, right now id take a new 3DS model that has two thumb sticks from the get go just because it seems like a better investment then this painful looking peripheral.

    Nintendo used to innovate, now it seems to lag behind.
    get it together Ninty, because your downfall is just around the corner if you don’t find your feet again.

    • Imo, I bought the Wii for Tri, but it doesn’t look like I’d bother with this, *hello Capcom the Vita exists, better have plans than to the piss the whole Playstation fanbase off (again)

    • Oh dear God, no.

    • WTF!?

      • They could have made an attachment that at least looked decent. That is absolutely awful looking!

  8. Oh snap(on)!
    Que the 3DS2(as in number of sticks).

    Nintendo fear the Vita it seems.

  9. Hopefully it will make the 3DS a lot nicer to hold, though I wonder how much weight it will add, and if it will feel quite chunky.

  10. Wait a minute! it suddenly all makes sense!

    it’s for Monster Hunter!! and it makes the 3DS look like a Monster!

    Brilliant!

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