Last week, early reports from the Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu outed the Nintendo 3DS’ new add-on: a cradle that grants a second circle pad and a few extra shoulder buttons. Want a closer look? Check for a screenshot after the break.
Kotaku later confirmed its existence with a Nintendo representative, who stated that “regional subsidiaries will make further announcements about its availability at a later date”. The reveal also came combined with the news of a 3DS remake of the Wii’s Monster Hunter Tri, named Monster Hunter 3 G, that will utilize the additional hardware.
Both the add-on and Monster Hunter 3 G are expected to launch around the same time in Japan. News on when/if the cradle will make it to North America and Europe has yet to be announced.
Frankly, I’m worried about the exclusivity of this new add-on; just how many other games will make use of this second nub? Will this become a must-have addition for the console? It’s the kind of thing that threatens to split the 3DS audience apart for people that want to play games with two nubs and people that simply can’t justify buying this significantly sized cradle. What do you think?
Jon
September 13, 2011 at 4:03 am
This is quite a silly idea. I agree that Nintendo should add a second circle pad but this definitely destroys the idea of portability. Plus I wonder how taxing this will actually be on the system’s battery life. A new iteration of the 3DS would have been much preferred.
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