Nintendo has confirmed that the nubby nub-nub featured in magazine scans this week is a real thing, and that it will indeed be selling a glorified patch for the 3DS by way of a new controller add-on. The company also seems to make it clear that this won't just a Japanese release.
"We can confirm that Nintendo plans to release the Circle Pad attachment, but Nintendo's regional subsidiaries will make further announcements about its availability at a later date," said the publisher.
In Japan, the peripheral will be released to coincide with a new Monster Hunter game. As is often the way with Nintendo peripherals, I fully expect it to be released for that one game, then have maybe two other games take advantage of it before everybody realizes they just wasted their money on another shitty add-on that nobody's supporting. Could be wrong, but history seems to indicate that particular course.
Wii MotionPlus and Wii Speak say hello, by the way.
Nintendo officially confirms 3DS circle pad add-on [Kotaku]
Jim Sterling serves as reviews editor for Destructoid.com, head of the Podtoid podcast, and produces a number of news stories, original features, one-of-a-kind videos. With his passionate argumentative style, controversial opinions, harsh delivery, and dedication to brutal honesty Sterling is a name that you can't help but recognize.
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Contest:
8:00 AM on 09.08.2011 | 
Like it or not, it's clear this peripheral was meant for Monster Hunter (Where a 2nd analog would pretty much be a necessity for players as hardcore as the MH fanbase, lest we be exposed to the wrath of the reverse claw), if you don't like Monster Hunter, then this has nothing to do with you. It's not like anyone was complaining about MH3's Classic Controller redesign anyway.
(Also, this better mean that Crapcom is releasing MH3G in the states.)
Not that it matters either way, the 3DS addon looks ugly, and places the ABXY buttons in an unergonomic position far from the thumb.
I full expect to see a 3DSLite within a year that includes the 2nd circle pad in a much more ergonomic and logical placement.
Pretty glad I've held off on the 3DS and plan to do so with the Vita. As it is I still got PA-LENTY of games to play for my DS and PSP. Not to mention having my PSP softmodded means I can load up any classic PS1 game making the library crazy huge.
But if a game I'm very interest in that uses this does come along I might have to get one.
What is the big N going to offer all the early adopters who will in short order find out that they also got shafted out of the second analog stick that is coming on the 3DS(i/lite/whatever) ?
All they've done is made me delay re-buying a 3DS.
Did a 3DS confirm one to you in an acid trip?
I don't get all the hubnub either. Nubody is forcing this as the standard quite yet
Comparing it to the n64 expansion pack is stupid. That improved the graphics, it wasn't a necessity or something important like, say, a revision to the control scheme.
I don't understand why people are being so forgiving of Nintendo for this. Its not like the 3ds has anymore than 5 good games out for it after 6 months on the market so that can't be the forgiving factor.
Did Jim not mock people for thinking this way?
So...why not just...not buy it?
I mean, I'm cool with my decision of buying the motion plus add-on for $20 at launch, because it will all be worth it when Skyward Sword is out, given how it's my most anticipated game of the year, and it NEEDS it to function. I understand the need for Nintendo to get their shit together, and I totally agree that Motion Plus should have just launched with the Wii itself, but it's not that big of a deal to me if I'm enjoying some badass game on it (ie Zelda, or this new badass Monster Hunter).
Shit Jim, these days, I look at Nintendo consoles themselves as glorified $250 "Zelda and Mario players!" Gotta pay that premium for first party games!
not to mention the fact that it probably will be japanese exclusive just like other Monster Hunter related accessories.
MH worked just fine on PSP.
Four Swords Adventures, and coop Wind Waker play are worth the paltry $10 you spent on that cable.
When I saw the PSP2 with the touchpad at the back I thought "this is pretty stupid". But I was wrong, that was clever compared to this. THIS is the stupidest thing a person, company, animal or chemical element has done in the history of time.
Because its a videogame add-on.
There is way more pressing things in this life than getting your panties in a bunch over anything videogame related. Also if we look at the history of handhelds ridiculous add ons are buisness as usual.
I'm not saying everybody should be raging but I do think people are ignoring what a shitty move this is because of the promise of Zelda and Mario.
One nub was the reason I never got into playing MH. Good god the claw...
A redesign would be a clear cut division between two entirely different models, developers wouldn't be down with that. That would mean games would need to be designed with two control schemes, or come packed with the Circle Pad. Either way, that's a good amount of extra money that I doubt Nintendo is willing to spend. How many people at the company just took a pay-cut because the 3DS didn't sell well from the start? They aren't going to screw people over again, keep your pants on people.
Yea, I actually think they were $20 out of the gate - either way, the fun you just described completely sounds like two movie tickets worth of excitement.
Also, I forgot Crystal Chronicles GCN.
And, anyways a second nub is really not a big deal, is it really that necessary? What does it do? Move the camera or something? It acts as a cursor? They have a touch-screen, that motion camera thingie and a d-pad, so WHY THE HELL WOULD THEY NEED TO EVEN RELEASE THIS THING? I'm not going to buy this stupid-ass thing unless it comes with the MH game, like I did with the classic controller with the Monster Hunter on the Wii, and like I'm going to do with Wiimotion Plus and Skyward Sword this year. I've owned a wii for three fucking years, and I haven't had a problem for not having a classic controller or a stupid Wii Motion Plus a single time. I've played a total of 26 games just fine. And I think this is going to be exactly the same.
If you loathe this thing as much as I do, probably you just don't own a 3DS or never intend to. And if you happen to own one and hate it just DON'T BUY IT ALONE. YOU'LL BE OKAY WITH YOUR 3DS ANYWAY, LIKE WII HAS BEEN FINE WITHOUT MOTION PLUS, SPEAK, THE ZAPPER OR THAT WII FIT STAND THING. STOP WHINING ALREADY.
Also, Jim, you write two troll posts about this, and you will also make a full Jimquisition about it. Am I right?
because it was already confirmed as exclusive for Monster Hunter 3DS and mr Sterling keeps trolling for the hits and attention?
Capcom made simillar things with sony, microsoft and nintendo in the past regarding Monster Hunter games.
@Fr33Kye,
mmm, no? it is japan exclusive right now. not to mention the fact that we don't know what it is exactly. all we know it's MH-related accessory, but knowing nintendo it could also work as additional controller for Wii/Wii U.
People can choose to take this as a bad thing, but I look at it as Nintendo finally listening to its fans. Because if this was the Nintendo of old, they would be so stubborn, that they would of went through this whole generation with only one analog stick on the 3DS. At least now, Nintendo is willing to change. Unlike Sony, who people begged for 6 years, for them to put a second analog nub on the PSP and they refused to listen to their fans, until the next generation. So why complain now, that Nintendo is doing what people want?
Should it have been there from the start? Yes, of course it should of, but in a couple of years, people will look back on the first 3DS, as they do the DS Phat now. They'll just joke about how bad the first version was, but how awesome their 3DS Lite is. At the end of the day, a new 3DS with a second analog stick makes sense in a redesign. They have to have something new to justify a 3DS Lite and what else could they possible do, other than better battery life and bigger screens? That's not enough, to get people to buy a whole new model, but dual stick changes gameplay, so that's something tangible!
I can't say I agree with you there, between the DSphat up to the XL they never added any buttons, just a camera. I see this as more of something that Capcom wanted for Monster Hunter to give fans an optimal control method, and that other developers can use if they want. You talk about Activision but do you realize they've put nearly every COD game on the DS? They don't care about an optimal control method, it's just there to generate extra sales.
Obviously time will tell what really happens, but I just don't see them dividing the fan-base like that unless said second stick really becomes the standard. Even if they do make that move, I doubt it will be for YEARS to come.
Famitsu have huge article about new Monster Hunter and this accessory was show there as dedicated to that game and that game only. scans are online for a while now, but Jim will keep making those articles how this is bad and nintendo haters will keep saying how there's redesign in the works - even if both Capcom and Nintendo released a statement on tv saying that it's MH accessory.
same reason why idiots still claim how 3DS is doomed, has no games etc. when there's fuckload of great upcoming exclusive titles(and quite a lot of already released good games). especially when Vita is in really crappy situation compared to 3DS.
Its been rather well known based on the PSP that "the claw" was a kind of a painful aspect of the gameplay to Monster Hunter, partially why some of the US and EU fanbase was happy to get their hands on MH Tri for the Wii.
Capcom wants to get Monster Hunter out on everything and like Dragon Quest in Japan, he who has Monster Hunter gets hardware sold in Japan.
So this is really just Nintendo trying to get in on that. Having Dragon Quest and Monster Hunter on their side isn't really going to hurt them.
So if this really was just for Monster Hunter, I don't see the fuss. If other games use it, that's nice and all but I doubt it will be mandatory. The vast history of peripherals on all platforms (not just Nintendo's) tends to show this to be true.
Wii Motion Plus, Move and Kinect (despite MS and Sony's claims to the contrary, where's the fucking support), the PS2 HDD, GBA connectors for Gamecube OH and let's not forget the Power Glove and eReader.
And Steel Battalion.
Worst offender of them all? Plastic Guitars. What are they good for now? No one wants them.
Meanwhile, the DS didn't even have a single one up until the fucking 3DS. But oh, they're Nintendo, they're perfect! Fuck that shit.
If they make a second model and make it necessary to either upgrade or get this add-on for a lot of games, people should be all like "fuck Nintendo, never buying the first edition again". I mean, that's what they would say if anybody other than Nintendo did it. But since people just LOVE licking Nintendo's balls they will be all like "AWWWWWW FUCK YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" instead, right?
Yeah, all the experiences I had with that cable were great.
Yeah because they would just up and admit that the plan the whole time was to make the initial 3DS obsolete by adding the second analog stick to the new revision. If anyone thought the price drop was received poorly I'd be bracing for Hurricane Analog-Nub.
Not saying that it is a sure thing its just extremely probable, at least as probable that it is improbable that Capcom invested in a hardware adapter just so they wouldn't have to write a few more lines of code to use the touch screen....
By no means is the 3DS doomed but it also isn't out of the woods quite yet either.
Oh yeah, and wiimotion plus is still used from time to time. Cant say anything about wiispeak tho, lol.
What's everyone so pissed about anyway? I'll be buying the nub/MH combo pack. Unless they decide not to release MH over here, in which case, yeah, okay, EFF NINTENDO!!!