If early reports from Japanese gamers claiming to have access to the new issue of Famitsu are any indication, things are suddenly looking quite a bit rosier — or, at least, more interesting — for the Nintendo 3DS.
According to online reports, Nintendo is releasing a new circle-pad accessory for the 3DS that’ll give the system dual-analog control capabilities. The peripheral is said to attach to the 3DS in such a way that the pad will sit directly to the right of the A/B/X/Y buttons. It’ll also boast an R2 button on the top, which would give the 3DS a set of R1, R2 and L1 shoulder buttons (no L2). The device is shaped such that it doesn’t cover the headphone jack or volume switch; early reports indicate that it seems to cover up the wireless switch on the left side of the system entirely, although that may not be much of a problem in practice.
This attachment seems to be the same thing as was rumored about last month. The Famitsu coverage talks only about this circle-pad attachment; it makes no mention of a new 3DS system that would incorporate this stuff internally, though such an announcement seems all but certain by this point.
