Nintendo has been catching flak for not putting a second slide pad on the 3DS. People keep asking for a redesigned 3DS that incorporates it, but giving that the 3DS was just released in February in Japan and March in the US, Nintendo is very hesitant to release a new model, and with good reason. The solution? This. It runs off of a single AAA battery(which is very small, thus minimizing weight. AAA's also come in packs with huge quantities), which is better than using the 3DS's meager battery life.

     Why are they doing this? Well, it's quite simple, really. Fans want 2 sources of analog control. Redesigning the system so soon would give Nintendo a bad rep with the majority of 3DS owners. Before we continue, read the list of announced games supporting this new add-on. Done? Good.

      Now, you may be thinking "is this really necessary?" To put it simply: no. It's not necessary. That said, it can improve gameplay. Monster Hunter on PSP was notorious for its camera controls. Basically, the nub controlled your hero and the d-pad controlled the camera. Basically, this meant that you either had to stop moving your character to move the camera, or you had to hold to PSP awkwardly to where your index finger is on the D-Pad. (Do note that the Monster Hunter Tri G controls have not been released) This means that there are three control scenarios on the 3DS: the slide-pad moves the hero and the d-pad the camera, the slide-pad moves the hero and the touch screen the camera, or d-pad moves the hero and the slide-pad the camera. I don't know about you, but I'm not fond of any of those control schemes. Can you say awkward? That's where the analog attachment comes in. A slide-pad controls the hero, and the other controls the camera. Good times.

     One more example: Metal Gear Solid 3D - Snake Eater. The game's controls have, for the most part, been released. It borrows many aspects for MGS Peace Walker. The slide-pad will move Naked Snake, the face buttons will move the camera, the L should button will aim, and the R should button will shoot. That means that actions, such as changing your stance(standing, crouching, crawling), will either be moved to the d-pad or the touch screen. While admittedly not as bad as Monster Hunter's controls, these controls aren't ideal. Solution: get the analog attachment, where a slide-pad controls Snake and the other controls the camera, and the main controls are mapped to the face buttons. Winning.

     So, what do you guys think? Is it worth the 20USD? Is it worth the extra size? Also, here's another picture of it, in a more realistic setting. It helps you get a better sense of how much(or little) fat it adds onto the 3DS.

It's basically the same story as the Wii Motion Plus or the Nunchuck controller. Some games are going to require it, fans will go out and buy it, and pretty soon it'll seem like a normal part of the controller.

I don't want to pay $20 for something like that, but if I need to, I suppose I will for a game that requires it.

Someone70 :  No game is going to require it, as it isn't essential. I'm going to pick it up, considering Monster Hunter is going to play like crap without it. I might play MGS on it, but that's probably not going to happen. If I want to play a portable MGS3, I'll get a Vita and play it on that. Besides, it's on the Vita in the form of the MGS HD Collection. MGS2, 3, AND Peace Walker for $40-50 or MGS3 in 3D for $40? 

I think something like that should have come with the system itself =| Nintendo is terrible with this stuff, and never think ahead it feels.

Main reason I didn't buy a 3DS is because it felt poorly planned and poorly executed =/ Better luck next time.

Nintendo really should have just added a second joystick to begin with, but since they didn't, this seems like a fairly logical way to solve the problem until they are able to release a second model. It's not really that big, and bulky. As long as it works, ad doesn't fit awkwardly in your hand, it's a plus.

Meh, I think this is about the best solution possible given all the circumstances. It should be a passable fix at least, and it probably won't mollify customers.

They have really screwed their system up.

They shouldn't have rushed it so much, and it would have been a REAL success.

This second pad is crucial, considering how most games nowadays have 2 analog sticks, and most developers are used to having 2 sticks.

It was really poorly executed, it has potential.

This new design is really awkward looking. They're better off redesigning and rereleasing the system at this point.

They couldn't release a system with two sticks like everyone else in the industry? Was the stupid 3D thing so important that they has to take the portable console back a few years by releasing one stick?