Everyone keeps talking Nintendo. The latest scuttlebutt concerns a Japanese event happening on September 13th, which rumormongers seem to think could mean a redesign for the newly-cheaper Nintendo 3DS portable.
The 3DS-centric happening is only two days before the start of the Tokyo Game Show, the perfect time to announce a new take on the beleaguered handheld. It’s also be a good time to announce new games, plans for celebrating Metroid’s 25th Anniversary or more details on Wii U. But the topic du jour is the 3DS.
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French site 01net.com [WARNING: French] quotes a source close to Nintendo as saying a new 3DS with a right analog stick will be the big reveal. Said stick would be an add-on peripheral that’d cost $10. While a major hardware revision like this at such a time seems unlikely, it’s good to remember how long the hue and cry for a second stick on the PSP went on for. And when it was finally made part of the Vita’s design, there was much rejoicing.
If there are new 3DS developments on the horizon, I for one hope it’ll be the announcement of a 3DS XL. If Nintendo wants to continue its stereoscopic strategy, a bigger viewing screen would seem more attractive. It’d also make the movies and other 3D content that they’re making available more compelling. I wouldn’t turn my nose up at a right analog stick, either. But that elusive 3D sweet spot might be less annoying with a bigger screen to focus on. The Japanese event is only a few weeks away, so we’ll see what Nintendo has in store.
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