Rumour: Nintendo already developing dual-analogue 3DS revamp

by Steven Mostyn - Aug 30 2011, 10:54

Despite being hit by sweeping hardware price cuts and Nintendo’s cowing admission that its regional launches were hampered by a lack of decent software, it would appear there’s still scope for success in the 3DS.

At least that’s according to French website 01net, which points to unnamed executive insiders in its claim that Nintendo plans to refresh the existing 3DS portable console via the introduction of a dual-analogue version.

If the site’s sources are to be believed—it certainly has solid form where pre-launch leaks are concerned—Nintendo bosses see the current single-stick control method as a significant design oversight that needs to be addressed sharpish.

In this particular case, “sharpish” apparently translates into the 2012 arrival of an overhauled 3DS console designed specifically for upcoming games built around twin-stick interfacing.

Also, Nintendo is supposedly planning to release an analogue control stick peripheral that will connect to first-generation platforms, thereby allaying any disgruntled rumblings from early adopters.

Digging ever deeper, 01net suggests Nintendo is shifting its software focus away from 3D visuals due to lack of consumer faith regarding the safety of the console’s extra visual gameplay dimension—hence the recent spate of price hacking.

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