New Add-On for 3DS, Don't Panic

Yes, I know it's been awhile. Yes, I know the first post of this blog states I wouldn't take a leave of absence. Let's just move past that.

Today, news started to leak about a new add-on for the 3DS. Famitsu scans are all over the Internet, showing us what this add-on looks like. The device is essentially something that snaps onto the current 3DS, giving it a second analog stick and an additional trigger. The announcement was bundled with another announcement: a version of Monster Hunter is coming to the 3DS, big news for Japanese gamers. People have been discussing this like mad ever since it started to spread across the Internet.

So, why is this a big deal? Nintendo has done this before, several times. Things like the Rumble Pak (neat, I'll admit) and the Vitality Sensor (thank god that never came out...) have boggled gamers before and I'm sure they will do it again. The major clamor seems to be over people worrying that Nintendo will include the dongle as a system update down the line, forcing users to buy a new one, probably at a higher price (and allowing them to recoup some of their losses from the recent price drop).

While this may happen, I have two main reasons why it probably won't. The first? Nintendo has done this many times (as I've said) and VERY RARELY does it work. Most of their dongles (Power Pad, Wii Speak, and countless more) failed very hard, only selling to the rich or the curious, so Nintendo doesn't develop them anymore. It is entirely likely that that won't happen again but it is equally likely that it will. The second reason is the conversion rate. How many developers will make games that need the second slide pad if only 5% of users have one? None of them, that's how many. Unless this thing takes off in a big way, no one will bother to develop for it, except maybe Nintendo.

The announcement of Monster Hunter for the 3DS alongside this supports my claims. Nintendo knows of the popularity of the series in Japan and knows they can sell a ton of these things there. Will the same thing happen here? Probably not, seeing as how Monster Hunter doesn't even have a fraction of the popularity that it has overseas here in the U.S. It will release here (potentially) and have maybe two or three games that support it before falling to the wayside.

So, don't worry Internet users. Nintendo has tried this many times in the past and failed nearly every time. While the idea of a second joystick on a portable device sounds good, the DS made its name on games that didn't need that second joystick, something I think the 3DS can do as well.