Extra Analogue Stick for Nintendo 3DS: Picture Spotted

Rumours of an add-on analogue controller for the Nintendo 3DS seem to have been confirmed by a photo published in Japanese magazine Famitsu.

A second analogue controller—as found in all standard console handsets—can be particularly handy for camera control, especially in games played from a first-person perspective. Now it seems that the Nintendo 3DS is due to get a second analogue stick, sold in the form of an optional accessory.

As you can see in the picture below, this accessory looks pretty hefty. It's basically a kind of dock that clips onto the device—a bit like the 3DS charging station—and it certainly makes the 3DS look a whole lot less portable! The accessory brings a second analogue controller and an R2 trigger button to Nintendo's 3D handheld console. Unfortunately though, it doesn't house a second battery to help make up for the console's sub-standard battery life.


To help boost sales of its latest accessory, Nintendo is apparently planning to bundle the clip-on controller with a specially adapted version of the game Monster Hunter Tri 3G. However, it's not exactly clear whether or not the accessory is designed just for use with this game.

If these rumours turn out to be true, it's pretty safe to assume that a new version of the 3DS ('3DS Lite'?) will have a second analogue stick directly built-in. In any case, we'll probably find out more about Nintendo's plans for the 3DS in a few days' time, since the firm is due to hold a press conference on 13 September—two days before the Tokyo Game Show opens in Japan.

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