Nintendo hasn’t exactly been thrilled with the performance of the 3DS, and according to a rumor coming out of the French site 01net, the same site that predicted the Wii U and PS Vita, they might be drastically altering the handheld in order to boost sales.
Possible ideas include the addition of a right analog stick via a dongle, a complete relaunch of the system in 2012 – and most surprisingly, a renewed emphasis on 2D games.
Chief among Nintendo’s major concerns is the 3DS’s lack of a right analog stick. While executives spotted the problem early on, the console had already gone into production, so it was too late for any major changes.
While they thought that they might be able to get away without such a feature, poor sales as well as angry third party developers who expected a right analog stick have caused Nintendo to call their engineers into action.
One possible solution that Nintendo is considering is a new peripheral that would essentially be a small dongle that would have an analog stick attached to it. The dongle would plug in to the right side of the 3DS, adding the missing component.
Of course, such an addition would feel clumsy – and it wouldn’t be free, costing somewhere in the ballpark of $10.
Due to how such a device would be perceived, Nintendo is also considering a complete relaunch of the 3DS in 2012. The new model would be completely redesigned – right analog stick included.
