It’s hard to imagine that Nintendo could make a move involving the 3DS that would make more gamers angry than dropping the price just four months after launch, but if recent rumors are to be believed, a rebranding of the 3DS might be on the way.
A source has told French website 01net that there are plans in the works to add a second analog stick to the 3DS, which would come in the form of a $10 add-on. Where this add-on is supposed to go is rather unclear, but if true, this is likely due to an intimidation factor on the part of the PS Vita.
The report also suggests that the recent $80 price drop was done not only to boost interest in the system, but to clean out the old stock of the existing 3DS before a redesign is introduced.
Furthermore, the source mentions that a new marketing direction is going forth, and that the alleged redesign will focus less on the 3D features of the system, like perhaps the neat little AR feature.
Before you go dismissing these claims simply because they’re rumors, 01net were the folks that correctly predicted the details behind the PS Vita and the Wii U. So clearly someone over there is some kind of wizard.
As someone who got a 3DS on day one, this makes me a little angry. I can understand the price drop and subsequent free games to appease the early adopters, but introducing a redesign so quickly? C’mon Nintendo, this is starting to get annoying.
What do you guys think?