September 12, 2011 by

Monster Hunter and New Nintendo Peripheral go together like vegetables and ramen.

Oh, the Internet. It's a place full of random strangers that aren't afraid to argue about anything. Add in a multi-console gaming site like IGN and what you get is rage and war. That's just what the Internet is, it seems. And guess what happened when the rumored second circle pad was revealed via Famitsu? Rage and war.

It seems that the Internet causes the over-exaggeration of mostly everything. We saw it with the "Revolution," (soon to be Wii) that made the Internet explode when they heard the three-letter word that replaced the system that was supposed to revolutionize gaming (and it still did, and it accomplished why it set out for).

And so we come to the 3DS, the system that has sold around 6 million units worldwide. For the past few weeks murmurs of a second circle pad slowly spread across the Internet, and unfortunately, onto IGN. There was speculation as to whether or not this was real. How can Nintendo make such a thing less than six months after launch? Is the 3DS dying? Is this the end of Nintendo? Long drawn-out discussion boards acted as venues of heated debates. Many nonbelievers tried to stay a way from what seemed to be becoming a full drawn-out war. And after weeks of uncertainty and tension, the second circle pad came into the existence of everyone's minds. The Internet became a full-blown war-ground.

And this is what happens when a rumor hits the internet. In short, a rumor gets leaked, the internet talks about it for a few days, and when the rumor becomes true, people argue two times as much as they would if it was not leaked. Why? Because 1) those who were right will argue about being right (regardless of whether or not it’s even 3DS related), and 2) those who are wrong will continue to argue until they sound right. It’s how humans work.

But this certain argument seems to be fueled by a bigger fire. We all know that there is a lot of hate about the 3DS. We all know that Nintendo had to take drastic steps to help the 3DS. And now this? A second circle pad? Something that Nintendo has said that the system didn’t need? What does this mean? Is there going to be a redesign?

To answer these questions, perhaps it’s best to take a look at Capcom’s Monster Hunter Tri. Monster Hunter Tri came bundled with a Classic Controller Pro (if you wanted it), a bigger and more ergonomic version of Nintendo’s existing classic controller. I know you don’t need the classic controller to play Monster Hunter, but it was seriously a pain in the butt to play without it. Now imagine if Nintendo had not announced the classic controller at the launch of the Wii. And imagine if Monster Hunter Tri was announced just 6 months after the release of the Wii. That’s practically where we are now. Did Nintendo give up motion controls? Did they notice that they weren’t getting third-party support? Is Nintendo dying?

As far as I can see, the second circle pad is probably going to be optional for most games. Maybe not Capcom’s Monster Hunter 3G for the 3DS, as that may be a pain in the butt to play without it, but for the most part, it’s going to be just another add-on, just another control option. And as for the redesign? Not likely. None of the games Nintendo plans to announce need another circle pad (Luigi’s Mansion maybe, but I heard it’s a lot better without it). I doubt a second circle pad will be built into the next 3DS. It just won’t be used enough. We never saw the classic controller get built into the Wiimote. Plus, if they’re going to put in the second circle pad, they need to find a way to get the R2 button on there either.

Well... obviously... the R2 button goes.... er.... on the... second circle pad?

But enough of all that. I just think we’re all overreacting. Nintendo isn’t dying. An add-on doesn’t mean a redesign. The 3DS will do fine. It’s a Nintendo handheld. They all do at least decent. Hopefully, the 3DS conference today (or tomorrow, depending on where you live) will clear a few things up. Until then, from Star Fox and his team (and I as well): “GOOD LUCK!”

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