Nintendo To Revamp 3DS Hardware, Downplay 3D?

Nintendo’s recent 3DS price drop seems to have accomplished the goal of moving more units, but rumor has it that Nintendo’s higher-ups aren’t too pleased with the floundering portable as a whole. Among other things, Nintendo is supposedly considering a new hardware revision for the 3DS that downplays its 3D capabilities

That sounds a bit counterintuitive, but internal sources have told French gaming site 01.net that Nintendo is aware of the problems they’ve had convincing customers that the 3D display is safe to use. Nintendo has publicly stated that children under 6 should not use the 3DS with the 3D mode turned on, which has stymied the adoption rate among the younger set.

If this report proves to be true, then Nintendo may radically tone down the 3D angle, and will have to shift gears completely when it comes to their branding and marketing strategies.

Future hardware plans aside, Nintendo also reportedly thinks they’ve shot themselves in the foot due to a crucial hardware oversight on the 3DS: the lack of a second analog stick. Engineers are apparently working day and night to to create an inexpensive analog stick add-on that they believe will improve gameplay. Nintendo has also reached out to a group of hand-picked developers to create games that leverage the dual stick layout.

The mechanics of the analog stick add-on escape me, and 01.net doesn’t elaborate, but it raises a few questions: will it have to be removed every time the 3DS is closed? How is it going to attach to the console? Will it be worth a damn?

Nintendo is backpedalling hard here, but at least they’re recognizing their shortcomings and trying to make the experience better. If the new 3DS comes to fruition, Nintendo will likely draw the ire of gamers who picked up the current model on the cheap, but they’ll just need to grin and bear it if the model is more in line with their vision.