Rumor: Nintendo working on 3DS redesign, $10 joystick add-on

By Brian Heater posted Aug 23rd 2011 10:42AM By most accounts, the 3DS hasn't quite been the runaway success that Nintendo was banking on. The company attempted to address the lukewarm response with a significant price drop and an accompanying public apology. Now it seems that even more drastic measures may be in the works. French site 01net, which has hit past gaming rumors squarely on the head, is reporting that Nintendo is working on a $10 analog joystick add-on that will snap onto the portable console. That revelation poses all kinds of questions, like how the system will be able to close with the controller in place and whether 3DS users will really take to such a thing. Even more interesting is the rumor that the company is working on a redesigned system for 2012, which, among other things, will pull some of the focus away from the 3D functionality that was so central to Nintendo's pitch when the device first launched. According to the rumor, that distancing from the 3D functionality may also be reflected in the name of the new model.

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Nintendo 3DS Ambassador Program: now you can find out if you made the cut

By Daniel Cooper posted Aug 22nd 2011 12:35PM Remember the Nintendo "Ambassador Program" for 3DS owners with the price drop blues?
Early adopters were offered 20 free games if they signed in to the Nintendo eShop before August 11th, but the software didn't confirm if they'd successfully joined or not. Now they can check for themselves by heading to Nintendo's support page via our easy-to-click source link, enter their 11 digit serial number and see if they're due some freebies courtesy of delicious corporate guilt.

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