The Mog Blog

After seeing the Nintendo 3DS Press Conference and not getting a single bit of information about this 3DS Slide Pad Addon, I was hoping that everything that we’ve heard thus far was a hoax and it never happened.

Unfortunately, shortly after the conference, Nintendo officially announced the release date and the price for the 3DS addon (at least in Japan). The addon will add another circle pad to the right and will add 3 buttons (though technically one button seems to be covering over the R, there will be an L2 and an R2 button with an exposed L1). The really odd thing that strikes me about this fancy addon: It requires a battery (though conflicting reports state it could be AA or AAA).

One has to stop and think to themselves for a second: Why the hell does it need a battery?

But then one also has to stop and think once they pull out their 3DS: Where the hell is this thing going to attach itself to?

There does not seem to be any physical way for the addon to “plug” itself into the 3DS, outside of the charger contacts on top. So, what the hell? Will it use the infrared port on top of the 3DS? It would make the most sense to me considering the battery and the lack of any sort of input port.

Hmm… Is it right to be a bit worried about how well this will work? Assuming this is the case, of course.

The addon will be released in Japan on December 10th for ¥1,500 (roughly $19 US). No word on a North American release as of yet.