Nintendo 3DS might get a second analogue stick

IF FRENCH WEB SITE 01net.com is to be believed then the Nintendo 3DS might have a second analogue joystick in the future.

The web site is claiming that the console was always supposed to have dual analogue sticks but in the rush to market this never happened. The first of two possibilities is that the joystick will be an add-on device that slots onto the right hand corner of the existing console.

01net said, "According to our source, right as you read those lines, Nintendo engineers are spending many sleepless nights working on an additional device, which should be sold separately for about 10 dollars."

This could be for development purposes to pave the way for a second 3DS version which is the other option for the second joystick.

01net said, "Nintendo is currently preparing a new 3DS for a 2012 release. This new version would radically tone down the whole '3D' angle, with a new design and even probably a different name."

A potential name for the new version could be the 3DS Duo. We assume that if this is true then the four buttons will be moved down to make way for the stick.

The web site's sources are mostly anonymous and are made up of "several foreign correspondents, some of them at key positions in the global gaming industry".

It seems a bit early to be talking about a new version of the 3DS after only recently reporting price cuts and a flame red version. We'll have to wait and see if this rumour comes true. µ