Accessories

Going its own way

As the number of plastic-based add-ons for 3DS starts to grow, keen collectors will be pleased to know that the system's stand, due to be released with Kid Icarus: Uprising, looks set for its own appearance in shops. The Japanese release of the stand-alone peripheral — we apologise for that — is confirmed for 22nd March, and it...

Only their creators love them

For those who hadn’t noticed, we recently posted our 3DS Circle Pad Pro review, which unsurprisingly prompted a broad range of opinions and comments. While the reaction to the add-on has undoubtedly been diverse, most agree on one thing: it’s ugly. Or, to quote our review, it "makes the console look like it's...

A thin line between love and hate

It says a lot about the absurdity of the Circle Pad Pro that when its existence was leaked last year, some hardcore Nintendo supporters refused to believe it was real. The concept of adding an additional analogue stick to the machine by the way of a chunky add-on seemed almost unbelievable; surely Nintendo...

Up your 3DS camo index

With Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D out in six weeks, your thoughts might be turning to how you can camouflage your console to get in the espionage spirit, and Hori has it covered. The official Metal Gear Solid 3D accessory set is out in Europe on 24th February, a few weeks before the game, and includes a military-style...

It stands, but does it deliver?

The Wii has come with a plastic stand for years, but Duracell's effort does more than just support your Wii upright. As the name suggests, the Duracell Wii Charging Stand lets you recharge your Wii Remotes while keeping your Wii in place. It comes bundled with two rechargeable battery packs for your Wii Remote, but...

Take a stand

That 3DS stand we saw the other day for Kid Icarus: Uprising? It's totally leaving Japan. Nintendo of America confirmed to Shack News that the stand is coming to North America: Nintendo is including a free stand with all copies of the Kid Icarus: Uprising game for the Nintendo 3DS system. The stand

In Japan at least

Kid Icarus: Uprising will be bundled with an arm-saving display stand for the 3DS. The folding stand sits on a desk and cradles the console itself while you use the stylus and face buttons to control Pit. Uprising supports the Circle Pad Pro for left-handed players but don't worry if you're not planning to pick up the peripheral...

Worth a closer look?

You'd have to say the wire on the standard Wii sensor bar is of a reasonably generous length, but the fact it's wired at all irritates some, leaving wires trailing around if you don't have your TV and Wii set up how Nintendo originally envisioned. We took the Duracell wireless Wii sensor bar for a spin to see if it's worth going wireless all together. Setting up the Duracell..

Jealous?

GoldenEye 007 has a gold Classic Controller Pro, Club Nintendo members can get a gold Wii Wheel for Mario Kart Wii and of course there's a gold Wii Remote Plus for The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, but there's not been a gold Nunchuk — until now. Japanese Club Nintendo members can now get a gold Nunchuk to go with their other golden...

Or thereabouts

The Circle Pad Pro attachment needs its own AAA battery, but don't think you'll need to shell out on new ones every time you fancy a game of Resident Evil Revelations. According to one eager Japanese early adopter, the device's instructions claim it can last for up to 480 hours on a single AAA battery. Good job too, as the battery...

Plastic fantastic?

Mario Kart 7 launches in Europe this Friday, hoping to emulate the storming sales success of Mario Kart Wii, with a peripheral to match. Hori's Mario Kart 7 steering wheel will be available across the country in December. Essentially it works along the same lines as the Wii Wheel: clip your 3DS console into place, activate the game's first person view and steer by tilting your..

Gripping or griping?

Battery power. It is both the benevolent force that makes portable gaming possible, and the cumbersome reason some gamers choose to keep their games at home. Throughout gaming history, handheld consoles have been subjected to a slew of power-boosting peripherals promising more game time at the cost of extra bulk. The Nintendo...

Amateurs not allowed

The upcoming Circle Pad attachment for the 3DS appears to be gearing up for launch, with speculation swirling with regards to what it'll be called. According to a trademark filed by Nintendo in Japan, the add-on could be called the ‘Circle Pad Pro’ in the West. This is already scheduled for release on 10th December in Japan, branded as the Nintendo 3DS Expansion Slide Pad..

Batteries not included

The 3DS Circle Pad Expansion might look like a beefy behemoth, but there's something appealingly dinky about the box it comes in, in Japan at least. Amazon Japan has an image of the accessory's retail packaging along with a 10th December release date and price of ¥1,500. The box's bottom-right corner also bears an important logo that will also appear on software that..

Chat and tunes in one set

It didn't take long for the Nintendo DS to get an official chat headset, and now the 3DS is getting its own add-on later this year. PowerA's take on the cans features an in-line remote for controlling your music, with play/pause, previous track and next track commands accessed with a single click. It also allows voice chat...

Is this the official name?

The announcement of a release date for Resident Evil Revelations came with a small nugget of interesting news: the first time a western branch of Nintendo has mentioned the upcoming Circle Pad expansion in a press release. The official release mentions the attachment in passing, saying: The game is also compatible with the new slider pad, a second circle pad with two..

Fully charged

The 3DS battery life has arguably received just as much discussion as its games line-up, and there have been plenty of peripheral companies trying to solve that problem with add-ons. CTA Digital is the latest, launching its Deluxe Power Grip to combat the issue. The grip includes a rechargeable battery that, according to CTA, "effectively doubles" the console's battery life,..

Some positive press for the peripheral

The 3DS 'circle pad expansion', due for release in Japan before the end of the year, has been a source of serious debate amongst Nintendo gamers. Amidst discussions about topics ranging from the aesthetic appeal of the add-on, to its compatibility with games and its requirement of one AAA battery for power, the reaction from game developers and publishers is..

Details of release date and compatible games

Details concerning the 3DS circle pad expansion have been released, provided by Nintendo after their press conference earlier today. It's set for release on 10th December in Japan, to coincide with the release of Monster Hunter 3 G, and will cost ¥1,500 (around £12). It's been confirmed that the peripheral is powered by one AAA battery, rather than the..

What next for the 3DS?

Another week, another major 3DS announcement. That may be an exaggeration, but it is nevertheless true that the 3DS has had a busy first six months in the market. Since the device launched we’ve already heard about disappointing sales, a number of delayed 3DS titles from third party developers, Nintendo’s decision to drastically cut the retail price of the system and the..

First look inside

Update: A Nintendo UK representative has confirmed the device is real, saying: We can confirm that Nintendo does plan to release the attachment but that any further announcements on the attachment will be made at some later time by Nintendo. The rumours of a second analogue stick add-on for Nintendo 3DS continue to strengthen,...

Head bang again

Last year's release of Call of Duty: Black Ops came with a nice surprise: support for the new PDP Headbanger headset for online play, a notable improvement over Wii Speak's use in previous online games. PDP and Activision obviously both believe they were onto a good thing, as the headset will be making a return for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 in November. From the information..

Wii never knew...

Part of our mission at Nintendo Life is to highlight parts of the gaming world that were previously unknown. To that end, our experienced researchers have been rooting around the archives of Wii history and discovered the original patent application for the Wii Remote. Reading patent documentation isn’t the most stimulating of activities, but we’ve completed this arduous task..

What you've been missing!

Oh, Nintendo. When you created the Wii Remote and wowed us with its universal applications — a tennis racquet! A chopping knife! A fishing rod! — did you have any idea you'd just opened the Pandora's Box of appalling accessories? In the years Wii has been on the market we've seen exercise bikes, lightsaber holsters and more, but one of the most notorious is the..