Topic: Rubber on original 3DS's circle pad tore off. Has this happened to you and what have you done about it?

Hey guys, a terrible thing happened to me yesterday. I was playing mgs3D and in the middle of my session half of the circle pad tore off. It had been showing wear and tear for a while, but I didn't expect it to tear so soon. I have done substantial research on the subject and have found that there really are no good options. I could:
A. try to glue the piece back on with super glue (but if I screw up, by circle pad is shot)
B. Try to replace the circle pad with a replacement part (but then I'd have to open up my 3DS which scares me)
C. Buy a new 3DS (not preferable as I've been playing this 3DS for over 6 years and I love it dearly)
I'm gonna try to contact Nintendo support, but in the meantime, has this happened to you guys and if so how did you deal with it? Thanks!

(apologies if this isn't the correct way to post this. This is my first time posting a question)

You can try just playing with the black plastic exposed. At least that part didn’t broke off, right?

@Yosheel That's what I do. Mine tore off a few years ago.

@Yosheel Yea, that part's fine. I just didn't know if that would be ok for the system. I would rather repair and use the rubber, but if I must I will. The only other issue is that half the circle pad tore off not the whole thing

@Andrew_R_2000 and you've experienced no problems just using the black nub?

The rubber is only there to make it less slippery and more comfortable to use. The 3DS itself can’t tell the difference.

It’s the first time I hear it breaks off partially though, it usually comes off in a single piece.

@Tingle_The_Great No problems.

Thanks for your help guys. I think for now I’m going to try to glue it, but if that fails I’ll just use the half pad until the rest falls off

Aren't there replacements you can buy online? Can't imagine they're that complicated to install. If I remember right, you just slip the plastic part over the rubber hole on the bottom?

@MisterPi Have you done it? Cause from what I understood from research, it was that you had to open up your 3ds to put the replacement on

@Tingle_The_Great I started a thread this week about recommended covers for the circle pad... still waiting for suggestions, but maybe if you got one it might hold the torn bit in place...? Might be worth a go.

@gcunit That's a great idea! I just checked amazon and they seem kinda pricy at $16 for a set of four (or, oddly enough, $9 for three cat themed ones), but I just might do that if my glue doesn't hold.

The one from my original 3DS had come off, but I don't use that anymore anyway as it has a technical issue in which the brightness of the top screen exceeds what is normal (it's extremely bright). It's still usable with 3D turned off and the brightness settings set to 1, as any attempt to increase brightness will result in an attempt to make the top screen even brighter than it already is, and I can only assume that it short circuits at this point as the system instantly turns off when that used to happen.