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Yeah, I actually think it may make my 3DS feel a little more comfortable.

I wouldn't consider my hands to be overly large or anything, but, they get uncomfortable holding the 3DS.

it gets uncomfortable imo due to the size and placement of the button in conjunction to the d-pad...and take into consideration the weight and possibly you thinking I can't man handle my ds or it'll break. I just need a 3DS XL.

in other news: news has been reported that the PSVITA might also suffer a 3DS battery life of 3-5 hours and up to 9 on sleep mode or playing music w/and head phones w/wifi turned off etc.

Originally Posted by crunchewy That thing is huge...

That's what she said...

There is a new article on IGN which gives a fairly positive review of the boat peripheral:

TGS: The 3DS Slide Pad Expansion Isn't Ridiculous Nintendo's crazy peripheral feels better than it looks. September 15, 2011 My first reaction when I saw Nintendo's 3DS Slide Pad Expansion was disbelief. There was no doubt in my mind the system should have always had a second analog stick, but this as a solution? This seemed to be the worst way possible to do it. A clunky cradle that adds significant bulk to an already so-so system design? Not so hot. Today, however, my opinion is changing a bit. I've had time to hold the device in my hands. Honestly, it's not that bad. First and foremost, the Slide Pad Expansion is light. Despite the peripheral's size, it doesn't add much to the overall weight of the system. (It is worth noting though that I don't know if the AAA battery was installed into the device.) In some ways you'd be pressed to know anything significant had been added. That's definitely good news. Despite its size, the Expansion is very comfortable. Gripping a 3DS encased in one is not cumbersome at all due to the curve of its shell, and I found myself naturally finding the system's two R buttons and two L buttons. Of course, the increased size is a double-edged sword. In some ways the 3DS is easier to hold than before. However that comes with a cost - with the Expansion, the 3DS is far less portable. One thing to note - because it expands the right side of the 3DS so much, the Expansion "replaces" the traditional R button with one of its own. However on the left side, the system's own L button can still easily be used. The Expansion basically features three of its own shoulder buttons, one of which covers an existing button. The microphone jack and volume slider are still easily accessible. The positioning of the second circle pad is the only part that worries me. Though it's possible to reach the four main face buttons on the 3DS, it is slightly awkward, partly due to the position and partly due to the distance, which feels just slightly greater than it should be. I have reasonably long fingers, but those of you with smaller hands may struggle. It will be interesting to see if that immediate discomfort subsides with more hands-on experience. Unfortunately I wasn't able to play a game using the Expansion. That would answer a number of questions, including whether thumb movement from the second pad to the face buttons is actually an issue or just temporary. Similarly, it will be interesting to see how effective the new L and R buttons are. The L2/R2 buttons have a surprising amount of give - I'm curious if they're actually analog inputs. There are plenty of questions still regarding the device's use within games as well as how Nintendo plans to market and use it. Remember, the Expansion requires a battery of its own, and will likely cost about $20 if it's ever released in the United States. Critically, however, what Nintendo has designed isn't as awkward as it looks in pictures. It's also necessary for many games - the faster I don't have to rotate a camera with a gyroscope or digital inputs, the better. A few more notes for you, particularly regarding the photos in the article. First, the empty shell references a "requirement" for gamers to attach a Wii Remote-esque wrist strap. Nothing like that was present during my hands-on with the system. The 3DS was, however, attached to a model, which is the cord you'll see extending from the bottom of the system in one picture. Lastly, we'll have a video of the Expansion ready shortly. Check back to see the 3DS peripheral in glorious motion.

Article link: http://ds.ign.com/articles/119/1194645p1.html

Originally Posted by 100xp in other news: news has been reported that the PSVITA might also suffer a 3DS battery life of 3-5 hours and up to 9 on sleep mode or playing music w/and head phones w/wifi turned off etc.

That's pretty much a given. With all of the new doohickeys they keep adding, handhelds aren't able to keep a charge nearly as long because although handheld technology has improved greatly over the years, battery technology hasn't. They simply are unable to create a longer charge in the same amount of space, so the only way to double the battery life is to physically double the battery, which results in a bigger handheld. Personally, I think that's just fine, but most people throw a fit if their handheld devices can't fit into their wallet.

I think chimp works for IGN.

Played a little more Resident Evil Mercenaries 3D and got past where I was stuck but now I'm stuck somewhere else lol

How do you use the med. herb in that game anyway?

Star Fox 64 3D is awesome, but too short. The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time 3D has some meat on its bones though! Very solid remakes.

Both of my shoulder buttons are dead. I'll be sending my unit in shortly. It definitely made Star Fox a pain in the ass.

Originally Posted by 2DMention Played a little more Resident Evil Mercenaries 3D and got past where I was stuck but now I'm stuck somewhere else lol How do you use the med. herb in that game anyway?

Hit A or tap the herb in the item window just like you would a weapon (A is the way to go since you can heal without looking down).

Originally Posted by chimpmeister There is a new article on IGN which gives a fairly positive review of the boat peripheral: Article link: http://ds.ign.com/articles/119/1194645p1.html

IGN also loved the Zoom for Kinect... and yet most people seem to be finding that the thing just plain doesn't work. See reviews on amazon and the Kinect thread here. Makes you wonder if they either are getting paid or are just incompetent. Perhaps both.

I don't think the uproar on the slide pad extension was based on whether it was comfortable. I think it was the aesthetics and the complete destruction of the system being portable that were the basis of everyone's complaints.

Originally Posted by RedvsBlue I don't think the uproar on the slide pad extension was based on whether it was comfortable. I think it was the aesthetics and the complete destruction of the system being portable that were the basis of everyone's complaints.

The very fact that this add-on is being released tells a lot about the original design of the 3DS. It really makes you wonder what Nintendo was thinking (or not thinking) when they fleshed this system out. Seeing that the system relies so heavily on 3D, two analog sticks should have been in the plan from day 1.

To be fair I made a lot of negative comments here but I don't think either of the 2 new handheld systems are very good. The PS vita requires overpriced memory cards if you want to do anything other than play retail release games, I do not understand why this thing doesn't come with built in storage since that is the norm these days for everything from smartphones to tablets. I might have been sold if it had built in storage but I am not doing another memory card song and dance with Sony, no thank you. So yeah that $250 system will cost you about $300 now with memory stick purchase, and of course they are using a new memory card format and the old PSP cards will not be compatible neither will SD cards. The vita needs at least 32GB of storage and 16GB absolute bare minimum storage to be useful in this day and age in any way, not to mention if you don't have a memory stick you can't download anything from the PS store and the file sizes are big on the games! I have a 4GB memory stick for my PSP and I can fit exactly 2 games on it. The 3DS suffers from a multitude of problems most of which have already been discussed ad nauseum.

I see this as a huge scam these days, oh here is the system at a low price, but you will need one of these here $50 memory sticks if you want to do anything like download games or watch movies and music or even have a profile on the system. Only some games save to the memory card of the game as well which means some games require a separate memory stick just to save games.

Both have $40 games, the prices of console games drop fast these days and ultimately end up costing less than these portable games in just a couple weeks. Portable games need to start at 19.99, and not a penny more for me to become interested in purchasing new ones.

Originally Posted by SaraAB I see this as a huge scam these days, oh here is the system at a low price, but you will need one of these here $50 memory sticks if you want to do anything like download games or watch movies and music or even have a profile on the system. Only some games save to the memory card of the game as well which means some games require a separate memory stick just to save games.

At least you can save your progress without an 1~8MB memory card that costs $40.

Originally Posted by RedvsBlue I don't think the uproar on the slide pad extension was based on whether it was comfortable. I think it was the aesthetics and the complete destruction of the system being portable that were the basis of everyone's complaints.

That and support from Nintendo and third-parties. It seems like you'll have at least two cradles for the 3DS with one for charging the system itself and this one for playing 3D (not that 3D) games, so the accessories you'll have to keep track of for the 3DS is starting to grow.

Originally Posted by crunchewy Makes you wonder if they either are getting paid or are just incompetent. Perhaps both.

It's mostly the latter. IGN is basically considered the biggest joke in the game journalism circles that I frequent. I wouldn't be surprised if the reviewer hasn't even used the Zoom. I know for a fact that many of the reviews are based on less than an hour of gameplay (the Afrika review is one clear example). I doubt any of them are being paid off by publishers because you usually just deal with PR's and they get paid regardless of how a game is perceived.

The size reminds me of game gear

So I did a quick runthrough of Star Fox 64 3D, and it's pretty good. The 3D at max is probably the maximum amount of 3D you can put on the system without it becoming too strenuous. I kinda wish I ran through it without stopping though, as it says I'd get a Special Commendation for it. So...it's probably some useless message like 'you're old school.' I'm kinda surprised I didn't hear anything about the game's changes Most notably on Bolse where you fight Star Wolf now if you haven't before. That doesn't happen in the original version. I'm also surprised that it has BOT multiplayer. I really didn't expect that. The game really seems like it has a good deal of content on top of the 64 version.

Also got Pilotwings Resort. It seems fun, but it doesn't feel $40 fun. Maybe $10-$15. But I only did the Training Stages so far, so we'll see if it gets more challenging. Nintendo should have probably put this on the eShop when it came out at launch instead of at retail at launch.

I think the best 3D of any game on the system is Xevious. However, the 3D in that game is so good it's distracting!