When Nintendo unveiled the 3DS XL, many were surprised that the redesigned system didn't include a second analog stick. Instead, gamers that want dual-analog controls on the system will have to purchase a Circle Pad Pro add-on. Why did Nintendo shy away from including a right analog stick?
Nintendo president Satoru Iwata says that the system would have become too big had they included it. "Attaching a second analog stick is possible but it would have made the system even bigger and, though it perhaps puts a burden on people that really want that second stick, it's a call we had to make," he said.
In addition, Iwata says that it would have affected the system's battery life–something critics pointed out as one of the biggest flaws of the original 3DS. "When we looked at the design of the 3DS XL we had to look at various factors, one was battery life, one was the overall size of the unit, and we had to make some trade-offs," he told The Independent (via CVG). "The choice, if we were going to include the second analog stick, was to reduce the size of the battery or make the unit much bigger.

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The Nintendo 3DS XL will be available on August 19th for $199.
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