Why Doesn’t the 3DS XL Feature a Second Analog Stick?

If it had one built-in, then some future games would be designed requiring its use. This means you’d have to buy a Circle Pad Pro if you had an original 3DS (which can be expensive and hard to find, at least here), or a 3DS-XL in order to play them. And since the 3DS-XL is going to be Nintendo’s focus on the 3DS line now, the Circle Pad Pro is probably going to be discontinued and even harder to find down the road.

So Nintendo is either going to end support for the Circle Pad Pro completely (meaning no future games will support it), or they will continue to make it optional and release a Circle Pad Pro XL. If they do the latter and you don’t already have a Circle Pad Pro, you’ll probably still have to buy a 3DS-XL if you really want a second analog stick and extra shoulder buttons since the XL version of the Circle Pad Pro would be easier to find. Basically, if you don’t want to upgrade to an XL and haven’t bought a Circle Pad Pro, it might be a good idea to try and get one now. That is, if Nintendo isn’t ending support for it in future games.

It’s all very confusing.