Nintendo Announces New 3DS

During a Japanese Nintendo Direct earlier today, Nintendo rolled out a brand new redesign of its portable machine. Dubbed "New Nintendo 3DS," it has been upgraded to address the complaints that many gamers have had regarding the older models.

The biggest addition is a second analog — more like a nub, actually, similar to the C-stick on the GameCube controller. This will make playing games like Monster Hunter 4, which formerly used the Circle Pad Pro attachment for second-stick camera control, that much more streamlined. There is also a second set of should buttons — ZL and ZR — giving the handheld parity with the Wii U GamePad and Pro Controller button layouts.

Under the hood, there are improvements to stereoscopic 3D so that images will pop out even if you are looking at them from an angle. The hardware will also read amiibo figures, which would normally require a hardware attachment on older 3DS models. Web browsing will be smoother, download speeds will be faster, everything is just all-around better.

The New 3DS will come in both regular and XL sizes. They'll begin appearing in Japan for 16,000 and 18,800 yen (about $153 and $179) respectively starting October 11. No word yet on when the West will start seeing them in stores.