As such they felt they had to address this situation by releasing a new peripheral that would bring with it a second analogue stick. Nintendo’s solution, entitled the Circle Pad Pro, has launched in the UK alongside Resident Evil Revelations and we have spent a number of hours testing it out in order to bring you our final verdict.

First things first, this is a clumsy and ugly attempt at resolving a minor design issue with the 3DS. We say this is a minor issues as the Circle Pad Pro compatible games all play perfectly well without the Circle Pad making this anything but an essential purchase.  Secondly it substantially increases the size of the 3DS making it just large enough to be awkward to carry around in your pocket.

However, that’s not to say that it is without merits. If you find that the 3DS is too small for your hands, or that you really can’t get on playing games like Resident Evil without a second analogue stick, then this may be the device for you.

Upon closer inspection you will see that the Circle Pad Pro also brings with it two new shoulder buttons, essentially making the 3DS become the Wii U controller’s ugly half brother. Those that have spent a long time imaging what Nintendo’s next console’s controller will be like can certainly get a good idea of what to expect by sampling the 3DS with the Circle Pad Pro – just imagine that it has one big touch screen instead of a two screens and you’ll pretty much there.

As for the Circle Pad itself, it feels light yet solid, although it does have a child’s toy-like quality to it thanks to the smooth edges and plain plastic used in its construction When coupled with black 3DS it almost looks acceptable, but when paired with the sleek and shiny blue 3DS it looks bad.

In terms of functionality the Circle Pad attaches to the 3DS firmly and can easily be removed, which we are thankful for as it manages to cover both the stylus and game slots. This means that if you wanted to change games or start using the stylus you will need to separate the 3DS from the Circle Pad. This isn’t a massive inconvenience, but it is annoying enough to be worth mentioning.

Those concerned about the 3DS’ short battery life taking a hit when using the Circle Pad need not worry as it runs off its own AAA battery. The battery slot is accessible by unscrewing a hatch, which winds up being covered by the 3DS when it is in use. This lack of accessibility shouldn’t be a problem as one battery can reportedly last for over 400 hours. While we haven’t been able to test this Nintendo aren’t exactly known for hyperbole, so we’ll take it as gospel for now.

Those expecting to be able to use the Circle Pro pad with all of their 3DS games may be disappointed. The Circle Pad doesn’t work with every single game, only with compatible titles. UK titles that work with it, at the time of writing, include Resident Evil Revelations and… well, that’s it. However Nintendo are clearly committed to the add on as Metal Gear Solid Snake Eater 3D, Kid Icarus Uprising, and Monster Hunter will be compatible with it when they are released later this year. When playing Resident Evil Revelations you are asked at the main menu if you want to start using the Circle Pad, even if you don’t own one, and the 3DS recognizes the add on without any issues. So in terms of useability it works well and set up is almost non-existent.

For me the major benefit is that the increase in size of the device makes it more comfortable for those with big hands. Playing Resident Evil Revelations for a few hours nonstop without the Circle Pad resulted in some discomfort in my right thumb, while playing with the Circle Pad has been perfectly comfortable.

In summation there are a lot of things to dislike about the Circle Pad Pro, but considering the low cost (£14.99 on its own, or as part of a limited edition bundle with Resident Evil Revelations for about £45) and ease of use Nintendo have produced a perfectly functional solution to their problem. The only real issue is that the problem they’re trying to solve isn’t as serious as people make out. As such you could probably live without the Circle Pad Pro, but at least Nintendo are giving 3DS owners an inexpensive option should they feel the need to use it.

- Luke Mears

http://www.gamestation.co.uk/gs/official-wireless-xbox-360-media-remote-154885

- Rax

http://www.shopto.net/XBOX%20360/VIDEO%20GAMES/XB2BU87-Xbox%20360%20250gb%20Matte%20Black%20Console.html

- Rax

http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/microsoft-sidewinder-x5-gaming-mouse-05037897-pdt.html?srcid=369&xtor=AL-11

- Rax

May not look like this, but we may now know what will be inside...

(Further updated and expanded since first posting, again!)

With a well trusted Japanese development house as source the latest rumors concerning the hardware specs of the Wii U seem more than reasonable and may be the most accurate picture of what to expect so far…

In addition to the already rumored Quad-Core, 3 GHz, POWER7 CPU, to be provided by IBM (a newer version of the tech in the XBox 360), it seems the “U” will embed either 768 MB or 1024 MB (1GB) of DDR5 RAM (with both options currently actively being tested by Nintendo) which will be shared between the CPU and it’s AMD / ATI (5xxx series) powered GPU (this “embedding” improves the bandwidth available between the CPU, GPU and RAM increasing the raw throughput within the system).

A couple of points are causing a lot of confusion out there; People are mixing up Wii U “memory” with processor “cache”, the POWER7 architecture supports between 4 & 32MB of eDRAM cache, so any rumors suggesting eDRAM itself above these values are highly likely false as the CPU will be unable to address above 32MB. Basically, a lot of people are getting the “embedded” RAM and the eDRAM cache confused, perhaps unsurprisingly. A second common assumption we are seeing is that there is a 1.5GB RAM Wii U in the works, as far as we know this is currently only a “Dev Kit” not “Consumer” device (“Dev Kits” consoles, as used by developers, often have more RAM than the production system, to provide the developer with “head-room” when using development tools / engines). So, as best we can tell, the emphasis remains firmly on the 768MB vs 1GB debate for RAM shipping in the “Consumer” console.

Hopefully the choice between 768 or 1024 MB of on-board DDR5 RAM will end up being academic, we’re going for the final product containing 1024MB, surely the extra flexibility this will provide will far out-way any small extra manufacturing costs? (Please Nintendo!) This would certainly help with pushing out the confirmed 1080p Full HD resolution and 3D capabilities.

Additional details currently include; a new optical disk format (currently believed to be around 25GB) incompatible with DVD / HD-DVD / Blu-Ray, a new touch screen tablet like controller but also continued support for the current generation’s Wiimote and Balance Board and full backward compatibility with all Wii games (GameCube games will not be directly compatible, but will be available in downloaded form via the new version of WiiWare).

If you haven’t checked out the Nintendo E3 2011 Wii U presentations & demos you can watch them below (Apologies for the usual YouTube adverts!);

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More when we get it…

- Richard “Rax” Burley
@Raxous