Circle Pad Pro (Nintendo 3DS)

It works great for games that have two axes of camera movement. Games like Monster Hunter 4 benefit highly from this.I'm not sure if the normal 3DS feels different but this one for the 3DS XL feels great in your hands. I am contemplating having it attached whenever I use my 3DS XL just because of the ergonomics of it. Holding a 3DS/3DSXL normally can get uncomfortable after a while just due to its shape not really being optimised for its purpose. The Circle Pad Pro offers a nice curvature on its right side, allowing your hand to grip it comfortably.

The Circle Pad Pro is a sturdy, good quality add on for my 3DS XL, and the extra circle pad and shoulder buttons do make playing Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate much easier. However, right now that really is the only game to support this peripheral, with few games planning to use it in the near future.Physically my only criticism is that you cannot access the stylus whilst the console is in place, although it is held snugly and the charging and audio ports are still accessible.

I bought this solely for Monster Hunter. I personally didn't feel like I completely needed this as I had got use to using the touch screen for the camera. However, I think when the battles became more difficult and intense, I can't quite imagine not using this. The extra circle pad was helpful for changing the camera in a smoother and slick way. This was not the only benefit of the circle pad pro xl though as the extra shoulder buttons are definitely useful. I mapped these to also help move the position of the camera gradually left and right. This is more helpful when you need your thumb for performing attacks and you can't change the camera position with the extra circle pad at the same time. So in some cases, the extra buttons may be more helpful for camera changes for that reason.I thought the downside would be the battery life since I'd prefer being able to charge the circle pad pro rather than replace with batteries but I've been playing Monster Hunter for at least 80 hours and the battery life of the circle pad pro is still seemingly going strong. My boyfriend absolutely refuses to play Monster Hunter without the circle pad pro so initially I have to give my one to him and ended up buying another one for myself again. For him this is compulsory for the game. The only downside I can think of is that it is slightly bulky for me but apart from that I can't really fault it. Battery life is great (my boyfriend has been playing Monster Hunter at least 10 more hours than I have and the battery on his one has not ran out yet) and I'm glad there's extra buttons along with the extra circle pad.I'd recommend this for people who want to play Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, Resident Evil Revelations and Metal Gear Solid.

I bought this more to help with holding the 3DS XL which is top heavy, than to use it for its designed purpose as so few games support the second analog nub. It seemed silly to spend less on a grip when this has extra functionality should a future game I like use it.,Unfortunately, as is always the case for Nintendo products, its clearly designed for tiny hands. Its more comfortable than the 3DS XL on its own, but its still far from ideal for adult hands.It also feels a bit odd that the right shoulder button is completely replaced but the left one is just exposed, so they are a different shape and size. It would have made a lot more sense to make the pad taller and have both buttons with matching replacements. It also sucks that none of the circle pad pro buttons work on games without support for it, including the shoulder buttons. So if, like me, you are using it for comfort you have to stretch to the original R with your finger if using an incompatible game, which is 99% of the games.Its such a shame, the L and R buttons are much nicer than the 3DS XL default ones, but wasted when hardly any games support them. The fact the right analog nub is far more loose than the one in my 3DS XL also cheapens the feel of the whole thing. Such a shame that Nintendo did not make more effort with this pad as it could have been superb.If it had been a little taller they could have had the L and R buttons mechanically press the 3DS XL L and R buttons, so that they worked in ALL games. They could also have made it more ergonomic then too, as its restricted right now by trying not to be much taller than the 3DS XL itself. Instead, its a pretty mediocre package which is a shame, especially for the price.

Rubbish official product. Only supported for some games and even then, fitting this atrocious thing to your 3DS XL is a pain in the butt. It almost physically limites connectivity since you've got this humongous trash isolating your 3DS from access.Worst nintendo product I've ever brought. Sold my 3DS XL now. No surprise they've implemented a C-stick to their new 3DS XL coming out. too late to win me back.

Somewhat dissapointing, this device does do its job of providing the extra stick and buttons but is so bulky as to make the 3DS almost unusably hard to hold, particularly if you need to use the touch screen at all.If you really really need the extra features I would forgo this and just get a new 3DS as this is so inconveniently shaped the additional features are outweighed by the difficulty to hold and use and most games work without anyway.

having the original circle pad pro for the original 3ds and loving it, when i upgraded to the xl, i just had to have one for it, the size and curve it adds to the console just feels so good...its unfortunate that only a limited number of games use its functions though and its a "MUST BUY" for any monster hunter...the only downside i have personally found in it, is that because i love the size and curve of it so much, i have it clipped on for every game which mean s i have to unclip the 3ds from the circle pad pro every time i wish to change the game, with fear that doing it so much, one day it'll break because of it... a simple hole cut out around where the cartridge goes in would of made this perfect in every way... a great (and cheap) product that i just can't do without.