A couple weeks ago there were rumors that Nintendo was working on an attachment for the Nintendo 3DS that would add a second circle pad to the system. Many didn't believe the alleged reports but new news from late last night however, point to those rumors actually being legitimate. Images of the new peripheral have surfaced via Famitsu magazine, and they confirm that the device does indeed exist and that the 3DS will have an attachment to substitute for a sorely lacking feature.

As Andriasang reports, Nintendo's new add-on is titled the "Expansion Slide Pad" in Japan, but it will likely receive a name change if/when it decides to show up in North America. The Nintendo 3DS itself is said to simply snap right into the base of the ESP. The device looks very similar to the charging cradle for the 3DS and the attachment obviously adds some bulk to the portable, but apparently it will give gamers a "good grip on the system".

Some may be wondering which games will take advantage of the newly-revealed Expansion Slide Pad, and many will be delighted to learn that none other than a new Monster Hunter title will be one of the first 3DS games to make use of the new peripheral. The new game, officially named Monster Hunter 3G, was revealed alongside the new 3DS add-on, and series supervisor Ryozo Tsujimoto spoke about his new title and described what the extra circle pad does for gameplay.

Monster Hunter 3G is a remake of the Nintendo Wii's Monster Hunter Tri, but the game sees some enhancements. Local multiplayer was confirmed for those who like to party up and go out questing, but online multiplayer has not yet been confirmed. The game is currently set to release in Japan later this year, and it will be at the Tokyo Game Show in a playable capacity.

When Ryozo was asked about the new add-on, he want so far as to state that the additional circle pad "will allow you to play the game with the same feeling as playing Monster Hunter 3 on Wii."

It's easy to see that Nintendo is hoping to make it easier for third parties to port their games to their struggling handheld, but this device seems really unappealing. The addition of another circle pad certainly makes sense for some games, but the add-on itself is a bit of an eyesore — not to mention how clunky it actually makes the handheld. It may just be best to wait until Nintendo releases the second generation 3DS with a second circle pad built right into the portable, something they should have done with the original model.

The Expansion Slide Pad is currently without a price or release date, but presumably it will be hitting store shelves later this year in Japan alongside Monster Hunter 3G. Perhaps the recent 3DS price drop was to make away for this additional hardware? More news should be coming from Nintendo's press conference on September 13, so stay tuned to Game Rant for more news on the new peripheral and news on any game announcements coming from the conference.

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Sourcea: Andriasang, @south1991