By launching a 3DS XL without a second thumbstick, Nintendo is sending a message to third-party game developers: Come up with ideas that don't require the second stick. That may not be what core gamers want to hear, but it's all Nintendo can do at this point, short of forcing 10 million users to buy a $20 second stick peripheral.

Did Nintendo make a mistake by not including a second stick in the first place? Absolutely. But what's done is done, and now Nintendo has to make the best of it.

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