Sakurai Explains why Circle Pad Pro is Not Supported for Smash 3DS

While the new C-stick on the New Nintendo 3DS is supported in Smash Bros., the Circle Pad Pro for the regular 3DS is not supported. The reasoning, as explained by Sakurai, has to do with processing power. Basically, the Circle Pad Pro uses up roughly 5% of the available processing power, which he claims simply isn’t available for Smash Bros., as the game needs that processing power to run. The odd part is, he compares it directly to Kid Icarus: Uprising and how he claims that game pushes the system to the max, yet Kid Icarus: Uprising supported the Circle Pad Pro. He’s basically contradicting himself, which we can speculate as to why after we read exactly what he had to say.

(What is the reason that the game supports the New 3DS’ C-Stick, but not the Circle Pad Pro?)

“Supporting the CCP requires the use of some of the CPU’s processing load. From the information received during the development of Kid Icarus: Uprising, this is a quite large load at around 5%. Kid Icarus: Uprising and Smash both use the maximum capability of the device, so we had to abandon the idea of CCP support.

With the New 3DS, we were able to support the C-Stick as the processing power is increased and it is not a peripheral device.”

This comes from his biweekly column in Famitsu Magazine. I was never a big fan of the Circle Pad Pro (though I understand the desire for two sticks), but this seems to me to a be a cop out given his example. I doubt that extra input really takes up 5%, and if Uprising pushed the system to the max and still supported it, so could Smash. However, given it is an officially licensed Nintendo addon, he likely can’t mention the fact he personally doesn’t like it – this is a total guess, but he didn’t seem too fond of it when making Kid Icarus.

Either way, I don’t feel the stick is essential to Smash Bros. regardless. For those that think it is, they will probably get a New Nintendo 3DS next year.

Source: Gamnesia