I think it's absolutely shambolic that a reputable hardware manufacturer like Nintendo has failed to sidestep the critical mistake Sony made with the PSP by failing to include a second analogue stick. It liberates the user and broadens the opportunities for what games can be developed for the system. 

Isn't it a 100% improvement over past generations of DS?

That touch screen could be the other analog stick. 
 
Like in a shooter

There may be one analog stick, but there is a touch screen.

I don't know about you but if the 3DS analog stick is anything like the psp's then a second one would be way more uncomfortable and worst then using the face buttons.

In theory the touch green should perform the same task, but playing games like Mario 64 and Call Of Duty I find clunky as hell. I agree with your concern, Brunchies but hopefully again this is an area where they've managed to improve over the PSP.

Two sticks leads to dumb versions of console games that you don't really want to play on a portable.  Sony's mistake was going ahead and making those types of games anyway, but making weird control schemes for them as well, making the games even worse.
 
Portable games are best with simple controls, uncomplicated gameplay, and set up for short sessions with a way to quickly stop without losing major progress.
 
Asking for two sticks on a portable is a case of be careful what you wish for, you may not like what you get if it happens.  Shit like Splinter Cell or Call of Duty on a portable is why the PSP is in the spot it's in.  Just like Picross and Professor Leyton are why the DS is in the spot it's in.

Nintendo has never built anything with two analog sticks.
 
edit: ...oops, guess the GameCube kinda did - but that's it.

Two analogue sticks would lead to too many average ports of console games. I don't want that from a handheld, and I don't know why anyone would.

I would like to see another numb for left-handed book style games.  But I'm not sure how much if a difference the numb makes from the d-pad.

" Two sticks leads to dumb versions of console games that you don't really want to play on a portable. 

Frankly, I don't know why it needs an analog stick at all unless it's going to have two of them. If you're moving around with a fixed camera, D-Pads are fine. It's when you introduce the shifting camera that analog control is good, which is also when you need a second stick to move the camera.

" Two analogue sticks would lead to too many average ports of console games. I don't want that from a handheld, and I don't know why anyone would. "

I kind of agree.  There's that empty space that's just big enough for one.  Maybe you can get around it with the touch screen, but more control options would only lead to greater variation in games.

The PSP should do shooters (and it tries). The 3DS does not seem like a likely platform for shooters. 
 
And anyways. Use the slider for walking, use the shoulder for shooting, and use the sylus on the touch-screen for aiming. Seems like that would work fine.

Touch screen.
 
Two analogs would make that screen useless...

Too late. I think that it'll do fine without it though, but if Sony's next PSP doesn't have it it'll be a fail.

" The PSP should do shooters (and it tries). The 3DS does not seem like a likely platform for shooters.  And anyways. Use the slider for walking, use the shoulder for shooting, and use the sylus on the touch-screen for aiming. Seems like that would work fine. "

The simpler approach is to avoid designing games that are designed for two analog sticks.  Blame the game developers for not working to the hardware's strengths.

" Two analogue sticks would lead to too many average ports of console games. I don't want that from a handheld, and I don't know why anyone would. "

they need to start bundling those wrist straps that came with the Phat in with the 3DS. I wish i could find mine. :(

" Two analogue sticks would lead to too many average ports of console games. I don't want that from a handheld, and I don't know why anyone would. "

While I agree that I definitely don't want crappy ports of console games, I dislike the arrangement of the analog stick in relation to the D-Pad. To me, it would be much more comfortable to have the D-Pad beneath the face buttons on the right, with the analog stick by itself on the left. I feel like having the D-Pad on the right can simulate two-stick control. The current (and quite presumably permanent) layout smacks of the Dreamcast controller, of which I was a big fan. But for games such as platformers like Sonic Adventure, for example, one almost always had to move their left thumb from the left control stick (thus not moving their character anymore) in order to change the camera angle. Not an issue that will prevent me from buying the 3DS, but I still would prefer the D-Pad on the right.

 

" That touch screen could be the other analog stick.   Like in a shooter "

" @luce said:

" That touch screen could be the other analog stick.   Like in a shooter "  

it doesn't really work that well at all though. and you cant press the other buttons when you are using it. "

The least they could do is move the analogue stick to the right side, so you could use the D-Pad for forward, backward, left, and right movement and the analogue stick to aim.

" The least they could do is move the analogue stick to the right side, so you could use the D-Pad for forward, backward, left, and right movement and the analogue stick to aim. "