Let's take a walk down memory lane.
N64: Certain games offered Expansion Pak support to improve the graphics. To my knowledge, the games that did benefit from the Expansion Pak still worked to some degree without it (like Perfect Dark).
Gameboy Color: Certain games had enhanced color palettes for the GBC but still worked on the old 1989 Gameboy (some games did only work on the GBC, though).
Nintendo DS: With the upgrade from DS to DSi, any game that needed to use the GBA port (Metroid Pinball) lost a bit of funtionality. At the same time, DSi specific software was introduced and simply could not be used without the upgrade in hardware.
So it's not entirely unheard of for Nintendo to add or remove features from their hardware. The times that they did were met with little or no backlash. As others in this thread have pointed out, while the PS1 went from no analogs to two analogs and rumble, there wasn't a problem because every single game (except Ape Escape) still functioned with the standard controller. When the Sega Genesis went from a 3 button setup to a six button setup, there was no backlash because all of the games (like Street Fighter) still had a 3 button setup. If Nintendo DOES go with a dual analog setup on the 3DS, rest assured that most games will still work just fine with the standard 3DS.
As the owner of six DS's (3 phats, two lites, and a DSi), I know full well that Nintendo isn't afraid to re-release a better version of their portable systems. Hell, it was the DS Lite that made the DS brand really take off. But look at the Gameboy, Gameboy Pocket, Gameboy Light, Gameboy Color, Gameboy Advance, Gameboy Advance SP, Gameboy Advance Micro, Nintendo DS, DS Lite, DSi, and DSi XL and tell me if the possibility of a redesign of the current 3DS surprises anybody. It's never been the end of the world--in fact, it's been the opposite. If there is a new version, it won't alienate us early adopters. it'll just piss us off that we don't have the best version anymore.
Goddam, I can type fast, tonight. The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dogs. The rain in spain falls mainly on the plains. Since I'm in a position to talk to these kids and they listen Im not a politician but I kick it with em a minute cause see they call me a minute and if the shoe fitss I wear it but it yall can't then yall can swall o the truth grin and bear now who's the king of these rude ludicrous lucrative lyrics? Who can inherit the title to put the youth in hysterics using his view sna his merits using his music to steer it
