The 3DS' second slide pad got its big hands-on reveal at Tokyo Games Show this past week, and now we're going to give the concept the respectful treatment and consideration it deserves. But this week's 'Shop Contest may not be exactly what you think it is.
Because so few exploitable images of the 3DS slide pad are out there, we're going to be a little open-ended with this one. By all means feel free to parody Nintendo's half-measure redesign by whipping up another add-on for the device. Or slap the slide-pad attachment on something (or someone) who could use it.
Or go in a different direction, with other devices, controllers and games, past and present. Whip up an attachment for the original Atari joystick that finally gives it a second button. Do something to the original NES game pad. This is kind of a chickenshit cop-out on my part, but you know what they say: When life gives you chicken shit, make it into something an idiot cannot tell from chicken salad.
Source Image: The Nintendo 3DS, with Add-On Slide Pad
We had some hiccups last week that have supposedly been resolved. However, just to be on the safe side, I'm reminding everyone to consider including the URL of your image hosting service in the body of your comment, just as a back up in case I can't get a large-size version. Again, I regret what a Japanese tea ceremony this has become, uploading 'Shops to our comments. Just trying to make sure everyone gets credit and nothing is lost.
This is your no-frills step-by-step procedure to participation in the Kotaku 'Shop Contest.
1. Create your 'Shop.
2. Upload it to a free image hosting service. I suggest imgur. It's stupid simple. No account is necessary.
3. This is very important: You must use the URL of the image itself. In imgur, this is the second URL it gives you after you upload the image. It's under "Direct Link (email & IM)"
4. At the beginning of the comments roll, click "Start a New Thread"
5. To the right of your name, select "Image."
6. Paste the imgur URL in the image URL field. It's the field that says "Image URL."
7. You can add editorial commentary if you want, but then just hit submit and your image will load. If it doesn't, paste the image URL as a comment.
8. This is important: Keep your image size under 1 MB. It will not upload to comments if it is over that size. What's more, we're getting reports that if your 'Shop is more than 1000px tall (vertical), it won't upload. If you're getting the broken-image icon, try resizing to a smaller dimension.
As an added inducement, I want to let you know I do star commenters who send in worthy/funny submissions - whether or not they're chosen for the final 20. This may not happen immediately. I usually start rounding up a gallery by the middle of the week. This is my subjective call, but I do want to recognize as many contributors as possible, and show gratitude for making this such a popular feature on weekends.
Now, Gentlemen, start your 'shopping!
You can contact Owen Good, the author of this post, at owen@kotaku.com. You can also find him on Twitter, Facebook, and lurking around our #tips page.