The 3DS' circle pad, a monstrosity so far seen only in Japan, will be released in the US in early 2012.
A Capcom representative has revealed that the attachment, which gives the Nintendo handheld a second thumbstick (well, circle pad), will be "available for use" with Resident Evil: Revelations, which is out in the US on February 7, 2012.
Since this was a Capcom representative and not an official Nintendo statement, there was no word on pricing or bundle options for the peripheral. We're checking with Nintendo on this, and will update if we hear back.
Second Circle Pad Will Be Available for Resident Evil: Revelations [NintendoWorldReport]
You can contact Luke Plunkett, the author of this post, at plunkett@kotaku.com. You can also find him on Twitter, Facebook, and lurking around our #tips page.