Oh, I prefer physical controls too. But:
- Exchanging them for a single-thumb control scheme on a device that’s always in my pocket, so I can comfortably play while eating lunch / waiting for my dog to poop / lying in bed / etc. turned out to be a very worthwhile tradeoff in games where you’re primarily navigating grids or menus without time pressure.
- An appreciable chunk of the DS/3DS library is already touch-based to begin with.
- Any situation I have space / forethought to bring a dedicated gaming device (i.e. the only times I would have had the 3DS in the first place), I just bring a controller so I can still have physical controls. I have giant hands, and the 3DS ergonomics were always just barely adequate at best, so playing the same games with an Xbox pad and untethered screen placement is actually a major upgrade in comfort.