A patent for a video game controller filed by Nintendo last year has surfaced online, prompting enthusiasts to speculate about what new item the video game behemoth may be working on.
The patent, which was first spotted on Twitter and reported by Nintendo Life, was filed in July 2021 and made public in January of this year.
It addresses the design of a new controller, with a focus on the device’s innards rather than its exterior. The design was devised with the goal of making “an interior structural body of a game controller more compact,” according to the document. As a result, the majority of the patent’s specifics are concerned with the internal organization of its components and circuits.
It does, however, offer various technical designs of the controller’s outside, which reveal a design that Nintendo hasn’t before published. The gamepad’s front contains a D-pad, four buttons, and two shoulder pads on each side, while the back resembles the bulging top half of an N64 controller.
It lacks the three-pronged grip of the N64, as well as analog sticks and a Start or Menu button.
A vibration mechanism is also mentioned in the patent, as well as the presence of a battery compartment, implying that it is wireless.
There’s also an NFC circuit inside. The device controller will be able to communicate with other devices over short distances without requiring an internet connection. NFC is the same technology that allows the Nintendo Switch’s Joy-Cons to scan Amiibos.
Analysis: is an arcade controller on the way?
Several aspects in the patent hint at the potential application of the upcoming design. Its emphasis on delivering a tiny internal structure, along with a simple front with only a few buttons, indicates that it will be a small, barebones controller – exactly the type of gamepad that would fit arcade systems.
Over the last few years, home arcade controllers have witnessed a rebirth in popularity, with gadgets like the 8Bitdo Arcade Stick and the HORI Fighting Stick Mini allowing you to play classic arcade games on the Nintendo Switch using era-appropriate hardware. Nintendo may be developing its own arcade controller, albeit the lack of a central joystick suggests it would be aimed at a different set of games than the current devices.
While the top of the controller resembles the top of an N64 controller, the lack of analog sticks and the lack of grips indicate that this design is unrelated to Nintendo’s iconic platform. Furthermore, an official N64 wireless controller has already been released, thus Nintendo has limited room for improvement.
It’s tempting to believe that this patent will offer us our first look at the next Nintendo controller, but hold your breath. Patents are frequently obtained on the basis of speculation, allowing companies to claim intellectual property on a design that may never reach the market or be drastically changed before it does.
The extent to which designs can vary can be seen in the abandoned Nintendo Switch Joy-Con patents, which feature everything from a hinged Joy-Con to a clip-on variant.
