This might be what Nintendo's 3DS successor looks like
Tech companies love to keep secrets. Fortunately, the United States Patent Office doesn't always let them.
Thanks to some digging from Twitter user ZhugeEX, we might have an idea of what to expect from the next Nintendo handheld console. It could be a follow-up to the 3DS (which is now more than five years old), or part of the NX, the next Nintendo console that is rumored to combine a home console and a handheld device.
The patent, which was filed in December and published at the end of June, shows two possible devices. So, what are they?
A Nintendo smartphone?
The first device is the more striking of the two, as it looks to be roughly the size and shape of a smartphone. What main features does it have?
- A touchscreen that would act as the primary method of control for games. Other images in the patent filing show directional buttons and face buttons (the ones that say ABXY on regular game controllers) overlaid on the screen for games that would need them.
- An "acceleration sensor," which is a fancy term for the thing that lets your phone detect motion.
- Three rectangular buttons lining the right side (or the bottom, if you held it like a phone) of the device.
It's unlikely that Nintendo would ever release a fully-featured smartphone, but this thing definitely looks like it would tap into the popularity of mobile games. Given how obsessed people are with "Pokémon GO," who could blame them?
Back to normal?
Since 2004, Nintendo's handheld systems have all had two screens, with one of them being responsive to touch. The second device shown in the recent patent filing looks much more conventional than any of those. Here's what we can see:
- An analog stick and directional pad that both look quite similar to what's already next to the bottom screen of the 3DS.
- Four face buttons that have the same button layout as the Wii U and 3DS.
- It's unclear if this one would feature a touch screen or motion sensing capabilities, but given Nintendo's recent history, those would be likely.
This looks almost identical to the bottom half of a 3DS. This could lend some credence to the theory that the NX will feature a handheld component, because this is much closer to a conventional game controller. The only problem is the lack of a second analog stick, which is a crucial part of most modern console games.
Though this is all juicy info, it's worth remembering that companies file patents for things they don't actually plan on making all the time. It's a way for them to cover their bases and make sure their ideas don't get stolen.
If Nintendo does end up making a new standalone handheld console, it could look like one, both or neither of these patents. All we can do is wait until Nintendo officially reveals the NX at an undetermined date later this year.