Japanese Patent Application Reveals New Nintendo Wii Controller
Orange County – Nintendo recently filed a patent application in Japan for a new Wii remote that utilizes touchpad technology. The patent application shows a touchpad integrated into the wireless motion detecting Wii controller. The new controller would utilize the pointing device motion detection technology of the original Wii remote and feature the touchpad technology in each new controller. With the new controller, users can move their character on screen by pointing the device or by moving their finger across the touchpad. The device will slide over the Wii controller and will be fully removable.
The touchpad device operates using several mirrors contained within the removable touchpad accessory. The mirrors reflect LED beams which alerts the game console to the movement of the user across the touchpad. By adding this feature to its controllers, the Nintendo Wii will be able to incorporate drawing pad or mouse pointer interfaces into its game development. Each controller will feature a gyroscope, accelerometer, resistive touchscreen, and a sensor strip.
Kyoto, Japan based Nintendo plans to utilize the controller feature for its new console, the Wii U. The Wii U featuring the new touchpad controller will likely be released in 2012. The Wii U has been described as an eighth generation console in contrast to the PlayStation 3 and Xbox360, considered seventh generation gaming systems. Nintendo’s first Wii system was a success, outselling the Microsoft Xbox 360 and Sony PlayStation 3. The Wii’s success was largely due to its focus on innovative gameplay that reached broader demographics than its competitors.
Nintendo has yet to file for patent protection in the United States. Under Japanese patent law, a patentable invention is defined as “the highly advanced creation of technical ideas by which a law of nature is utilized.” Japanese patent law includes elements similar to American patent law including usefulness and novelty. Japan’s inventive element is also similar to the American requirement that a patent be non-obvious.
