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[DownGrader]

Can we stop for a moment to talk about this guy?

He wanders, squats, jumps, takes cover, shoots the dinosaur (which causes the dino to explode) and plays soccer.

He should be the mascot of NX.

 

[Valkyri von Thanatos]

So, anyone at all believe that Nintendo really intends not to "abandon the Wii U userbase" as they've said? It seems like they want us to believe NX is a "third pillar", and that it and the Wii U will coexist for at least a little while, but I wonder if that's just talk or whether they really plan on supporting the Wii U for at least a year or two after the NX launches.

I do wonder if perhaps there are still games that are in development for Wii U that Nintendo doesn't want to port to the NX, but won't be done until after it launches, so that might be what the coming support is made of.

Edit:

To the above:
"Help mode". Well, its a bit more abstract that "Game and Watch" but okay. Help mode it is.

 

[Ryde3]

looks interesting, but I dislike touch screen buttons...

I despise them. I next textured feedback! Please do not do this Nintendo!

 

[TheGreatMightyPoo]

or whether they really plan on supporting the Wii U for at least a year or two after the NX launches.

They won't.

 

[-Horizon-]

but how much of the ram can you fit into an oval??

 

[James Scott]

Can we stop for a moment to talk about this guy?

He wanders, squats, jumps, takes cover, shoots the dinosaur (which causes the dino to explode) and plays soccer.

He should be the mascot of NX.

The patent is clearly Zelda related. The gun being in place of a bow because it's easier to demonstrate it (I'd imagine)

 

[DownGrader]

but how much of the ram can you fit into an oval??

You should ask how many GameCubes they can ducktape in the oval. Which is pretty challenging, since GameCubes are cubes and not ovals.

The patent is clearly Zelda related. The gun being in place of a bow because it's easier to demonstrate it (I'd imagine)

Or it's a downgrade.

 

[friskykillface]

awful, i already have that on my phone, i need physical buttons or my hands cover the game

its a neat idea/concept but my hands are big/fat lol

 

[T.E.D]

Can we stop for a moment to talk about this guy?

He wanders, squats, jumps, takes cover, shoots the dinosaur (which causes the dino to explode) and plays soccer.

He should be the mascot of NX.

Obviously Nintendo's new mascot.

As far as Mario goes, out with the old....in with the new.

 

[Super Wario]

Handheld? Pass!

 

[……forgetit]

Huh. So it does. I wonder if that means anything?

Probably just the fact that it was a reference on hand to draw the diagram. Don't expect it to look like that.

 

[Kindred Dread]

This controller looks disgusting...complete touch input. If it's anything like the way so many phones handle crappy emulation with on-screen buttons, count me out.
Like it blocks so much of the screen. And even if you were using it with the TV, all the buttons are just touch so you'd probably have a hard time identifying what's what.

I really hope this patent just signifies the general idea and nothing close to the final product.

 

[Fine Ham Abounds]

Can we stop for a moment to talk about this guy?

He wanders, squats, jumps, takes cover, shoots the dinosaur (which causes the dino to explode) and plays soccer.

He should be the mascot of NX.

I never expected Mario and Mega Man to look like this while fused

 

[Deku89]

I really like the concept, but I do have a couple of concerns.

- Lack of Buttons and D-pad - I do like the idea of only being required to use two sticks (and triggers), but I feel something would be lost in the process. Digital buttons don't cut it in this case (imagine controlling Mario by clicking a stick to jump). They really need to have at least one regular button (maybe where the 110 is). D-pad has been on every Nintendo controller; I can't see them abandoning it.

- Shape - I know this isn't the final form, but I'm interesting to know the final result. It has to easily fit in your pocket, durable (childproof), and comfort. It might be interesting if they can sell different SKU with different shapes (and buttons for that matter).

- Type of Games - I'm afraid if this does take off, the only type of 3rd party developers would be for mobile games.

A thought I had, the screen space outside of the sticks could act as the bottom screen of the (3)DS (split in two). It can display health, mini map, and other stuff (depending on the actual size of it). It could also blink, showing there is danger that direction.

 

[TheGreatMightyPoo]

This controller looks disgusting...complete touch input.

The art of reading...

it's a wonderful art.

 

[Japanmanx3]

I

it's

!

 

[Valkyri von Thanatos]

They won't.

Yeah, I don't really think so either, but like I said, what they mean is perhaps there are some games that were in development before NX got fast-tracked, and Nintendo doesn't want to bother porting them, so that'll be the rest of the support. I'd imagine Pikmin 4 for example is one of them. They still may get ports to NX, but the idea is that they were long term projects started in say 2013, and Nintendo doesn't deem them important enough to port, so they decided they'll release them on Wii U after NX comes out and call it support.

 

[autoduelist]

Found the gif. I'd be down for something like this (more buttons and bigger screen)

It's... cool in concept, but it actually hurts my eyes for some reason.

 

[Neoxon]

Handheld? Pass!

What's wrong with a handheld?

 

[-Horizon-]

You should ask how many GameCubes they can ducktape in the oval. Which is pretty challenging, since GameCubes are cubes and not ovals.



Or it's a downgrade.

lol

They just need more time!

 

[TheGreatMightyPoo]

Yeah, I don't really think so either, but like I said, what they mean is perhaps there are some games that were in development before NX got fast-tracked, and Nintendo doesn't want to bother porting them, so that'll be the rest of the support. I'd imagine Pikmin 4 for example is one of them. They still may get ports to NX, but the idea is that they were long term projects started in say 2013, and Nintendo doesn't deem them important enough to port, so they decided they'll release them on Wii U after NX comes out and call it support.

Pikmin 4 is a mystery to me.

I have no idea if it's going to be for mobile, the Wii U, the 3DS, the NX handheld, the NX console...

 

[RibMan]

Very interesting. If this turns out to be true then I think the lack of face buttons is a good sign of Nintendo trying to move forward with their handhelds. I can see the controller being more comfortable than it looks -- the handles could be the key.

 

[Zombie James]

Found the gif. I'd be down for something like this (more buttons and bigger screen)

It would be an incredible waste of resources rendering in areas that are going to be completely covered by your thumbs.

 

[Super Wario]

What's wrong with a handheld?

Not my kind of gaming.

 

[ElFly]

They really need to provide more than just two sticks and two shoulder buttons in the way of physical input.

At least two buttons on each side, on top of the sticks, the game can dynamically label them if they want to.

 

[KevinCow]

They really need to provide more than just two sticks and two shoulder buttons in the way of physical input.

At least two buttons on each side, on top of the sticks, the game can dynamically label them if they want to.

Patents, how do they work?

 

[Oersted]

They really need to provide more than just two sticks and two shoulder buttons in the way of physical input.

At least two buttons on each side, on top of the sticks, the game can dynamically label them if they want to.

Did you even catch the shoulder buttons patent which was released beforehand?

 

[Prevolition]

People complain about buttons (physical or otherwise) covering the screen, but nobody seems to complain about a HUD covering part of the screen. Only if it's "cluttering" the screen, but I don't expect a button or your thumb to be as big as a large map.

By the way, these mockups remind me of when Zelda first had HUD buttons imitating the controller buttons (color, relative position).

 

[Serenitynow]

It's a very sleek design, though. Gotta admit that much. Leagues ahead of the 3DS in that respect.

Edit: I'm digging the pentagon stick, though. Seems like the natural evolution of the GameCube's controller which settled you in one of 8 directions. Now we'd have 10!

 

[bomblord1]

It's worth noting this (like all patents) is a proof of concept specifically meant to show off a specific concept or feature.

It's not meant to be indicative of the final design, number or placement of buttons, or form factor of the technology patented.

 

[To Far Away Times]

Found the gif. I'd be down for something like this (more buttons and bigger screen)

I would love this.

It would work great with on screen button prompts.

 

[BuggyMike]

It's worth noting this (like all patents) is a proof of concept specifically meant to show off a specific concept or feature.

It's not meant to be indicative of the final design, number or placement of buttons, or form factor of the technology patented.

Its not even worth saying this anymore they just keep going on and on about buttons in a thread about a damn patent.

 

[Valkyri von Thanatos]

Pikmin 4 is a mystery to me.

I have no idea if it's going to be for mobile, the Wii U, the 3DS, the NX handheld, the NX console...

Indeed, arguably every single project still in development should be moved to NX to build a library there, but Nintendo isn't always logical. I'd imagine the game is fairly far in development, since they have a base from 3 to build off of. If so, I would guess Nintendo would do Nintendo, and just release it on the platform its been in development for so far, without thinking about how supporting Wii U means little at this point, and building an NX library is probably more important.

Basically, its simple. What's the simplest and easiest way to make a sequel to Pikmin 3? Build off of Pikmin 3. How do you do that? Use the same engine, on the same platform. Trying to adapt the game to 3DS for example is kind of absurd, since it would probably need to be a "New 3DS" game in order to have enough processing, and I think even Nintendo knows that is an even bigger dead-end platform than Wii U.

Mobile is unlikely too, since I don't think Miyamoto is likely to have been working with DeNa on the game for as long as it would've needed to be in development to mention it off-the-cuff. Additionally, I don't think he'd be likely to collaborate with an outside studio directly.

So really, I think the chances of Pikmin U releasing on NX are just around 30%-40%, with it releasing on NX as 70%-60%. It's just easier for Nintendo to do it that way.

 

[ShockingAlberto]

It's worth noting this (like all patents) is a proof of concept specifically meant to show off a specific concept or feature.

It's not meant to be indicative of the final design, number or placement of buttons, or form factor of the technology patented.

You might as well be screaming into a bottomless pit. No one can hear you.

 

[jax]

It's not going to be touchscreen buttons guys, jeez.

 

[egruntz]

Very interested to see how this takes shape over development. I can't wrap my head around an oval display. I hope they find a way to make it more rectangular and still ergonomic.

Touch screen buttons don't bother me in the slightest. I think it makes perfect sense in this concept, actually, since buttons are effectively a part of the HUD. If a game doesn't use a button, it doesn't have to be on the screen. Whereas games that require more buttons or action inputs can customize the HUD however they want.

Excite!

 

[Nanashrew]

Can we stop for a moment to talk about this guy?

He wanders, squats, jumps, takes cover, shoots the dinosaur (which causes the dino to explode) and plays soccer.

He should be the mascot of NX.

Patent Guy for Smash!

 

[EulaCapra]

Well this is exciting!

 

[Clefargle]

Don't read too much into the shape/layout of the controller as depicted in the diagrams. Patent diagrams are simply there to communicate the concept behind what is being patented. It isn't a blueprint. Diagrams will usually purposfully not show the exact design of a device, unless that physical design is what is being patented of course (it isn't, in this case).


V. interesting concept it is though. Hype is building for this.



Even if this was the actual design of the controller, the portions of the screen being covered are extra portions of screen, added to the sides of a regular 16:9 display.

Quoting for the next page as GAF seems to largely miss this point.

 

[Anth0ny]

Found the gif. I'd be down for something like this (more buttons and bigger screen)

this would be the dumbest shit of all time

 

[mocolostrocolos]

Reminds me a lot of the Pokken Tournament arcade controller...

The first thing that came to my mind.

 

[TheGreatMightyPoo]

Indeed, arguably every single project still in development should be moved to NX to build a library there, but Nintendo isn't always logical. I'd imagine the game is fairly far in development, since they have a base from 3 to build off of.

Out of nowhere, Miyamoto said it's about done.

 

[smashballTaz]

I think I need to see it in action to even being to understand it. The I need to have a go myself to see if I'll enjoy playing it. Just like when the Wii was new.

Can anyone give me an example of a free-form screen?

 

[Mokujin]

A free from display can at the very least make a very interesting looking device, I would like to know more if this is going to be used in NX, handheld or whatever.

 

[methodman]

What if they make the right side of the controller have a haptic area, so a developer can basically use "touchscreen" controls but that area has a way to push in like buttons? That'd be perfect... allows the developer to have as many buttons as they want with whatever design and still have the force feedback of a button

 

[jblank83]

a developer can basically use "touchscreen" controls but that area has a way to push in like buttons? That'd be perfect... allows the developer to have as many buttons as they want with whatever design and still have the force feedback of a button

Why not just have buttons as well as a touch area?

 

[Elratauru]

What if they make the right side of the controller have a haptic area, so a developer can basically use "touchscreen" controls but that area has a way to push in like buttons? That'd be perfect... allows the developer to have as many buttons as they want with whatever design and still have the force feedback of a button

Exactly like the Wii U gamepad. Except you dont cover any part of the "screen" with your hands.

I belive they are pretty much reducing the Wii U Gamepad to that, a gamepad with a touch-free form screen that let´s developers label the buttons as they want. I still believe that the console is something else besides that.

 

[Drensch]

All the dismissive replies show exactly why we get cookie cutter games and yearly updates, dismissive of anything different than the SNES controller freaks people out I guess.

 

[Orniletter]

Can we stop for a moment to talk about this guy?

He wanders, squats, jumps, takes cover, shoots the dinosaur (which causes the dino to explode) and plays soccer.

He should be the mascot of NX.

Just look at the terrible graphics, Nintendo is obviously going with another under-powered console again.

Not interested in dumb kiddy stick man games.

 

[Super Wario]

Here's one summary of what the NX is going to be, based on all of these patents:

- The Nintendo NX controller has a screen - but instead of being a discrete screen, the screen is embedded into the body of the controller itself (see Figure 9b to get a better idea) (this ties into the Sharp freeform screen patent Nintendo filed a while back).
- The screen is a capacitive touchscreen, like on a smartphone, tablet, or the PS Vita.
- The controller has two analog sticks and four shoulder buttons, a speaker, as well as a cartridge slot.
- The controller has a discrete computing unit, and it can offload processing to the main console (this ties into the cloud processing patent that Nintendo filed a while back).
- The second screen is strictly used as a supplemental screen- the examples in the patent include for instance a weapon wheel showing up right next to the analog stick in a shooter. - This means that the controller can effectively be programmed for whatever button layout the developer wants, instead of a game having to be made for the controller.
- The controller seems to be a discrete handheld unit.
- The screen is 16:9.
- The screen may be autosterescopic 3D, like on the New 3DS.

Basically, it sounds like the NX has a discrete handheld that also acts as the console's controller. The handheld is a powerful system that has its own cartridge slot, and can offload processing onto the main console unit when necessary. The handheld does not have a discrete screen - it's very body is a screen. When acting as a controller, the handheld's screen provides for infinitely reprogammable buttons, meaning games are no longer designed around, or held back by, controllers - the controller gets infinite versatility, while also sticking to the kind of shape and layout that consumers are most familiar with.