Yeah, this concept sounds like it could have several great gaming (and non gaming) applications, especially by reading Taker666's posts highlighting specific passages of the patent. And it is indeed one of those cases of "Why did no one think about it before?".
Here's some of the uses I've thought about (probably, you thought about most of them as well XD)
Gaming uses
- Quick items selection. It's something that many users thought already, but it's also one of the most obvious. It could be combined with a possible bottom touch screen (if there's going to be a bottom touch screen again): that contains a few items, making it possible to put there maps / other actions / specific options, while rotating shoulders help for a more in-depth selection. For a game like Monster Hunter, it'd be a gift from Gods
- Rolling / dodging: thanks to the spin, the player could actually regulate the intensity of the movement. A slow spin would mean a slow dodge, while a quicker one would mean a quicker dodge. Giving more depth to a combat system without needing to use way too many buttons to perform an action, and making it more natural to execute after all.
- Zoom and focus with cameras: if a game has the character using a camera, both wheels would make much more natural its use: one shoulder for Zoom, the other for Focus
- In-game actions requiring objects to be spinned: like specific platforms that need to be rotated, like wheels opening doors / safes
- Racing games: as said by others, for adjusting the pov or as mini-wheels
- Sport games: for example, in a basketball game, by spinning them in the right way, you can shoot good free throws. Other possibility: using them to pass the ball and to give it a specific effect
- Easy menu scrolling
Non-gaming uses
- Zoom and focus for the camera: well, if it works in game, why shouldn't it in the real life? It'd be very immediate to use for sure for both functions
- Easy web pages scrolling / zooming. They could also be connected to a "boomarks" listings, where the most frequented pages are located
These are the first uses I came up with. Surely, there are many more of them