Several patents by Nintendo have recently been released online, and some of the them suggest gesture support is coming to NX.
First spotted by users on NeoGAF, many of these new patents appear to be very similar to a report published by Eurogamer last month.
One of the documents details the NX as a detachable device for a potentially handheld console, much like the machine itself is rumoured to be.
The image below shows a patent for a controller-esque accessory that plugs into an “information processing device,” presumably the NX itself.
The document itself is a bit of a slog to get through, but as many of us know, a picture can easily speak a thousand words.
As far as we can tell, these images are incredibly similar to the rumoured design of NX, right down to the detachable controllers and use of cartridges to store and play games.
Nintendo is yet to confirm any of this, and will likely keep quiet until the system is officially announced ahead of its launch in March 2017.
The second patent is a little more interesting, and something we genuinely didn’t expect from Nintendo.
According to the patent, the system may utilize gesture control that eliminates the need for a controller altogether. An infrared camera located on the NX would be used to track such movements, translated back into the game and user interface.
Nintendo has played with the idea of motion controls before, most notably with the Wii in 2007, but this could be another level of potential immersion.
This patent is quite similar to one filed in July 2015 (via Polygon) which also details gesture controls that would use the player’s right hand, while their left holds the controller for different inputs.
We’ll have to wait until later this year, or possibly 2017, to hear more about Nintendo’s next system. It’s clear from the collection of varied rumours thus far that it’s going be a very interesting new approach to gaming.
