Tag: Patents
News New Nintendo Patent Is All About 2D Visuals, But Don't Jump To Any Remake Conclusions
As much as we want to see it...
There's nothing like a bit of patent discussion to get us Nintendo fans all excited, eh? While the latest legal bagsy from the Big N isn't quite as juicy as the potential hardware features we've seen in recent weeks, it does speak to a visual style that combines the worlds of 3D and 2D — and no, that doesn't...
News AI Upscaling On Nintendo Switch 2 Is Basically Real Thanks To Updated Patent
What a resolution
A newly updated patent published on 13th March 2025 provides further details to Nintendo's proposed AI resolution upscaling solution for the upcoming Switch 2 (thanks, Game Rant). Though the idea of AI upscaling for the new console is not a new one – with a
News New Nintendo Patent Hints At Improved Voice Chat On Switch 2
Chatter up!
A new patent from Nintendo seems to suggest that voice chat will be better implemented into Switch 2, finally overcoming one of our biggest complaints with 'Switch 1' (thanks, Wccftech). The patent was filed back in November 2024 before being published by the United States Patent Application Office late last
News Switch 2 Patent Suggests You Can Flip The Console Upside Down
Flippin' 'eck
A new patent from Nintendo suggests that the Joy-Con controllers for the Switch 2 can be inserted into either side of the main console, effectively letting you flip it 180 degrees according to your preference. As spotted by VGC, the patent includes detailed images showcasing the idea, with the two Joy-Con controllers effectively...
News Mysterious Patent Hints At "Predictive Input" For Nintendo Switch 2
Rollback netcode, but at a hardware level?
What if your controller could sense your next move? That's hardly science fiction—after all, rollback netcode is used in many leading fighting games to do just that—but a patent has been spotted by Tom's Guide and Game Rant which hints that Nintendo
News Nintendo Files Patent To Ease 'Troublesome' Switch Dock Wires
Huh, not bad!
When you first set up your Nintendo Switch to connect to your TV, you may have been aware of the dock's limitations when it came to connecting the necessary wires. Looking at the dock from the back, the 'AC Adapter', 'HDMI Out', and 'LAN' ports all face toward the left. If your TV houses its ports on the right-hand side, this means...
News Newly Discovered Nintendo Filing Shows Off "Dual-Screen, Detachable Device"
Sending Switch successor rumours into overdrive (again)
Switch successor rumours have got louder in recent months and now some new Nintendo filings have been discovered. New ideas and designs from Nintendo, which were originally filed by the Japanese video game company on 11th November 2022, have been discovered on the 'World Intellectual Property...
News Patent Suggests That New Nintendogs Is On The Horizon, Potentially For Mobile
Are we barking up the wrong tree?
It has been 12 long years since we last heard the infamous instructions of "Lucky, Daisy, Baxter" while we sat in a completely sound-proofed room attempting to teach our dog its name in the 3DS' Nintendogs + Cats. Of course, this followed the six-year wait after the release of the original Nintendogs on the DS — a...
News Nintendo Files Patent To Combat Online Cheating And Software Modification
"Such cheating is egregiously prevalent"
Nintendo is always filing patents for all sorts of ideas, but they don't always see the light of day. This latest one might be a bit different though. This new one will target cheaters by attempting to identify any software modifications. This would be achieved by implementing an attestation program that...
News Nintendo Files In-Game Clothing Patent To Help Keep Your Characters Warm
By Breath of the Wild's tech supervisor
When we usually report on patents, it's for controller designs, new hardware, and sometimes even tweaks and modes for a specific game. Today, we've discovered that Nintendo has filed something that's related to the last thing, but will actually help streamline game development for all of their IPs on Switch...
News Nintendo Files New Patent Seemingly Linked To Splatoon
Aiming to "better mini-maps"
Nintendo is always experimenting with ideas and patents are a very important part of this process. Sometimes it will file something to do with hardware and other times it's more focused on gameplay experiences. On this occasion, it's about the gameplay side of things - with the latest filing apparently focused on...
News Nintendo Sneakily Filed A New Controller Patent Last Year
One day it'll be for a new Power Glove
Nintendo is definitely one of the more secretive companies in the video game industry, but it's also one of the biggest innovators when it comes to technology, too. So leave it to a small discovery to get people's tongues wagging. One Twitter user has discovered a patent that Nintendo made made in July last...
News Zelda: Breath Of The Wild 2 Gameplay Concepts Revealed In Nintendo Patents
Back to the E3 trailer we go
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2, which will undoubtedly get a much cooler name from Nintendo when the time is right, made a star appearance in this year's online-only E3. The trailer above made clear that it'll be an ambitious follow-up to the much-loved original, with Link seen up in the skies and doing all...
News Patent Reveals Nintendo Is Working On Upscaling Technology
Just made public, the patent was first placed in March 2020
Patents are always a rather intriguing thing to track in the technology industry - sometimes they represent ideas and products that'll never see the light of day, but there are occasions when they give clues to future releases. A freshly released US patent application could be the latter,...
News Five Years Later, Nintendo's Lawsuit Against 'White Cat Project' Has Finally Been Settled
Nintendo initially asked for $40m in damages
Colopl's White Cat Project In a new statement (Japanese), Nintendo has confirmed that its patent infringement lawsuit filed against Colopl and its 'White Cat Project' mobile game has now been settled, with Colopl agreeing to pay an undisclosed figure. If you need a quick catch up, the case can be traced...
News Nintendo Switch eShop Accounts Could Soon Display Personalised Game Suggestions
According to a new patent
A newly-published patent applied for by Nintendo reveals potential plans to display individualised game ratings on the Switch eShop. As spotted by Game Rant, the patent in question describes a system that can "generate a base rating that is a function of gameplay data for a specific user," as well as "an average external...
News Tencent Has Patented Its Own Handheld Console, And It Looks A Lot Like A Nintendo Switch
Tencent previously helped distribute the Switch in China
Tencent's been making a name for itself in Nintendo circles in recent years. As it continues working on Pokémon Unite through TiMi Studios, the Chinese tech giant also obtained exclusive distribution rights for the Switch launch in China back in 2019. Now, if a recent patent is to be...
News Nintendo Demands More Damages In Colopl Lawsuit, Now Suing For A Cool $47 Million
White Cat Project developer is accused of infringing six patents
You may recall that back in 2018, Nintendo filed a lawsuit against mobile games developer Colopl for around 4.4 billion yen ($41.7 million). It's not going away anytime soon – having entered multiple hearings – and now, Nintendo has raised that figure to 4.95 billion yen ($46.9...
News New Nintendo Patent Suggests A Standalone Switch Joy-Con Could Be On The Way
A new controller for the Switch Pro?
A newly-discovered Nintendo patent suggests that the company may be planning to release a new form of Joy-Con style controller. The patent, which was originally filed in May 2018 and then registered this April, shows several images of a controller design that looks very similar to the Joy-Con found on current...
News Nintendo's Latest Patent Protects IC Tags Within Soft Toys
Like plush amiibo
Nintendo recently filed a patent that intends to prevent damage to IC tags within soft toys. As weird as this may sound, it seems to actually refer to the NFC feature contained within plush amiibo. One example of this is the Yarn Yoshi amiibo which was released in 2015. A similar patent dating back to 31st March of the same year...
News Nintendo's Quality Of Life Project Pops Up Yet Again In New Patent
First new details in almost a year
Nintendo's 'Quality of Life' initiative has been in the works for years now - the first time we heard about it was way back in 2014 - but it's been a little while since we last received any new info. Today, however, it has been revealed that the Big N has applied for a new patent that's concerned with measuring...
News Nintendo Files Patent For The Switch Lite
Better late than never
Companies are always filing patents for new product designs, but this time it's a little different. Nintendo Co., Ltd. recently registered a design at the Japanese patent office for the Switch Lite – a handheld system which launched in September last year. The description notes how the device is "an electronic computer...
News New Nintendo Patent Shows Touch Pen Attachment For Switch Joy-Con
Images reveal software ideas
A newly published patent has been discovered which shows a 'Touch P
News Nintendo's Wider Switch Joy-Con Design Was One Of Many Ideas That Never Saw The Light Of Day
What could have been
Prior to the release of the Switch, Nintendo filed a series of Joy-Con patents with the Japanese patent office in August 2016. Some had buttons in different locations, D-pads, no control sticks and there was even a wide design in consideration. Although we already know
Feature Digging Through Nintendo Patents
Ideas that surfaced or sank without trace
The recent discovery of a patent for Joy-Con controllers with hinges set tongues wagging with speculation as to what it could mean for Switch and potential future directions for the platform. Will Switch ‘Pro’ feature a curved screen? Is the angle of the two parts measured and translated into the game?...
News Patent Filed For New Nintendo Switch VR Headset
Update on the Labo kit on the way?
While it may not have been quite as convincing as other VR offerings in the market, Nintendo's Labo VR kit was a likeable experiment which proved that even on tech as humble as Switch, a decent virtual reality experience could be achieved. VR modes have since been added to several key releases, and it would seem...
Much-needed clarification
When Japanese mobile developer, Colopl, announced a new White Cat Project game (also known as Shiro Neko Project) for the Switch last week during its 4th anniversary live stream, there was widespread confusion as to how it even got the go-ahead. At the start of this year in January, Nintendo filed a lawsuit against this...
News Super Mario Party On Switch Appears To Make Use Of Nintendo's Recent Multi-Screen Patent
Two consoles working together
Just over a month ago we reported on a new multi-screen patent filed by Nintendo which seemed to make use of two separate screens, running on two separate devices, with information and displays being shared between them seamlessly. After closer inspection of the recent Super Mario Party trailer, it appears that this...
News Nintendo's New "Extended Input" Patent Hints At Donkey Konga Bongo Support On Switch
Game Boy emulation patent also filed recently
We've already seen how Nintendo Labo is leveraging the power of the Switch hardware in new and exciting ways, but it would seem that Nintendo isn't stopping there. According to a new "extended input" patent filed by the company in August last year, the capabilities of the hardware - including the...
News Nintendo is Suing Mobile Game Company Colopl For $40 Million
Ouch!
Nintendo has reportedly filed a lawsuit against Japanese mobile game company Colopl, currently asking for a rather staggering $40 million in damages. According to an official statement from Colopl, Nintendo has claimed that five tech patent rights have been violated in the game Shiro Neko Project. One of these patents is said to involve...
News Nintendo Ordered to Pay $10 Million Following Patent Lawsuit Loss
Nintendo confirms intent to appeal
The technology behind the Wii went through plenty of patent lawsuits with Nintendo winning the majority of reported cases, though a looming loss to Philips back in 2014 led to the signing of a global patent license agreement. That was related to motion technology in the Wii Remote, and now Nintendo has lost in an...
News United States Appeals Court Rules In Nintendo's Favour In Tomita Technologies 3DS Patent Case
Another one bites the dust
It looks as if the saga of Seijiro Tomita's patent case against the Nintendo 3DS is finally coming to an end. The United States Appeals Court has just confirmed that handheld console does not use technology covered in a patent asserted by Tomita Technologies USA, Inc. and Tomita Technologies International, Inc, stating...
Editorial Don't Let Patents Be The New Source of Unrealistic Nintendo Switch Expectations
Let the hype be real, not fantastical
Now that the Nintendo Switch has been unveiled, we're thankfully past the stage of particularly unlikely rumours and 'leaks' getting the web all hot under the collar. After all, the scope for exaggeration is greatly reduced now that the system is visible, and reports can focus on sensible considerations such as...
News Nintendo Patents an Innovative Projector for Displaying Flat Images on Uneven Surfaces
A potentially lucrative product, but maybe not for the mainstream yet
Some of Nintendo's most intriguing ideas can be found in patents; indeed it's through filings that potential glimpses at the NX have been seen. We don't think this particular patent is NX related, as such, but it's an indication of Nintendo's ongoing interest in adopting and...
Yet another interesting design
With each passing week we get closer to the official reveal of the Nintendo NX, and recent reports have brought to mind the prospect of a portable with multiple and interesting control options. Some interpretations point to detachable controllers, and a recently released patent filed earlier in the year gave an...
News Fresh Nintendo Patents Reinforce Concept of NX Featuring Detachable Controllers
Gesture recognition patents also get more details
It seems that as Nintendo gets closer to revealing the NX more clues surface, and a few freshly released patents - filed in January this year and now visible to the public - appear to reinforce aspects of notable recent reports on the system. NeoGAF poster Disorientator has picked up on these...
News Patent Reinforces the Prospect of Nintendo NX Having a Portable Handset
Application focuses on sound and vibration technology
Throughout the course of 2015 Nintendo filed multiple patents that reinforce a widely held belief - that Nintendo NX will have a portable / handheld component in addition to being a 'home console'. We already know, based on game announcements such as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and...
News Texas Court Ruling States That Game Mechanics Can't Be Protected by Copyright
As long as it looks different, it's acceptable
It's always an interesting debate when discussing whether or not one game is stepping on another's toes when it comes to the actual way that each game plays. After one game innovates and does something new, subsequent games that copy that are sometimes viewed as "clones" that offer very little in the...
News Nintendo Defeats Yet Another Patent Claim Against the Wii Remote
Motion Games loses its appeal
The Wii utilised common technology in clever ways and sold over 100 million units - that's the perfect combination to prompt a whole lot of patent-related court cases. Nintendo has successfully defeated the majority of patent claims against it in recent years, and has now confirmed the end of another case. This time...
News A 15 Year Old Patent Shows A Nintendo Phone That Never Was
Game Boy titles were seemingly considered
With Nintendo and DeNA actively working on multiple phone apps, and with the big N having a financial interest in the likes of Pokémon Go, the concept of the company's games on mobile devices is no longer fanciful. The company has also filed multiple patents over the years for emulators and actual...
News Nintendo Reportedly Secures Victory over Tomita Technologies in 3DS Patent Row
Therefore avoids potentially costly penalties
Update: Nintendo of America has issued a statement confirmed the company's success in this patent case - Ajay Singh, Nintendo of America's Director of Litigation and Compliance, is quoted as follows. We are very pleased with the court's finding that Nintendo does not infringe. Nintendo has a long...
News This Nintendo Patent for a U-Shaped Fitness Controller is Actually Cool
No-one will buy it, but still
Ah, patents, the source of much intrigue and occasional hand-wringing. Occasionally they're also rather entertaining, and if a recently discovered U-shaped Nintendo patent became an actual product we'd be more than happy to make fun of it while admiring its ingenuity. You can see it below, and it's actually a...
News Nintendo's 'Supplemental Computing Device' Patent is Cleared for Completion
A look towards the future?
There have been quite a number of patents from Nintendo in the past couple of years that have prompted conversations around the form of the company's 'next generation' hardware. Though attention often shifts to potential controllers and similar examples, one of the company's most intriguing patent applications seems to be...
News Nintendo Files a New Patent for a Fancy Object Detection Device
Potentially used as a controller, projector, or something else
The wizardry taking place behind closed doors at Nintendo R&D is something that's endlessly fascinating, as the company continually experiments with new and exciting ways to play. Of course, not all of this makes it into stages of production – looking at you inflatable Wii saddle...
News Nintendo Handheld Patent Focuses on Infrared and Gesture Recognition Technology
Pitching in with a fresh control concept
As we get ever closer to Nintendo lifting the lid on its NX hardware this year, patent applications are naturally a focus as we explore the areas of technology that the company has been exploring. Past examples that have been of interest have included a cloud-based computational device and an intriguing...
News Nintendo Finalises Wii Patent Win Over UltimatePointer
"Nintendo will vigorously defend itself" and so on...
We think it's fair to say that a decent percentage of patent claims filed in the US could best be described as being in 'bad faith'. Though Nintendo has lost a small number of notable cases, being forced into payments or shared royalties, it wins the majority of patent cases launched against its...
A "video game fabricating system" with editing tools and data sharing
Super Mario Maker has been a smash hit for Nintendo, and has finally given players the chance to create their own unique Super Mario experiences. However, if a 1994 patent is anything to go by, Nintendo has been thinking about this kind of user-generated approach for quite some...
News Nintendo Wins Bizarre Patent Case in Defence of Mii Characters
It was claimed it infringed patent for police sketch-artist data
Nintendo battles its share of patent cases in the courts; some are serious challenges against major companies, and the big N has even lost a few over the years. A lot of the time, however, it sees off claims from smaller companies, particularly those that seemingly take ownership of...
News Fascinating Patent Shows Nintendo Portable Utilising Free-Form Screen Technology
First rumours of 2016 production emerged in late 2014
With the Nintendo NX hardware due to be revealed in 2016, the web's going into overdrive looking for clues and pointers to the hardware's form. A recent spot highlighted an intriguing 'supplemental computing device' that would use the Cloud for processing; now we see the return of 'free-form'...
Concept ties into speculation around NX and My Nintendo accounts
The Nintendo NX - a name that will likely change - will remain a mystery until Nintendo unveils it in 2016, yet a combination of logic and speculation have allowed a partial picture to form. Just recently Tatsumi Kimishima commented that it's "something unique and different" from the...
