Skip to main content

Nintendo's new controller patent takes Wii "U" very literally

Damn Nintendo! Back at it again with the weird peripherals. In October 2014, the company filed a patent application with the super sexy title “Training Implement, Training System, and Input Device,” (already abbreviated as TITS, because the Internet is so classy). The patent was published April 22, 2016 through the World Intellectual Property Organization, where incredibly thorough NeoGaf forum user Rösti found it.

A little too curved to be a boomerang, the new controller, pictured below from the patent filing, it looks more like a cartoon magnet, a horseshoe, or a big “U” in keeping with the Nintendo theme.

Nintendo Wii U controller patnet squeeze
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Besides the expected accelerometer and gyroscope, it has load sensors built into the bridge between the two upright sections of the “U,” implying the controller could be squeezed like a grip strengthener: “Body is joined to each of the immovable two grip portion and the two gripping portion opposed at a distance, having a connecting portion for connecting the two gripper. Load sensor is provided inside the main body, for detecting a load applied to the body.” (Here’s the original in case you can comment a more accurate translation:  本体は、間隔を隔てて対向する2つの把持部および当該2つの把持部のそれぞれと非可動に接合され、当該2つの把持部を連結する連結部を有する)。

Recommended Videos

Gamers are having a hard time imagining what games are a perfect fit for this particular peripheral. It’s visually similar to the Xbox 360 “Steering wheel”, but is clearly intended for fitness games. Descriptive diagrams show a person squatting, the patent includes temperature sensors as part of the device as well, and specifically describes using this new controller design in conjunction with a balance ball.

Nintendo Wii U controller patent squat
Image used with permission by copyright holder

It’s unclear if the “U” controller is intended for the Wii U or the upcoming NX console. There’s always the chance this is tied in to Nintendo’s Quality of Life doughnut sleep-tracker, but since that was pushed back there’s no way to tell. In any case, gamers are already voicing doubts about whether it will ever see the light of a GameStop, but at least Nintendo keeps gamers on their toes–sometimes literally.

Aliya Barnwell
Former Contributor
Aliya Tyus-Barnwell is a writer, cyclist and gamer with an interest in technology. Also a fantasy fan, she's had fiction…
Nintendo’s new hardware announcement isn’t the Switch 2. It’s an alarm clock
An red Alarmo clock on a wooden bedside table. Somebody is adjusting the white knob on the top.

Nintendo dropped an unexpected announcement on Wednesday -- and no, it's not the one we've been waiting for. In the vein of novelty gadgets like the Labo VR headset, the company will release an alarm clock that can track your sleep and tell when you're still in bed.

The Nintendo Sound Clock: Alarmo will cost $100 when it releases in early 2025, although Nintendo Switch Online members can preorder it now, but just in the U.S. and Canada. It seems it'll be available at some standard retailers, although like other oddball Nintendo creations, it'll probably be in limited supply.

Read more
Revisit the days of translucent gaming gear with these new Xbox controllers
A white and transparent Xbox wireless controller on a black background.

Following up on its Sky Cipher special edition Xbox Wireless Controller, Microsoft has announced a full series of transparent controllers now available for preorder.

The Cipher Series Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 comes in six different color options. The white Ghost Cipher is the most transparent-looking, but there are also Velocity Cipher, Astral Cipher, Surf Cipher, Candy Cipher, and Pulse Cipher, which are Xbox green, purple, blue, pink, and red, respectively. You can mix and match D-pad, button, joystick, and trigger colors, and get your own in the Design Lab. A base model will cost $150, and be wary of any add-ons that might up the price more than you'd like.

Read more
Nintendo’s creepy new game is getting 3 free demos
Key art of The Smiling Man in Emio - The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club.

Nintendo is giving players the chance to check out the new Famicom Detective Club game's first few chapters for free ahead of the game's release for Switch.

Emio -- The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club is launching on August 29, but Nintendo is releasing a three-part demo on the eShop. Players can check out the prologue and chapter 1 starting the "evening" of August 19, followed by chapter 2 on August 22 and chapter 3 on August 27. If they decide to go ahead with the full game (which is now available for preorder for $50), players can also transfer their progress.

Read more