Skip to main content

Nintendo files patent for separate screens capable of communicating

Nintendo/United States Patent and Trademark Office

Nintendo has always championed local multiplayer experiences, whether it be with link cables for its handheld Game Boy systems or the easy wireless connectivity of the 3DS, and if a new patent application is any indication, the company could be working on a new type of screen that could revolutionize local multiplayer gaming all over again.

Published by the United States Patent and Trademark Office on April 12, Nintendo’s latest patent application is for a game system with “a plurality of information processing apparatuses that are capable of communicating with each other.”

These processing apparatuses are located inside stand-alone screens, and by touching two or more of them together, information can be relayed between them in order to produce new game experiences. Examples in the patent application show a finger being dragged from one screen to another without the system losing track of it, as well as a ball that seamless moves across the connection between the two. The screens don’t need to be necessarily making physical contact either, as one of the images shows a gap between the two with the ball still able to move from one to the next — perhaps more impressive is the ability to “bank” a ball off of the air so it approaches the second screen from a different angle.

It appears one screen can even be angled upward in order to provide momentum for an object as it approaches the second screen, such as a bowling ball about to hit a set of pins. The connections aren’t limited to just two screens, with one image showing three screens connected to create a three-dimensional image.

Though its use will likely be limited to very select types of games if it were to make it to market, Nintendo’s screen-communication technology could make family game night a whole lot more fun. Why use a traditional cardboard game board when you could connect screens together and let Nintendo blow your mind?

Hopefully we won’t have to wait too long before Nintendo reveals its plans for the device, if it actually moves past the patenting stage. With the Switch still selling so well, however, we don’t see Nintendo releasing new hardware for at least a few years.

Editors' Recommendations

Gabe Gurwin
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…
6 Nintendo series that still haven’t made an appearance on the Switch
Pit shoots a bow.

Now that 2024 is here, the countdown is on. Rumors suggest that the Nintendo's Switch long-awaited successor is coming by the end of the year. While there's no official word from Nintendo on that yet, there's good reason to think it could happen. The current lineup of Switch games for 2024 is looking thin, so one could reasonably guess that developers may be off working on Switch 2 games by now.

As I begin to reflect on the Switch's wildly successful life span, I can't help but think  about what a bounty of games its given to Nintendo fans. I'm not just talking about Mario and Zelda games either. Most of Nintendo's franchises have been represented in some form, even if some were just rereleases or oddball spinoffs. We've seen Animal Crossing, Metroid, WarioWare, and even F-Zero get new games on the system. Nintendo left virtually no stone unturned this generation, as it turned just about every franchise it had into a cash cow.

Read more
The best multiplayer games on Switch
Mario and his friends.

Part of the Nintendo Switch's appeal is its versatility -- you can play it at home on your TV or on the go in portable mode. This versatility also applies to multiplayer and co-op games, which can be played with single Joy-Con controllers, in tabletop mode, and wirelessly both online and locally. Better yet, many of these Nintendo Switch games allow for crossplay with other consoles and PCs.

And while the Switch might not be the competitive powerhouse that the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X are, it still offers an incredible library of multiplayer games. In fact, the portable console is home to some of the best co-op experiences we've seen in this generation, and new competitive games are being added all the time. Here are our favorites, whether you're a fan of raucous racing games, mellow simulators, or monster-hunting titles of the finest caliber.
The best multiplayer games on Nintendo Switch

Read more
2023 gaming report card: how did PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo score?
The Xbox Series X and PS5

It's been a long year filled with massive games, but we've finally reached the end of 2023. There's no question that this year will be remembered as one of the all-time best for new releases -- and one of the worst for game creators -- but it's been a whirlwind 12 months for the "big three" console makers. PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo all had pivotal years, though in entirely different ways. While the Nintendo Switch took a victory lap, the PS5 entered an experimental era. The Xbox Series X, on the other hand, finally delivered the suite of exclusives fans had been waiting for ... with mixed results.

To reflect on such an eventful year, we've decided to take on the role of teacher and hand each company a final grade for 2023. We took several factors into account here. Exclusive games are a major component of the final grade, naturally, but we also looked at how well each system maintained its wider ecosystem. That includes supporting services like PS Plus and Game Pass and evaluating how new hardware changed how we play.

Read more