Nintendo is preparing to reveal more details about its upcoming hybrid console, the Nintendo Switch, in a presentation that the company will host on Jan. 12. Among the information that Nintendo is expected to divulge regarding the device is its exact release date, its price, the games available upon launch and all the other things that gamers need to know about the Nintendo Switch.
With the many rumors involving the Nintendo Switch, however, some might be thinking that Nintendo will likely not be making any surprise announcements in the upcoming event. Patents that Nintendo filed for the Nintendo Switch, however, reveal that there might be more to the hybrid console.
Patents For The Nintendo Switch Revealed
Nintendo filed several patent applications for the Nintendo Switch in June, and these patents have now been published. Images of the patent applications were uploaded to the NeoGAF forums, and users have since dissected all the information presented.
One of the most important details discussed in the patent applications is that the Nintendo Switch will have a capacitive touchscreen that supports multi-touch input, continuing earlier speculations that the display of the hybrid console will not be a simple screen.
Another interesting tidbit in the patent applications is what seems to be a combination of the Nintendo Switch with an accessory that resembles a virtual reality headset. The Nintendo Switch will be slipped into a slot in the headset similar to how smartphones are used alongside Samsung's Gear VR and Google's Daydream View, which will be made possible due to the fact that the hybrid console will have the necessary gyro sensors.
The patent verifies statements made by Nintendo President Tatsumi Kimishima a couple of months ago that the company will be pursuing additional technologies for the Nintendo Switch, specifically mentioning virtual reality.
Nintendo Switch will also apparently have alternate configurations that will come with actual directional pads, with some of the Joy-Cons to also have shoulder buttons for a deeper gaming experience. Storage expansion looks like it will be easy for the Nintendo Switch, which was said to have an SD Card slot.
Reactions To The Nintendo Switch Patents
Reactions to the patent application images have been overwhelmingly positive in NeoGAF, driving up the excitement for the Nintendo Switch even further.
"VR possibility? Touchscreen? SD Card? Gyro controls? Nintendo checking them boxes," wrote user cw_sasuke, with user asagami_ mentioning that the Nintendo Switch looks like the culmination of the company's innovative ideas over the past 10 years since the original Nintendo DS and Nintendo Wii.
However, gamers should be reminded that the images are just patent applications, and there is no confirmation yet from Nintendo that the discussed features will be making their way into the final version of the Nintendo Switch once it is released in March 2017. If all these features are included in the hybrid console though, Nintendo could have a blockbuster hit in its hands.
