Analyze Ninendo Patents for Revolution:

[Crash]

ok, so i was up late tonight looking up "real" patents of nintendo. one which features a touchpad/touchscreen that has force feedback. wierd huh? they descibe it as haptic feedback that moves the touchpad up down, left and right but keeping it parallel to the rest of the unit. Since the DS doesn't do this, we can probably assume it will be on the revolution.

It also says that it will have 2 kinds of vibration.

1. high pitched vibration of the touchpad (piezo actuater)
2. low pitched, bigger vibration of the rest of the (controller)

they keep saying 'it could be used in anything like a laptop, a pda, an electronic device a video game console.... or portable computer'

like they are trying to disguise it's for a video game console

Didn't before they say "the revolution will not have a touchscreen like the DS" well, it isnt' like the ds, it's different.

More specifically, the present invention relates to a haptic feedback touch control for inputting signals to a computer and for outputting forces to a user of the touch control. The control includes a touch input device including an approximately planar touch surface operative to input a position signal to a processor of said computer based on a location of user contact on the touch surface. One or more actuators are coupled to the touch input device which can output a force to laterally move the touch input device approximately parallel to its surface to provide a haptic sensation to the user contacting it. The computer can position a cursor in a graphical environment displayed on a display device based on the position signal. The touch input device can be a separate touchpad or included as a touch screen. The user can contact the touch surface with a finger or other object, such as a stylus. Two actuators can move the touch input device in orthogonal directions parallel to the touch surface.

In another embodiment, a haptic feedback touch control for inputting signals to a computer and for outputting forces to a user includes a touch input device including an approximately planar touch surface which inputs a position signal to a computer processor, a surface member located adjacent to the touch input device, where the user can contact the surface when pressing the touch input device, and an actuator coupled to the surface member. The actuator outputs a force on the surface member to provide a haptic sensation to the user. The surface member can be translated laterally, approximately in a plane parallel to the surface of the touch input device; for example, the surface member can be positioned over the touch input device and approximately coextensive with the surface of the touch input device. Or, the surface member can be positioned to a side of the touch input device such that the user touches the touch input device with one finger and touches the surface member with a different finger or palm. For example, the surface member can be positioned over a physical button that is located adjacent to said touch input device. Contact or inertial forces can be output on the surface member.

[GameMaster]

It'll definitely be something close to the technology seen in Minority Report.

[Dyne]

Were you trying to spell "Analyze" for the thread title?

Anyways, yes, I would be quite impressed with holographic technology.

[Canyarion]

I don't get it. :unsure: But I didn't feel like reading the whole quote...

[Null]

touch screens, pleh, come on, you all know its going to be the return of the power glove! ...............................now with force feedback support. :p

[Dark Samurai]

Hmm... seems like Nintendo's stepping it up with technology this generation...

[Jonbo298]

Power Glove greater then all! :D

[KillerGremlin]

Hmm... seems like Nintendo's stepping it up with technology this generation...

Hell yeah. Implementing an old idea into a portable with decent 3D capabilities while Sony kicks DS ass up and down with its PS2+ graphics......

That’s also an ironic comment, because Nintendo is in it for the gaming, or the gamer.

[Blackmane]

I would like to see how they implement it, but it would be really cool if it worked effectively and simply.

[Jason1]

Wow...most of that made NO sense to me. Yet it somehow makes it sound that much better that way.

[Canyarion]

Are you kidding me? We've seen those 3D mouses before... Minority Report is WAY beyond that...

[Teuthida]

http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&u=/netahtml/search-adv.htm&r=34&p=1&f=G&l=50&d=ptxt&S1=nintendo.ASNM.&OS=an/nintendo&RS=AN/nintendo

Dunno if this is the same thing but has a more recent date:

A video game system includes hand-held player controllers operable by players to generate video game control signals, each hand-held player controller having a selectively driven vibration source arranged to generate vibrations for vibrating a housing thereof. A video game program executing system executes a video game program. The video game program executing system includes controller connectors which, in use, connect to the hand-held player controllers and a controller control circuit including a transmission circuit which transmits data to hand-held player controllers connected to the controller connectors. The video game program executed by the video game program executing system includes video game instructions, the video game instructions including at least one instruction for causing the video game program executing system to transmit command data via the transmission circuit to drive the vibration source of one or more of the hand-held player controllers so as to generate vibrations for vibrating the housings thereof.

[Crash]

Therefore, it is possible to consider that a vibration generating source be incorporated in a housing of the controller; however, in such a case, it is necessary to change the controller as a whole, and therefore, a person who intends to play games in which the vibration is generated must obtain a specific controller, and accordingly, it is not economical.

The present invention is a controller pack detachably attached to a controller which is connected to a video game machine, comprising a case; a vibration source which is attached to the case and generates a vibration using electric power; and a driver circuit which applies the electric power to the vibration source in response to a command signal from the game machine.

Nevermind... it's talking about Nintendo's Rumble Pak for the 64

..but it says filed (feb 2001)... so I'm confused.

[Canyarion]

Haha I read that and wondered how that was new. :p

[jeepnut]

Haha I read that and wondered how that was new. :p

Same here.

[Crash]

nintendo adds to their "Haptic feedback" patent, i still believe this to be the revolution controller: all they say is now with force feedback touchpads will now be directionally sensitive:

http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=/netahtml/search-bool.html&r=3&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=ptxt&s1=nintendo&OS=nintendo&RS=nintendo

These sensations allow for a much greater variety of sensations in these types of haptic devices, allowing the experience of playing a game or interacting with other types of computer applications to be more fulfilling for the user.


here is another one that is quite interesting, poker online between countries with built in translator? (obviously for DS):

A computerized wagering gaming system and method is disclosed. The system includes a universal computerized game system operable to control a computerized wagering game, including a controller interface and a universal controller for processing an operating system instructions. The system includes game system devices and a game translator system for translating game events between the game system devices and the universal game control system. The controller interface operates as an interface between the universal controller and the game translator system. a selection from among a number of games such as is provided on multi-game video programs or on video wagering games in casinos

Nintendo files more patents relating to their Nintendonline service


http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=/netahtml/search-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=ptxt&s1=nintendo&OS=nintendo&RS=nintendo
The present invention relates to computer graphics, and more particularly to interactive graphics systems such as home video game platforms. Still more particularly this invention relates to synchronization between a graphics pipeline and a graphics command producer using variable content synchronization tokens.

[MuGen]

Hype is defined by getting people's hopes up. You never know if Nintendo's stepping up technology, or doing something new. Either way, it's a blind they are willing to bet. They will either force people to learn something new and force third party support to stride the other way, or they will convince people to try their new gig and hop on the bandwagon.

We can't predict the tides of people's interests.