New images of a U-shaped Nintendo controller have been spotted online recently. While we have seen rumors of a gaming controller from Nintendo since April, the most recent findings come from the European Union Intellectual Property Office. If these patents are right, some slight changes have been made to the oddly-shaped controller since the last time we saw it.
According to the EUIPO, the patent from Nintendo has been registered and fully published since Nov. 7. No other details about the controller can be found on the EUIPO website.
If this controller is the same one we saw back in April, it will be hollow and made of an aluminum alloy. The primary function of the controller seems to be for fitness and exercise, which makes sense given Nintendo’s push for Quality of Life products alongside gaming products.
As for what this will be used for, that still seems to be a mystery. The Wii U has officially ended production, so making a new controller for a dead system (that didn’t sell all that well to begin with) seems like a foolish idea. This could have something to do with the Switch, but doesn’t seem as in line with the mobility-focused console as you’d expect.
An interesting thing to note, the button placement seems to have adjusted from the designs we saw in April compared to the ones found earlier this month. The biggest difference is the buttons have moved from the sides of the U to the top. This means we probably will not be holding the controller like a steering wheel and more like two joysticks. It also looks like there is a speaker built into the top of one side of the controller now as well.
When will Nintendo actually reveal whatever this is? Possibly in January. We know the Big N will be holding a Switch-focused event with the reveal of a price, release date and launch library, and perhaps whatever this is will be included in the news.
So what do you think? Are you curious to see what this oddly-shaped controller will be? Are you less interested if it ends up being a Quality of Life/fitness product? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
