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Home / News / Nintendo’s next console controller could be a touchscreen

Nintendo’s next console controller could be a touchscreen

Don’t worry though, analog sticks aren’t dead quite yet

Very little is known about Nintendo’s next-gen NX console, but we might now have a glimpse at what its controller could look like.

Newly-spotted patent filings show off designs for a controller that’s essentially a touchscreen with two holes cut directly into it, letting dual analog sticks poke through for regular use.

Traditional physical bumpers also remain, but the on-screen controls themselves can adapt to different games and specific situations, providing game designers with a larger degree of flexibility when it comes to creating gameplay options.

The patent states that the screen could use either LCD or OLED technology, and the 3DS’ glassed-free 3D screen is also an option. The screen could also be used to display supplemental in-game information, and can even host a miniature web browser, though we can’t imagine how useful the latter will be.

Nintendo has previously been linked to Sharp’s Free-Form Display technology, which consists of IGZO LCD panels which can be cut into different shapes, so unlike many patent rumours, there could be some truth in this one.

The controller itself is an interesting idea, but we’d have to wrap our hands around one ourselves to truly judge it. Assuming it ever becomes reality, that is.

[FPO via The Verge]

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Esat has been a gadget fan ever since his tiny four-year-old brain was captivated by a sound-activated dancing sunflower. From there it was a natural progression to a Sega Mega Drive, a brief obsession with hedgehogs, and a love for all things tech. After 7 years as a writer and deputy editor for Stuff, Esat ventured out into the corporate world, spending three years as Editor of Microsoft's European News Centre. Now a freelance writer, his appetite for shiny gadgets has no bounds. Oh, and like all good human beings, he's very fond of cats.