Since it was founded all the way back in 1889, video game company Nintendo has filed more than 8,500 patents around the world — meaning for all the iconic consoles and gadgets we’ve been treated to over the years, there are thousands that will never see the light of day.
Guide Strats trawled through Nintendo’s patent history and uncovered five gadget ideas that were never made, but that they think should have been, and used 3D rendering to imagine how they might have looked if they hadn’t been scrapped.
Nintendo playable game boy smartphone case
(Patent No: US20180275769A1)
According to this patent, Nintendo once considered bringing out a playable Game Boy smartphone cover that fits over your device, instantly transforming it into a modern version of the iconic, hand-held games console.
Nintendo Wii football controller
(Patent No: EP2090346B1)
The clunkiest of the proposed Nintendo gadgets, this controller would have been “an actual physical football, equipped with a motion sensor” that would allow players to simulate aspects of a real football game.
Nintendo portable system with interchangeable controls
(Patent No: US20140121023A1)
The patent for this portable games console, which bears a strong resemblance to the bottom half of the Nintendo 3DS, was filed back in 2014. What sets it apart from the 3DS, however, is the inclusion of interchangeable control pads that allow users to slot button units, joysticks or cross keys in and out as they please. And when Guide Strats chose to render it, they leaned more toward the modern Switch aesthetic.
Nintendo Switch joy-cons with hinges
(Patent No: JP2019146737A)
This twist on the Nintendo Switch features hinged, adjustable Joy-Cons that seem to serve more of an ergonomic purpose than anything else.
Nintendo Wii inflatable horseback riding peripheral
(Patent No: US8277327B2)
This might be my favorite of the gadgets on the list, purely because it seems so silly (which is, perhaps, why it never became a reality). The patent for the inflatable horse riding simulator was filed in 2009, and says it would include sensors that can detect the user’s movements as they play.
According to Nintendo, the creatures you could “ride” using the peripheral are practically endless — the patent literally specifies that players could simulate riding imaginary animals like “dragons, griffons, unicorns, giant eagles.” Cool.
Via Guide Strats.