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Nintendo has filed a patent for ‘smart fluid’ joysticks, perhaps to eliminate drift | VGC
(www.videogameschronicle.com)
this post was submitted on 12 Sep 2023
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Using the larger, potentially more durable, joysticks would mean a larger potentially less portable Switch. Given that portability is the core feature of the Switch I can understand Nintendo's reluctance to implement them. Especially when other companies are experiencing similar issues with their sticks. In my opinion a novel approach is the way to go here. Hall effect is nice, but it is costly and could potentially present some legal challenges at the moment.
@JonDorfman, what legal challenges?
@Cicraft
A company already makes hall effect joysticks that are JoyCon sized and they claim to hold a patent for them. I haven’t taken the time to verify, but even if they don’t have a leg to stand on they could still take Nintendo to court.
@JonDorfman I wonder how they would do that while also not violating patents on JoyCons that I suppose Nintendo has.
I have not checked, but would be surprised if they do not.
Nintendo doesn’t hold a patent on the JoyCon joysticks. As far as I am aware they are an off the shelf component.
@JonDorfman, I did a quick online search for Nintendo’s JoyCon patents, and interestingly found a US one from 2023 (2020 in Japan) about what looks Hall effect analogue sticks:
https://patents.google.com/patent/US20230280850A1/
That patent is what I was referring to when I mentioned a novel approach.
@JonDorfman, right, but Hall effect analogue sticks themselves have existed for a long time, so that technology in general (except any novel addition) is (most likely) not patented anymore.