14 DAY TRIAL // A number of patents that video game hardware developer Nintendo has filled with the United States Patent and Trademark Office suggest that the controller for the upcoming Nintendo Wii U home console might have a controller which integrates glass free 3D and voice recognition.
When Nintendo first showed off the Wii U at the 2011 edition of E3, the tablet-like controller was used to control experiences on the home console via a wireless link but no other features were demonstrated.
Glass-free three-dimensional aility was integrated in the Nintendo 3DS handheld and the same technology could be used for the tablet controller.
The voice recognition could be powered by two microphones, one on the front and one on the back of the device, which might mean that some titles might be controlled via vocal commands from gamers.
Nintendo has only talked about a camera that faces the front of the tablet controller, but the patents from the company also talk about facial recognition software that will be integrated in the new device.
The tablet controller could also include support for a gun peripheral and the ability to share both images and sounds with other devices, presumably the Nintendo 3DS handheld.
Nintendo makes it clear in their USPTO fillings that the described features do “not correspond to any particular actual product that may be eventually be made available to consumers.”
The company has indicated that it will re-reveal the Wii U at the E3 2012 event, which suggests that some of the features of the home console have been reworked since last year.
The company has also confirmed that it plans to launch the new device before the end of 2012 on all major markets, starting with Japan, where fans are expecting to get it during the summer.
Rumors suggest that the Wii U will deliver the same hardware power as the current Xbox 360 from Microsoft and PlayStation 3 from Sony.