Nintendo patents rumble for handheld

By Robert Purchese Published 22 February, 2010

Internal mechanism would require new DS.

An old Nintendo patent has been updated to include a rumble-feedback feature for a handheld device. How curious.

According to the refreshed filing (picked up by Broke My Controller), vibrations of varying strength are given through an LCD touch-screen. This appears to be an internal mechanic, which would require a new handheld - a new DS? - to be realised.

Earlier this year Nintendo's Satoru Iwata was reported to have said that a new DS will have "highly detailed graphics" and "a sensor with the ability to read the movements of people playing". The company said his comments had been misinterpreted, but the Japanese newspaper in question, and the translators reporting the comments into English, both stand by the accuracy of their work.

The expectancy surrounding a possible Nintendo hardware reveal this year - either at GDC in March or E3 in the summer - is at fever pitch. Yet the Mario-maker has shown time and time again that it will not be rushed. Must be. Mustn't it?

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (17) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Eraysor #1 2 years ago

    I just hope Nintendo are intelligent enough to keep DS backward-compatibility in it, because it'll be a sure-fire purchase for me if it has that.

  • Bander #2 2 years ago

    Nintendo just invented haptic feedback for touch screens! Nobody innovates like they do!

    Edited for clarity (I hope): When haptic feedback is present in a touch screen phone, it's not usually listed in the specifications. It's just there. The feature is easy to implement and goes a small way to compensate for the loss of physical buttons, but it doesn't appear to be enough of a selling point for manufacturers to bother mentioning it.
    Edited by 1 at 22/02/10 @ 18:10

  • wizlon #3 2 years ago

    A lot of the HTC phones have haptic feedback and it feels really good. Nintendo would be wise to take note.

  • chrisjm #4 2 years ago

    DS could do rumble with the GBA rumble cartridge, it was pretty annoying though

  • chessboxer #5 2 years ago

    DS, DS Lite, DSi, DS XL and now what, DS FF?

  • peterfll #6 2 years ago

    It's been so long the hardware tart on me NEEDS some sort of new generational (i.e. not a DS Lite, XL et al) hardware this year. Please. Go on. Please.

  • DrDamn #7 2 years ago

    @Bander
    "Nintendo just invented haptic feedback for touch screens! Nobody innovates like they do! Haptic feedback rarely appears in touch screen phone specifications."

    So they invented it as long as you ignore the phones that already do it? Which version of invent are you using?

  • Quak #8 2 years ago

    So they invented it as long as you ignore the phones that already do it? Which version of invent are you using?

    It's called sarcasm.

  • jonsaan #9 2 years ago

    First thought is battery life.

  • superted1974 #10 2 years ago

    What is your second thought?

  • seasidebaz #11 2 years ago

    First thought is battery life.

    Really? My first though was can you play it on the loo without sounding like you're using a "different" kind of toy...

  • darc #12 2 years ago

    When a Nintendo exec says "highly detailed graphics" I chuckle a little bit. Does that make me a bad person?

  • Anthony_UK #13 2 years ago

    Give it equal power or more to the gamecube and give me Wind Waker, plus access to the virtual acrade and there wouldn't be a word to describe how 'SOLD' I'd be!

    At the minute my DS is great, but it's more of a make do solution when I'm traveling tbh

  • Bander #14 2 years ago

    Thanks Quak, I was indeed trying to be sarcastic.

    I don't think my second paragraph is as clear as it should be though, so I'm going to edit it.

  • Toothball #15 2 years ago

    I liked a bit of rumble in some DS games. It was a bit buzzy in Metroid and Super Princess Peach, but the little rumbles you got when picking out squares or making mistakes in Picross felt like they should be there.

    I'll probably buy an actual new DS. Skipping the XL though as I don't really need the extra space.

  • smelly #16 2 years ago

    The patent was filed in 2005.. so i wouldnt guess it has anything to do with the announcmeent at all.

  • Floppy #17 2 years ago

    Maybe future iterations of the DSi XL will have rumble, as the casing would certainly be large enough to house a rumble motor (or whatever).