Patent application reveals Nintendo's plan for multi-touch capable DS

by Conrad Quilty-Harper on Feb 26th 2006 7:30AM

A patent application filed on Jul 29, 2004 which was granted to Nintendo on Feb 2nd, 2006 reveals Nintendo's aborted plans for a multi-touch capable DS. The design of the DS (pictured on the right) doesn't resemble any previous DS designs (although it looks strikingly similar to one of our reader's redesigns) and lacks X and Y buttons. The main additional feature is the capability of the touch-screen to read multiple inputs from two ~~chopsticks~~ fingers or more, similar to the idea we suggested recently.

We'd say that this design is most likely an early prototype that was canceled in favor of the original phat DS. The lack of X and Y buttons rules out the possibility that Nintendo could use this exact design in any future iterations of the console. As for the lack of a multi-touch screen on current DS models, the company could have found that the component was too costly when a single-touch capable screen would suffice. For this reason we think it's unlikely Nintendo will include a multi-touch screen with the next DS revision which Reggie hinted at in Engadget's interview, although we'd love to be proved wrong.

[Via DS Advanced. Thanks, Miyamoto]

Source

Tags: DS

Reader Comments (25)

Nice to see they considered Starfox. I have no idea why they ignored the franchise on the GBA, and it would be great to see it on the DS. Hopefully not a port of Starfox64, but a completely new game, with Wi-Fi Connection and voice chat. That would kick so much ass...

This looks exactly like the one in NGC magazine (UK)

back on to the patent thing
Nintendo�s most interesting Patent to date�.Includes Virtual 3d and a Projection screen
It�s real , and from oct 2005
go look
top story at http://www.nintendoinfo.com
we all love this kind of stuff
sizcoz

What is it with people and lack of design skills? Nintendoinfo.com is near unreadable with that horrible, horrible diagonal stripe thing in the background. I stopped reading.

Site-design is rather irrelevant, even though you do have a point... It still sounds like very intersting news.

I can't really imagine being able to hold the system with one hand and being able to effictively touch the screen with two fingers on my other hand. I think the main problem would be lack of flexibility between the two. Just try and take two of your fingers and try and move them around on something like you playing a game. It doesn't work very well. I can only imagine it being effective if the screen is close enough to the edges to be able to use both thumbs while holding it with both hands, but then the screen would have to be somewhat small to.

Someone elsewhere mentioned that the two finger touching would be more of a software innovation than a hardware function. For instance, all current ibooks scroll pages when you use 2 fingers, but apparently, older powerbooks only recognized one finger touching until new drivers were released.

I wouldn't write off this patent just yet. It may be a precursor to a truly next generation DS. Y'know... 5 years from now. Would it be unreasonable to assume that a DS2 is on the horizon? I believe that the record shattering sales in Japan (and the strong sales in other territories) have already insured that. If in fact such a system was in development, it could even ditch conventional input in favor of a largish multi-touch OLED screen. [[[ Please God ]]]

A foreshadowing of the GBE, perhaps?

my Rev D PowerBook has the 2 finger scrolling thing. and yes I think there is a hack to get it working for older models. But touch-pads work different than touch-screens, I think.

Nice idea...

Maybe we'll be seeing a dual screen gameboy?

But the idea has one crucial flaw... the fingers...

No two consecutive fingers on you hand are the same length. So assuming most people will be touching the screen with their right hands, it will be ALOT harder to get the plane to make right turns...

*...he waits a few seconds while people try this...*

You see. Its hard enough getting your index finger and middle finger to make a horizontal line much less a negative skew.

So unless your planning on making all left turns, or swapping hands everytime you want to chnage direction, or Ninty supplies us with some sort of two-pronged stylus it won't work.

... whats that? Use your index and forth fingers? Ok, go ahead if you don't mind muscles cramps.

Still, a good idea, and it's better to have 1000 flawed ideas than none at all.

*he does his star-dance with a big smile*

:)

Wouldn't multi touch be a little awkward to hold? If the DS is supported by a surface (such as a table), then you're fine, but how do you multi touch while holding with one hand, and not accidentially drop the thing? I guess you could use two thumbs...

I know why this Multi touch was aborted. The real reason is this: when the DS Lite is released, the week after they will release DS ultra Lite like i Mention from other threads. What's the point of getting the DS Lite when they will come out with another better DS soon.

I bet in four months Nintendo will release DS Ultra Lite with multi-touch and Play-Yan included.

Looks a lot like the redesign i did for the new ds.
http://img525.imageshack.us/my.php?image=final5se.jpg

"I know why this Multi touch was aborted. The real reason is this: when the DS Lite is released, the week after they will release DS ultra Lite like i Mention from other threads. What's the point of getting the DS Lite when they will come out with another better DS soon.

I bet in four months Nintendo will release DS Ultra Lite with multi-touch and Play-Yan included."

...so why bother buying a new car when a new model comes out the next year?

Seriously...your logic is a bit screwed up.

i remember reading infendo and it saying that the ds lite had a secret, could this be it? it would make sense

Remember the NES...

http://www.dasutin.com

Keep in mind that patent is for the multiple source touch input technique, not for a prototype DS. Although they haven't put it in a product yet Nintendo has many years in which to do so before the exact technique become freely available to all.

Likely it turned out not to be practical in any gameply concepts they tried for such a small touch screen. The market for color LCDs just keeps growing and well within the patent period it could become reasonable for a much larger screen, say 15", to be the main display and control surface of a portable game system selling for under $200. It wouldn't be a DS but who knows what nintendo might come up with once the hardware is at the right price point?

Going farther, imagine a really big and tough touch screen the size of a dance pad or bigger. The ideas with multiple players could get pretty wild but that would be wayyy down the road.

Apple's got a similar patent:
http://mblog.lib.umich.edu/~rdivecha/archives/2006/02/the_world_of_sm.html

Perhaps this technology will fare better on a large screen.

I think the DS touch screen may do this and the software just averages the inputs for example try the metroid prime hunters demo on the screen with all the hexagonal cells put one finger on one corner and another finger on the other then increase the pressure with one finger the 'cursor' will move toward that finger so you know the screen can differentiate 2 points and is also pressure sensitive.

I don't forsee 15" screens being really feasible for portables without serious advancement (though within a patents life I suppose it's possible).

It's just too big...I mean with 4:3 aspect...that would require a 9 by 12 inch handheld...way too big to be called portable.

"12. No two consecutive fingers on you hand are the same length. So assuming most people will be touching the screen with their right hands, it will be ALOT harder to get the plane to make right turns..."

It doesnt have to measure the turning angle from a level line. It could use the first two inputs it gets (from your middle/index fingers) as neutral.

Your theory is flawed.

I knew that looked farmiliar.
That was my favorite of the ds lite design entries. Very SP like.
I'm with Greg. I'm more curious about Starfox DS. Sounds like a cool idea. Make it like the original though.
If they wanted to do something with the touchscreen (would be a crime if they didn't) they should make it like the controlls of the cockpit. Perhaps make it like Xwing vs Tie Fighter where you have to distribute power accordingly. Just my 2c.

Does anyone know what the potential market for multi-touch screen technology?

Note that the DS touchscreen is capable of exactly what the diagram shows: detecting the angle between subsequent touches. Not only has a proof-of-concept homebrew been released, but this is old knowledge. This is not a patent of hardware of any sort, but a patent on an algorithm to reduce mistakes.

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Patent application reveals Nintendo's plan for multi-touch capable DS

Reader Comments (25)

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