It's the popular question to pose to a Nintendo employee: "did Sony copy you?" On Friday, Nintendo UK's David Yarnton said yes. Today, legendary game designer Shigeru Miyamoto concurred -- but without Yarnton's hosility. In fact, Miyamoto considers it "flattering; it kind of reinforces in our minds that we're doing the right thing."

Miyamoto further goes on to note that Sony's motion-sensor controller is "similar to what we did back on the Game Boy Color many years ago," and shows no concern for Sony's last-minute addition. Sony's DualShake controller implements its motion-sensing technology differently than the Wiimote: while the latter monitors motion relative to a TV sensor, the former determines movement relative to itself (a more apt comparison, then, might be the accelerometer found in the Wiimote's nunchuk attachment).

The defense we have seen from Sony supporters is that Sony has researched and patented motion-sensing technology from as far back as 1999. The patent applies to all of Sony's divisions, and although gaming could have been specifically in mind, the inclusion (and its timeliness) does appear to be a knee-jerk reaction to the Wiimote's capabilities. But if Nintendo does not care, who are we to complain for the company's sake?

[update 1: The full interview, conducted by Steve Tilly of the Toronto Sun, can be found here -- thanks, that guy]