Nokia patent transforms stylus into joystick

by James Ransom-Wiley { Feb 22nd 2007 at 2:27PM }

Nokia's patent for a simple, but brilliant mobile joystick has been approved. As pictured, it's a stylus that, once secured into a central socket, is converted into a gaming backbone. Here's the patent mumbo jumbo:

"A method for integrating a pointing device into a handheld device, the method comprising the steps of: rotatably mounting a ball within a socket defined by said handheld device, said ball defining an orifice for receiving a stylus, said socket being configured for generating to a processor of said handheld device electrical signals indicative of movement of said ball in response to movement of said stylus; and imparting pointing device logic to said processor for responding to said signals." (Easier done than said...)

[Via CrunchGear]

Tags: CellPhone, Handheld, Joystick, Mobile, Nokia, Patent, Stylus

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Fatass of Kickassness @ Feb 22nd 2007 2:35PM

Thats so simple, yet so smart. Nintendo should have done something like this with the DS.

PS3Crashed @ Feb 22nd 2007 2:40PM

They should have transformed the NGAGE into something that actually sold. All the money that Nokia has from worldwide domination of cellphones and this is what they do.

Matters @ Feb 22nd 2007 2:44PM

Hmmm this idea isn't new. I've seen these before. Well maybe not with a Stylus but one of the controllers I purchased for my PC in the 90's had something like this to convert the D-pad into a joystick. It didn't work very well though because it was still just crappy d-pad.

Cutriss @ Feb 22nd 2007 2:45PM

This basically describes what the Gravis gamepads did 10+ years ago. Also, I distinctly remember seeing this used in the Bruce Willis remake of The Jackal. Doing it on a cellphone doesn't make it a new patent.

Yayaja @ Feb 22nd 2007 2:53PM

You guys a missing the point: its not just a stupid little plastic thing that you have to carry around and you'll lose within the frist week of owning it. It's the actual stylus that plays double duty. I have like a bunch friends who had the same gravis gamepad, and only one of them actually knew where his joystick attachment was.

InfiniteLives @ Feb 22nd 2007 2:54PM

and you thought sidetalking looked sweet...

FrankTheCrank @ Feb 22nd 2007 2:56PM

Is this a joke??

Nothing beats a HD big screen and a kick butt game!

KrazyKoala @ Feb 22nd 2007 2:57PM

But this doesn't look like its going into a dpad, it looks like it will be maneuveralble like an actual joystick. Awesome, get some fighters for it.

AirIntake @ Feb 22nd 2007 3:19PM

If it's analog then it's a great idea.

If it's digital, then it's a rip off of the Gravis game pad. You can use the Gravis screw in joystick as a stylus if really want to, right?

Jonathan Tran @ Feb 22nd 2007 3:33PM

I can already see wii-inspired injuries:

Newport: 1 dead, 3 injured as young cell-phone gamers forget to remove joystick attachment before answering urgent cell calls, leading to damage to inner-ear vestibular sense, causing one to get hit by otherwise eaily-avoidable cars.

Also, kids sucked at frogger.

Twist @ Feb 22nd 2007 3:38PM

So somebody at Nokia watched The Jackal and thought "hey I bet nobody patented that."

Matters @ Feb 22nd 2007 4:06PM

I did acknowledge that it was using a stylus so I didn't miss that point. I'm just saying it's not a new idea. It's been done various different ways in the past. I'm not sure if there is any prior art on this exact idea though so the patent is probably still valid.

fox @ Feb 22nd 2007 6:19PM

This is a horrible idea and it should be obvious to just about anybody. Looking at the picture, it seems you would have to control it with your thumb and pointing finger pinched together, unless you enjoy the idea of jamming your thumb on a hard narrow point. Not only that, you wouldn't have access to any of the other buttons. You would need one hand to maneuver the joystick and the other hand to hold the device. If you could get one hand free your other hand would still be in a position that blocks the keypad.

Steve @ Feb 22nd 2007 7:16PM

This is a clever idea and I hope it shows up on the next version of the DS. There are lots of games out there where shifting from using the buttons or d-pad to the stylus is cumbersome. If the stylus is both a stylus and directional control device (analog let's hope) then think of the gameplay operatunities that can open up.