Nintendo’s fitness-focused horseshoe is its weirdest controller idea yet

By Jon Porter

Nintendo has filed a patent for what appears to be a fitness peripheral which features motion and temperature sensors in addition to more traditional control buttons.

The patent, which NeoGaf user Rösti posted on the gaming forum, bears more than a passing resemblance to Sony’s infamous ‘boomerang’ controller for the Playstation 3 (which was later dropped in favor of the Sixaxis).

However, unlike the boomerang, the patent describes a controller which is held with the connecting section facing the user, much like Microsoft’s Xbox 360 wireless steering wheel.

The patent describes how the two grips can be brought together and separated in a way which is detected by a sensor within the device. This suggests functionality akin to a two-handed grip strengthener.

Another illustration within the patent shows a user performing a squat.

Nintendo’s Quality of Life

Whether this new device could be part of Nintendo’s new console, the NX, is unclear. It could easily be a peripheral planned for the Wii U that never sees the light of day.

It’s not Nintendo’s first foray into the health and fitness market beyond the original Wii, either. Back in 2014 the company started …read more

Source:: techradar.com – Gaming