Nintendo has some interesting new patents to use multiple screens for games, which they could use for the Switch 2.
Nintendo Patents Watch shared some pictures of these patents, which we’ll run down one by one below.
One patent shows a Switch connected with a dock to the TV, and then a second screen is mounted on top of that TV. This second screen could be used to show the rearview mirror for a racing game. It could also function as a telescopic sight, for a game like Konami’s arcade classic Silent Scope.
A second patent has an even more familiar application. It shows a game combining two or three screens together to make a longer gameplay screen. This shows screens can be connected side by side or one on top of another.
If you’re a Nintendo fan, you already thought of those DS and 3DS games that would be great to play blown up. If you’re a fighting game player, you may already be thinking of those arcade cabinets that let you play with your own screen from both ends.
And there are even more applications for them too. Some fans will remember the precious list of three screen Taito games, including Darius, The Ninja Warriors, and Warrior Blade. Of course, more hardcore sim racers might consider the merits of a three screen setup with the Switch 2, even if they’re smaller screens, if they’re done on the cheap.
Can We Realistically Expect These For The Switch 2?
We would not bet the farm on any of these making it past the prototype stage, but who knows? Maybe Nintendo finds a way to make this happen that’s inexpensive.
Nintendo has another patent that uses Wi-Fi data frames to connect multiple screens. This appears to be the technology used for GameShare. Nintendo could extend this technology to use on our phones and tablets, to use them as extended screens. Maybe Nintendo could find a way to make this work on smart TVs too.
Nintendo is definitely still interested in innovation. It just seems that they’re more cautious now in the Shuntaro Furukawa era. It certainly does not help that the industry is currently facing an unfavorable market. Gamers may be unwilling to experiment today the same way 2000s gamers were willing to try motion controls for the first time.
If Nintendo wants to try something strange and new, they have to come up with ways to make that appealing too. They’re innovation was always more than gimmicks. It was about finding something to appeal to consumers, not just to current gamers, but also to make new gamers.
