“Wiiboy” in the Works?

Ars Technica staff writer Frank Caron picked up on a patent application submitted by Nintendo for a motion-controlled hand-held gaming device.

According to the application abstract, acceleration controls would detect movement in the “housing,” corresponding to on-screen events.

A game system includes a housing to be held by a player. The housing incorporates an XY-axis acceleration sensor to detect an acceleration in an X-axis and Y-axis direction and a Z-axis contact switch to detect an acceleration in a Z-axis direction. These sensor and switch detect at least one of an amount (e.g. tilt amount, movement amount, impact amount or the like) and a direction (e.g. tilt direction, movement direction, impact direction or the like) of a change applied to the housing. A simulation program provides simulation such that a state of a game space is changed related to at least one of the amount and direction of the change applied to the housing.

The patent posits a three-axis control scheme, which does not appear similar to technology already incorporated in the Nintendo Wii.

Nintendo has not officially commented on the potential product, or on the relevant constraints specific to hand-held devices, like viewing angles, screen size and flailing about in public.

Source: Ars Technica