Nintendo Patents Watch

Remember Tokotoko Mario? The walking toy was featured in the Super Nintendo World Direct and sold there from the start. It was, however, quietly discontinued post November 2022. A new Japanese patent finally offers an explanation: the construction was overly complex (imgs 1-2 below), implying high production costs.

To address the problem, a structurally simpler walking mechanism based on four-bar linkage is proposed, using only three moving parts per leg and one crankshaft (imgs 1-2 below). Although Nintendo’s R&D work isn’t always commercialized, I think it’s possible that Tokotoko Mario may return with the new mechanism.

And to demonstrate that Weird Nintendo is alive and kicking, the patent also includes an embodiment that replaces the conventional bicycle drivetrain with this invention. Instead of pedaling circularly, the rider stomps the left/right pedal down alternatingly to go forward.

[Originally posted on 2026-09-15 Pacific Time]

A patent application for the relationship UI of Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream was published last week in the US. It covers the user input, camera transitions, info/menu display, NPC behaviors, and effects of relationship stats.

Get the full details here: US20260263937

[Originally posted on 2026-09-15 Pacific Time]

Nintendo Hong Kong reportedly leased a new office space on “one of the top floors” in the 59-story Langham Place Office Tower in Mong Kok, spanning ~17,000 ft². They currently occupy a space of “several thousand” ft² in Hung Hom, so the new lease is going to be a major upgrade in size, location, and prestige.

[Speculation] Since Nintendo Taiwan was spun off from Nintendo HK in 2025, one would think that the latter might downsize or at best maintain the status quo. So the unexpected expansion could be an indicator that Nintendo plans to expand its presence and service level in the Chinese market through the HK branch.

[Originally posted on 2026-09-15 Pacific Time]

Although Nintendo holds “OCARINA OF TIME” and “時のオカリナ” trademarks since 1997, new applications are filed in Japan to cover musical instruments (Class 15). It’s surely to protect their upcoming Playable Ocarina, and also to license it to HORI for the eclectic version. Similar applications are probably being filed in other territories too.

It is common for Nintendo to register new trademarks around product announcements. Sometimes they do it in advance though, inadvertently revealing their merch plan. Rosalina’s Storybook. is one such example.

Trademark applications: JP2026104854 and JP2026104855

[Originally posted on 2026-09-14 Pacific Time]

Nintendo will officially release the Switch systems in Indonesia on December 10. A Pokémon event is also planned.

• Switch 1: 4,229k IDR (~240 USD)
• Switch 1 Pikachu & Eevee Edition: 4,450k IDR (~250 USD)
• Switch 2: 9,999k IDR (~570 USD)
• No Switch Lite 🤔

Elsewhere in Southeast Asia, the first Nintendo Pop-up Store in Malaysia is open now till the end of December. They got an exclusive T-shirt featuring two long pipes reminiscent of the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur.

(Image sources in alt text)

Previously: Nintendo in Indonesia and the role of Switch 1

[Originally posted on 2026-09-14 Pacific Time]

US20260263943 is a patent application for the system and implementation of the Kamek item in Mario Kart World. The item transforms racers into a specific character (e.g., Spike; video below), and places obstacle characters (e.g., Spike Balls) on the field.

The summoned characters are selected based on the region, land/water, and weighted probability (image 1 below). The characters tied to specific regions are weighted more, thus more likely to be chosen than those who can appear in all regions. Image 2 shows the flowchart of Kamek item’s control process.

Video source: IGN

[Originally posted on 2026-09-14 Pacific Time]

A trademark application for Pikachu’s face has been filed in Japan. Although numerous Pokémon trademarks already exist, this is the first facial trademark AFAIK. I guess it’s reached that iconic status. Will the Surprised Pikachu be next?

[Originally posted on 2026-09-10 Pacific Time]

A teardown of European Switch 2 (OSM model) posted on RedNote/Xiaohongshu provides some additional details.

• The Joy-Con battery is now integrated with the battery frame as one unit (img 1 below).
• The foam that was previously on the original battery (img 3; note the battery frame is attached to the board) is now glued to the back shell (img 2).
• The model number is “BEE-004(-01R)”.

• The console weight is 412g w/o Joy-Con (img 1 below), slightly less than the official number of 441g.
• The console battery weighs 441 – 317.5 = 123.5g (imgs 1-2).
• The battery’s newly integrated connector is visible in imgs 1 and 3.
• One of the revised wireless antennas is visible in imgs 3-4 (top right corner).

Image sources: RedNote, iFixit
Related: EU Switch 2’s new antennas and battery connector

[Originally posted on 2026-09-10 Pacific Time]

Even though the Zelda Edition of Switch 2 is sold out at the moment, do NOT buy from scalpers. Switch assembler Foxconn Technology Co. (鴻準) reported record revenues for Jul-Aug (~US$690M each month; img above), indicating a massive production run. As a long-time watcher of this data, I believe that the reasons are:

• Catchup production after the Feb-May lull (Lunar New Year time off, inventory rebalancing, and assembly line setup for EU model)
• Front-running further component cost increases
• Stocking up for the holiday shopping season, especially the Zelda Edition and those game bundles

Judging from the production volume, the Zelda Edition console likely will be restocked regularly—no reason to feed a scalper. But if you want one, it might still be safer to get it sooner than later.

Previously: Foxconn revenue hints at Switch 2 Zelda Edition

[Originally posted on 2026-09-09 Pacific Time]

[The post was substantially rewritten on 2026-09-14] This may be a good time to remind Zelda fans of the Miyamoto lore that “Ocarina of Time” is a Japanese pun on “ceramic ocarina”. More importantly, Aonuma said in the Zelda Direct that the OOT remake’s visual is to evoke nostalgia (“懐かしさ”).

For Japanese, it’s most likely referring to Shōwa nostalgia (“昭和ノスタルジア” or “昭和レトロ”). Moreover, post WWII (middle Shōwa era) the US-led occupation attempted to deindustrialize Japan by dismantling heavy industries, forcing the nation to rely on farming, fishing, and handicraft production. During that time, ceramics and toys were exported to the US cheaply in large quantity, all carrying the mandatory “Made in Occupied Japan” stamp.

For these reasons I don’t think it was a coincidence that OOT remake’s character design bears the resemblance of ceramic figurine aesthetic. Regardless whether my interpretation is in the ball park, there’s undoubtedly an artistic intent. The “AI” or “hire this man” charges are wide of the mark.

P.S.: One absolutely can dislike a piece of creative work. This post is an attempt to trace the inspiration for the remake’s art direction, not to convince anyone to appreciate it.

P.P.S: It seems that the character skin’s texture and sheen give a nod to the inspiration, but isn’t meant to look like ceramic literally. The mismatch between hyper-detailed clothes and smooth-looking character might also be an allusion to porcelain doll clothing.

(Image sources in alt text)

[Originally posted on 2026-09-08 Pacific Time]

The latest Counterpoint Research report indicates that the prices of NAND flash (the type of memory used in Switch systems) grew 55% in just one quarter (Apr-Jun). One glimmer of hope is that China’s YMTC is ramping up its NAND production (see its expanding market share in the chart below), but the US government—with bipartisan support—is threatening to ban companies from using it.

Related: Memory costs threaten Switch 2 pricing outlook

[Originally posted on 2026-09-08 Pacific Time]

I was on a quixotic quest to play Rhythm Heaven Groove using Bluetooth headphones, and in the process I kind of confirmed that the Pro Controller 2 uses the LC3 codec. Here’s what I learned.

1. System Bluetooth Audio: My tests show that it supports SBC and AAC (img below). These are laggy codecs with 100-250ms latency. I can only use it to play visual novels.

2. aptX LL/aptX Adaptive in LL config: With a USB dongle and headset that support these codecs, the latency is around 40-80ms (img below). I can win occasionally in Tetris 99 with this, but generally find it too laggy for Rhythm Heaven—may just be my skill issue though.

3. LC3 w/o GMAP: Since LC3 codec is an open standard, implementation varies. Some products offer separate configs for “quality” and “game”, but at the moment few actually support GMAP (Gaming Audio Profile), which was a later addition. With these “game” (but not GMAP) configs, one dongle-headset combo I tested has 42.5ms latency (img below) and thus no better than aptX LL; the other combo I tested is less laggy—it doesn’t have a UI to show latency, and my guess/feel is low-30s ms. This is good enough for me to play Rhythm Heaven Groove, but the margin of error for the player is smaller.

4. LC3 w/ GMAP: LC3 compatibility is already messy, the newer GMAP even more so. The only dongle-headset combo that I can confirm with compatible GMAP is FlooGoo FMA120 + Sony WH-1000XM6. The latency is only 22.5ms (img below). I got several Perfects in Rhythm Heaven Groove using this combo.

As to why I think the Pro Controller 2’s audio jack uses LC3: a) The MediaTek Bluetooth chips in Switch 2 and the controller are capable of LC3. b) There’s a “stable” vs. “low latency” setting (img below), similar to some LC3 products. c) Although I can play Rhythm Heaven Groove using its audio output, the margin of error is also smaller—it feels just like the non-GMAP LC3 set that I tested above.

Due to LC3’s patchy compatibility, I don’t know if Nintendo will ever add it to the System Bluetooth Audio. On the other hand, it should be possible to add GMAP support to the Pro Controller 2 via a firmware update.

[Originally posted on 2026-09-07 Pacific Time]

[Reacting to Nintendúo’s video of European Switch 2] Aside from the visibly smaller (but higher density?) battery, the revised OSM Switch 2 with replaceable battery also contains two new wireless antennas. The third antenna looks the same (imgs below). I don’t know whether the signal reception is meaningfully changed.

Because the battery is no longer covered by the shield plate, the thermal tape that conducts heat away from the microSD Express Card to the shield plate had to be updated from I-shaped to L-shaped (imgs below).

Image sources: ProModding, Nintendúo

[Update on 2026-09-06] Judging from Reddit user Froz3n00’s photos (imgs below), the battery for the new European Switch 2 has an integrated connector. This makes the replacement plug-and-play. It also means that 3rd party batteries won’t appear overnight, since they’d need time to replicate it.

[Originally posted on 2026-09-04 Pacific Time]

According to a patent filing (US20260249188) for Mario Kart World, the rain triggered by the Lighting item doesn’t fall in the entire map, but only in a circular area around each player. Since the racer ranked #1 is likely a slippery customer, their rainfall area is enlarged to prevent them from outrunning it easily (“62” in image below).

[Sidebar] Due to the map being open-world, Mario Kart World’s weather system is based on a hexagonal grid, as seen in the image above.

Related: How racers are ranked in Mario Kart World

[Originally posted on 2026-09-03 Pacific Time]

The latest Super Smash Bros. Ultimate update (v13.0.5, released 2026-09-01) isn’t necessarily a signal of a Switch 2 version in the works. The fix is to stop an online cheat “avaru error” (img 1). The author of this cheat-blocking mod risked being banned to contact Nintendo about the exploit (img 2), leading to this update.

[Originally posted on 2026-09-02 Pacific Time]