Nintendo Patents Watch

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Knowledge-based discourse

Music & Rhythm

In addition to the overheat prevention patents for HD Rumble 2, Nintendo filed four other patents for various aspects of the HD Rumble control system. They are rather dry, but two hints of future applications jump out:

  • Wii Music lives!
  • Rhythm Heaven assist mode?
Wii Music key art
Rhythm Heaven Groove key art

One embodiment given in these patents is a “music play game”. Using the Joy-Con as “a drum, a cymbal, a triangle, a violin, a trumpet, a piano, or various musical instruments”, HD Rumble “is generated in response to play of the musical instrument”.

Drawing from patent US20250213968: FIG. 15 shows an exemplary illustrative non-limiting drawing illustrating an exemplary flowchart showing a procedure of processing for generating vibration instruction data including a normalized amplitude value in the game device in a second embodiment.
Drawing from patent US20250213968: FIG. 16 shows an exemplary illustrative non-limiting drawing illustrating exemplary generation of vibration instruction data based on a vibration file in the second embodiment.

[Sidebar] There is a Nintendo patent for virtual violin simulation, utilizing the Joy-Con mouse mode. More details here.

Another embodiment describes “a rhythm game”, in which “beat vibration” can be made at constant time intervals, to help the user “recognize timing to perform”—i.e., to help rhythm-challenged players to keep the beat.

Drawing from patent US20250213968: FIG. 18 shows an exemplary illustrative non-limiting drawing illustrating an exemplary flowchart showing a procedure of processing for generating vibration instruction data including a normalized amplitude value in the game device in the third embodiment.
Drawing from patent US20250213968: FIG. 17 shows an exemplary illustrative non-limiting drawing illustrating an exemplary flowchart showing a procedure of execution of a rhythm game in a third embodiment.

Patents: US20250213968, US20250213969, US20250213970, US20250213971

[Originally posted on 2025-07-03 Pacific Time]