Nintendo’s R&D of game controller continues unabated. A recent patent publication discloses an input button that affords three controls: button touch, analog press, and full press.
- Button touch: A keycap electrode (40 in imgs below) detects finger resting on top
- Analog press: Distance between a movable electrode (30-33 in imgs above) and ground electrode (13) is translated to an analog readout
- Full press: When the movable electrode converges with a high potential electrode (15), a binary “on” is registered
The key innovation here is that all three inputs go through just one capacitive sensing channel (img below), thus using less parts and possibly cheaper to manufacture. Note that although the drawings show a face button, the invention can be applied to a shoulder button too.
Those who want to dig deeper, check out this button patent—filed in 2022—that can detect button touch, full press, and analog post-press pressure (how hard you push down). As to what Nintendo would do with button touch inputs, see this trackpad emulation patent.
[Originally posted on 2026-09-27 Pacific Time]
