Nintendo Patents Watch

Remember the curious “OSM” product code found on the Nintendo Account portal site? The answer is in plain sight (Nintendo Europe compliance page):

For current products with model numbers starting with “BEE”, future [battery regulation] compliant versions will have unique model numbers and the additional code “OSM” visible on the packaging, designating them as separate products for regulatory purposes.

According to Internet Archive, this language wasn’t on the page this February, therefore it must have been added between then and now. And strangely only BEE (Switch 2) products were named in the text above. This seems to suggest that either a) Switch 1 products will no longer be sold in EU after the stock runs out, or b) Nintendo hasn’t decided on the fate of Switch 1 products just yet.

P.S.:

• Existing products such as Switch Lite and NES Controller must be shipped into EU before 2027-02-18 for them to be legally sold after. Nintendo can stockpile as much as they want, but won’t be able to import more past the deadline.
• European model is “ōshū moderu” (欧州モデル) in Japanese. Is that the meaning of OSM—EU exclusive?

Related(?): Nintendo Files Four Secret Designs

[Originally posted on 2026-06-03 Pacific Time]

Nintendo filed four confidential (“deferred”) design registrations in EU on 2026-05-29. We won’t know what they are until unsealed, but they are probably four different design details of one new hardware product—a revision for the EU battery regulation?

Previous Nintendo secret (later unsealed) design registrations include Charging Grip 2, LABO Vehicle Kit, LABO VR Kit, and an abandoned—likely due to COVID—precursor of Alarmo.

[Originally posted on 2026-06-03 Pacific Time]

There are two sticking points to Switch 2’s compliance to EU’s replaceable battery regulation.

1. Glued-on faceplate of Pro Controller 2: One has to use a solvent or heat to remove it, but the regulation stipulates that “thermal energy or solvents” shall not be required. Nintendo needs to either replace the glue with a different fastening method, or add a battery access hatch on the backplate.
2. Usage of tri-wing screws: It isn’t clear whether the tri-wing screwdriver is considered a “commercially available tool” per Regulation 2023/1542. Since you can easily buy a tri-wing screwdriver online, maybe it is compliant (“tools available on the market to all end-users”). But if it isn’t, Nintendo has to either replace these screws with Torx or Philips ones, or provide a tri-wing screwdrivers to the user “free of charge”.

And as mentioned here before, compliance to the regulation doesn’t mean it’d be as simple as changing AA batteries in a remote. You’ll most likely need tools, instructions, and time.

[Originally posted on 2026-06-02 Pacific Time]

US20260145059 is a patent application for using two Joy-Cons in mouse mode to manipulate objects in 3D space:

• Left stick to navigate player character (img 1)
• Right mouse to steer right hand (img 2)
• Left mouse for left hand (img 3)
• Right stick to alter hand height
• Objects in both hands can interact (img 4)

Note that the mouse-con detects not only mouse movement but also gyro orientation, making this an acceptable but not true replacement of a VR controller.

The inventor listed in the application is Takuya Kobayashi, who previously worked on ARMS. No wonder he did this type of R&D.

[Originally posted on 2026-05-29 Pacific Time]

Another Joy-Con mouse mini game patent application:

Using mouse-con on the right hand, the player (#201 in imgs 1-2) can move on a 2D field. To detect buried treasures (#202-204), press R button to emit a sonar wave (img 2). The returned echo causes left Joy-Con to vibrate. Because deciphering the haptic feedback is crucial to gameplay, it’s sent to the left hand instead of right (which is controlling the mouse). The delay of vibration signals the distance, and intensity the value. Press ZR to dig.

The same setup of control in one hand and haptics in the other can be used for a PvP game (img below), or medical exam sim (move right mouse-con as a stethoscope chest piece; hold left joy-con to ear to hear heartbeats).

[Originally posted on 2026-05-29 Pacific Time]

Fans of Game & Watch: Fire may find this new patent application familiar:

By moving two Joy-Cons in mouse mode, the player can position a trampoline to bounce an NPC to safety (imgs 1-2 below). When either L or R button is pressed, moving the mouse-cons will stretch the trampoline to fit multiple falling NPCs (imgs 3-4).

I swear, if Welcome Tour gets a DLC before Mario Kart World, some heads are going to explode. (Jk, this is likely R&D work, not an actual product.)

[Originally posted on 2026-05-29 Pacific Time]

According to Casa Brutus publication Super Mario Bros. and Design, Nintendo Museum is designed to be “a new form of play” itself for all visitors, regardless of generation, nationality or interest. Not having museum labels is part of that manifestation.

Miyamoto said: “we’ve deliberately avoided captions. Rather than reading explanations, I hope visitors use their own senses to feel the changes over time and the creative process behind the games.” He added: “Nintendo’s history was built by all who worked here. Exhibitions just aren’t concerned with who did what.” (I won’t spoil the rest of the book. If interested, you can buy a copy from Kinokuniya USA or other bookstores.)

I’ve seen people using “despise” and other strong words to describe their displeasure with Nintendo Museum’s lack of labeling. But in an age of infinite information through your phone, they’d like you to sense, feel, and play instead.

[Originally posted on 2026-05-27 Pacific Time]

Rohm (ローム, Game Card supplier) forecasts their Game Card business “to remain strong” this fiscal year (img 1), with the net sales about the same as last FY’s (img 2, under consumer » others). This corresponds with Nintendo’s flat software forecast (imgs 3-4, excluding bundles).

It’s interesting that MegaChips (メガチップス) appears expecting to start shipping Switch 2 Game Cards this FY. Combining both companies’ outputs would bump up total software sales. Either Rohm didn’t consider that in their projection, or Nintendo is low-balling the forecast again.

[Originally posted on 2026-05-26 Pacific Time]

When sending a virtual game card from one Switch to another, the user needs to know immediately whether it’s successful (screenshot above). The regular Switch notifications are queue-based and asynchronous (img 1 below), therefore a new type of notification with persistent connection is created to provide synchronous responses (img 2).

To make swapping virtual game cards easier to manage, the model, shape, and color of each console and controller is drawn on the screen (screenshot above and img 1 below) to distinguish different units. This information is saved (img 2) on the same persistent connection server mentioned above.

Patent applications: US20260142870 and US20260138007

[Originally posted on 2026-05-25 Pacific Time]

This post is a reaction to the Supper Mario Broth thread above (click through to read), specifically regarding who is allowed to use the software technique.

The Donkey Kong “2D imposters” patent referenced was granted both in the US and Japan. However, a software patent doesn’t mean someone “owns” the idea—that’s misinformation. Abstract ideas are not patentable, period. There’s even a US Supreme Court ruling about that for software. Anyone saying that Nintendo tries to monopolize generic game mechanics isn’t telling the truth.

To infringe a patent, your software must perform every single steps/elements listed in an independent claim of the patent or a chain of dependent claims. For instance, this DK patent contains 4 independent claims and 18 dependent claims. The independent claims are long and specific, and the dependent claims put on even more limitations. It isn’t that easy to infringe unless one deliberately copies but forgets to “change it up a bit”.

[Originally posted on 2026-05-24 Pacific Time]

My Nintendo Store in Japan is allowing customers buy not-in-stock Switch 2 consoles before the price increase, and deliver them by June 15 (img 1). There are many X posts from buyers confirming this (example in img 2). Essentially they are forgoing extra ¥10k profit per unit to pre-sell incoming stock by the old price.

And yet many insist on pronouncing the company “greedy” simply because a group of developers and artists refuse to devalue their own games. Funny people never say this about records or books.

[Originally posted on 2026-05-24 Pacific Time]

Hosiden and Nintendo jointly filed 3 patent applications for analog stick improvements on 2024-11-12 (published on 2026-05-21).

WO2026105174: By integrating the clamp and support (#151 and #152 in two images below) of a rotational shaft (#32) into the housing, and utilizing the material’s elasticity to allow rotation, less parts are needed.

WO2026105175: The spring (#50 in two images below) that returns the stick back to center also creates a thrust that may cause the stick to rattle. An elastic cantilever leaf (#17) is made part of the housing to suppress rattles and stabilize the stick.

WO2026105176: Same as WO2026105175, but the elastic leaf (#6 in two images below) is now part of an upper cover (#160) for the stick module.

These are minor improvements, but good to see continuing stick R&D.

Related: Alps Alpine’s research in capacitive stick

[Originally posted on 2026-05-22 Pacific Time]

[Reacting to Bloomberg report: Nintendo Seeks to Top Conservative Switch Forecast by About 20%] Last June, using some back-of-the-envelope math I correctly estimated Nintendo’s plan to sell 20M Switch 2 units despite of its outwardly 15M forecast. This year due to the component costs surge I dare not do the same.

Regardless, Nintendo’s inventory level at the end of FY2026-03 is 11% higher than of a year ago (¥539.8B vs. ¥486.4B), back when the company was stockpiling for the impending Switch 2 launch. So it really isn’t a great revelation that they are again aiming to overshoot the 16.5M hardware forecast.

[Originally posted on 2026-05-21 Pacific Time]

The author of KawaiiPhysics, a pseudo physics plugin for Unreal Engine, announced that Good-Feel used it in Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, following Princess Peach Showtime.

Video source: X user kirbyhal1992

[Originally posted on 2026-05-21 Pacific Time]

Hosiden (ホシデン) assembled Switch products for Nintendo in Vietnam. In the latest financial report, the company disclosed that wages rose by 40% last fiscal year, as more factories opening in Vietnam (due to the US trade war). Labor retention and recruitment have become difficult.

In addition, Hosiden expects the Switch production to increase in Apr-Jun, compared to Jan-Mar. This matches PixArt Imaging’s forecast (IR/mouse sensors supplier), in which the Q2 shipment is projected to increase by “low double-digit percentage”.

Related: Hosiden Expects Smaller Hardware Decline Than Forecast

[Originally posted on 2026-05-21 Pacific Time]