https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/nintendo-has-filed-a-patent-for-smart-fluid-joysticks-perhaps-to-eliminate-drift/
The fluid can become elasticated when used with a magnetic field…
Let's hope this isn't just a random patent, and we actually get better sticks next generation.
@JonDorfman I wonder how they would do that while also not violating patents on JoyCons that I suppose Nintendo has.
I have not checked, but would be surprised if they do not.
Nintendo doesn’t hold a patent on the JoyCon joysticks. As far as I am aware they are an off the shelf component.
@JonDorfman, I did a quick online search for Nintendo’s JoyCon patents, and interestingly found a US one from 2023 (2020 in Japan) about what looks Hall effect analogue sticks:
https://patents.google.com/patent/US20230280850A1/
@JonDorfman, right, but Hall effect analogue sticks themselves have existed for a long time, so that technology in general (except any novel addition) is (most likely) not patented anymore.