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Nintendo Patents Watch @ninpatentswatch.bsky.social · 5h

Square Enix Asia for some reason released an *official* platform comparison video for Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade. Watch it here and switch to 4K: weibo.com/6048193311/5...

Screenshot from the comparison video: Switch 2 (TV mode), XBOX Series X, PS5, and PC

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Nintendo Patents Watch @ninpatentswatch.bsky.social · 13h

2. Projecting procedurally generated polygons to the game board, and comparing their coordinates to the camera-captured polygons’ coordinates

Patent link: image-ppubs.uspto.gov/dirsearch-pu...
Previous patent for Zapper & Scope SP: bsky.app/profile/ninp...
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Drawing from patent US20250317538:
FIG. 9 illustrates a process of associating a projector coordinate system with the camera coordinate system

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Nintendo Patents Watch @ninpatentswatch.bsky.social · 13h

Nintendo Museum’s AR Hanafuda game (img 1) requires projection calibration regularly. However, the busy graphics and background make calibration difficult. Two solutions:

1. Comparing the game board image taken by an overhead camera to the reference game board image (img 2)
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Official photo of the Nintendo Museum Hanafuda game, showing AR projection over a physical game board

Drawing from patent US20250317538:
FIG. 5 illustrates a process of correcting a distortion of a taken image by associating a field coordinate system with a camera coordinate system

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Nintendo Patents Watch @ninpatentswatch.bsky.social · 13h

The original patent was filed in Japan in April 2024, but hasn’t been published by JPO. This one was filed in the US in April 2025, and published today by USPTO.

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Nintendo Patents Watch @ninpatentswatch.bsky.social · 14h

Previous patents and Furukawa quote regarding the Playtest Program here:
ninpatentswatch.wordpress.com/2025/09/05/p...

Playtest Part Deux

With Nintendo reviving the Nintendo Switch Online ‘Playtest Program,’ this post spotlights four related patents (with figures) and notes Furukawa’s April remark that Playtest learnings will inform …

ninpatentswatch.wordpress.com

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Nintendo Patents Watch @ninpatentswatch.bsky.social · 14h

The mysterious NSO Playtest Program got another patent. US20250312694 describes a system in which the player can intuitively select multiple objects in a virtual space by walking around them.
image-ppubs.uspto.gov/dirsearch-pu...

Drawing from patent US20250312694:
FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a non-limiting example of a second stage of a player character PC's action of surrounding terrain objects Lt using a selection tool object OBJ so as to subject the terrain objects Lt to a predetermined process

Drawing from patent US20250312694:
FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a non-limiting example of a third stage of a player character PC's action of surrounding terrain objects Lt using a selection tool object OBJ so as to subject the terrain objects Lt to a predetermined process

Drawing from patent US20250312694:
FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a non-limiting example of a more detailed change of a shape of a selection tool object OBJ when the selection tool object OBJ surrounds terrain objects Lt

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Nintendo Patents Watch @ninpatentswatch.bsky.social · 15h

User configurable rumble strength for either the mouse or handheld mode is also mentioned, but that’s only an patent example (may or may not be implemented later).

Previous patents for HD Rumble 2 overheat prevention here: ninpatentswatch.wordpress.com/2025/08/29/r...
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Rumble Responsibly

Reports of HD Rumble 2 shutting down after prolonged play are explained by four recently published patents. A thermistor near the motor monitors temperature via a measurement waveform. The controll…

ninpatentswatch.wordpress.com

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Nintendo Patents Watch @ninpatentswatch.bsky.social · 15h

Just-published Joy-Con 2 patent indicates that HD Rumble 2 vibrates stronger in the mouse mode than in handheld. By varying the amplitude and frequency of vibration, it can deliver similar haptics even when the Joy-Con is held differently.
patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/de...
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Drawing from patent WO2025210902:
[図7] ゲーム処理の詳細を示すフローチャート

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Nintendo Patents Watch @ninpatentswatch.bsky.social · 1d

Unfortunately I don’t know if NWeedle’s “leak express” would ever go away. Like mediums and fortunetellers, he tells people what they want to hear, and there’s a big enough audience for that.
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Nintendo Patents Watch @ninpatentswatch.bsky.social · 1d

Weedle’s last point is a mashup of patent text regarding capture frequency (img 1), image scaling (img 2) and image synthesis (img 3).

He uses the same M.O. every time. Here are two other instances that I bothered to respond:
ninpatentswatch.wordpress.com/2025/08/25/p...
bsky.app/profile/ninp...
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Excerpt from patent US20250301105:

In other words, a transmission order and a transmission pattern in alternate transmission of first image data 262 and second image data 264 may freely be set and modified in accordance with convenience of a device 100 side. For example, a frequency of transmission of one of first image data 262 and second image data 264 may be higher.

Excerpt from patent US20250301105:

Since the extracted image data has the size of 480 pixels×270 pixels in the example above, image processing unit 230 of camera 200 resizes (for example, scales down or up) the extracted image such that the image size thereof matches with the image size (for example, 640 pixels×360 pixels) set in initial setting 180. Image processing unit 230 of camera 200 may scale up the extracted image (or scale up a resolution).

Excerpt from patent US20250301105:

An image synthesis unit 130 generates a synthesized image 170 including a first image 172 based on first image data 262 stored in buffer 140 and a second image 174 based on second image data 264. Image synthesis unit 130 may generate synthesized image 170 also based on an app image 160 generated by an app execution unit 150 that executes application program 114 (FIG. 1). A cycle of generation (or a cycle of update) of synthesized image 170 may be shorter than a cycle of transmission of the image data from camera 200.

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Nintendo Patents Watch @ninpatentswatch.bsky.social · 1d

The second fib about wireless camera was also from the patent: “Communication unit may be connected to camera through a wired or wireless connection”

Anyone reading Nintendo patents regularly knows that the first example given (“wired”) is usually real, and the rest (“wireless”) are just ideas.
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Excerpt from patent US20250301105:

Communication unit 120 transmits and receives data to and from camera 200. Communication unit 120 may be connected to camera 200 through a wired or wireless connection. In wired connection, for example, universal serial bus (USB) connection, parallel connection, and the like may be adopted. In wireless connection, for example, Bluetooth®, ZigBee®, wireless LAN (IEEE 802.11), and the like may be adopted.

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Nintendo Patents Watch @ninpatentswatch.bsky.social · 1d

The first “leak” about avatar was derived from the following text: “an avatar that moves with movement of [user, or] facial expression of which changes with a facial expression of [user]”

This isn’t a new revelation. Welcome Tour already did it: ninpatentswatch.wordpress.com/2025/08/26/f...
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Nintendo Patents Watch @ninpatentswatch.bsky.social · 1d

I’m tired of debunking Nash Weedle’s made-up “leaks” based on patent text, and yet they kept coming. The latest is a fictionalized version of this camera patent (US20250301105) that I shared two weeks ago: bsky.app/profile/ninp...
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Tweet from Nash Weedle (machine translation by X):

🔥Leak Express: The Nintendo Switch 2 camera will receive new features:

- Avatars can be created that replace your image and reproduce your gestures through motion capture. It will be useful for GameChat and games will be able to take advantage of it. Mario copying your gestures?

- A new wireless camera? Switch 2 is prepared for wireless connection with a camera. It could be related to a future Augmented Reality feature.

- The quality and fps of the camera capture can be selected. Even if we select a low range, the Switch 2 processes the image to increase the quality and give it greater smoothness of movement. This could be aimed at saving battery on the wireless camera.

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Nintendo Patents Watch @ninpatentswatch.bsky.social · 2d

Also note it is canon that Pikmin “cannot be seen with the naked eye”, as stated on the official Pikmin Bloom site.

Sources:
www.nintendo.com/jp/interview...
www.pikminbloom.com#whats-pikmin...
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Nintendo Patents Watch @ninpatentswatch.bsky.social · 2d

In Pikmin 4 Ask the Developer, Miyamoto-san literally said:

“ピクミンは、あなたの近くにいるよ”
→ Pikmin are close to you

(The official English transcript is “Pikmin are all around us” instead, because they translated it idiomatically instead of literally.)
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Excerpt from Pikmin 4 Ask the Developer:
10年以上前のプロモーションから、「ピクミンは、あなたの近くにいるよ」と言い続けてきました。
それがやっと想像でなく、いろんなところで見つけてもらえるようになったと思います。
ピクミンを知って、遊んでくれる人の数も増えたらいいなと思いますね。

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Nintendo Patents Watch @ninpatentswatch.bsky.social · 3d

The design registration of GameCube Controller for Switch 2 has been published in Japan. Since the controller design is largely unchanged from the original (dotted lines in the images), only the newly added components are registered (solid lines).

www.j-platpat.inpit.go.jp/c1801/DE/JP-...

Drawing from design registration JP 1809999
Perspective view of controller, drawn using dotted lines; newly added components for Switch 2 are drawn using solid lines

Drawing from design registration JP 1809999
Top view of controller, drawn using dotted lines; newly added components for Switch 2 are drawn using solid lines

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Nintendo Patents Watch @ninpatentswatch.bsky.social · 5d

This should give Japan’s content industry, and by extension game publishers, enough political clout to influence relevant policy-making.

[Sources]
METI www.meti.go.jp/shingikai/mo...
CESA via Famitsu www.famitsu.com/article/2024...

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Nintendo Patents Watch @ninpatentswatch.bsky.social · 5d

The export of content reached ¥5.8 trillion in 2023, overtaking semiconductors (¥5.5 trillion) as the #2 category (img 1).

In 2022, 59% of visual content export (music not included) was video games. Anime was 31%, publications 7%, and film/TV the remaining 3% (img 2).
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Trends in Overseas Sales of Japanese Industries (2010-2023)
• Overseas sales of the content industry have grown significantly, approximately threefold over the past 10 years, compared to overseas exports of other industries.

Content Industry Overseas Sales by Genre (2022)
"Games" accounts for 60% of overseas sales, and when combined with "Anime," accounts for 90% of overseas sales.

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Nintendo Patents Watch @ninpatentswatch.bsky.social · 5d

Regardless whether the denial is truthful (unofficial channels could be used for deniability), I think that Japanese government may be more willing than other countries to curb gen AI’s IP infringement for one simple reason:

*Content* is Japan’s 2nd largest export, behind only *automotive*.
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Tweet by Nintendo IR:
Contrary to recent discussions on the internet, Nintendo has not had any contact with the Japanese government about generative AI. Whether generative AI is involved or not, we will continue to take necessary actions against infringement of our intellectual property rights.

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Nintendo Patents Watch @ninpatentswatch.bsky.social · 5d

[Sources]
Shareholders Q&A 2024 www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/pdf/2024/...
Miyamoto interview 2024 www.nytimes.com/2024/09/25/a...
NYT AI puff piece 2025 ninpatentswatch.wordpress.com/2025/09/09/d...
FQ3 Q&A 2022 www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/pdf/2022/...
Bloomberg report 2025 www.bloomberg.com/features/202...

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Nintendo Patents Watch @ninpatentswatch.bsky.social · 5d

The company also has the luxury of a supportive and patient shareholder base, allowing them to continue on their own path. E.g., despite the calls from financial analysts and foreign funds to increase dividend payouts, domestic retail investors largely sided with the management (img below).
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Excerpt from Bloomberg report:
Yet at Nintendo's annual shareholder meeting in Kyoto in late June, most of the dozen or so retail investors interviewed by Bloomberg sided with management. "I would prefer a rise in the stock price to more dividends," said Isao Okada, an 84-year-old pensioner from neighboring Nara prefecture.
https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2025-nintendo-switch2/

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Nintendo Patents Watch @ninpatentswatch.bsky.social · 5d

Nintendo’s management philosophy and corporate policy are fairly consistent, unwavering even. They are only “baffling and nonsensical” when observers insist on using industry norms—which are nothing more than trends and precedents—as a measuring stick. (This is not a dig.)
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Bluesky post by [redacted]:
Nintendo's business decisions are weird because they are either completely baffling and nonsensical or they're the only company in the industry with the correct take and there's no in-between

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Nintendo Patents Watch @ninpatentswatch.bsky.social · 5d

It’s also instructive to revisit Furukawa’s statement on metaverse in 2022: “there is no easy way to define specifically what kinds of surprises and enjoyment the metaverse can deliver to our consumers. […] we do not think that is the situation at the present time.”
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Furukawa quote:
But at this point in time, there is no easy way to define specifically what kinds of surprises and enjoyment the metaverse can deliver to our consumers. As a company that provides entertainment, our main emphasis is on ways to deliver fresh surprises and fun to our consumers. We might consider something if we can find a way to convey a “Nintendo approach” to the metaverse that many people can readily understand, but we do not think that is the situation at the present time.
https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/pdf/2022/220204e.pdf

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Nintendo Patents Watch @ninpatentswatch.bsky.social · 5d

Miyamoto in 2024 (img 1): “There is a lot of talk about A.I., […] everyone starts to go in the same direction, but that is where Nintendo would rather go in a different direction.”

Nintendo reaffirmed the position when NYT asked them to comment on a pseudo-intellectual AI story in 2025 (img 2).
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Miyamoto interviewed by NYT:
“It might seem like we are just going the opposite direction for the sake of going in the opposite direction, but it really is trying to
find what makes Nintendo special,” Miyamoto said. “There is a lot of talk about A.I., for example. When that happens, everyone
starts to go in the same direction, but that is where Nintendo would rather go in a different direction.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/25/arts/design/shigeru-miyamoto-interview-nintendo-museum.html

Nintendo’s response to NYT:
A spokesman for Nintendo said the company did not have further comment beyond what one of its leaders, Shigeru Miyamoto, told The New York Times last year: “There is a lot of talk about A.I., for example. When that happens, everyone starts to go in the same direction, but that is where Nintendo would rather go in a different direction.”
https://ninpatentswatch.wordpress.com/2025/09/09/deeply-unserious-report/

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Nintendo Patents Watch @ninpatentswatch.bsky.social · 5d

It may be best to understand Nintendo’s stance regarding generative AI straight from the source.

Furukawa in 2024: “we recognize that it may also raise issues with intellectual property rights. […] we will work to continue delivering value that […] cannot be created by technology alone.”
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Furukawa quote:
“Generative AI, which is becoming a big topic recently, can be used in creative ways, but we recognize that it may also raise issues with intellectual property rights. We have decades of know-how in creating the best gaming experiences for our players. While we are open to utilizing technological developments, we will work to continue delivering value that is unique to Nintendo and cannot be created by technology alone.”
https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/pdf/2024/qa2406e.pdf

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