Nintendo Developing A Squishy Football Controller

Behind the scenes Nintendo is working on even more Wii accessories and their football controller has the potential to be a mass market hit.

A recently filed patent application by Howard Cheng, Vice President of Research and Development at Nintendo of America, reveals a plan for a soft football controller for use with the Wii and the remote.

So how does it work? Nintendo gives some examples.

Throwing – Players firmly strap their hands to the ball and make a throwing motion. The pitch angle and force of the throw determines the trajectory arc of the throw. Side to side motion determines the yaw angle. Pressing buttons on the Wii remote can adjust other options.

Running – The football controller sense body motion, shifting left and right to dodge tacklers and even jumping motions by raising the ball. Running speed is determined by players making a jogging motion.

Here’s a more detailed look at the system.

At the end of the document Nintendo presents solutions to enhance the football controller. Figure 4 shows the basic controller. Figure 8 adds the nunchuk, which can improve the controller’s sensitivity. Figure 9A includes Wii Motion Plus to detect orientation and improve ability to recognize actions.