Because Nintendo isn’t talking, most of what we’ve been able to gather about the Nintendo NX is from several different patent applications that have been filed. The problem with this approach is that it’s always possible the company is going to file for patents that never end up in the finished product. Still, if the latest patent application can be trusted, it appears as if Nintendo’s next console could feature the ability to sync up with a handheld device (perhaps the way the PS4 and PS3 sync up with the Vita?)
Freepatentsonline was nice enough to give us our first look at this new patent and the helpful lads and ladies at Neogaf were able to break it down and show us the really pertinent info. The first thing that’s interesting is that Nintendo didn’t file this patent themselves. Clearly they’re still working hard at keeping information as quiet as possible. Instead, Fumihiko Inoue is the one that filed these patents, but the community has long known he was someone who files these on behalf of Nintendo.
So what did the actual filing reveal? The most interesting thing is the linear image sensor located, facing outside the housing. It appears that this kind of feature would allow for syncing with a handheld device. The technology included in this patent would also seemingly allow for Amiibo integration easier than it can be done with the Wii U or the 3DS. Check out the images below and see if anything stands out to you when it comes to this latest Nintendo NX filing.