With the huge success that the Switch has become, it shouldn’t be surprising that Nintendo’s rivals would follow suit with hybrid consoles themselves. A patent by Microsoft regarding a Switch like controller has just come to light and it seems quite interesting. Although we’ve seen ‘bolt on’ controllers for smartphones before if Microsoft is trying to develop detachable controllers it shows that they might be thinking about a hybrid console themselves. Either that or some kind of innovation that includes removable controllers.
Will Microsoft Release a Joy-Con Like Controller?
With the flop that Kinect turned out to be, it’s probably a good thing that Microsoft is still trying to be innovative within the videogame industry and have some new ideas up their sleeves. Of course, just filing a patent doesn’t necessarily mean anything but it could still have something to do with future hardware. If we look at the track record of companies emulating Nintendo it has been happening for decades. From analog sticks to motion controls Nintendo always seems to find success through innovation and other videogame companies follow suit.
Nintendo and Microsoft do have different audiences, and with Nintendo’s success in the handheld market, they have much more experience with different types of hardware. Despite this, Microsoft, as they’re more focused on power when it comes to consoles could be developing a different strategy to get an advantage over Nintendo and Sony in the next generation. Streaming seems to be Xbox’s current focus, with the XCloud streaming service due to launch in October. Imagine if you could use a Microsoft handheld to stream games in restaurants or coffee shops. No matter what this new patent means for gaming it’s certainly an interesting development.
What do you think about this new patent? Will Microsoft release a detachable controller, or is it just an idea that will never actually go into production? Tell us in the comments.
Hi, I’ve played games since the 16-bit era and really enjoy indie games. That part of the industry has really blossomed in recent years and we’re getting different takes on established genres. I also really love Nintendo games. I’m currently studying for an MSc.
