• StarServal@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    Hall Effect Joysticks!

    I think the copyright for that technology is, well…copyrighted. So Nintendo would need to pay a licensing fee to use it in their Joycons (as would any gaming company for their joysticks). That would add significant cost to the controllers.

    Same reason we haven’t seen back buttons adopted into controllers as a standard yet despite being the next logical evolution in controller design.

      • cryball@sopuli.xyz
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        1 year ago

        Thanks for doing the googling and bringing it up here.

        Apparently the dreamcast controller had hall effect sensors, so it’s not really new tech. With the volume that Nintendo produces stuff with, the extra price per joystick would most likely be quite small.

    • deejay4am@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      I think it would need to be a patent, not a copyright. Also, Hall effect sensors were in use before someone decided to put them into a joystick. I would hope that “use the thing for which it was designed” isn’t patentable but, knowing the USPTO when it comes to technology…