Whatever else you care to say about Nintendo, it’s hard to deny that they’re willing to experiment with their consoles, and a new image trademarked by the company hints at another big innovation for its portable console. The picture, trademarked with the Japan Patent Office, clearly shows connectivity between the 3DS and a generic smartphone.
If the image wasn’t obvious enough, the patent describes it as relating to “providing information and communication by electronic bulletin board.” The trademark did not explain how Nintendo plans to utilize the image, but presumably the icon will be used to denote games or 3DS accessories that facilitate smartphone connectivity.
Take a look at a translation of the trademark below:
[Trademark ID 2014-36705]
Trademark: [image]
Applicant Nintendo Co., Ltd.
Filing Date: May 9, 2014
Publishing Date: June 5th, 2014
Class: 9 (home video game machine program, etc.) 38 (providing information and communication by electronic bulletin board), 41 (mobile games)
This is not the first sign that Nintendo is looking to incorporate smart devices into the gaming experience. Back in January, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata announced the company was “studying how smart devices can be used to grow the game-player business” following a painful business year for Nintendo.
Related: Nintendo Kills Rumor of New Handheld Console Unveiling at E3 2014
Related: Nintendo Launching “Mario Kart TV” App With “Mario Kart 8″
