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Update: Patent reveals Nintendo Wii U second touchscreen controller will be Wii-mote add on

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Earlier we excitedly wrote of how Nintendo are up for making available that much desired – and previously denied – second ‘sold separately’ tablet controller for its upcoming home console the Wii U which will allow more than one player to benefit from HD touchscreen goodness. Boy, were we wrong..

Recoiling in horror and reminded of Nintendo’s other recent bodge-job the Expansion Slide for the 3DS portable, we just found this released image of Nintendo’s latest patent – a snap-on touchscreen adaptor which uses mirrors to crudely turn the motion sensing original Wii-mote controller into a second controller for the Wii  and Wii U.

Yes – We facepalmed too.  

Nintendo is no stranger to goofy add-ons. We’re talking about the same company that made the GameBoy camera and printer. Creating a peripheral gadget to act as the second touchscreen controller is cost effective, but from concept alone it also looks cheap. As you can make out from the graphic, the dated Wii-mote fits inside a casing which attached it to a screen, in appearance – a cross between a submarine periscope and a vintage camera flash. We don’t see how this could possibly be practical for long term multiplayer gaming.

The Wii U console isn’t scheduled to appear until late 2012 and we hope to see a lot more development before this goofy gadget hits the shelves!

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