Watch out N-Gage, Nintendo's right on your tail

by Paul Miller, posted Feb 6th 2007 at 4:23PM

With Nintendo's staunch resistance to anything outside the narrow focus of gaming -- though it looks like they're loosening up on that standard quite a bit with the Wii -- it's quite surprising they ever even gave a phone a second thought, but even more surprising they have a patent for just such a device dated November 2001. For some reason, it took the USPTO until June 2006 to issue this thing, so there's no telling if Nintendo still has any interest in its "Electronic apparatus having game and telephone functions," but that doesn't mean we can't ogle the mockup screenshots all the same. Peep 'em after the break.

[Thanks, Steve P]

Filed under: Games, Handsets

Tags: gaming, nintendo, patent, phone

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

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Donald @ Feb 6th 2007 7:16PM

This may have been for a North American version of the "Mobile Adapter" software that was included in the Japanese version of Pokemon Crystal for the GBC, actually.

So basically, it's the US Patent Office's fault why I was never able to get a Celebi in my Pokemon Crystal game. ;_;

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Al @ Feb 6th 2007 7:25PM

I'd rather have a Nintendo phone than an iPhone

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Who Me? @ Feb 6th 2007 9:13PM

Please! I would love to have one. Old school Nintendo rocks.

Neutral

Adam @ Feb 6th 2007 9:14PM

Well ... 2001 means that of course the design is less than stellar but I'd be lying if I said I would be interested in seeing what Nintendo would do with a phone. Something the size of the GB Micro or even just a little bit smaller than the DS would be awesome.

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