Posted in: Games, Nintendo, Video Games | Tagged: Gamevice, nintendo, nintendo switch, Wikipad

Nintendo Being Sued Over the Design of the Switch Controller

Published Fri, 11 Aug 2017 19:45:32 -0500

Last updated Sat, 05 May 2018 10:15:43 -0500

It was only a matter of time before someone new came along and tried to sue Nintendo for another design creation. The most recent win for the company was over the 3D technology in the 3DS, but this next one will be a much more interesting one to watch, as the company is being sued over the look of a controller.

Gamevice is a gaming manufacturer who is suing Nintendo, claiming the Joy-Con design is a ripoff of their 2012 design for Android tablets called the Wikipad. For reference, here's a picture of the Wikipad.

Are there some similarities? Sure! A lot of gaming devices look the same by comparison. But are there enough similarities for Nintendo to be liable? That's for a judge to decide. Gamevice is not only asking for damages, but to have a ban placed on the Switch so Nintendo cannot sell any more copies of the console. Neither company has issued any formal press releases about the lawsuit, nor is there a date set for a preliminary hearing, but chances are the case is going to get thrown out.

Simply because the lawsuit itself is claiming that Nintendo's big selling point is being able to make the Joy-Cons slide in and click. While that's cool, it isn't what I would call Nintendo's biggest selling point. If the case succeeds, it would mean Nintendo would have to redesign the system, most likely killing the controllers and making it a single unit.

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