Nintendo developing a new motion sensing portable device?

For today's post, a new (or perhaps even better, hybrid) concept which is certainly interesting, concerning interaction & mobile devices capable of 3D graphics. It seems that Nintendo has caught on as to how important their Wii motion-sensing controller has been to their sales and are trying to apply it to its mobile counterpart, the Nintendo DS. That seems to be the idea behind a recent patent application from Nintendo, which is for a handheld gaming device with Wii remote-esque motion-sensing abilities.

The housing of the system incorporates an XY-axis acceleration sensor to detect an acceleration in an X-axis and Y-axis direction and a Z-axis contact switch to detect an acceleration in a Z-axis direction. In diagrams (see pic above), the system has been represented by a Game Boy-esque figure, but it could well be that's just a temporary placeholder.

While it should be noted that mobile devices with motion sensors are certainly nothing new, this has been more or less limited to cellphones so far and seeing that a device capable of displaying more complex 3D graphics extend to include it as a viable interaction way is very exciting indeed! Time will show what Nintendo will make of this of course as this is a long way from implementation yet. Still, the idea alone sends the imagination reeling when it comes to potential applications...