One of Nintendo's newest patents comes to light in the form of a bizarrely U-shaped controller that's allegedly designed for gaming and fitness purposes.

Nintendo is now renown for doing things differently when compared to other major gaming companies. The hardware manufacturer made that very clear when it launched its Wii console and corresponding motion-tracking controllers, and this trend has continued over to its new dedicated gaming console – the Wii U. One of the biggest pushes the firm was set to make, however, came in the form of its "quality of life" initiative. Gamers have since learned that those plans have been put on hold, but a look at what could have been a part of that initiative has surfaced in the form of a patent for a new controller.

The patent itself was filed in Japan on October 16, 2014 by Nintendo, and has only just come to light now thanks to the traffic and English translations it has receive via NeoGAF. Apparently the odd-looking, U-shaped peripheral would have been used for fitness games. Truthfully, the design of the controller makes it look as if it was originally planned as a Wii U controller, but it's unknown what the Big N has or may have once had planned for the device. Regardless, details on its design and purpose can be found below.

"A training implement (10) comprises a hollow body (12) formed from an aluminum alloy. The body is configured from two grips (12a) provided facing each other across a space, and a connecting section (12b) connecting the two grips. A load sensor (16) is disposed in the connecting section inside the body. The load sensor is a load cell, the strain gauge is bonded on the inside of the body, and the portion of the body to which the strain gauge is bonded functions as a strain element. Consequently, when a user applies force so as to bring the two grips towards each other or applies force so as to separate the two grips, the load thereof is detected by the load sensor."

Now, the reason why the fitness initiative seems so likely is because of references regarding how the device is to be "used by sitting on person's balance ball". More or less, the controller was to be utilized as training equipment, and this is still something that could come to fruition on the company's forthcoming platform, codenamed the Nintendo NX. With a newfound focus on mobile gaming, however, it's hard to say whether or not Nintendo will put this peripheral into mass production.

With that said, we wouldn't be shocked if another faked controller picture were to surface following this patent's reveal.

Source: NeoGAF