There’s something about hearing a lawyer on the other end of the telephone that makes you nervous, isn’t there? Nintendo woke up to that reality, and while we aren’t sure if they called first, lawyers representing Tomita Technologies are claiming that the stereoscopic 3DS display was actually patented by their client first. No one’s really sure, as details are hazy, but ultimately, there’s a chance that this gets expensive.
The patent number is 7,417,664 and the technology is called “Stereoscopic Image Picking UP and Display System Based Upon Optical Axes Cross-Point Information”. Sure, it’s not as catchy as “3DS”, but apparently, it represents the same concept. The parallax barrier 3D screen that Nintendo used in the design for the popular 3D gaming handheld may be utilizing someone else’s idea. Bummer if you’re Tomita Technologies, but if they look at the bright side, maybe Nintendo just got them some great press!
Maybe that’s a “glass half full” mentality, but if this claim holds up, there’s no doubt a handsome ransom could be paid for the use of the parallax barrier. We haven’t heard much from either side, so far, but rest assured, we’ll have updates as we get them. This should be interesting.
Image credit: gallery.neochroma.com
