Joysticks have been synonymous with video games since video games achieved commercial success in the 1970s. In the years since then, there have been some fascinating takes on what a joystick can be, and a handful of these attempts are traceable in the patent record. In this post, let’s have a look at some of the most memorable joystick patents over the years.
U.S. Design Pat. No. D1,065,338 concerns this “ornamental design for a joystick game controller.” It would appear that the buttons and directional pad on the left of the diagram are contoured to fit one’s hand. The patent was issued in 2023, so it’s still possible that we might see this design on the commercial market someday.
Issued in 2021, U.S. Pat. No. 12,005,345 relates to a controller that features a pair of joysticks. The buttons and directional pad sit on top of their respective joysticks. There are also “a plurality of action buttons” included on the front of each joystick. The design looks like a deconstructed version of the typical controller one might see bundled with a console these days.
U.S. Pat. No. 10,272,327 from 2017 demonstrates how some companies are interested in patenting specific parts of their controller designs. This proprietary joystick is meant “for use with a video game controller,” but the language in the patent pays particular attention to the ability of the component to be taken apart efficiently: “This assembly facilitates travel with the video game controller by allowing decoupling of the joystick while preventing misplacement or loss of the dust cover.”
Last but not least, U.S. Pat. No. 8,795,077 was issued in the midst of Nintendo Wii mania. You can clearly see the influence of the Wii controller on this design. However, this one–which the U.S. Patent Office issued to AiLive Inc. on October 24, 2010–features a joystick on its face, making it a more all-in-one design than the Wii Remote, which featured a socket for a proprietary Nintendo Nunchuk attachment.
