A patent application filed by Nintendo for a device able to detect objects and be used as a controller of sorts has been made public.

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Filed in 2014, the documents were published yesterday and contain a great amount of technical detail on a device that can use cameras and mirrors to read and detect objects around it.Though similar in appearance to an NFC reader for the 3DS, this device is a new design that can use a camera to photograph and detect the area around it, as well as use a light-source projector. The detection device would also be capable of wireless transmission with a computer. A detailed description of the patent can be found in this NeoGAF post The inventor listed on the patent is Fumihiko Inoue, who has three other Nintendo patents filed under his name.Many are speculating this has something to do with the upcoming Project NX console, which we could see before E3 according to one analyst . We've reached out to Nintendo for comment on the patent filing.Are you anxious to see what Nintendo has planned for this patent? Let us know in the comments!

Eric Van Allen is a freelance writer. You can follow his work and musings on Dota and giant robots on Twitter at @seamoosi