This bluetooth SNES controller replica isn't an official Nintendo product, but the company says it might consider doing something similar..."/>

For years now, some gamers have complained that a smartphone touchscreen's lack of physical buttons and control sticks has made it less than ideal for many types of traditional games. In that time, countless accessory makers have tried to solve this problem with a variety of physical smartphone controllers that have filled a small niche in the mobile gaming marketplace at best.

Now, Nintendo is raising the possibility of creating its own physical controller for smartphones. In response to a question about the feasibility of making "action games" for smartphones during a recent investor's meeting Q&A session, Nintendo General Manager of Entertainment Planning and Development Shinya Takahashi noted that "physical controllers for smart device applications are available in the market and it is possible that we may also develop something new by ourselves [emphasis added]."

In practically the same breath, though, Takahashi suggested that Nintendo could "look at whether action games are really not impossible (without a physical controller for smart device applications) to create and how we can make it happen to create such a game." In other words, trying to make an action game that works on a touchscreen might be easier than trying to force an external controller on smartphone gamers.

The heavily couched statement is obviously pretty far from a confirmation that Nintendo has any sort of smartphone controller plans in the works. Still, the fact that a high-level executive at Nintendo even brought up the idea is an interesting look at Nintendo's potential thinking as they dip their toes into the smartphone market.

Following the spring launch of Miitomo, its first smartphone app, Nintendo says it plans to launch five more smartphone games by next March. Those upcoming smartphone titles include games based on the Fire Emblem and Animal Crossing franchises, two series that shouldn't really require physical buttons to work.

Elsewhere in the Q&A session, Nintendo once again said that it is looking into virtual reality. Senior Managing Director Shigeru Miyamoto said the company is "conducting research with much interest" into "not just VR but AR and many other technologies." That said, Miyamoto said he continues to have concerns about VR technology, including "how to eliminate the concerns of long-duration use" and "how to make sure that a parent doesn't need to worry when their child puts on a VR device in their living room."

The Q&A session also provided a surprising look at Nintendo's early, internal expectations for the struggling Wii U. Asked about his reported pessimism towards the Wii U before launch, Nintendo President Tatsumi Kimishima noted that "in an internal sales representative meeting, someone projected that we would sell close to 100 million Wii U systems worldwide. The thinking was that because Wii sold well, Wii U would follow suit."

Kimishima hinted that he thought this was overly optimistic, recalling that he said, "since the Wii had already sold so well, we need to clearly explain the attraction of the Wii U if we are to get beyond that and sell the new system, and that this would be no easy task... I am guessing that some of this communication may have come across in a negative tone."

Even if the sentiment wasn't shared widely within the company, looking back now it's a bit baffling to think that anyone at Nintendo saw the potential for the Wii U to match the Wii's sales of more than 100 million units. Thus far, the Wii U has sold 12.8 million units worldwide, and Nintendo projects less than a million more will sell this fiscal year.