Nintendo has filed a patent with the US patent office for a device that ''enables 3D viewing on conventional 2D displays such as home television sets by tracking a person's viewpoint''.

As opposed to conventional stereoscopic 3D that sends a different image to each eye to make elements of an image appear to ''pop out'' (as in a 3D movie), Nintendo's proposed system would employ gaze-tracking technology to alter the movement and appearance of 3D-modelled objects, giving the impression that the objects within a game or 3D animation occupied real space stretching back into the distance.

An image from Nintendo's patent shows a proposal to track users gaze and provide 3D images.

Users could manipulate the images while using the hypothetical device by moving their head to get a different view, the patent says, which could also provide ''collision-related game logic benefits'' such as allowing a gamer to dodge projectiles. In-game characters could also be programmed to meet a gamer's gaze, or lose sight of them if the user ducked behind cover.

The patent goes on to give a long list of examples of other immersion-inducing technologies that could be integrated into such a device, which may give some insight into where the Japanese gaming company sees the future of gaming peripherals heading.