patrick-goschy
Latest
Patrick Goschy pleads his case to Joystiq
Patrick Goschy is a creative guy. If you haven't seen his video for a prototype motion-based controller, which he made years before the Wii was even a console without a controller, then you should catch up. After that, be sure to see Engadget's pictures of the device. Now, Joystiq talks with the man about this twisted tale.When working for Midway back in 1999 as a Development Systems Technician, Goschy came up with the idea for his first motion-based device. His next invention, the one we've all seen, came later in June of 2000 (although the patent was dated for 1999). In 2000, Midway comes up with some sort of compensation plan which would supplement him for a third patent so the company "can pay anything and fire anytime."The Joystiq article also takes a look at the legal side of the dispute. Which, based on the words of some of those more educated in patent law than we are, looks to favor anyone not named Patrick Goschy. Since he worked at Midway, the company could very well own it all.
Joystiq interview: Patrick Goschy talks about Midway, tells us he 'made the Wii'
A few days ago, former Midway employee Patrick Goschy released a video he made in 1999 depicting a motion-based controller of his own design, with the intention of highlighting what he believed to be a direct inspiration for the Nintendo Wii remote. The Chicago-based Fox affiliate ran the story* and our sister site Engadget later managed to obtain pictures of the prototype. We had a chance to speak with Goschy over the phone to learn some new details about the creation of not one but two prototypes, as well as the circumstances surrounding the patent ownership.(* Note: About one third of the way through the Fox news footage, you can glimpse someone's hands playing the Wii. The shirt is unmistakably Joystiq, and the hands ... wow, that's Chris Grant from a CNN video dated December 2006! Congratulations Chris, you've become archived footage! You're immortal!)
Exclusive shots of Goschy's prototype "Wiimote" controllers
So, we got some more information from Patrick Goschy so he could set his story straight, and were surprised to learn he still had the original prototype controller! According to Goschy, he really has no plans -- or standing -- to sue Nintendo, since Midway owned all of his patents, and as far as he can tell, Nintendo bought the patents from Midway, since Nintendo references one of the patents in its application for the Wiimote. Apparently he just wants the recognition: "I just wanted to people to know. Wanted the truth to come out. Did this 8 years ago, and the Wii has been such a huge deal, I wanted the truth to get out there. It wasn't these two or three Japanese guys that came up with this thing." His guess is that Nintendo saw the video demo he did -- which was seen by hundreds of employees of Midway -- and probably paid a pittance for the technology, thanks to Midway's mismanagement. Right now Goschy is doing engineering consulting work to pay the bills, and when asked if he could take a few shots of his controller alongside Nintendo's, told us that he "can't afford a Wii." He's going to do a redo of the original video -- hopefully with pants this time -- if he can scrounge himself up a working Dreamcast.%Gallery-13810%
