Like any new piece of hardware, Nintendo had plenty of ideas for the Wii U controller, and not all of them made the cut. Patents for the device reveal that among the plans was the possibility of including glasses-free 3D, akin to the 3DS, and an HD resolution screen.

Kotaku reports that the features were listed only as possibilities, and all indications from last year's E3 reveal show that the features were cut. The patents themselves note, "statements herein do not correspond to any particular actual product that may be eventually be made available to consumers."

Other features which may or may not be included with the final device design, include a voice and facial recognition software, and a video-phone function. The patents also mention peripherals, and uses a gun-shaped controller and a keyboard as two examples.

Most of these concepts have already been cut or are still up in the air, so don't count on them in the final design. Nintendo is committed to a 2012 release for the system, so this year's E3 is likely to be where we see the line-up and final hardware specs in detail.