Intel has gained a new patent that could mix motion control popularised by Nintendo with a variety of safety features to protect gamers and their furniture.

United States Patent 8333661, a “Gaming System with Safety Features”, is being seen that as Intel developing a multi-core processor designed to help “avoid or minimise the probability of a collision between the user of the gaming console and the surrounding objects while the user is playing a game. According to Intel’s patent claims, such a device would include an array of sensors working in tandem with the game console to capture images of a player’s body movement inside a 3D space, similar to Microsoft’s Kinect device.

However, Intel’s chip would also continuously monitor objects around a player and the player’s proximity to them. If a player gets dangerously close to colliding with an object, the safety system would signal an audible warning alert and pause the game. Intel seems to think that Microsoft’s system will be the way forward. It said that the new generation gaming systems support features that detect and respond to motion and emotion of the users of the gaming system.

“However, the new generation gaming systems lack safety features, which may provide an opportunity to the users to avoid being injured caused by inadvertently colliding with the surrounding objects,” the patent said. Since only the Xbox 360 supports “remote control-less” gaming it means that either Intel thinks that Nintendo and Sony will follow suit or Microsoft will be the winner of the long running console wars.

Also interesting is that Intel mentioned “emotion.” So far the only one who has a patent for that sort of thing is Sony.