Apple has filed a patent for the handheld gaming device that has been rumored to be in the works at their labs for quite a while. Now, before you get all crazy about how sweet it would be to have a touchscreen gaming interface that would have tons of space and computing power in your pocket (drools,) let's remember that big companies file for patents all the time.

A high percentage of these patents are designed to keep doors open for future innovation and cover their bases should they decide however many years down the road they want to put something out. It also means that any other company who wants to move on the technology has to license it from them, thereby creating more revenue for a company that merely did a tiny bit of research and filled out some paperwork 20 years ago.

But oh, how sweet would it be? Only time will tell. And Steve Jobs.
At the time of this article, Steve Jobs was probably unavailable for comment.

ign.com: Apple to Enter Gaming Arena

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