This bluetooth SNES controller replica isn’t an official Nintendo product, but the company says it might consider doing something similar…

For years now, some gamers have complained the touchscreen’s lack of physical buttons and control sticks has made it less than ideal for many types of traditional games. In that time, countless accessory makers have tried to solve this problem with a variety of physical smartphone controllers that have filled a small niche in the mobile gaming marketplace at best.

Now, Nintendo is raising the possibility of creating its own, physical controller for smartphones. In response to a question about the feasibility of making “action games” for smartphones during a recent investor’s meeting Q&A session, Nintendo General Manager of Entertainment Planning and Development Shinya Takahashi noted that “physical controllers for smart device applications are available in the market and it is possible that we may also develop something new by ourselves [emphasis added].”

In practically the same breath, though, Takahashi suggested that Nintendo could “look at whether action games are really not impossible (without a physical controller for smart device applications) to create and how we can make it happen to create such a game.” In other words, trying to making an action game that works on a touchscreen might be easier than trying to force an external controller on smartphone gamers.