Weird how the mind works sometimes! I was making this Ocarina for another idea altogether, when I remembered an old idea I had: Make the Ocarina itself a peripheral controller for it’s namesake game, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

And why not? Nintendo has enjoyed a ridiculous amount of success releasing games bundled with controller: Mario Kart Wii, Wii Fit, Wii Play - all packaged with a peripheral. Third parties like Activision’s Goldeneye game are also getting in on the act.

Advances in technology might allow for a controller that you can play like a wind instrument. Though in keeping with the many musical controllers out there (Guitar Hero/Rock Band), it would more than likely be a controller loaded with buttons:

You could probably add a few analog sticks and a D-pad too, but I think this would work best as a complimentary controller to your normal gamepad, so you’d pick this up when you need to use it. The game could probably change it’s equipping structure to automatically detect you are using this when you start hitting buttons.

Theoretically, you could also release a stand-alone game that revolves around this controller. Ocarina Hero, anyone? You have to remember Nintendo released a set of bongo drums for FOUR Donkey Kong GameCube games. Those drums were not a small peripheral at all.

Ocarina of Time is slated to be re-released on the 3DS platform in glorious 3D, so we do have that to look forward to. Though a part of me hopes they can retrofit this kind of controller onto the Virtual Console port of the game for the Wii:

Let me repeat, FOUR Donkey Kong Bongo Games. I think Nintendo can develop this Ocarina Controller into a more worthwhile venture.