Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom player takes advantage of a glitch to create the first "perpetual flight" machine

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom screenshot

(Image credit: Nintendo)

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom's first "perpetual flight" machine has been created by a genius.

At this point we've seen some brilliant mind-bending creations from players using Tears of the Kingdom's Ultrahand ability. Just when you think you've seen it all though, along comes something like the creation just below, proclaiming to have achieved "true perpetual flight" without a single battery.

[Z.E.L.D.A.] INFINITE ELECTRICITY UMPF - True Perpetual Flight. Zero Battery Cost. No Despawning Parts. Fantastic Maneuverability. The Electrical Revolution is Here. from r/HyruleEngineering

Yes, this really is Tears of the Kingdom's first self-sustaining flying device. There aren't any despawning parts here, as we might be used to after a minute or so with most Ultrahand creations, and there isn't a single battery used in the entire creation whatsoever.

However, there's just a tiny catch to the whole thing: it's achieved via a glitch. In the comments underneath the Reddit post, the user explains that what's powering the perpetual flying machine is in fact a glitched Shock Emitter attached to Link's shield, forever giving off electrical energy via its glitched output.

That being said, "if we're discounting glitches, then infinite flight in this game is impossible," writes another Reddit user. They're not technically wrong - because Tears of the Kingdom despawns certain creations after a predetermined period of time, "perpetual flight" within normal parameters is actually impossible.

It's a shame, but we hope that doesn't discourage players from trying to achieve perpetual flight via other means. Considering the whacky things we've already seen players coming up with, we honestly wouldn't discount anything at this point.

You can head over to our best Zelda Tears of the Kingdom vehicles guide if you're looking for some handy tips on quickly assembling machines.

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.