Nintendo filed a patent for a device that looks like it would bring back the 3DS/DS line, but in a really strange way.
The Nintendo DS was introduced in 2004, but didn’t really pick up momentum until 2006, when Nintendo released the Nintendo DS Lite. The design language of the DS Lite defined the standard that Nintendo would use on the variety of DS, 2DS, and 3DS devices that they released. The DS Lite’s edges were smoothed out, and its shoulder buttons are recessed. The DS Lite also came with a stylus and a pen slot to hold in snugly. Lastly, the console’s power slider, volume controls, and I/O were moved around to accommodate portability and gamer’s need to not accidentally touch these inputs while playing.
The signature feature of the DS that distinguished it from the PlayStation Portable and other devices was the hinge. That hinge design was reminiscent of Nintendo’s Game & Watch devices from two decades before, and allowed it to be far more portable than other gaming devices. The hinge was also a serious vulnerability for these devices, as they were an easy way to break them and make them unusable.
As reported by Game Rant, the US Patent Office has publicly disclosed a new patent filed by Nintendo. This device demonstrates a Nintendo DS like gaming handheld, but with one major difference.
The patent details that the top and bottom parts of the console can be separated and used that way. This means this new device doesn’t have a permanent hinge like the DS family of handhelds, indicating that Nintendo finally found a solution for this worrisome issue that lasted for over a decade.
As Game Rant explains, the device can be deliberately split in two for two person multiplayer. But, there’s more.
The device has a touchscreen at the top half that can be used whether it is separated or attached to the bottom half. The patent also indicates it can be used when the device is closed.
As much as Nintendo rightly has pointed out it pioneered on many innovations on handheld devices that smartphones would adopt later, today it looks like Nintendo is playing tit for that. The idea of a touch screen that works on a closed device certainly looks like it was taken from foldables, like the Samsung Galaxy Flip and Fold phones.
But then, Nintendo may be innovating again with this idea of a two screen device that can just be split in half. This technology has definitely been around for a while. But Nintendo deserves credit for coming up with it.
We don’t know if Nintendo is taking this prototype to production, but on a personal level, I would really want to see this happen. We’ll find out soon enough if this ever becomes a thing in the next few months.
