Nintendo’s New Hardware Patent Looks Awfully Familiar
While we’ve gotten no shortage of Nintendo Switch 2 rumors over the past couple of months, it looks like a new Nintendo hardware patent has gotten fans curious as to what Nintendo’s next system could look like. Based on newly-discovered hardware diagrams, it looks like the Japanese gaming giant is revisiting a familiar handheld design.
More specifically, a patent spotted online shows what appears to be a device akin to the Nintendo DS, which featured a dual-screen design. One big difference with the patent however is that the device can be separated into two parts and even come with wireless connectivity, allowing players to play together using one device.
Interestingly, the patent also features a touch screen on the external panel of the system, allowing for user interaction even when the device is closed (similar to most foldable smartphones nowadays).
As such, the existence of this patent begs the question of whether or not Nintendo is open to reviving backwards compatibility for its past dual-screened systems such as the Nintendo DS and 3DS. Given that the company has slowly continued to end support for the 3DS over the past year however, this might not be likely.
Additionally, a patent doesn’t necessarily mean that a company will be spending considerable R&D (not to mention money) into bringing a concept device to market – this might simply just be Nintendo making sure that no one beats them to securing a patent for such a unique device.
Of course, nothing is official until Nintendo says so, but at the moment this is undeniably an interesting approach to hardware, despite the familiarity.
Source: Gamerant