Nintendo considering “doughnut-shaped” 3DS replacement, say reports

Home / News / Nintendo considering “doughnut-shaped” 3DS replacement, say reports

Here’s some intriguing news out of Japan: Nintendo is reportedly pondering a handheld console with a doughnut-shaped screen.

The new console, which would replace the 3DS, may use new screen technology from Sharp. While most LCD tech dictates that screens are rectangular or square, Sharp’s Free-Form Display screens can be arranged in far more irregular shapes.

Free-form Displays can be arranged in odd shapes

According to Japan Times, Nintendo is considering using Free-Form Displays in two upcoming products: a sleep monitor (which the company announced it was developing back in October, and is scheduled for a 2016 launch) and its next handheld console. For the latter, the company may use a screen with a hole in the centre.

It’s not immediately obvious what advantage a console would gain from having a doughnut-shaped screen, but Nintendo has never shied away from making ballsy design decisions with its consoles (some of which have paid off, some of which… haven’t).

We’ll keep our eyes open for more doughnut developments in the future.

[Source: Japan Times]

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Tech journalism's answer to The Littlest Hobo, I've written for a host of titles and lived in three different countries in my 15 years-plus as a freelancer. But I've always come back home to Stuff eventually, where I specialise in writing about cameras, streaming services and being tragically addicted to Destiny.