Nintendo patent shows detachable 3DS-like device with an outer screen

Let’s start off this story with the most important note, and this goes for all patent-related posts. While Nintendo certainly releases products that are detailed through patents, they also file a ton of patents for ideas that never see the light of day. For every patented device or software idea Nintendo actually releases, there’s at least 10 more that never get released. Keep that in mind with the following news.

Yet another Nintendo patent has popped up, and this one is for an interesting piece of hardware. With Switch successor speculation running wild, something like this popping up is likely to get even more attention than it normally would. That said, we have absolutely no idea what Nintendo’s true plans for this device are, or if it’s anything more than an experiment they wanted to lock in.

As the images in this post show, Nintendo has filed a patent for a device that looks quite similar to a 3DS. That said, there are some very notable differences mentioned in the patent itself. Perhaps the biggest differentiator is the fact that this device can be separated into two halves, and they can communicate wirelessly to one another. This means you and a buddy can split the device and enjoy some local multiplayer with ease.

Also of note is the outside of the device, which features yet another screen on it. This is a touchscreen, so it does allow the player to manipulate software in some way, but you obviously wouldn’t have the same functionality that the inside of the device provides through its buttons and joystick.

Again, we really don’t have any insight at all as to what Nintendo cooked up this idea for, but it’s an intriguing one nonetheless. It seems quite unlikely that this would be the Switch successor, but you never know when this product might pop up. Now we all get to sit back and wait to see if this becomes a reality, or yet another unused Nintendo patent for the heap.