With folding phones seemingly all the rage at the moment, it was only a matter of time before designers turned their attention towards video game consoles, and Abdelrahman Shaapan may have created the ultimate games console to cater for both modern and retro gaming in one.
Shaapan has created a concept he’s called the Game Boy Flip, which caters for handheld touchscreen gaming on either a folded, retro-style square screen, or unfolds for modern, widescreen gaming. Not only does this device cope with touchscreen gaming in various permutations, but Shaapan’s design also features controllers, similar to Joy-Cons, which can snap onto either the folded or unfolded sides of the screen.
Though this is, of course, just a fan made concept, it’s impossible not to immediately have your imagination fired up by all of the possibilities for Nintendo’s Switch successor, given the advances in technology that have occurred since the original console launched in 2017.
The Game Boy Flip’s bezel-free design, sleek Joy-Con controllers and multi-purpose, multi-screen folding design is incredibly attractive; seeing Kirby and Mario in action, alongside screenshots of box art or cartridges on display on that screen is phenomenally exciting, even if it is just a concept.
This kind of forward thinking versatility, which caters for both new and old school gaming, should be exactly what all console manufacturers, not just Nintendo, have in mind when looking for ways to bring both innovation and technological improvements to console gaming.
Imagine a docked console that can play on the TV, but also fold into the perfect Game Boy, Game Gear or PC Engine GT console, while still being able to play those full size, widescreen games on the go. Sounds like perfection to us here at Retro Dodo Towers!
