The portable console industry has evolved very quickly over the past two years, mainly thanks to technology inherited from mobile phones. We've seen consoles based on Snapdragon processors, the same chips that were used in high-end smartphones that are now getting a second life thanks to the fact that they are still powerful enough to run modern and “retro” games .
It is also evident that these consoles use many mobile components, and many are even based on Android to take advantage of its compatibility with this “hardware” and with hundreds of popular applications and games. And now we could find ourselves facing another giant step in that direction, a revolution possible thanks to flexible displays.
As revealed 91MobilesSamsung's display division, Samsung Display, has patented a flexible display technology for handheld consoles; In reality, it's the screen itself that's the least surprising, since Samsung has always been a pioneer in this technology and most foldable phones use its screens, even those of the competition. It is therefore logical that Samsung Display explores new applications for this technology of which it is a leader; What is striking is that he chose a portable console.
Of course, we have to keep in mind that this is just a patent; and that in the vast majority of cases, a registered patent does not end up becoming a commercial product. There are many reasons why a company wants to register technology; for example, so that their competitors cannot use it (at least without paying).
This patent therefore does not necessarily mean that Samsung's mobile division will launch a portable console; but it is more likely that this technology ends up being used in other brands' productsin the same way that Samsung Display screens are found on mobile phones from other brands.
Patent for a portable console with a flexible screen
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Still, it's interesting to see how Samsung plans a portable console based on one of its flexible displays. The registered model is able to fold in half, to save space in your pocket; This way, the in-console controls end up being split on each side. A curious detail is that the patent shows a directional crossbar both front and rear from the console; indicating that it could use a dual-screen design, with a smaller external screen that would allow us to play basic games, and a larger internal screen with access to more controls.
For the rest, the patent also records the position of the speakers, at the bottom, as well as the triggers at the top. The position of a possible SD or SIM card slot, in case of mobile connectivity, is also included.
If Samsung finally dares to produce this device, we can at least say that it would be very original and curious, and probably many developers would be interested in playing with the possibilities of a flexible screen or a dual-screen system.
