Skip to main content

New Nintendo products may use Sharp's wild 'free-form' displays

New Nintendo products may use Sharp's wild 'free-form' displays

/

The 3DS' successor could come in weird shapes

Share this story

Sharp's Free-Form Display technology is designed to allow for new shapes and sizes of screen, and the first client could be Nintendo. Japanese news agency Kyodo reports that the venerable video games company will be Sharp's first client for the LCD tech, which may be used in a new portable games console or the company's upcoming sleep-tracking device. According to one source, Nintendo is considering a doughnut-shaped screen with a hole in the middle.

Nintendo is reportedly considering a doughnut-shaped screen

Nintendo and Sharp already have a supply relationship; the 3DS console uses a glasses-free 3D display provided by Sharp. The 3DS was first released in 2011, and the latest version features a faster processor and eye-tracking technology to improve the 3D effect. With that model yet to see release in Europe or North America, a full-on successor is probably some way off; in any case, Kyodo's report says that mass production of the Free-Form Display is set to begin early 2016.

When contacted by The Verge, a Sharp spokesperson said, "The report is not based on our announcement. We will decline to comment on business issues with any specific companies."

Verge Video: The Best Portable Game Console (This Is My Next)