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These are the amazing 'free-form' displays that Nintendo may be using

Sharp's latest screen tech comes in all shapes and sizes

Sharp first showed off its unique Free-Form Displays last year, and the technology took on a whole other level of intrigue when it was reported that Nintendo would be the first customer — possibly for a new portable games console, or the company's mysterious sleep-tracking device. The latest prototypes are on display at CES 2015, so we thought we'd take a look for ourselves.

The displays are an evolution of Sharp's IGZO technology, and can be cut into virtually any shape. (Nintendo reportedly, inexplicably wants a doughnut-shaped display with a hole in the middle.) The gate driver circuits are embedded into the active area of the display, allowing for ultra-thin bezels and unprecedented form factors.

Sharp's prototypes are mostly showing demo loops of driving information; it's clear that one obvious application is installing displays that take advantage of any available space on unusual surfaces like a car dashboard. But what could Nintendo do with such a technology? We'll likely have to wait until next year, when the displays go into mass production.

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