At this year’s Mobile World Congress convention, Samsung was on the show floor with several different smartphones and mobile devices to showcase to both spectators and investors. As spotted by outlet T3, there was a rather interesting concept for a portable console that Samsung was highlighting called the “Flex Gaming” device. Apart from its clearly Switch derivative form factor, this device did have a one-up on Nintendo: it can fold in half.
For the last half-decade or so, the biggest trend in mobile devices has been foldable glass. The first commercially available foldable phone was the Royole FlexPai, which was released in 2018, but other manufacturers were quick to follow. Samsung obviously lapped up the idea and started two different ranges of foldable devices, with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold and Flip. Now, it wants to take that concept to handheld gaming.
Image source: Mike Lowe | Future
Built using Samsung’s foldable OLED technology, it seems the idea is that you can fold the thing in half to store it while you’re on the go. The Switch and upcoming Switch 2 don’t offer such a feature, meaning you’ll need to either get a case for it or have to deal with the console in your bag at its full width. From a portability standpoint, this new concept does seem interesting.
As for everything else about it… I don’t really know. It’s pretty neat that the two thumbsticks will actually fit into the slots between where the face buttons and D-pad normally are, but that circular design for buttons looks unwieldy. I also find it kind of humorous how Nintendo started a design trend that no other company has even bothered to tinker with. Even mini-PCs such as the Asus ROG Ally or the Steam Deck are variations of Nintendo’s concept. Would it kill to have some originality? I’m also not a fan of foldable glass, but that is neither here nor there.
Image source: Mike Lowe | Future
For now, Samsung is not interested in manufacturing this concept. The company specifically told T3 that it was displaying the idea to find investors from other companies. While there is promise, I wouldn’t hold out hope that anyone jumps on the foldable console bandwagon for quite some time.
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Written by Peter Glagowski
Peter has been a freelance gaming and film critic for over seven years. His passion for Nintendo is only matched by the size of his collection.
