Samsung has made its own Nintendo Switch that can fold in half

A new gaming handheld from Samsung takes more than a couple of pages out of Nintendo’s book, but it does have a unique gimmick of its own.

Ever since the Nintendo Switch came out in 2017, other companies have been eager to capitalise on the new handheld gaming market it opened up. Valve’s Steam Deck may be the most notable example, but you’ve also got the likes of the Asus ROG Ally and Lenovo Legion Go.

Sony is rumoured to be getting back into making portable devices, following the launch of its PlayStation Portal, and even Microsoft is interested in making a dedicated Xbox handheld.

Now, Samsung has thrown its hat into the ring, with the Samsung Flex Gaming device, which looks near enough identical to the Switch but boasts a foldable screen.

Said device is only a concept device for the time being, but Samsung demonstrated a working model earlier this week during MWC25 – an annual tradeshow for the mobile communications industry – in Barcelona.

As you can see from the image and a separate video by an attendee, the overall design blatantly cribs from the Switch, while the folding aspect is reminiscent of the Game Boy Advance SP and Nintendo DS handhelds.

Neither of those had a foldable screen, but the similarity is obvious. It even wisely has two indents for the control sticks to snugly fit into, when the console’s closed, and there’s directional and face buttons embedded around the edges.

We do have to wonder how noticeable the crease in the screen is when it’s fully flattened out… assuming it can be. The screenshot and video footage only ever depict it opened at an angle, which could suggest the 7.2-inch OLED screen will always be creased even when playing games; something that may prove a bit distracting.

There’s no guarantee Samsung will ever release the console and it may just be a proof of concept, from their point of view.

Seeing other companies pump out their own handhelds may convince Samsung to take its own shot, but there are signs the market already peaked in 2023. Plus, the Switch is undeniably dominating the handheld space (even with flagging sales), with the Switch 2 expected to pick up the reins when it launches later this year.

Speaking of the Switch 2, we’re almost surprised Nintendo itself didn’t come up with the idea of a foldable screen first, since it sounds like the sort of gimmick it would incorporate into a new console.

So far, the Switch 2 is notably lacking any kind of weird gimmick, of the sort that has defined past Nintendo consoles, which has been a point of contention amongst some.

That said, its controllers look set to have computer mouse functionality, it’s speculated to be playable even when upside down, and we still don’t know what that mysterious new button on one of the controllers does.

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