Interestingly, the hardware changes in the newly announced Nintendo 2DS handheld go beyond ditching the clamshell design and dropping 3D. According to a report from USGamer, the 2DS houses a single display, instead of two separate ones. That means the 2DS would resemble a traditional tablet if you removed the plastic shell.

Presumably this design change is strictly geared towards cutting costs. It’s highly unlikely that Nintendo would allow for the entire display to be touch capable, as that’d also require firmware-level changes. Plus, it wouldn’t make sense to put out games that are functionally different from their 3DS counterparts on the lower-end model.

Nevertheless, it sparks some interesting thoughts. Is the 2DS a glimpse at the direction Nintendo is taking for a future handheld? If you add in more buttons, and make the entire screen touch capable, the 2DS could double as a Wii U gamepad for example.