Am I the only one that thinks the 3DS will be around past 2018? If the N3DS is succesful and keeps sales going in the west, maybe the 3DS can keep working until NIntendo gets the Fusion (or the HDS, but with the existence of the N3DS, I'm starting to doubt it) working.

In that case, that would be nice of course.

experiments are just that, experiments so whatever Nintendo is playing with now will not necessarily be what comes out. they are probably testing how far they can take shapes while playing games

Six years for the Wii-U may be one too many. I'm not sure there would much point unless sales drastically improve. Can you imagine what they'd be like in year 5, let alone six? It will be ridiculous.

I think 5 years is max.

They wouldn't begin production in 2016 only to wait an entire year or more until the holidays of 2017 in order to launch, that wouldn't make any sense.

If Nintendo has already been experimenting and prototyping the technology, and Sharp pushed the mass production into 2016, then it is likely it will launch in Japan in 2016, and Europe in the beginning quarter of 2017.  Although this looks more like Nintendo is making a spedometer for a car, not a handheld system.

Just a thought. Normally on an handled you have the screen (in center) and buttons on sides, with this tecnology they could create a screen that covers all the obtainable surface, on top, on bottom and even around buttons. They could even make rounded screens to change symbols on buttons, depending on the context.

I've made a quick mokup, just for fun. That's what I think they could do.

Happy to see someone that uses his brain, that is exactly what comes to mind reading this info!

Even more, since it's a foldable/bendable (& I know a thing or 2 about bending...) that could lead to that kind of thing, no saying it will but it might: