PSP clamshell design

[Grey Acumen]

ZOMG! Clamshell design!?

yeah, sorry, this is a generic "what if" speculation thread.

Simply put, I was looking at the PSP3000 being taken apart and notice that it's pretty freaking crammed in there. not much room for anything, really.

So that got me to thinking, what if PSP, whether 3000, 2000, or from the very start, had a clamshell design? Would that have given enough room for that second analog nub? maybe that second set of L&R buttons that would have given it near perfect PS2(at the very least, perfect PS1) emulation capabilities? Perhaps allowed for a larger, longer lasting battery? Perhaps shrunk the length down by an inch or two?

Would a clamshell design actually have had negative effects for the PSP? Would the obvious similarity to the GBA SP have made it look like it was copying Nintendo even more? Would it have become too bulky? Would it have become too fragile? Would the better capabilities for emulation have made homebrew and piracy issues even worse?

What factors would have come up, and should it have been done? Could it possibly have made the difference between getting stomped by the DS and still keeping up with it?

So start speculating.