Most users here are quite aware of the 3DS mockup that turned out to be an April Fools joke. After looking at it a few times and seeing various opinions on it, I began considering what would be a better concept for the 3DS.

So I opened up Photoshop and threw together my own mockup. My mockup incorporates all of the positive design concepts that the previous one used - tablet mode, landscape AND portrait configurations, a sliding screen, and an included analog stick. I added a second analog to the mix because I could.

Top image is tablet mode . Close the 3DS, and use it like an iPhone, or pull out the stylus to write (maybe to take notes in class?), or draw with an art program.

Next image is widescreen landscape mode. Want to play a more traditional game? This is probably the viewpoint it'll offer.

After that comes the DS-friendly portrait mode, which definitely wouldn't even have to be DS-only - that'd just be what it'd most often be used for. My proportions may not be accurate, but the idea would be to have it slightly longer than would be necessary for the DS, to allow for a gap between the "screens" with games that necessitate a gap (which would be most of them).

At the bottom is the two halves of the 3DS separated, primarily to show the sliding connector mechanism that would allow the screen to both slide and rotate. The screen half is displayed as if it is transparent so you can see the slide-guides in relation to the mounting points. The larger mounting point is the main one, where it rotates. The second one is primarily designed for additional stability, giving the connection strength. Its slide-guide is slightly deeper, allowing the two to intersect at the top left while allowing the mount points to slide through without creating an issue. There are a couple minor issues with this design, but they're fairly simple to engineer out, so I'd say they wouldn't be an issue in the end.

Obviously, this isn't designed to be what the system would actually look like, but instead what it would be designed like - just to show the general configuration Nintendo might use (or at least a decent concept they could). I'd also like to point out that I didn't design a location for the speakers, cameras, or microphone. This was intentional, because there are too many places these items COULD go, and I didn't want any concentration to be ON that part of the design as that's not the part of the design I cared about anyways.

Thoughts?

Cool too. But i don't think the buttons will be very confortable.

Pretty neat, but I would say that's what the next PSP may look like and here's why. The DS in 3DS stands for "Dual Screen", as this doesn't have that I doubt Ninty would go this way, also I think they are sold on the clamshell design (as I am too). But yeah, good work and I love the rotating screen for different experiences.

Well, like I said, this is just a concept configuration. Obviously, the actual design would be much more comfortable than this thing looks. I'm confident that, should this be what Nintendo makes, they'll ensure they make it at least as comfortable as the DSi or DS Lite.

As for the "Dual Screen" name, that's not "official". Straight from Nintendo's website itself:

source: http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/systems/ds/faq.jsp#ds

Key word is CAN. It CAN stand for "dual screen", not that it DOES. With the 3DS, it can now stand for "3D Screen" instead of "Dual Screen".

Deffinatly At least this way we could actually play old DS games on it

Sorry but I actually like the other one.

Well, they can always change that for 3D Screen too.

I stand corrected.

well essentially same as other one just different location of buttons. i prefer this one due to thembeing more spread out and feel like would recieve carpaltunnel later

Absolutely true, but it's a significant change because it leaves a much more logical and comfortable location for the shoulder buttons, it puts much less stress on the hands due to the better weight distribution, and it includes a second analog which, you gotta admit, is hella tight. ;D

I actually thought it stood for "dual screen" myself until only recently, around the time the 3DS was leaked/announced. It's a common misconception.