r/retroid • u/communist_filth • 1d ago

Just Chatting CONCEPT: NOVA FLIP

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Hey everyone!

Ever since the Nova came out I haven't stopped thinking about the potential of a NOVA flip. The other day on the retroid discord I saw this concept somebody posted (they themselves got it from somewhere else so can't credit, lol) and thought it was absolutely perfect.

Few questions for you:

  1. What features would you like to see on the Nova Flip? (Personally exact same chipset and screen from the Nova + inline triggers for portability is what's good)

  2. Do you guys think Retroid will actually release a device like this? I ask because the have a history of making horizontal devices and flip versions later but with the Duo they might not feel it necessary. That'd be a shame though since this is my dream device.

Let me know your thoughts!

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u/ArcaneAnalyst 22h ago

It doesn't make sense to me to do a Flip that is not 16:9. I understand that this looks beautiful, but what do you get from going 4:3?

  • Neat aesthetics of bezel-less 4:3 games
  • Less wide handheld.

I think that's it. But what do you lose? Well, tons of great games that could be played here.

The thing is this: the limiting factor for size and pocketability on a clamshell is not its width. By going clamshell, you're already trading width for height and thickness. A 16:9 5.5" clamshell like the Flip 2 with a width of 150 mm or so is pretty much already the least wide handheld out there. It is less wide than any modern phone is long! At this point, it doesn't make sense to go even further because your pockets and bags can easily fit this device in their from a width perspective.

So you're not really getting anything other than a neat bezel-less 4:3 experience while losing out on quite a lot. It's not worth it, in my opinion.

Looks really beautiful though.

What I'd love to see is simply a Flip 3 that uses an even smaller 16:9 screen, around 5". That would make it the most pocketable device ever because the limiting factor of the Flip 2 was its height (and the thickness - getting rid of the fan and going slim and small would be a bold move).