Foldable screens are about to break into portable gaming. One-Netbook has teased ONEXSUGAR WALLET, a clamshell handheld that opens up to unveil a single foldable screen — some evidence that all these phone-style designs are making their way into consoles you can throw in a bag.
First Look at the Foldable Console Concept
Spotted on Chinese social platforms and now heralded by tech outlets in the region, it shows a slender oblong device that opens up into an 8.01-inch phablet with a 2480×1860 resolution. It’s a real 4:3 aspect ratio, and that’s practically going to make this the go-to console for those retro fans who grew up in the age of systems based around that frame.
The controls wouldn’t look too out of place in any gamer’s hands: twin analog sticks, a D-pad, four face buttons and four shoulder triggers, as well as a smattering of system keys. A rear fan grille also indicates active cooling — which is a requirement if the promised Qualcomm flagship chip is indeed in there. The company hasn’t specified the SoC, but it could be a Snapdragon 8 series processor or Qualcomm’s purpose-built G3x gaming platform.
Why Foldables Make Sense for Handheld Gaming
As supply chains have matured, foldable panels have become sturdier, less expensive and easier to obtain. Research firms like Counterpoint Research estimate global foldable smartphone shipments reached around 16 million in 2023 and are poised to increase by more than threefold through 2027, a sign that panel yields and hinge tech are making rapid strides. That momentum paves the way for other non-phone categories to experiment.
For a handheld, foldable solves a classic trade-off: you want screen real estate for immersion and emulation accuracy, but you need pocketable dimensions. A clamshell that shields the display in transit but lets you tote an 8-inch canvas at home, on a commute or on a flight is an elegant solution. Further, the 4:3 panel more closely matches up with libraries of games ranging from SNES/PS1 to Dreamcast and many early PC titles, allowing you to avoid pillarboxing and scaling artifacts when on an LCD.
What the Teaser Doesn’t Tell You About the Device
There’s still an unknown around the device when folded. Regional coverage suggests a split-screen variation for the closed position, but the teaser doesn’t actually deny or confirm an external display. A more likely approach would be a partial, “tabletop”-style open configuration, where the device is propped in an easel-like position and the UI adjusts itself — something Android already supports through large-screen and posture-aware features such as those introduced as part of Android 12L and further fine-tuned with Android 14.
We also don’t have a read yet on the refresh rate, brightness, and crease visibility — all important gaming metrics. A lot of phone-class foldables aim at 120Hz, and that’s meaningful for input latency as well as perceived smoothness. If that WALLET falls below that, it might be a visible compromise for fast-action titles.
The Engineering Challenge Behind the Hype
Durability is the elephant in the room. Chassis and hinges of gaming devices are subjected to extreme pressure; players often grip tightly and twist during extensive use. In the phone world, hinges are usually rated for hundreds of thousands of cycles, but the stress profile of a two-handed console with thumbsticks is different. The key will be to strengthen the spine without adding bulk.
Thermals are another hurdle. A top-tier Qualcomm chip can provide great Android game performance and console-class emulation, but it’s also generating heat that has to be conducted away from a flimsy OLED and flexible plastic substrate near the hinge. I’m guessing that there will be a vapor chamber or heat pipe arrangement, which is then sealed to the rigid frames where the sticks and triggers reside, plus a ballsy fan curve under load.
Battery life will be a juggling act. An 8-inch high-refresh OLED, active cooling and a top-shelf SoC can chug cells under emulation or 3D workloads. Smart power profiles, per-game frame rate caps and efficient upscalers can extend playtime without neutering performance.
Performance and Software Outlook for This Foldable Console
Should One-Netbook go with Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, you’ll get good native Android performance and strong emulator support at least up to older sixth-gen systems (modern Vulkan drivers will help too). If it runs on Qualcomm’s G3x platform, it might push even further toward sustained GPU throughput and tighter controller integration, which mirrors what we saw years ago in the Razer Edge but still with a massive screen.
On the software front, big-screen and foldable APIs for Android now include support for posture-aware experiences that optimize UI around hinge angles (like when a user is holding the device open in one hand or two), drag-and-drop interaction across split-screen apps, and support for launching activities on any display. That’s great news, both for cloud services such as GeForce NOW and Xbox Cloud Gaming, and for retro front ends that support customizable, touch-friendly overlays as well as physical controls.
Pricing and Market Impact if the Foldable Goes Mainstream
Foldable panels are still more expensive than regular displays, and that one part could determine if this device prices for the masses or sticks around as a high-end novelty.
Today’s top-tier portables span from the lower midrange all the way to the high end, and a folding screen might push an upstart well above those brackets unless it can enjoy economies of scale.
Still, the timing is favorable. Gaming on the go is huge, from PC-focused devices to Android consoles, and users are starting to blend local play with streaming. A foldable-screen handheld can flex up and down the spectrum of couch, desk, and travel better than any fixed-slab format yet seen (while affording a nostalgically shapeless 4:3 canvas that flatters your classic libraries).
If One-Netbook gets the basics right — durability, thermals, refresh rate and smart pricing — this might be a fairly new category opening its doors. First-wave imperfections aside, it’s a clear sign that foldable tech is venturing beyond the realm of phones and laptops and into the one place it’s most likely to feel right at home: a svelte little console that opens up into something much bigger than it appears.
