Nintendo 3DS Prototype Leaked

Apparently Nintendo has managed to run an early prototype of its upcoming 3D handheld, the 3DS, through the FCC without anyone noticing for a few weeks. The filing was made available on April 30 and Wireless Goodness spotted it, posting the image above showing what looks more like an ATX motherboard than a handheld gaming platform. What wasn’t noticed at the time of discovery was the aspect ratio of the top screen (in the middle of the circuitry): it’s 16:9, while almost every other Nintendo handheld to date has of course been 4:3. That aspect ratio matches the 3.4-inch parallax barrier display from Sharp, the one that everyone has been expecting to be featured in the device. Connecting the dots, this could actually be the prototype 3DS in the flesh, dubbed the “CTR.” Given that Nintendo called the DSi the “TWL” the XL the “UTL”, even the naming scheme seems to fit in. Unfortunately the FCC images have been pulled since the first discovery, but we’ll probably have more to look forward to at E3 next month as opposed to seeing a more petite version.