Nintendo has recently been granted a patent for a system which allows two touch points to be registered at once on one screen...

Nintendo was last month granted a U.S. patent for a gaming apparatus not unlike the DS, but with a crucial difference - that the touch screen would be able to recognise two touch points simultaneously - for example two fingers being used seperately on the one screen at the same time.

From this, the machine would then be able to calculate the two points' related distances and angles, and therefore use these to effect/control gameplay. It is a very interesting idea, though whether this represents a now abandoned piece of research or Nintendo's next handheld - well, only time will tell.

The system itself is similar to the DS, with its fold-up design and one screen on each half. The handheld is missing X and Y buttons though, and the top half is only a screen - which would fold down to cover the bottom screen, but leave the buttons either side exposed. Have a look at the patent - originally filed back in 2004 - via this link here.