- Ayaneo announced the Pocket DS, a new Android handheld gaming device
- It claims the device is the ‘world’s first’ dual-screen Android handheld
- It will utilize Qualcomm’s Snapdragon G3x Gen 2 processor for powerful gaming performance
The handheld gaming space is continuously growing each year with new devices from the likes of Nintendo plus contenders in the PC department, such as Asus, Lenovo, and MSI. However, there’s an outlier in the Android and PC market that appears to be taking strong inspiration from the Nintendo DS with one of its upcoming devices.
Announced on Ayaneo’s website is the brand-new Ayaneo Pocket DS, which claims to be the ‘world’s first’ dual-screen Android handheld gaming device and is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon G3x Gen 2 processor. Pricing details are set to be announced in August.
The Snapdragon G3x Gen 2 processor is built to provide high-power performance on handheld devices as an 8-core CPU packed with an Adreno A32 GPU – and it’s worth noting that Qualcomm’s processors often excel at power efficiency.
This comes shortly after Ayaneo announced another dual-screen handheld, the Ayaneo Flip 1S DS, which also takes after the Nintendo DS dual-screen design, but for PC gamers using Windows. Both of these devices will utilize a 7-inch OLED main screen, but the newly-announced Pocket DS will have a 165Hz refresh rate over the Flip 1S DS’s 144Hz.
While the Pocket DS isn’t a handheld gaming PC, it utilizes a “PC-Class Turbo Cooling System”, designed to keep the dual-screen handheld cool while under heavy load. Ayaneo also built its own handheld management software, which will allow users to quickly change power settings on the fly thanks to the 5-inch LCD secondary screen – and also serves as a great tool for multitaskers.
It’s doubtful that Nintendo will revisit its dual-screen design any time soon, especially after the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2, so it looks like Ayaneo is the one to rely on in this space.
Analysis: I’ll take a dual-screen device over an 8-inch handheld any day
Just to be clear, I’m fully locked in on Ayaneo and its potential success with these dual-screen handhelds – specifically the Ayaneo Flip 1S DS, using one of AMD’s most powerful APUs.
I’ve been in the market for a handheld that has an 8-inch screen with a powerful processor at a reasonable price; I thought the Lenovo Legion Go S (Ryzen Z1 Extreme) would be the answer, but it’s hardly available, and it’s too expensive at $729.99 (around £549 / AU$1,130).
With the Ayaneo Flip 1S DS, pricing is reasonable for what it offers (above $900 for most configurations) as this is a popular portable design, and it’s using an AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor, which easily outperforms the likes of the Ryzen Z1 Extreme. Fortunately, since the Ayaneo Pocket DS is built for Android gaming, I don’t expect it to be as expensive.
Again, I doubt I’ll go all-out to spend that much on a handheld device that I only use when I’m away from my desk. However, if I had to choose and I was already contemplating buying an MSI Claw 8 AI+, MSI Claw A8, or ROG Xbox Ally X, I would have to include the Flip 1S DS in the conversation too.
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