Review: AYANEO Pocket DS – Dual-Screen Gaming Comes To Android

Dual-screen handhelds which ape the shape and performance of the Nintendo DS and 3DS aren’t a brand new factor – AYANEO produced the Windows-based Flip DS and Flip KB firstly of 2024 – however we have seen a formidable second wave seem in 2025, with AYN becoming a member of AYANEO on the dual-display get together through its Thor.

AYANEO has returned to the idea with the Android-based Pocket DS, a tool which is similar to the Flip collection by way of dimension and type issue.

Powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon G3x Gen 2 chipset and boasting a roomy 7-inch OLED principal show, the Pocket DS might nicely be the corporate’s most enjoyable {hardware} launch this 12 months – however is it actually price that sky-high $400+ asking value?

Join us as we try and reply that very query.

AYANEO Pocket DS Review: Design

The Pocket DS is an in depth match to each the Flip KB and Flip DS by way of dimension and weight, and positively dwarfs the Nintendo DS and 3DS. Needless to say, this is not a handheld you will be effortlessly popping into your trouser pocket as you allow the home.

The system has a metallic lid which, when opened, reveals a stupendous 7-inch, 1080p OLED panel. The hinge mechanism feels sturdy sufficient, although it is too early to say whether it is able to holding as much as repeated every day use. The lid additionally feels slightly on the skinny aspect, however solely as a result of the principle physique of the system is so chunky.

Fashioned from high-quality plastic, the physique of the Pocket DS is ergonomically formed and cozy to carry. However, it is clear that compromises have needed to be made with a purpose to issue within the handheld’s second, 5-inch LCD display; it takes up a lot of the area, pushing the entire bodily controls out to the sides.

Because it is a claimshell system, AYANEO has additionally needed to cut back the profile of each single bodily enter. The twin analogue sticks have been sunk into the casing, whereas the D-pad and buttons are all extremely slimline with little or no journey. The D-pad is a blended bag; it is exact and would not undergo from false diagonals, however I actually struggled when enjoying 2D preventing video games; there’s not sufficient pivot to make pulling off motion-based particular strikes really feel second-nature.

The sticks are additionally comparatively small, and I discovered that my thumb fairly often rubbed up in opposition to the edges of the ‘pit’ they reside in. They’re not horrible by any means, however I would not name them the right management interface, both. On the plus aspect, they use TMR (Tunnel Magnetoresistance) expertise, which is taken into account by many to be superior to the already spectacular Hall Effect sticks that each firm (Nintendo apart) appears to be utilizing lately.

On the highest edge, there are two Hall Effect shoulder triggers and two digital shoulder buttons, in addition to two extra shoulder buttons (LC and RC). You’ll additionally discover the USB-C port right here. On the underside edge, there’s the MicroSD card slot. The energy button (which additionally homes a fingerprint scanner) is just under the underside display, so you may’t by chance flip the Pocket DS on when the lid is closed.

Like many different AYANEO handhelds, the Pocket DS has a robust inside fan which sucks in air by a vent on the again earlier than expelling it from one other vent on the highest edge. It can get fairly noisy (and heat) when it is working at full pelt.

AYANEO Pocket DS Review: Displays

AYANEO has chosen to combine issues up with the screens on the Pocket DS. The higher panel is, as I’ve already talked about, OLED. It measures 7 inches from nook to nook with a 16:9 side ratio and 1080p decision. The refresh charge is 165Hz, which is fairly spectacular for a tool of this sort – and it helps HDR, too.

Below it is a 5-inch 4:3 side ratio display, which has a decision of 1024 x 768. Both shows have capacitive contact panels, too.

Aside from the apparent disadvantage of blending OLED and LCD (which solely turns into obvious when a sport combines each shows to indicate a picture), the largest disappointment of this setup is the uneven lighting on the underside panel.

It appears as if the display is being ‘pinched’ by the casing at numerous factors, and the strain ends in uneven tones. It’s solely noticeable when the display is displaying darker colors, nevertheless it takes away from the premium nature of the system.

Quality issues apart, the large benefit of this setup is, in fact, the power to precisely reproduce the gameplay expertise of Nintendo DS, 3DS and Wii U video games. There’s no stylus, however the backside show is giant sufficient that your finger normally suffices. If you discover it would not, then a capacitive stylus may be obtained pretty cheaply lately.

The different profit is that you may run totally different media on every show. So, for instance, you would be enjoying an RPG on the higher display whereas a video information is enjoying through YouTube on the underside. AYANEO’s software program permits you to swap management focus between every display routinely simply by touching it, and whereas it is difficult to start with, it quickly turns into second nature.

Is this two-screen setup as intuitive because it was on the unique DS and 3DS? Nowhere close to, however that does not imply you will not discover sensible purposes which merely aren’t attainable on single-screen handhelds.

AYANEO Pocket DS Review: Performance

While the Pocket DS sadly is not rocking the newest model of the Snapdragon G3x (that is the Gen3, which was lately seen in KONKR Pocket Fit, one other AYANEO product), the Gen2 continues to be a really succesful chipset, engineered with cell gaming efficiency in thoughts.

As a outcome, the Pocket DS can fortunately run PS2, GameCube, and Dreamcast video games at resolutions increased than these native to the unique {hardware}. Furthermore, the OLED panel ensures that every thing appears nearly as good because it probably can, making this an awesome platform for rediscovering 2000-era video video games.

Of course, whenever you’re shopping for a dual-screen emulation handheld, your principal focus is prone to be working legacy programs which additionally supply two shows, and in that regard, the AYANEO Pocket DS (and each different dual-screen Android handheld) stays a piece in progress.

This is as a result of the principle variations of DS and 3DS emulators nonetheless cater for single-screen programs. The solely cause apps like MelonDS (NDS) and Cemu (Wii U) are appropriate with the Pocket DS is as a result of they’ve been ‘forked’ and particular variations have been created with a purpose to run on the Pocket DS (Azahar, a 3DS emulator, is the exception at current; the principle model of this has been up to date to incorporate help for twin shows).

As time goes on and extra dual-screen Android handhelds arrive on the scene, this performance will little doubt be baked in on all emulators, however in the interim, it will be sensible to count on a bumpy trip whenever you initially boot up the Pocket DS.

It took me loads of head-scratching to work out which model of MelonDS I wanted, and as soon as I’d bought it, there was an hour of tinkering with settings to make sure that the highest and backside screens had been displaying the correct picture – and I contemplate myself to have a excessive diploma of expertise in the case of this sort of factor. Newcomers could discover themselves fully stumped.

The excellent news is that after you have every thing working because it ought to, it is comparatively easy. DS video games run completely, and whereas there are a number of 3DS titles which undergo from efficiency issues, most run brilliantly (albeit with out the autostereoscopic 3D help, in fact).

If you are not eager on emulation, Android is house to a reasonably strong library of video games lately, and never all of them are horrible ‘free to play’ monstrosities that bombard you with adverts. The Pocket DS is ready to run even essentially the most graphically intense Android titles with ease.

AYANEO Pocket DS Review: Pricing & Specifications

AYANEO Pocket DS Review: Conclusion

It’s straightforward to get swept up within the pleasure surrounding dual-screen emulation handhelds, particularly in case you occurred to develop up with the Nintendo DS, one of many firm’s most profitable merchandise. AYANEO is clearly aiming for the nostalgia crowd with this system, and, whenever you’ve bought all of it arrange, it proves to be a excellent strategy to expertise dual-screen gaming on modern-day {hardware}.

The drawbacks are price mentioning, nonetheless. The controls are less-than-ideal, with shallow analogue sticks and a D-pad that lacks the required diploma of journey for preventing video games. It’s additionally a disgrace that the underside display suffers from uneven lighting attributable to strain being utilized by the casing.

It would even be remiss of me to disregard the truth that, even with its Early Bird pricing, the most affordable mannequin of the Pocket DS prices $400, whereas the highest variant (the Retro Grey version I’m reviewing right here) prices over $600 (with a remaining retail value of $759). For that amount of money, you would purchase your self a DS and a 3DS – and nonetheless have loads of money to spare.

Still, it is a system able to a lot greater than merely enjoying dual-screen Nintendo video games; the highly effective chipset can replicate almost each traditional gaming system from the 12 months 2000 or earlier, and is succesful sufficient to make brief work of PS2 and GameCube emulation, too.

In abstract, the Pocket DS is a exceptional system that brings dual-screen video video games to life for a brand new technology – however, as is usually the case with AYANEO merchandise, it comes with a price ticket that requires potential patrons to suppose lengthy and arduous earlier than making a purchase order.

The AYANEO Pocket DS is available on IndieGoGo now.