Summary
Gaming handhelds that mimic nostalgic devices are a dime a dozen, but not many have attempted to recreate the classic Nintendo DS. And even though Nintendo’s handheld has been off the market for a decade, it’s still their best-selling console of all time. A company called Ayaneo is finally doing it, and the device runs Android.
The Ayaneo Pocket DS was announced a few weeks ago, but you can’t go to your local Best Buy to pick one up. That’s because it’savailable for preorder on Indiegogo. It starts at $519, but early backers can get it for as low as $399, and it’s already been successfully funded. Ayaneo expects to start shipping devices as early as October 2025. The cool thing about this dual-screen handheld is that it runs on Android 13.
The Pocket DS has a 7-inch, 1080p OLED screen on top that folds open, and a smaller 5-inch, 1,024x768 LCD screen on the bottom. The whole thing is powered by a Snapdragon G3x Gen 2 processor. The base model has 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, which you can expand with a microSD card. You can also get a model with 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage, which bumps the price up to $759, or $639 if you’re an early backer.
The Pocket DS comes in three colors: yellow, black, and a limited retro gray. It also has a bunch of modern features like anti-drift TMR joysticks, Hall effect triggers with adjustable sensitivity, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and gyroscopic controls. There’s even a fingerprint sensor built into the power button. To top it all off, it has a beefy 8,000mAh battery. Ayaneo hasn’t said how long the battery will last, but you can turn off the second screen to save juice.
Ayaneo is also running another Indiegogo campaign for theFlip 1S. It’s more powerful, runs Windows 11, has a full keyboard, and starts at a much higher $1K+ price. But if you’re looking for an affordable way to relive the glory days of the Nintendo DS, this new Pocket DS might be just the thing.
