Ayaneo’s dual-screen Android handheld is its next modernized Nintendo DS

First announced just a few weeks ago in late July, the Ayaneo Pocket DS dual-screen handheld is now available for preorder through Indiegogo starting at $519 but discounted to $399 for the earliest backers. Shipping is expected to start as early as October 2025. Although the company is concurrently running another Indiegogo campaign for a similar dual-screen handheld called the Flip 1S, that device features more powerful specs, runs Windows 11, and starts at $1,279 with discounts, while the less expensive Pocket DS runs Android 13.

There are currently many handhelds that replicate the design and functionality of Nintendo’s iconic portables, including the Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance, but few can properly recreate the Nintendo DS experience, which is still Nintendo’s best-selling console of all time. The new Pocket DS potentially fits that bill with a 7-inch, 16:9, 1080P OLED folding top screen paired with a smaller 5-inch, 4:3, 1,024×768 LCD display on the handheld itself.

It will be powered by a very capable Snapdragon G3x Gen 2 processor, but we don’t yet know what the Pocket DS’ emulation capabilities will be. The entry-level model features 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage (expandable through a microSD card slot), but the Pocket DS can be configured with up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage, pushing its price to $759, or $639 with early backer discounts.

The handheld also features a pair of anti-drift TMR joysticks, Hall effect triggers with sensitivity adjustments, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, gyroscopic controls, a fingerprint scanning power button, and an 8,000mAh battery. Ayaneo hasn’t revealed the handheld’s actual battery life, but it will offer multiple performance modes and the ability to turn off the second screen for those trying to max out their playtime.