The Nintendo DS Is Back on Android. Here’s Which Dual-Screen Handheld to Buy

Nintendo stopped making clamshell handhelds years ago. Android hardware makers didn’t get the memo, and honestly, good for them.

The latest sign that dual-screen Android gaming is becoming its own little category came on September 25, when the developer behind NitroDeck, a Nintendo DS-themed Android launcher, showed it running across both displays of the Anbernic RG DS. The developer, who goes by Mr. Rubik, says the update “is ready and should be available on the Play Store sometime in the next week or so,” according to Android Authority. It even boots with the DS startup screen.

A launcher is a small thing. But software showing up specifically for these devices tells you the hardware has found an audience. If you’re tempted to join it, there are three machines worth knowing about, and they sit at very different price points.

The three dual-screen handhelds that matter

Pricing on the Thor depends on the configuration. Liliputing listed the lineup as starting at $249 when it was announced, which covers the cheaper Thor Lite with an older Snapdragon 865. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 models start around $300, per Jacen Sekai’s review.

Anbernic RG DS: the one most people should start with

At $99, the RG DS is the cheapest way into this world by a wide margin, and it’s the closest in spirit to the original DS: two matching 4-inch screens at 640 x 480, a stylus, dual analog sticks and a clamshell hinge. Retro Dodo lists it with 3GB of RAM, a 4,000mAh battery and Android 13.

The RK3568 chip is modest. It’s built for DS-era emulation and older consoles, not demanding Android games. That’s fine. If what you want is to replay a DS library the way it was meant to be played, this is the device, and it’s the one NitroDeck was demoed on.

AYN Thor: the enthusiast’s pick

The Thor is where things get serious. The top panel is a 6-inch, 1080 x 1920 OLED running at 120Hz, the bottom a smaller OLED, and the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 inside is flagship-phone silicon from not long ago. Jacen Sekai’s review sums it up well: once it’s configured, “it runs just about any emulator you can throw at it,” and “the only potential dealbreaker is the price.”

There’s a second catch the review flags. Emulators need manual setup out of the box, so budget an evening for configuration. This is a tinkerer’s device, and it rewards tinkering.

AYANEO Pocket DS: big screens, bigger bill

The Pocket DS goes the other direction from Anbernic, with a 7-inch OLED on top, a 5-inch 4:3 LCD below, Qualcomm’s gaming-focused Snapdragon G3x Gen 2 and an 8,000mAh battery. It’s the most capable-looking machine here and the most expensive, starting at $399.

That mixed OLED-and-LCD pairing is worth thinking about. On a device where both screens are on at once, a visible mismatch in color and contrast is something to check before you buy.

Our take

For most people, the $99 Anbernic RG DS is the smart buy. It does the one thing this category exists for, and it costs less than a new Switch game bundle. Step up to the AYN Thor only if you want 3DS-class emulation and modern Android games on the same device, and you don’t mind setting it up yourself. The AYANEO Pocket DS is impressive on paper, but at $399 and up it’s hard to recommend over the Thor.

One caution on NitroDeck: it uses Nintendo’s assets, and Nintendo is famously protective of its IP. Android Authority notes that devices like the RG DS haven’t drawn legal action so far. Grab the update while it’s there.

Sources: Android Authority, Retro Dodo, Jacen Sekai, Liliputing. Photo by Branden Skeli on Unsplash.