We've been spoiled for gaming handhelds recently, but this could top the lot

It seems you can't turn around without bumping into a new gaming handheld these days. The Nintendo Switch 2 has just hit stores, while Xbox has finally lifted the lid on its first devices – the Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X.

Now we have an alternative Ayaneo – the manufacturer that has carved a niche for itself in premium portable games consoles. It has announced a second edition version of its intuitive Flip device, but one with some major upgrades.

The Ayaneo Flip 1S DS is a dual-screen handheld with a 7-inch 144Hz 1080p OLED display on the top and 4.5-inch 3:2 ratio 1620 x 1080 LCD panel below. If you ever wanted to emulate DS and 3DS in the best way possible, this will surely be the device for you.

The Flip 1S DS runs on an AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor and LPDDR5X RAM (much like the Xbox Ally). There's also M.2 SSD storage, although we don't yet know the capacity options as availability and price are yet to be revealed.

It's a Windows 11 device with the brand's AYASpace 3.0 software overlay, while nothing is being skimped when it comes to controls.

The thumbsticks use TMR Electromagnetic tech (a step up from Hall Effect), which Hall Effect triggers are on board too. This is considerably more advanced than the equivalents used in the Switch 2 Joy-Cons, for example.

You also get a microSD card slot for expansion, a fingerprint sensor for security, and an optical finger mouse.

What games will be playable on the Ayaneo Flip 1S DS?

While clearly designed around the concept of playing DS and 3DS games, the processor is more than capable of running full PC titles. The Ryzen AI 9 is often found in gaming laptops, let alone handhelds.

It's likely therefore the Flip 1S DS will be seen as a multi-purpose handheld, which will likely emulate retro machines up to PS3 very well indeed. Nintendo Switch games should work well on it too.

And considering I've been using an Ayaneo Pocket Evo for a while, which also comes with a similar 7-inch OLED panel, I can assure you that everything will look stunning on that upper screen.

Of course, it'll all come down to the cost and considering Ayaneo is renowned for premium devices at premium prices, I suspect it'll weigh in at a pretty penny. The original Flip DS cost around the £1,000 / $1,300 / €1, 150 mark, so don't expect much less.

We'll let you know when further details arrive.