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Following in the footsteps of the AYANEO POCKET DS and the AYN Thor, Anbernic has just announced the RG DS, a very budget-conscious dual-screen handheld aimed at emulating a specific device that also had two screens.

AnbernicRGDS3

The device was leaked on more than one occasion back in September, but there were conflicting reports as to whether the images were AI-generated. Well, now we know the device is real following a video reveal by Anbernic, who have confirmed the device will have a price point of less than $100, far less than its AYANEO and AYN competition.

We don't have much information on the technical specifications of the device, but we do know the following from the video:

The device will have a MicroSD card slot for expanded storage. There are 2 USB-C ports on the top of the device, likely for charging and data transfer, and there is a headphone (3.5mm) port on the front. It will have dual analog sticks, 4 shoulder buttons, and support for stereo sound.

The displays appear to be 4:3 (or close to), mimicking those of the original Nintendo DS. It also looks like we may have a microphone in the center hinge, which would be vital for emulating some DS titles.

I wouldn't expect this device to be emulating 3DS games, given that the top screen likely has the wrong aspect ratio for it, and at less than $100, the chipset powering the device would probably struggle.

AnbernicRGDS

The device will also be available in 4 color-ways. Sadly, we don't know the actual price yet, just that it will be sub-$100, nor do we have a release date, although Anbernic typically doesn't announce handhelds far in advance, so I would be surprised if this device doesn't launch in 2025.

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Oliver Stogden
Oliver began playing video games at an early age, starting with the SNES console and Commodore Amiga computer. Nowadays, his interest is in the future of portable technology, such as handheld gaming systems, portable power stations/banks, and portable monitors. And seeing just how far we can push these devices.
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