The Pocket Duo looks to be a direct competitor to the Ayn Thor.
The dual-screen retro handheld craze continues with Retroid joining in on the trend. The handheld maker offered very little details in its teaser video, but we do know that Retroid has named its modern-day remake of the Nintendo DS the Pocket Duo.
The teaser only showed a dark glimpse at the finished product with no hints at specs, pricing or release dates. There’s already a handful of options on the market, so Retroid should have a general blueprint to go off of to ensure the Pocket Duo is competitive in this space. Plus, the handheld maker has a lot of experience with similar devices between releases like the Retroid Pocket 6 and the Pocket Flip 2, the latter of which has a 5.5-inch OLED display. However, based on the limited info in the teaser, it’s hard to say exactly what its upcoming multi-display gadget will look like. As for the internals, Retroid could go with something as powerful as the Qualcomm QCS8550 chip from its recently-released Pocket Nova, which can handle simulating Nintendo DS, 3DS and even Switch titles.
Beyond its experience with clamshell-style handhelds, Retroid has also dabbled with a dual-screen setup in a roundabout way. The company offers a Dual Screen Add-on that attaches a 5.5-inch AMOLED screen onto its other handhelds. Unlike this accessory, it appears that Retroid will be going with a cable-free, clip-free design for its upcoming Pocket Duo, as indicated by the teaser video. It’s too early to tell what the pricing will be like, but it’s likely to fall somewhere in between the Anbernic RG DS, which starts at $100, and the Ayaneo Pocket DS, which goes for at least $579. Thanks to having two displays, we’re expecting the Pocket Duo to be more expensive than its recent Pocket Nova, which starts at $239, meaning it could be a direct competitor to the Ayn Thor.
