- Ayaneo has announced a new handheld gaming PC, using AMD's Ryzen AI HX 370 processor
- The Ayaneo Flip 1S DS will feature two screens like its predecessor, but with a main 1080p OLED screen
- Pricing and battery specifications haven't been announced yet
While Ayaneo's Flip DS handheld gaming PC launched in 2024, providing a dual-screen portable gaming experience, it's taken another leap with a new device – and this time, I think it may just be enough to call it a vastly improved spiritual successor to the Nintendo DS (or 2DS).
As reported by VideoCardz, Ayaneo has announced the Flip 1S DS handheld gaming PC, using AMD's powerful Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor and, perhaps most importantly, a 7-inch 1920x1080 144Hz OLED main display with up to 800 nits peak brightness. It will also feature a secondary LCD screen (hence the 'DS' name) with a 1620x1080 resolution.
While it might seem similar to its predecessor, the Flip DS, the upgrades are significant, to say the least. The shift to the Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 from the previous Ryzen 7 8840U processor will be of huge benefit to gaming performance, with the former using 12 cores and 24 threads – but, that's not the only highlight.
Not only is this set to fulfill the desire of a Nintendo DS experience (which, if it wasn't clear already, DS stands for Dual Screen), but it's also intent on providing an OLED visual experience; something that most modern handheld gaming PCs don't have besides a few.
With deeper black levels and fantastic contrast, it's more than enough to provide the ideal visual quality on a 7-inch 1080p screen. The addition of 800 nits peak brightness is just the icing on the cake for me; throw in the endless amount of games playable through Steam, Epic Games, and other popular launchers, and it's an easy choice – well, sort of.
I say this because I fully expect this to cost a fortune, based on Ayaneo's usual handheld prices. There's no word on pricing yet, but if the likes of the Asus ROG Ally X or the MSI Claw 8 AI+ (which use weaker processors compared to the HX 370) are over $700, then that should be enough to tell you that the Flip 1S DS will price most gamers out.
Analysis: A great compromise for a 7-inch screen
While the Flip 1S DS doesn't specifically scratch my itch of wanting an affordable, next-gen 8-inch handheld, it's certainly a great compromise; one that I'm tempted to save money for – but only if its price tag isn't absolutely obscene.
I've wanted an upgrade from my Asus ROG Ally's 7-inch display for a long while, but that doesn't mean that display size is bad. Don't get me wrong, a 7-inch screen for handhelds is great and is the sweet spot for most users, but can feel a bit lackluster, especially if you're gaming competitively.
However, the Flip 1S DS provides two screens, with one of them being a 1080p OLED, and if you've read my Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x review, you'll know that I'm a sucker for OLED displays. The performance in games isn't a concern either, considering how well we've seen the Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 chip perform in other handhelds like the OneXPlayer X1 Pro – spoiler alert, it handles demanding games like Black Myth: Wukong pretty well.
If Ayaneo can keep pricing between $800 and $999, then I can see myself holding out and saving for this one, but if the price tag is any higher, I'd likely be looking elsewhere.
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