TL;DR
- AYANEO recently started crowdfunding its dual-screen Pocket DS handheld console.
- We already knew it would run Android, and today the company reveals support for the ROCKNIX Linux distro, as well.
- ROCKNIX offers a convenient way to access popular emulators, perfect for retro gamers.
Android phones are well and good for getting your gaming fix, but even when we’ve got access to some of the best new handsets around, sometimes you just can’t beat the feel of a dedicated piece of gaming hardware. That’s exactly why we’re so enamored with the growing number of fantastic purpose-built, Android-powered gaming handhelds. A couple weeks back, we got some important launch details on one model we’ve been particularly excited about this summer, and today we’ve got even more reason to look forward to it.
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We’re talking about the AYANEO Pocket DS, which purports to be the world’s first dual-screen Android gaming device. It’s got one high-refresh-rate OLED display that’s perfect for modern games, plus a 4:3 panel that’s just the right fit for retro classics. And because there are two screens, it’s just begging for you to emulate some Nintendo DS or 3DS action.
Right now there’s an Indiegogo campaign running for the handheld, with 50 days to go and its goal already met. While that means that AYANEO has already convinced a lot of gamers that the Pocket DS is worth checking out, now it’s sweetening the pot.
In a lengthy live stream earlier today, AYANEO showed off some of its upcoming hardware, and while the spotlight was largely on the new Retro Mini PC, the Pocket DS also managed to get quite a bit of attention. While we were already familiar with many of the details from before, one slide in particular caught our eye today, hyping support for Linux games.
Not only will gamers have access to Android, but with ROCKNIX as well, that opens the door for some powerful emulation options with a really clean front-end. Like we said: This was already shaping up to be a special handheld, and now we’re feeling even more eager to get our hands on one.
The first orders are supposed to begin heading out to funders sometime this October, so it’s really just going to be a matter of a few weeks before we can see first-hand how well the Pocket DS comes together. Right now it’s got a lot of potential, and we’ll be very curious to see how well AYANEO nails the execution.
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