When we reviewed the AYANEO Flip KB not so long ago, we found it to be an interesting device with some unique strengths and weaknesses, but we also commented that the more intriguing of the Flip pair was the Flip DS, which has a second screen, just like the DS and 3DS.
Now that we've had the chance to spend a bit of time with this device, we can confirm this idle suspicion to be accurate; this is one of the most interesting handheld gaming PCs we've had the pleasure of using, and a lot of it is predictably down to that second display.
However, is it worth the steep asking price? Let's find out...
AYANEO Flip KB Review: Design & Displays
The Flip DS (which starts at $739 if you take advantage of 'early bird' crowdfunding pricing) and Flip KB are essentially the same device; when closed, both of these clamshell products look identical. It's only when you open them up that the key difference becomes immediately apparent – while the KB has a full QWERTY keyboard on the lower section, the DS has a second 3.5-inch, 960x640 pixel touchscreen (the unit's main screen is a 7-inch 1080p IPS panel with a 120Hz refresh rate, in case you were wondering).
Much of what was said in the Flip KB review regarding power, battery life and general ergonomics applies to the Flip DS, too. In short, the Ryzen 7 chipset has processing grunt to spare, battery life is poor, and we're still not totally sold on recessed analogue sticks and pancake-flat D-pad – but we're going to focus the bulk of this review on the possibilities that the second screen delivers; it's fair to say we came away pleasantly surprised.
First up, some ground rules; the Flip DS' second screen is treated like an external monitor by the Windows 11 OS the unit is running on. By default, it displays a unique set of options and information related directly to AYANEO's AYASpace application. From here, you can see data such as the current TDP (thermal design power) of the Ryzen 7 chipset (the unit we were sent has a 7840U inside, but an 8840U model is also available), the RPM of the internal fan and even the remaining battery life, download/upload totals and the amount of RAM currently being used.
A 'Performance' screen can be accessed by swiping to the right, and this allows you to instantly toggle things such as the TDP, FPS limit and other settings. On AYANEO's other device, all of this is traditionally done by pressing the AYANEO button and using the pop-in menu, but on the Flip DS, having a second screen makes things a lot more elegant.
A 'Quick Assistant' screen is found to the right of the 'Performance', granting access to various quick settings for WiFi, screen lock, on-screen keyboard and the like, while next to this is a customisable 'Applications' panel, where you can add your favourite apps and launch them directly from the second screen – a small but surprisingly welcome feature. Finally, we have perhaps the most interesting screen, which is called 'Smart dual-screen'. From here, the AYASpace software tells you what content can be displayed on the second screen and makes the process pretty effortless (a physical button can be used to toggle between content on the bottom display, too).
To give an example, when we launched the 3DS emulator Citra, both the top and bottom 3DS screens automatically appeared on the Flip DS' upper display – just as you'd expect if you were using a traditional desktop PC. By navigating to the 'Smart dual-screen' options on the Flip DS' second screen, we were able to find Citra's lower 3DS display window and quickly assign it to the lower of the device's displays – recreating the setup seen on Nintendo's handheld.
It's not an exact science, and there were times when we found it tricky to get the right window to display in the correct screen, but once you've gotten your head around things, it soon becomes more natural.
AYANEO Flip KB Review: Specs & Pricing
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 7 7840U / 8840U |
| Main Display | 7-inch 1080p IPS Dynamic Screen (120Hz) |
| Secondary Display | 3.5-inch 960x640 IPS Touchscreen |
| Storage / RAM / Price Options |
|
| RAM Type | LPDDR5X |
| Max TDP | 28W |
| Battery | 45W |
| Wireless Connectivity |
|
| Control Interface |
|
| Vibration | X-axis Linear Motor |
| Motion Controls | 6-axis Gyroscope |
| I/O Options |
|
| Audio Output | 3.5mm Headphone Jack |
| Biometrics | Fingerprint Scanner |
| OS | Windows 11 64-bit Home Edition |
AYANEO Flip KB Review: DS, 3DS & Wii U Emulation
What you're effectively getting here is a handheld which can reproduce the experience of using a DS or 3DS (almost) perfectly; for the former, it requires a bit of extra work to get the content across both screens as the currently available DS emulators don't support dual-screens, so you'll need to 'stretch' the image across the Flip DS' two displays.
In the case of the latter, Citra allows you to split the screens in separate windows without any issue, but you naturally lose the autostereoscopic effect. On the upside, you can run 3DS software at 1080p, which makes titles like Zelda: A Link Between Worlds and Metroid: Samus Returns look utterly fantastic.
A caveat worth mentioning is that the capacitive touch panel on the Flip DS naturally won't work with a DS/3DS stylus, as those were designed with more primitive resistive displays in mind. This isn't an issue when you're merely selecting options or fiddling with your inventory on the lower display, but games like Meteos or Zelda: Spirit Tracks are awkward to play. Investing in an 'active' stylus alleviates this issue a little, but these rarely offer the same kind of precision.
Another big bonus here is the ability to play Wii U games via this dual-screen setup. Sure, we all know that developers (Nintendo included) failed to use the console's GamePad screen to its fullest potential, but there are situations where the Flip DS actually improves certain Wii U games. Take Star Fox Zero, for example; at the time of release, it was criticised for its unorthodox control scheme, which required the player to constantly switch their view from the main TV to the GamePad, which was used for precise aiming. Having the two screens one on top of the other – as is the case with the Flip DS – makes this configuration a lot easier to stomach.
There are some quirks that need addressing before you can fully enjoy your DS, 3DS and Wii U games on the Flip DS. The bottom display will always show the Windows bar at the top, so you'll need to install a third-party application called Borderless Gaming to remove that (thanks to Retro Game Corps for the tip). This also allows you to suppress the mouse pointer, which sometimes appears on-screen as you move the analogue sticks around and is quite distracting.
You'll also need to resort to a third-party app to get motion controls working; we spent quite some time trying and failing to get AYASpace's built-in motion controls to work on Wii U and 3DS before finding that Handheld Companion was the solution (again, huge thanks to Retro Game Corps for pointing us in the right direction here).
Another problem is that AYANEO's chosen button layout isn't the same as Nintendo's, so you'll often find that a prompt to 'press A', in fact, means you need to press the Flip DS' B button. This isn't a big problem, in all honesty, but we thought it was worth highlighting.
AYANEO Flip KB Review: Performance
Moving away from Nintendo's dual-screen consoles for a moment, it's worth stressing that, just like the Flip KB and many of AYANEO's other Steam Deck rivals, the Flip DS has enough power under its hood to emulate pretty much everything up to and including the PS3 and Xbox 360 – not to mention modern-day titles downloaded from Steam, such as Baldur's Gate 3 and Helldivers 2.
Because it's running more powerful internal hardware than the Steam Deck, performance is much better than it is on Valve's handheld, with one caveat – Windows 11 simply wasn't built with touchscreens in mind, and navigating the UI is often an exercise in frustration (this is something we've mentioned in all of our handheld gaming PC reviews, to be fair).
The ability to adjust the amount of power the device is consuming means you can pick the right TDP setting for the content you're playing, but taking things all the way up to the maximum setting of 28W gives you a lot of processing grunt – although it goes without saying that this will destroy your battery life; you'll be lucky to even get an hour of use running the device at full pelt. Dropping the TDP down to around 6W will still allow you to run quite a lot of content, but even then, you're looking at around two hours. Stamina is not a strong point of these kind of devices. It's also worth saying that the internal fan gets pretty noisy when the device is running at full speed.
Returning to the second screen, its usefulness is not limited solely to replicating the dual-display experience you'd get on a Nintendo console. You can use that lower display for literally anything, so you could be playing a GBA title on the main display whilst browsing a walkthrough guide (either on a website or via YouTube) on the bottom one. Or you could mix two entirely different functions at once; you could be playing a retro game on the lower screen (when resolution isn't so much of an issue) and watching the latest episode of Fallout on the main HD display.
The Flip DS includes an OCuLink port, which means you can dock the system and treat it like a desktop PC, complete with the ability to bolster its power via a dedicated graphics card.
AYANEO Flip KB Review: Conclusion
We have to admit, we were pleasantly surprised by how good the AYANEO Flip DS is when it comes to replicating the 3DS / Wii U experience. That second screen really does open up a lot of potential opportunities when it comes to accurately reproducing that classic dual-screen setup, and when you've got everything configured correctly, it runs really well – in fact, it makes games like Star Fox Zero even more appealing than they perhaps were on the original hardware. Factor in the fact that you can emulate pretty much every retro system on this thing – as well as play modern-day AAA games on the go – and you've got a truly impressive Steam Deck beater.
However, there are some negatives to consider here; the price is astronomical, and unless you're in the market for a portable gaming device which can also double as a powerful portable workstation, it's hard to imagine many people seeing this as an impulse purchase; sure, it's superior to the Steam Deck in a lot of ways and represented one of the best emulation devices out there right now, but it costs ten times the price of your typical Anbernic handheld, putting it out of reach for all but the most hardware gamers. Battery life is also pretty abysmal, but then the same can be said for pretty much every product in this particular sector of the market right now.
Taking price out of the equation for a moment, though, and we still can't help but be excited by a product like this. The dual-screen setup is genuinely a helpful function, even if you don't intend to play 3DS or Wii U games on it – while the raw power on tap is remarkable. The Flip DS, like practically all of AYANEO's handheld gaming PCs, isn't going to be for everyone, but that doesn't stop it from being one of the most-played devices in the Time Extension office right now.
Comments 25
It's so ugly! Remind me some cheap devices from 00s.
@Kulhy it definitely had that cheap plastic look to it and for that kind of price it should have a much more premium look at the very least.
@Time Extension:
"A caveat worth mentioning is that the capacitive touch panel on the Flip DS naturally won't work with a DS/3DS stylus, as those were designed with more primitive resistive displays in mind. This isn't an issue when you're merely selecting options or fiddling with your inventory on the lower display, but games like Meteos or Zelda: Spirit Tracks are awkward to play. Investing in an 'active' stylus elevates this issue a little, but these rarely offer the same kind of precision."
Seems like restrictive is better even though it is "primitive!"
What's the difference between the 8840U and the 7840U?
Is the last one a type-o?
"Storage / RAM / Price Options
7840U 16GB / 512GB ($939)
8840U 16GB / 512GB ($979)
7840U 32GB / 2TB ($1169)
8840U 32GB / 2TB ($1209)
7840U 64GB / 2TB ($1439)
7840U 64GB / 2TB ($1479)"
Should that be 8840U?
Maybe I overlooked it, but does it have TV out?
@Spider-Kev A) Resistive touchscreen panels are generally less reliable than capacitive ones.
B) The 8840U is more powerful than the 7840U.
C) Yes, that's a typo, it's fixed now - thanks!
D) It has TV-out via the USB-C port, yes.
@Damo
Awesome, thanks!
@Kulhy I feel that's a tad dramatic.
Does it look really cool, does it make me want to try emulation not quite yet. I still have my WiiU constantly hooked up and my 3DS in my drawer. Good consoles but I'll just stick to OG hardware.
I think my new New Nintendo 2ds XL that I bough a couple of months ago is still way cheaper than this. Just play nintendo ds/3ds games on its original hardware or emulate it on phone, now even ios can emulate nintendo ds games.
Cons:
Resistive screens have been around longer than capacitive, but "primitive" is a touch (😎) hyperbolic when in the same breath mentioning technical advantages of the former that make it the better spec for the application.
Also I must say, was reliability really an issue with DS lower screens? 🤔 seems like grasping at straws to me.
the screen on this looks obnoxiously large and bright, the controls look awful, and the overall design looks like a knockoff DS from the early 00s. This combined with the confirmed terrible battery life and insane price make me question the 8/10 score frankly, given that its' main competition is legitimate hardware on the second hand market, which can be had for a fraction of the price, have none of these problems, and can play 3/DS carts natively.
@-wc- Resistive screens are no longer used on any touch-based hardware, as far as I'm aware, so yes, I would claim the tech is primitive by modern standards. And as for reliability, I have two DS consoles which now have faulty touchscreens; what seems to happen is that dust gets stuck under the edges of the display, applying subtle pressure and thereby registering a touch (or, as in the case of one of my DS Lite consoles, no touch input at all).
Regarding your opinion on the review score, you're perfectly entitled to make that call, but it might be wiser to instead attempt to try out this device first. Yes, it cannot play DS or 3DS carts like a DS or 3DS can, but neither of those machines are capable of playing Wii U, PS3, Xbox 360 or Baldur's Gate 3, as far as I'm aware
@Damo
Wise words, my good man. 😊 I personally miss resistive touch screens and never have felt like capacitive had the same feel, even with an advanced stylus like the apple pencil, for example. I have thought of it as an example of simple tech that gunpei yokoi would have approved 👍
OTOH my OG DS and 2DS never had a problem and I guess I was projecting my experience a bit there without realizing it, as AFAIKnew, they were dead reliable! Wrong again!
You are right, that I'm prejudging obv. without trying it for myself. The flat dpad as you described is a bit of a deal breaker for me, though. as is that astronomical price. I'm sure if I actually tried it I'd find myself having fun though 😊 cheers, and thanks for taking the time as always. ✌️
Holy crap, I want this! Like NOW... (But the misses would have my head... lol).
Looks good. Expensive and any 3rd party solutions to mimic motion controls of any sort is understandable. Modern stylus or just a mouse pointer should work shouldn't it. I mean DS/Wii should be possible that way right you don't always need a 3rd party sensor bar for Dolphin after all.
The lid closing in Phantom Hourglass hmm I do wonder there but different apps/games on both screens as it's a PC I assume and separate on the bottom screen.
I have wanted that for years with official consoles. Finally. Sure it's emulation, sure it's a PC and sure PCs/phones have done this for years but I mean it's still good. Having a web browser or the game's manual on it. Wii U should have been able to do that. Like come on Nintendo. Let alone others. If DS could do two videos or two gameplay moments at once. I get better hardware now and yes of course priorities or that it's a PC still but sigh.
A dual screen PC can of course be like a screen controller or a dual screen laptop offer anything on it but I mean it's best for dual screen consoles besides just two web pages/study and a video. A guide/manual/movie and a game or two movies. Like that's the best part for sure.
It doesn't actually change Star Fox Zero that much though. If it were Wii controls which were used for co-op or it were tweaked (but it's emulation so a mod/patch/plugin to change controls if possible) then sure. But if not while I don't hate Zero's controls and they are very particular even if playing older games you get used to their weird controls even if most people forget/stick to modern. More could have been done and you go oh that 3rd party method fixed it even more.
Thing is because the Wii U/3DS had their limits or more differences. Like Wii U being wireless especially and TV casting or so I think coud have been possible. Connected so close or the way multi screen phones or all one screen phones of Flip/Duo do it to wrap around and such then a 2DS I mean possibilities are kind of lost or some OSs/UIs make you go oh that'd be cool then the PC way where well it's an app and sure but the other came with it or was built with it so unless it's replicated which in some cases they won't then well go the original hardware at that point if it still functions.
Or well someone create the possibility if they thought about it but most don't so it never happens. Few people think up the ideas. Most want games and simplicity/their favourite characters. Anyone into tech/game mechanics/structure no one cares about at all anyway. They just keep their thoughts to themselves of post them like I do. Doesn't mean anything happens still.
Still low battery. They push power and not good enough batteries inside or balance of it. Nintendo just gets better batteries or gets the software/TDP or more just right. I mean to me Sonys/Nintendos handhelds at 3 hours to even 7 is fair. 3 is short but not PC handhelds nowadays level of just a performance first, batteries so quick used up joke.
PC handhelds need better in that area it's getting ridiculous.
The form factor and materials seem passable I guess but even for the price, for the scale of the companies they are compared to OEMs usually seen with Windows PCs/Laptops eh I guess it makes sense for the price but still they need to work things out still.
That or Windows is also killing the battery life not just the apps/games are. Which is also likely the telemetry/other things it does all the time.
Imagine a laptop doing that. Do they nowadays I don't know. Let alone other handhelds by other companies with probably as comparable or even Pocket PCs of the 2000s that came before PC handhelds of these days. Did they have lower battery life I think so but still seem even if clunky better than today. Form factor doesn't change much to me if the battery/performance balance sucks still.
Windows 11 being a hog (that and not surprised these menus/UI struggles from the device makers or being different from Valve's overlay and other care maybe still exist it's just unfortunate many of these PC handhelds face still), being I guess part or pushed away from touch screens/tablet mode style even though the same marketing to a casual audience and the OS is the most joke thing out there of limits and oversimplification to things that worked well before sigh.
Multi-monitor/touch screen though hmm surprised. A different OS maybe but even then depends on the third party methods working on any of them Windows or Linux very well at all let alone 11 as the latest and so many changes/considerations instead then past Windows feature support more suited to the device let alone 11 being the default just because.
USB C to the TV is nice DS/3DS on the TV which other than Dev kits never happened. Or both Wii U screens on the TV interesting, or 2 TVs/two monitors if that works or not to split the images between them.
Motion/stylus are always tricky due to the differences of tech/screens nowadays for sure and methods to do it.
That or just say people even caring about the AR/camera uses of the gyro diorama videos on the Wii U eshop if anyone even used those. The first one was free after all. Compared to say virtual console where well other emulators are for that. Or just homebrew well there is ways for that as well of course.
That or of course Pretendo, Miiverse, Streetpass or others replicated by fans.
I mean yes Samsung dual screen phones/Surface Duo can too but to me consoles doing it I was like hmm if only we could have that Series S/X style two games approach or Windows 8 or Xbox One 2013 OS style approach of apps but oh well.
As to me from PS3/360 or 3DS/Vita/Wii U onwards with a menu or looking at trophies/achievements or manual you still had to close the game or had few moments where say Minecraft Vita 1.0 you can access more. Latest update it pushes the system so you can't use anything else at all. Makes later update trophy hunting a pain. But 1.0 version easy to open the trophies menu.
To me while PC or even mobile OSs have always offered it as not single app OS and multi OSs.
Xbox Series finally offering a similar approach with quick resume (not exactly dual screen but still allows swapping even if yes Xbox One app swapping and game swapping on a more particular scale works it just isn't the same).
Wii U having the manual pause for GBA virtual console just annoyed me. Like the limitations in those cases not just the only Indies and the odd Nintendo/big third parties found a good use for it.
Some are still TV first not Gamepad and that annoyed me a lot. DS/3DS you still had 2 videos from different angles, two screens inventory/gameplay mixed or two gameplay mixed. Wii U very few wanted to replicate that even though the Gamepad is the focus, is faster response time then the TV but people have to use the TV because customer expectations or not wanting to deal with a 480p Gamepad. Like come on developers what a disappointment.
This being a PC, sure the Xbox style button layout anyone that's used an Xbox controller with emulators knows to get used to it or re-assign the buttons to the ABXY equivalents to not throw themselves off of course.
@Spider-Kev for 99.9999999999 of users, nothing is different. Faster NPU for AI applications that aren't even widely available. That's it.
@-wc- the thing is, this is a 7840/8840u processor. It's main competition isn't a DS or 3DS, that's missing the point. This is a Windows PC, and has to compete with other laptops and handhelds with this processor. This is the only handheld dual screen PC out there, so that also puts it in a unique spot. This also features an Oculink port, which isn't something mentioned here in the review, which effectively allows you to use this in a docked scenario as a powerful desktop PC when paired with a dedicated graphics card.
All this to say, if you're buying this purely for emulation, there are more cost effective ways of doing this. But as a handheld Windows PC, and one of the only ones that are actually "portable" by way of being a clamshell, it's not an outrageous price at all.
@-wc- I know what you mean - we've certainly lost a certain something in the shift to capacitive screens when it comes to input. The DS stylus is still a wonderful means of interacting with a touch interface. That's why I still love firing up the 3DS even today.
@JabooMooseKeys As the OCuLink port was referenced in our Flip KB review I didn't mention it here (outside of the spec sheet) but you're quite right, it's worth pointing out - I've added something in.
Looks like another piece of great hardware with the bottleneck of a bad control scheme. A better screen doesn't mean much to me if the dpad and layout can't stack up to the N3DS or Gamepad.
@JabooMooseKeys
youre probably right!
my perspective that it's a glorified DS is just that, as I have no interest in modern PC gaming, or emulating consoles beyond Dreamcast. Value is in the eye of the beholder, and this thing's usefulness doesn't rise to its cost for me.
also I get zero joy from Windows, and I havent used it in years and I'm never going back, but that's just me, too.
OTOH, what I want is something along the lines of a typical anbernic/miyoo/powkiddy handheld, but with this layout, for 200 or less (with respectable battery life, and a good dpad.) for me, that's a much more valuable thing. ✌️
PS - "if you're buying this purely for emulation, there are more cost effective ways of doing this."
are there? meaning, a handheld which can emulate DS games properly? please do tell as I've never seen them! ☺️
They're asking for too much $$$ for the luxury of dual screens in a somewhat mobile form factor. I like retrogaming, but I don't like it enough to spend that kind of money. I'd rather just stick to two stacked screens on my 16" OLED laptop.
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