We like the Ayaneo Flip DS. So much so, it sits as our top recommendation for the best compact handheld gaming PC, with our Jacob being a particularly big fan. So you can imagine the cooing and cawing in the PC Gamer office this morning when Ayaneo launched its two new clamshell models, the Flip 1S DS and the Flip 1S KB.
We've heard tale of their existence before, but now we have confirmed pricing to glance over, and it looks like you'll need to spend a pretty penny to own one.
The Flip 1 DS is a dual-screen offering which will be a familiar design to anyone who's used a Nintendo DS over the years, or indeed, the previous Ayaneo Flip DS. The bottom screen has been upgraded to a 4.5-inch 1080p IPS display, whereas that top panel? It's a 7-inch 144 Hz OLED, which I'm just itching to see in person.
The Flip 1S KB, however, is actually of more interest to me. As the name suggests, its got a teeny-tiny keyboard chilling out on the bottom deck in-between its array of asymmetrical thumbsticks, face buttons and d-pads, and it's also got that lovely-looking OLED panel up top. Oh, and both models have a repositioned mouse nub. Can't forget the mouse nub.
Hardware-wise, both handhelds come in an astonishing array of configurations. The cheapest of the range is a 16 GB + 1 TB Shadow Black model making use of the AMD Ryzen 7 8840U, which starts at $799 for the 1S DS and $779 for the keyboard-equipped 1S KB.
Right at the tippity top, however, is the Ryzen AI 9 HX 370-chipped 64 GB 2 TB model, available in a range of colors. Should you want one in Retro Power... err, beige, it'll run you $1,559 for the 1S DS, and $1,539 for the 1S KB.
Phew, that's pricey. Still, both HX 370-equipped versions start at around $1,300 for the default Shadow Black 32 GB configuration, which is where I'd be aiming if I had the money.
We discovered the Strix Point-based AMD chip makes for a seriously great handheld APU in our OneXPlayer OneXFly F1 Pro review, and the fact it's on offer here in this super-convenient form factor ups the desirability factor for both Ayaneo machines by, oooh, at least ten.
Anyway, both handhelds are now available to pre-order at Indiegogo with delivery scheduled for mid-September, and it looks like they've had quite a bit of interest so far. Given the Nintendo DS-like design, that's not surprising to me.
I never owned one myself, but my little sister had a 3DS back in the day and it went missing more often than she would have liked. I can't imagine who was to blame for that one, can you?
1. Best overall: Lenovo Legion Go S SteamOS ed.
2. Best budget: Steam Deck
3. Best Windows: MSI Claw 8 AI+
4. Best big screen: Lenovo Legion Go
5. Best compact: Ayaneo Flip DS
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
