Ayaneo is offering a launch discount for its DS-inspired Android handheld for $1

The launch of Ayaneo‘s latest handheld is seemingly fast approaching, with the manufacturer already pre-launching the Pocket DS on fundraising site Indiegogo, but with a slight plot twist compared to how it has launched handhelds on the site before. The Pocket DS, announced in July, is Ayaneo’s effort to release a device that’s both inspired by the Nintendo DS from 2004 and also with powerful specs that could rival other devices on the market. However, offering a discounted price ahead of launch suggests strong demand for the handheld already.

Announcing the Indiegogo page on the social media site X, anyone interested in buying the Ayaneo Pocket DS can sign up to be notified when the campaign begins. But, according to NotebookCheck, you can pay just $1 right now by signing up for the pre-launch reservation public beta program, which will give them access to a potential pre-launch price discount of $20.

We’ve reached out to Ayaneo to see if the Indiegogo page will highlight this benefit, as it’s conspicuously absent for now, and we’ll update this article once we hear back.

For those unaware, the Pocket DS was announced last month in a YouTube presentation hosted by Ayaneo. The announced specs for the upcoming handheld so far include:

• 7″ 1080P 165Hz OLED main display
• 5″ 4:3-inch LCD secondary display
• Snapdragon G3 Gen2 CPU
• 8,000mAh battery
• TMR medium joystick + Hall effect linear triggers

Essentially, the Pocket DS is going to be a powerful handheld that will be able to run most of the best Android games with ease. The TMR joystick and Hall effect triggers bring some great benefits too, such as better reliability and accuracy compared to previous Ayaneo handhelds that lacked these features.

But of course, it’s the secondary screen that will make the biggest impression here. In a blog post on Ayaneo’s site, the company highlights the benefits of the Pocket DS’ second screen, such as being able to quickly toggle Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, as well as monitor stats like framerate and heat. But if you want to, the screen can also be used for other things, such as watching videos or looking at guides to help you progress in titles like Fortnite.

Having owned both a Nintendo DS and several Android gaming handhelds in the past, seeing an unofficial amalgamation of the two has me curious. I’ve always been a fan of the Nintendo DS’ design, having enjoyed games like Super Mario 3D Land and The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D, one of the best Zelda games on the 3DS version of the handheld. I’ll be curious to see how the Pocket DS fares in real-world use and whether it earns a spot on our best retro handhelds list.

It’ll also be interesting to see how the Pocket DS compares to other handheld consoles currently available. But while we wait for its Indiegogo campaign to launch, check out our guides to the best gaming phones and the best gaming tablets.