If there’s one thing that we can be sure of, it’s that AYANEO has no plans of slowing down. The company is back at it again with another release, this time courtesy of the AYANEO Flip KB and Flip DS. On paper, it’s the perfect handheld for those wanting a modern version of a Nintendo DS, running Windows.
Ayaneo Is At It Again!
The Flip KB and Flip DS were first revealed in late 2023, but now, you can finally pre-order one for yourself thanks to AYANEO’s latest Indiegogo campaign. Early Bird pricing starts at $699 for the Flip KB, while the Flip DS starts at $739. For that, you’ll get the AMD Ryzen 7 7840U, along with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. AYANEO is also offering both handhelds in a few different configurations, as you can upgrade the processor to AMD’s Ryzen 7 8840U. As for RAM and storage, you can get up to a whopping 64GB of RAM, but can “only” upgrade to 2TB of storage.
AYANEO Flip DS gameplay
Here’s an overview of the specs for both the Flip KB and Flip DS, if you want to learn more:
Ayaneo Flip KB and Flip DS specs
A Keyboard
With much of the handheld market focused on the traditional design layout, AYANEO is looking to take on the likes of the GPD Win Mini. The KB Flip is more of a direct competitor thanks to the full-size keyboard that’s also backlit. However, AYANEO gains an advantage thanks to the ability to upgrade to the Ryzen 7 8840U. Meanwhile, the GPD Win Mini comes with either the Ryzen 7 7640U or 7840U, which helps bring the starting price down to $750.
Two Screens
The real star of the show, at least for some, is the AYANEO Flip DS, as it’s the first dual-screen Windows handheld. The top features the same 7-inch IPS display with a 120Hz refresh rate as the Flip KB. In place of a keyboard, AYANEO integrated a 3.5-inch IPS touchscreen allowing you to properly emulate your favorite retro DS and 3DS games. While we haven’t gotten our hands on the Flip DS yet, it seems that the AYASpace 2.0 app will help to make the secondary screen useful even if you aren’t playing 3DS games.
AYANEO Flip KB straight chillin’
Some Details
Something else worth pointing out is the plethora of ports that AYANEO has managed to squeeze into this chassis. Along with the USB-4 and USB-C 3.2 ports, there’s actually an OcuLink port. This is great if you want to connect a compatible GPU to the Flip KB or Flip DS to get even more horsepower. The only real downside that we can see so far is that you can’t “hot-swap” your GPU via the OcuLink port. Plus, the company recommends using the USB-4 port to provide power to the handheld itself when using it in this kind of configuration.
Purchasing Options
As for availability, AYANEO states the Flip KB and DS with the 7840U will begin shipping in March, while the 8840U model will ship sometime in April.
If you’ve been waiting for the Flip KB or Flip DS, you can head over to Indiegogo and pre-order one now.
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