Andy Walker / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Retroid made a cryptic post linking to a song titled “Two Heads Are Better Than One.”
- Fans have been clamoring for a dual-screened handheld for years, and this might finally be it.
- Recent releases like the Pocket Flip 2 have proven there’s interest in unique form factors.
Earlier today we got our first look at ANBERNIC’s Xperia Play-like sliding handheld the RG Slide, but Retroid has now swooped in to steal the limelight with a single cryptic post linking to a song from Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure. The title of that song is “Two Heads Are Better Than One,” and fans are taking that to mean there’s finally a dual-screen device on the horizon.
Fans have been begging for a dual-screen device that can comfortably play Nintendo DS and 3DS games for years. The closest that’s been available so far is the AYANEO Flip DS, but that’s a costly Windows-based machine. The upcoming MagicX Zero 40 takes another approach with a very tall screen, but it just doesn’t hit the same as an actual dual-screen device. The Surface Duo 2 would be another alternative if it weren’t, well, the Surface Duo 2.
The recent release of the Retroid Pocket Flip 2, which has a very similar clamshell design as a Nintendo DS but without the second screen, has brought the issue back to the forefront. That device has an auspiciously empty space where the second screen would go.
Fans have been asking for a dual-screen handheld for years, and this might be it.
Whether or not the dual-screen handheld is a reality, what’s clear is that there’s a real desire for unique form factors in the retro gaming handheld space. The Nintendo DS and 3DS are particularly interesting cases, since even the best emulators can’t truly replicate the experience with a single screen. As a result, the market for second-hand and modded devices remains strong years after they’ve been discontinued. Whichever company releases the first affordable dual-screened emulation device will fill a very underserved niche.
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