The Nintendo DS was a wildly successful console, however emulating its distinctive twin display screen design on trendy handhelds is a problem. You possibly can attempt to squeeze each screens onto a single touchscreen, try and utterly recreate the DS’ unique hardware, or do what Retroid is doing and launch a brief clamp-on, secondary display screen that’s suitable with its handhelds and different third-party units.
The Retroid Twin Display Add-on is currently available through the company’s online store in black, purple (impressed by the GameCube), and translucent white shade choices for $69, however are at the moment offered out. That features a model designed for Retroid’s personal Pocket handhelds together with the RP Mini, RP Mini V2, RP4 Professional, and RP5, and the model for third-party handhelds. So long as a tool isn’t taller than 115mm and helps DisplayPort over USB-C it needs to be suitable, however Retroid particularly factors out the Steam Deck is just not.
That includes a 5.5-inch AMOLED display screen with a decision of 1920 x 1080 pixels and devoted brightness buttons on the facet, the Twin Display Add-on attaches to units with an increasing clamp and might be positioned at three totally different angles utilizing a “click-stop hinge.” Nonetheless, the second display screen can’t be folded flat towards the hand-held it’s hooked up to love with the DS.
The add-on options touchscreen performance, which is supported by the DisplayPort protocol. In case your handheld of alternative is missing contact capabilities, hanging the add-on off the underside will allow you to play DS video games that closely relied on decrease touchscreen interactions. However since Retroid’s Twin Display Add-on is at its core simply an exterior show for a handheld, what video games you possibly can play and the way the display screen shall be utilized is left to the system’s working system or the emulator you’re utilizing.
The add-on weighs round 130 grams, thanks partially to it skipping a built-in battery. It’s powered instantly by the system it’s related to, but it surely does have its personal USB-C port with pass-through charging capabilities so you possibly can hold each the show and your handheld working with out killing its battery.