Dual screen gaming is an era of Nintendo’s history that seems to have finally come to an end with the closing of the Wii U and 3DS’s eShop last year. With no official means of purchasing both the games and systems themselves, many have come to question exactly the best way to experience some of the great titles they might have missed over the years. Thanks to great emulators like Cemu and Citra, we have have the software to elevate these games thanks to higher rendering resolutions, easy mod access, and more. What we’re still chasing is the perfect hardware to play them on though.

Now it’s not to say that specific hardware doesn’t exist, but there’s always a catch. AYANEO released the Flip DS earlier this year with two displays, but the secondary display is low resolution. The Surface Duo exists as an Android device with two discrete 4:3 screens, but finding an ideal controller for that becomes a challenge. And for either of those you’re forking out hundreds for new hardware when you may already own a Steam Deck, ROG Ally, or any other number of handhelds that exist out there.

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The DNA Duo takes a different approach to the problem, and it’s one I appreciate. A 6.5 inch 1080p touch display that runs at 60Hz, the DNA Duo is a second screen designed to enhance the tech you already own. The screen attaches to your device of choice using a unique magnetic connector, leaving you with a hinged clamshell design. As it stands each system requires a unique adaptor, with the Steam Deck, ROG Ally, Odin 2, and Retroid Pocket 4 Pro being available to order now. The creator Jordan, also going by Mister DNEH, has stated they’re looking into a more universal design, and that other adaptors for further compatibility are being considered in the meantime.

I reached out to Jordan for a little more on the story behind the DNA Duo. The larger design stems from their love of clamshell systems, starting with the GBA SP they got as a child. The project really found its roots back in March though when they picked up the DraStic emulator for the first time in years, discovering it had the capability to make use of a second connected display for emulating DS games via Media Projection on Android. From there they started their R&D journey buying and trying a number of off-the-shelf screens on Amazon, but none quite offered the full feature set they were wanting. It needed to have USB C for video, another USB C for charging pass-through, and some kind of Mini or Micro HDMI port for better compatibility. Realising they’d need something more bespoke, they looked overseas and landed on what we’re looking at today; a display that ticks all the boxes.

To get the project off the ground they require $50,000 CAD, which is the equivalent to the cost of 500 screens. The project is currently live on Indiegogo with the display itself being priced at $200 CAD, and system-specific adaptors ranging from $20 CAD to $30 CAD. The campaign is live for the next 42 days, with estimated shipping listed as November 2024. As with any crowdfunding campaign there are risks involved in pledging, but this is a project I do feel worthy of attention.

If you’re interesting in learning more, you can find the project page below:

DNA Duo Project Page

 

[KingVamp]

It might need a better hinge to open easier, but I was fine with the looks. I can't tell how durable it is tho. An optional design that covers the Steam Deck/Ally controls would be neat too.

 

[urbanman2004]

Simple yet ingenuous idea. Hope they replace the molding/frame for the panel w/ something more durable instead of that 3D printed crap.

 

[Marc_LFD]

"Good on him" he's two posts above you

And? People on GBATemp can be hostile so unnecessarily.

 

[Egoistamamono]

What a project. Hopefully it can be realized. Compared to the one-screen model, the two-screen model is very suitable as a handheld emulator for DS or 3ds.

 

[K3Nv2]

Neat for handhelds

Although if you are gonna attach to your PC just go buy a $10 used monitor from goodwill

All we need is a brief case for travel now.

This is cool may end up being a buy for me if it's nothing silly like $145 is a fair price. All we really have is AR glasses or Steam Link this would help people with wifi lag.

 

[Dust2dust]

And? People on GBATemp can be hostile so unnecessarily.

Anonymity has that effect on some people. And it's not just on GBAtemp, it's actually much worse else where. Luckily we have an Ignore button that we can use here.

 

[SecureBoot]

I don't hate it. Price doesn't seem utterly unreasonable like I expected

 

[Tex_McBladeSword]

Didn't know your New 3DS XL could run The Witcher 3 at 90FPS.

Jokes aside, obviously because people aren't intending to play only NDS/3DS games on that thing, the versatility and potential is huge.

That being said, it looks extremely rough for me and I will absolutely not back the first edition with this one, I'll hold off until the 2nd or even 3rd edition by which a lot will have been improved and/or perfected even.

It says on the page that the displays shown are prototypes and that the final version will be far higher quality

 

[weestuarty]

Very nice, simple design and universal. Well done hope it goes well.

 

[regnad]

Not sure about the “magnetic connector”. Dbrand Killswitch stand had a magnetic connector that fucked with the fan, and they had to recall and redesign it.

 

[Rahkeesh]

Note that SteamOS game mode only supports one display. If you plug an external display in the main Deck screen goes black. The only way to use this right now with that OS is via desktop mode.

 

[orangy57]

the DS emulation stretched to 16:9 gives me brain cancer but this looks pretty cool!

 

[TheStonedModder]

This is a prototype 3D printed at home for product placement, I have already reached out to a company that is professionally creating the enclosure and adapters for this as I've already spent money on one company but didn't like their product so I'm trying another one already.

Post automatically merged: Aug 10, 2024

I own multiple 3DS consoles but it's 2024 and graphics look amazing on 3DS emulation this way

Post automatically merged: Aug 10, 2024

Yes this was 3D printed however I have already sourced out the material and have already tested one company but didn't like their quality so I have another company I'm already testing for the end result for the DNA Duo and Adapters once they arrive. So sure if someone wants to make a clone go ahead however they won't be able to accomplish a clone until they reverse engineer what I have developed which is unique

Post automatically merged: Aug 10, 2024

If you're meaning it looks rough in a sense of material, that is because the prototype design was 3D printed at home yes. However I have already been sourcing old the final product material which will be shared on my YouTube channel and other social media once it arrives!

I wouldn't say it looks rough. People are quick to shit on 3d printing just because its 3d printing and they associate it with those cheap terribad PLA prints that everyone and their brother tries to shill from thingiverse with uncalibrated Ender 3s.

Thats some great quality you're putting out with your printer. If you printed these out of ABS or ASA the shells would be hella durable and would last for years to come(especially since ASA is UV resistant) theres a reason car parts are printed out of this material.

You could likely produce units much faster as well. Print farms are hella efficient these days. If you need any help or want more information in regards to this. Id be happy to share/help! Injection moulding isn't a bad way to go about this either by any means. I just like to share more information since most people like to assume/think expensive moulding is really the only viable path nowadays.


Again great work, not trying to put you down or nothing in case this post comes off as uppity. Just wanted to share some extra info you may have not knew, and offer to help (or just share more advice/info on the topic) if wanted or needed

 

[AndorfRequissa]

i look forward to seeing version 2.0. not a big fan of crowdfunding so i wont get one of these even though it looks cool.

im just hoping this company isnt like anayeo and eventually releases some products that arent crowdfunded.

 

[fvig2001]

Is there a DS emulator that will allow this easily? Like Citra can at least split into 2 windows and go fullscreen each.

 

[Scarlet]

Is there a DS emulator that will allow this easily? Like Citra can at least split into 2 windows and go fullscreen each.

Drastic does on Android. For PC though it’s still not possible to do easily. There’s been talkings about it coming to Melon in the future but it’s not quite there yet. Citra and Cemu are your main PC uses.

 

[SecureBoot]

I may need to wait a paycheck or two but I'll support this. Hope it gets funded. It's been a long time since I've seen GBATemp almost unanimously positive on something

@MisterDNEH my friend noticed there isn't an anticipated shipping date for the Ally. Do you expect that one to start shipping later?

 

[NinStar]

A niche accessory for a niche video game market? I don't see this going very far.

 

[lemonmaster]

Price isn't too terrible ($145 to $160) given how much the screen would cost on it's own.
You can find 7 inch 1080p touch screens on Aliexpress for around ~$90 to $100 and around ~$120 to $130 on Amazon.

Given the price of a screen with same specs as the one used in this product, it actually seems fairly priced. Not to mention it has 2 speakers. Would probably back this if I had one of the handhelds.

 

[tech3475]

A niche accessory for a niche video game market? I don't see this going very far.

I'd say this is one of those times where crowdunding can be ideal, a relatively small/niche project which can still have a market but has allot of upfront costs and allow the makers to guage interest.

In the case of say my Amiga case I backed, it probably wouldn't exist otherwise, despite being niche.