As far as I'm concerned, handhelds don't get much more iconic than the Nintendo DS. I say as far as I'm concerned, but it seems like I'm not the only one, with brands such as Anbernic and Ayn releasing DS-style handhelds in the last year or so. Now, another is on the way in the form of the Yoniq Duo, a new retro-inspired rival that comes with its own stylus.
I'll admit, I've not heard much about Yoniq before, but I'm intrigued. I couldn't even find an official press release, but the details we've got are from an email sent to Retro Dodo. The product description doesn't include much in the way of specs, instead alluding to a "high-definition dual-screen design," "4× pixel-perfect scaling," and "a built-in physical stylus." That last bit feels important, as, to me, the stylus feels like a big part of the authentic DS experience.
Fortunately, we shouldn't have to wait long to see what the Yoniq Duo is all about, as the brand is apparently bringing the handheld to Gamescom 2026. That's a pretty noteworthy statement of intent, so it'll be worth keeping an eye out for any coverage from the upcoming event detailing specs, the user experience, or perhaps even an indication of the price. Keep in mind that you can currently pick up the RG DS for around $100, although it's not exactly a performance beast, especially compared to some of the other picks from our guide to the best retro handhelds.
From what we can gather from the image sent to Retro Dodo, the Duo looks remarkably similar to the RG DS, right down to the layout of the thumbsticks and the face buttons, while also packing a hidden stylus. The image also suggests that black could be one of the available colorways, but we don't know for sure, and it could still be a prototype or mockup image.
If you're headed to Gamescom yourself, you can drop by the Yoniq stall at Hall 10.1, Booth C-052G. Given that there'll be plenty of press at the event, including your friends from Pocket Tactics, we'd expect to hear more details about this handheld and the brand behind it before long.