This $75 Handheld Could Be The Best Way To Emulate Nintendo DS In 2025

Say hello to the MagicX Zero 40

by Damien McFerran 10:35am

This Handheld Could Be The Ultimate Way To Emulate Nintendo DS Games 1 — *Image: TEAM-MAGICX*

Emulating systems like the Game Boy Advance, SNES and Mega Drive / Genesis is pretty straightforward these days, but the Nintendo DS is a slightly trickier proposition, thanks to its dual display format and touchscreen capabilities.

We have the AYANEO Flip DS, but that powerful handheld PC is so expensive that most people won't be willing to fork out the cash just to play DS titles. Thankfully, a more wallet-friendly alternative is on the horizon via MagicX and its Zero 40 handheld (thanks, Retro Handhelds).

Boasting a 4.5-inch portrait-style 480 x 800 IPS screen, the Zero 40 allows the DS' two screens to be stacked on top of each other in very much the same way Nintendo handled things with the 2DS. It's powered by the Allwinner A133P chipset and has a 4000mAh battery, which is good for around 4 to 5 hours of stamina. The emulation is handled by DraStic, a popular DS emulator.

MagicX expects to launch the device in April for around $75.

[source retrohandhelds.gg]

Damien has been writing professionally about tech and video games since 2007 and oversees all of Hookshot Media's sites from an editorial perspective. He's also the editor of Time Extension, the network's newest site, which – paradoxically – is all about gaming's past glories.

1
X68000
10:44am

Surely, this will be even better as a Tate arcade device. There's nothing else like this.

2
RupeeClock
10:51am

The screen resolution is a bit unfortunate. 480 width is going to be less than 2x scale for the DS's 256px wide screens.
That'll be an awkward 187.5% scale, and Drastic as a standalone emulator doesn't have the nice scaling/shading options that Retroarch does.

Taki Udon mentioned that one of his projects is replacement Nintendo DS screens, in his recent video for the Switch Lite replacement screens. That's something I'd like to see come to fruition since DS Lite and DSi screens have not aged particularly well; they're known to yellow due to the use of adhesives within the screen.

Damian, is this the best budget gameboy clone available?

4
GravyThief
11:17am

Emulation devices are not for me, so I’m probably missing the point. But why would you get one of these for DS games when you could get a second hand DS Lite and R4 card for a similar, if not cheaper price? The screens on the DS Lite are great.

Like I say, I’m probably missing the point 🤣

5
Banjo-
11:23am

@GravyThief Not to mention that 3DS, the best Nintendo handheld in my opinion, is backward compatible with DS and those cards.

I can't believe I can play Virtual Boy games at full speed on New 3DS in stereoscopic 3D. That system didn't even exist in this part of the world and now I kind of have it in my pocket.

6
romanista
11:45am

A tate mode handheld would be an instant buy. Inferested how this reviews. Ds is bonus

7
ruiner9
11:46am

@GravyThief Well there's the two dozen other game systems it will play, as listed on the bottom of the article. This will be perfect for vertical screen games for the Lynx, WonderSwan, and arcade. Plus the size is way more portable than a typical DS unit.

8
Lowdefal
11:58am

Another pointless attempt to copy a device that's already available cheaply and does the job perfectly.

Just hack an original machine guys.

9
Banjo-
12:01pm

@ruiner9 Yes, you are right about other devices being more versatile. It's a good thing that all these things are available as a way of preserving and playing old games.

10
GravyThief
12:40pm

@ruiner9 I did think of that, of course. But wouldn’t you want to get a different, more normal looking system for other game systems? This just seems very DS specific, which is why I made the comparison.

11
ruiner9
12:45pm

@GravyThief The “abnormal” part, the vertical screen, is the selling point of the unit, so no.

12
GravyThief
1:01pm

Removed - flaming/arguing

Kind of like the 2DS but without the casing creating a divide

14
N00BiSH
1:38pm

@Banjo- Red Viper really is the best.

@GravyThief Well, what'd you expect? Not everyone is going agree with your opinions y'know. I shouldn't have to even explain that to you. Yeesh...

I mean the Ayaneo Flip Ds exist too. Surely that would be a better option for you. I, for one, approve of this device. Besides DS, DS Lites, & DSi's ain't gonna last. Plus, this one is pretty affordable too. If it would play DS carts then I'd buy it too. But I have a 2DS that's pretty new & that will handle all my DS/3DS gaming needs for at least a decade or so.

16
avcrypt
36m ago

@GravyThief it's a little goofy and small, but I dig it for tate mode games. If I really wanted something to do tate mode on the go, I think this would work well enough. While I could get the original cabs over this, it's much cheaper just to buy the ROM chips from them and dump them myself, and I can't pack a DoDonPachi cabinet in my luggage. (Though I can try)

Pretty pointless, if you ask me. Why not just buy a second-hand DS? I did so a couple of months ago and it only cost me £40. I was then able to jailbreak the system and copy a massive library of DS games (in addition to other systems) onto an SD card.

Show Comments

Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...