MagicX Zero 40 receives surprise release: Pre-orders open starting at $75 for new Nintendo DS-focused gaming handheld

The Zero 40 is MagicX's second gaming handheld release of the year after the Mini Zero 28 (curr. $79.99 on Amazon) that landed a few months ago. Initially scheduled to be released last week, rumours then emerged that MagicX had delayed the Zero 40 until June 28 pending final 'optimisations'. Now out of nowhere, MagicX has opened pre-orders for its long-awaited gaming handheld.

Specifically, the MagicX Zero 40 is available in black or white colour options with 64 GB or 128 GB microSD cards to choose from. Starting at $75 for the time being, the gaming handheld rises to $83 when configured with a 128 GB microSD card. For reference, early units will ship with SanDisk-branded cards. However, MagicX reserves the right to transition to Kioxia-produced alternatives further down the line.

Regardless, all units feature the same 136 x 105 x 17 mm and 182 g chassis that houses its unusual 3:5 aspect ratio display. Measuring 4 inches diagonally, the small IPS panel outputs at 480 x 800 pixels and should be tall enough to emulate both Nintendo DS displays stacked on top of each other. Meanwhile, an Allwinner A133P chipset and 2 GB of DDR4 RAM power proceedings, as does a 4,300 mAh battery that should deliver up to 7 hours of gameplay when emulating less demanding titles. Please see MagicX's website for more details.