Tassei Denki's Nintendo 3DS-lookalike prototype offers dual 90 Hz 600 nits FHD displays, powered by AMD Ryzen 5 Zen 4 and RDNA 3 APU

Few gaming handhelds have had the kind of fan following that the Nintendo 3DS enjoyed. While modern gaming handhelds such as the Steam Deck, Asus ROG Ally, and offerings from GPD and AyaNeo are fast gaining popularity, the Nintendo 3DS still evokes fond memories.

Now, a Japanese company is modernizing the 3DS — well, sort of. Tassei Denki showed off a dual-screen gaming handheld resembling a Nintendo 3DS at the recently held Tokyo Game Show. This 3DS-look alike packs in an AMD Ryzen 5 processor that is capable of running the original 3DS games under emulation. Tassei Denki hasn't specified what's the exact chip being used, but a Zen 4 + RDNA 3 Phoenix APU is not out of the realm of possibility.

The prototype gaming handheld sports twin 6-inch 90 Hz AMOLED displays with 2400 x 1080 resolution and 600 nits brightness — orders of magnitude better than the 3DS's 400 x 240 and 320 x 240 screens.

Modern gaming handhelds are quite powerful enough to emulate older consoles without severe performance penalties. Recently, the ROG Ally was shown to be capable of running even Xbox 360 and PS3 games at 1080p 60 fps with minimal framerate drops.

Unfortunately, it is not clear whether this 3DS clone will make it to the market. According to Tassei Denki, these prototypes for display at TGS are only to show off their technological capabilities. But given the increasing demand for gaming handhelds, and rumors of even Microsoft contemplating on joining the bandwagon, we might get to see a 3DS-esque console with powerful x86 or ARM chips.

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