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AMD Ryzen Powers Nintendo DS Look-Alike PC Gaming Handheld
Japanese hardware company Tassei Denki recently showcased a handheld gaming PC prototype with an interesting 'new' form factor. Tassei Denki was at the Tokyo Game Show (TGS) with a dual-screen AMD Ryzen APU powered handheld prototype in a display case - alongside a venerable old Nintendo 3DS.
You don't have to be a crack CSI team member to understand where Tassei Denki got the inspiration for its prototype. Nintendo Life provided some further background information about the device, taken from the Japanese information card in the display box. The prototype maker's blurb suggested there are too many identikit PC gaming handhelds hitting the market right now. Its designers thought about breaking those unspoken boundaries and conceiving a device "for playing retro and modern games on the go." Moreover, Tassei Denki wasn't shy to name-check the Nintendo handheld. "You can play the classic Nintendo 3DS on the AMOLED dual screen," said the info card. Additionally, the wide world of PC gaming would be open to any user of this device due to its powerful Ryzen chip, added the firm.
A few specs were also shared for the device. The DS-like clamshell design is formed by twin 90 Hz 6-inch screens. These are high-quality AMOLED panels, and each delivers "2400 x 1080 pixels and 600 nits brightness," according to a machine translation of the exhibit text.
Information about the AMD Ryzen chip inside, and other tech specs, was sadly absent from the presentation. Squinting at the text reveals that a Ryzen 5 processor was chosen for the prototype. In this case, the most sensible choice would probably be one of the Ryzen 5 7640 or 7540 'Phoenix' processors for the appealing Zen 4 and RDNA 3 combo.
Before you start saving up for a 'Tassei Denki 3DS' or whatever it may finally be called, please remember this was a concept device at a trade show and might never make it any further than that. Nevertheless, we have seen a willingness by companies like GPD and Ayaneo to experiment with form factors to appeal to niches in what is becoming a crowded market. So, if Tassei Denki doesn't run with a clamshell PC gaming handheld like this, perhaps someone else will.
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Mark Tyson is a news editor at Tom's Hardware. He enjoys covering the full breadth of PC tech; from business and semiconductor design to products approaching the edge of reason.
