Awesome Steam Deck Mod Turns PC Handheld Into A Dual-Display Nintendo DS Clone
Yet another dual-screen "DS" handheld has been born, though this time it's through user modification of the Steam Deck OLED rather than a dedicated clone like the Anbernic RG DS.
This particular Steam Deck DS modding project is the most recent of its kind, but not the only one—there have been plenty of these posted to the r/SteamDeck subreddit since the launch of Steam Deck, thanks to the plentiful solutions on the market for external displays and mounting them to Steam Deck. This particular rendition is courtesy of Reddit user Amoux_Fang, who cites the simple desire to make her own DS handheld instead of buying one already pre-made. While something like the Anbernic RG DS, AYN Thor or Ayaneo Flip 1S would indeed provide a more authentic experience, we can't deny the simple practicality of using an already-owned Steam Deck instead of buying a whole other device just for Nintendo DS/3DS emulation.
The only real issue here seems to be an aspect ratio mismatch, but u/Amoux_Fang assures readers in the comments that she fixed it later. The emulation setup here uses Steam Deck's Desktop Mode and the MelonDS emulator, since it's near impossible to utilize Dual Screens in SteamOS Gaming Mode. But since Desktop Mode still functions just fine for most gaming scenarios, this isn't a major limitation, just a slight inconvenience compared to using Gaming Mode as is common with single-screen emulation solutions on Steam Deck.
The back of the dual-screened setup does look a little wonkier, but there are some good touches here. The contoured USB-C cable from Deck to display is repurposed from a UGreen Steam Deck Docking Station purchased by her husband, and being put to good use here. The mount is done with the Deck Mate from Mechanism (company previously known as Deck Mate before extending accessories to other handhelds), and the monitor is a 7-inch 1080p 60Hz Wisecoco portable monitor.
Sadly, the portable monitor does not support pass-through charging, so both Steam Deck and the portable display require individual charging time after a few hours of gaming on this behemoth DS setup. The raw power of the Steam Deck OLED is far greater than any Nintendo DS or 3DS handheld, though, so the emulation experience should prove delightfully crisp and clear—though we do have some concerns about the top screen's latency, both because it's external and not using a responsive OLED panel. Emulation almost requires a high-end display setup for those who don't want substantially worse input lag than on original hardware.
All that said, kudos to the modder on a really cool project.
Image Credit: u/Amoux_Fang on Reddit
