It’s no secret that Steam Deck is the perfect emulation machine, talking strictly from a preservation standpoint, of course. Three of the trickiest platforms to cover are Nintendo DS, 3DS, and WiiU with their dual screens. Leave it up to the modding community, however, as someone has an elegant solution.
Dubbed the Mega DS, Redditor TyePower uses a portable touchscreen from Wisecoco to fill the void. At 7in, it’s the same size as the standard Steam Deck and a touch smaller than the 7.4in OLED model. The 1080p resolution is more than either of Valve’s displays, but it’s locked to 60Hz.
Keeping things neat, TyePower plugs this in using a 1ft USB 3.1 Type-C cable rated at 100W and a right-angle adapter. You could simply get a right-angle cable, but they wanted to be sure the wire was of high quality. I’m curious whether a 0.5ft cable with two right-angle adapters would reduce the overhang, but it’s a small price to pay for comfortable movement.
The clamshell design comes courtesy of Rolling Square’s Edge Pro hinges. Simply fold the screen back when you want it out of the way. It’s not quite as protective as Nintendo’s original handhelds since the monitor faces outwards, so you’ll need to be careful if you take it on the go with you.
As someone who owns these very same hinges, I can speak to their versatility and rigidity. They pop on magnetically and are completely MagSafe with electronics. I use one to hold both my webcam and a Logitech Litra Beam light behind my monitor. It’s never once fallen, so I don’t expect two to struggle with this screen.
Fret not about the screen layout. If you want to keep your Steam Deck OLED as your main screen, it’s a simple option in the settings. You won’t be able to use the 3D mode on compatible games using either display, but let’s be frank; most of us didn’t use the feature much anyway.
Overall, it’s an admirable mod. It’s not quite as clean as Ayaneo Flip, which bakes in a second screen naturally, but it works. Better yet, all of these items are available on Amazon, meaning you could have them as soon as tomorrow with a Prime Subscription.
When it comes to emulating games, always download responsibly. These are copyrighted by their publishers, and piracy is against the law pretty much around the world. Check your local laws, as some might allow you to emulate games you own, but using anything other than the original device is strictly against the terms and conditions. With that in mind, happy modding!
