The main difference between the Pocket DS and the Thor is power.
The Pocket DS plays everything up to Switch well, while the Thor tops out at PS2.
Other differences
- The Thor has a headphone jack; the Pocket DS does not.
- The Pocket DS runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon G3x Gen 2, the Thor on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2.
Which is better
Which fits in a pocket better?
ThorThe Thor (150 x 94 x 25.6 mm, 380 g). The Pocket DS is 179.8 x 101.8 x 25 - 34.4 mm, 540 g. Neither fits a jeans pocket; think jacket pocket or bag.
Which is better for PS2 games, the Pocket DS or the Thor?
TieAbout the same: 90 and 86 out of 100.
Which costs less?
ThorThe Thor, at about $290 at launch against $399. Prices today vary by store and the used market.
Which is better for GBA games?
TieBoth play GBA (100 and 100 out of 100).
Which has the bigger battery?
Pocket DSThe Pocket DS, at 8,000 mAh against 6,000 mAh. That is capacity only: the chips differ, and the heavier the system you play, the faster either one drains.
Side by side
| Pocket DS | Thor | |
|---|---|---|
| Launch price | $399 | $290 |
| Released | Oct 2025 | Oct 2025 |
| Plays well up to | Switch | PS2 |
| Shape | Clamshell | Clamshell |
| Software | Android | Android |
| Chip | Qualcomm Snapdragon G3x Gen 2 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 |
| Memory | 8 GB | 8 GB |
| Screen | Two screens: 7 inch and 5 inch OLED | Two screens: 6 inch and 3.92 inch AMOLED |
| Resolution | 1920 x 1080, 1024 x 768 | 1920 x 1080, 1240 x 1080 |
| Battery | 8,000 mAh | 6,000 mAh |
| Weight | 540 g | 380 g |
| Size | 179.8 x 101.8 x 25 - 34.4 mm | 150 x 94 x 25.6 mm |
| Analog sticks | Double, asymmetrical | Double, asymmetrical |
| Hall effect sticks | Yes | Yes |
| L2 and R2 | Yes, stacked | Yes, stacked |
| Analog triggers | Yes | Yes |
| Wi-Fi | Yes | Yes |
| Video out | Yes | Yes |
| Headphone jack | No | Yes |
Green marks the better value where one is clearly better. Prices are launch prices.
Emulation
- Pocket DSThor
- Game Boy
- NES
- Genesis
- GBA
- SNES
- PS1
- DS
- N64
- Dreamcast
- PSP
- Saturn
- GameCube
- 3DS
- Wii
- PS2
- Switch
- Wii U
- PS3
100 means the system runs at full speed with no known issues.
Full details
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More comparisons
Why this pair: buyers weigh these two against each other. 75 comments by 67 different people compare them in community discussions, and 31 post titles name both. Specs, emulation scores and launch prices from the retrocatalog.com handheld database.