Hands On with the Anbernic RG Rotate: Weird, Unique, and Instantly my Favorite

Submitted ⁨⁨4⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago⁩ by ⁨PerfectDark@lemmy.world⁩ to ⁨games@lemmy.world⁩

https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/7d72f43e-c872-493b-a241-87ad20426066.jpeg

So this retro handheld review might have been my favorite so far. I have such an obsession with design language (be it gaming or all the way to architecture), and seeing something as unique and different as this rotating touch screen on a retro handheld? It won me over without a second’s hesitation

Image

This handheld is a nicely squished cube with rounded corners, has a touch screen, obviously flips up to be a gaming handheld you can (comfortably) play PlayStation/PSP and even some few GameCube/PS2 games. Although you’d have to be crazy to buy this for GCN/PS2. They’re just a happy bonus (really, this is NOT a PS2 machine)

Image

Playing music or streaming music is a blast, as are audiobooks. I’ve had the most fun playing GBA and PS games on here, but if you’re interested in my review, you can check it out here:

gardinerbryant.com/hands-on-with-the-anbernic-rg-…

Or, you can just ask me what you’d like to know if you’d prefer to not! I love this damn thing. If I could wear it on a belt loop, I promise you I would be doing that like it is the olden days of phones!

Image

source

Comments

Sort:hotnew top

hakase@sh.itjust.works ⁨4⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
Yeah, Retro Game Corps has a great, in-depth video on this if anyone is interested.

The dealbreaker for me is the legendarily awful combination of shitty, delayed bluetooth, a back-facing speaker, and no headphone jack. The most reasonable way to actually hear your games is by adding an awkward and easily losable dongle, which is not acceptable imo.

Other than that, really great and sleek little device.

source
- ampersandrew@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
  If the dongle you need is USB-C, I’ve got one for my phone that let’s you charge at the same time, and it’s pretty low profile. Not ideal, but an option.
  
  source
- wyldrstallyns@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
  Who releases a product with busted AF bluetooth these days?! Hard pass until that, at least, is corrected. 🥹
  
  source
  - hakase@sh.itjust.works ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
    It’s unfortunately still pretty common among discount handheld manufacturers trying to save a few cents. They can still advertise it with Bluetooth, so unless people actually watch a review that criticizes it, they are still likely to buy it none the wiser.
    
    source
    -> View More Comments
- aeronmelon@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
  So Bluetooth headphones are a no-go?
  
  source
  - johnnyt@multiverse.soulism.net ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
    You can use them, but there is a distracting delay in the audio.
    
    source
    -> View More Comments
aeronmelon@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
A GameBoy Advance SP is still worthy of being a daily carry. Rock solid hardware with a huge library of timeless games.

That this thing is effectively the exact same dimensions using current tech makes it the first dedicated handheld I’ve considered getting since the DS Lite.

source
- rozodru@piefed.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
  still use mine almost daily. thing is built like a damn brick house too, rock solid. Metroid and Final Fantasy Tactics Advance are my go tos.
  
  source
  - wyldrstallyns@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
    Oh, man. The hours I’ve poured into FFT back in the OG days… Not even Skyrim, BG3, and Starfield combined can top it. 🤓🤘🏼
    
    source
- popcar2@piefed.ca ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
  If you’re looking for something akin to the GBA-SP but modern, check out the Anbernic RG34XX-SP.
  
  It looks almost the same as the GBA-SP, but with better everything and can emulate other systems. Same aspect ratio too which makes it perfect for GBA emulation, and it comes in fun colors.
  
  source
  - riquisimo@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
    They also have an original GBA variant. There are like 5 handhelds they made with the same internals, just different form factors. It’s so great.
    
    source
kahjtheundedicated@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
Very strange this doesn’t have a 3.5mm jack. That’s one of the main reasons I daily carry a handheld (psp) these days. It’s as valuable to me as a mp3 player as it is a gaming device.

source
Hamano@jlai.lu ⁨4⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
I would love to have one as a Pico-8 playing device !

A bummer that it doesn’t have a jack, the speaker is on the back and there is a sharp thing over the shoulder button.

source
- PerfectDark@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
  I saw one reviewer was annoyed by a shoulder button feel. But I have tried my hardest and I haven’t been able to feel that sharp point/edge. I do have smaller hands, so that could be a factor as I play (where it might be a issue with larger hands)
  
  I checked in with other reviewers, and I didn’t find anyone else who found that an annoying issue! But as with everything on retro handhelds, YMMV!
  
  source
  - Hamano@jlai.lu ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
    Thanks for the heads up !
    
    source
PerfectDark@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

“Or, you can just ask me what you’d like to know if you’d prefer to not! I love this damn thing. If I could wear it on a belt loop, I promise you I would be doing that like it is the olden days of phones!”

…just a heads-up, it is night here in Aus and I’m off to sleep. But, if there are any questions, I’ll reply in the morning! Damn timezone differences -____-

source
- wyldrstallyns@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
  Whaaaat?! I haven’t run across anyone else who’s knows about Gunsmith Cats in decades! That’s a deeeep cut. 🤘🏼
  
  source
  - PerfectDark@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
    One of my favs! Such a fun 3 episode run (aside from the manga)
    
    I LOVE IT SO MUCH!
    
    source
YiddishMcSquidish@lemmy.today ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
Oh, you can text on your sidekick?

Cute. :: pulls out rotate and starts furiously going through games, finally succumbing to option paralysis, and boots up Stardew::

source
- PerfectDark@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
  Image
  
  source
vonbaronhans@midwest.social ⁨4⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
Aww. It’s cute.

source
- PerfectDark@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
  It is!!!
  
  source
Joelk111@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
Am I missing something, or did you not include a photo of it fully open? A gif of it opening/closing would also be neat to see the mechanism. What a weird device.

source
- PerfectDark@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
  You’re 100% right! I mean to some time today, record a lil video of me sweeping it open then convert it to a GIF. I’ve just got a few things to get through first! Someone else reminded me I forgot to do that, which is…concerning since it is the BIG point on this handheld!
  
  For now, check Anbernic’s own video on YT, it was a short one which shows the rotation well:
  
  www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYdxn8lDhQc
  
  source
nazokiyoubinbou@urusai.social ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
@PerfectDark Wow, this is... uhm... ... ... wow...
What a strange idea for a handheld. 😆
I think I'd still prefer a flip where the screen is on the inside though. If you stick this in a pocket the screen isn't actually protected. To me that's more important than that it be a small minimal thing for music/etc. Though, I suppose if you look at it more as a MP3 player, ebook player, etc etc where you might not care if the screen gets scratched, it comes out ahead for that.
source
- wyldrstallyns@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
  Not protected? Take its name as a hint and turn it around to face your leg, instead. Boom. Solved.
  
  source
- PerfectDark@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
  The case is really nice, and there’s a screen protector to put on there, but I will be VERY interested in seeing everyone’s Rotate after 6 months or so!
  
  I’m that weirdo who kinda loves wear and tear on metal devices though. It shows they’ve been well loved!
  
  source
  - nazokiyoubinbou@urusai.social ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
    @PerfectDark I don't mind wear and tear on the casing, just on the screen.
    Thing is, I've had scratches happen even on tempered glass screens before. So I'm a little bit more paranoid than most. (I've also had a PDA come out of a pocket with the screen completely busted and broken beyond use before, but I'll admit that's less applicable to modern screens probably. Still, it's a thing...)
    I will always love the clamshell design of the NDS/DSi and 3DS the most personally. I wouldn't mind seeing a PSP/Vita style design where something just flips over to protect the screen mind you. That can work with almost anything, but no one does it. Still, the clamshell offers extra thickness and flexibility so it really is the best design for a pocket.
    source
ajikeshi@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
looks amazing and decently prized: anbernic.com/products/rg-rotate

but that one line makes it a neverbuy item for me:

AI: One-click game guide retrieval, real-time translation, intelligent dialogue, text-to-image generation, image processing, and more features.

source
- PerfectDark@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
  Fair enough!
  
  (Or just delete that app)
  
  source
Dojan@pawb.social ⁨4⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
Is that slot on the back a speaker? Is that the only speaker?

source
- hakase@sh.itjust.works ⁨4⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
  Yes, and yes. Plus, the bluetooth has a really bad delay, and there’s no headphone jack.
  
  source
  - Lucidlethargy@sh.itjust.works ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
    Yikes! HARD pass.
    
    source
  - Dojan@pawb.social ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
    Aw that’s unfortunate. It seems like a really fun device.
    
    source
  - Dhs92@piefed.social ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
    Could Bluetooth issues be resolved via firmware or is it the radio itself?
    
    source
riquisimo@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
I can’t make the “sign up” drop down thing go away when on your site (linked in your post). There’s no “x” to close it. It just covers the top of the page while I scroll.

That’s a bit aggressive, and made me not want to read your article.

source
- PerfectDark@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
  Should be fixed now! Thanks for sharing your feedback, there’s a option to close it down, Gardiner just changed it
  
  source
  - riquisimo@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
    Yes, it’s fixed! Ok, you get all the upvotes now, lol.
    
    source
- PerfectDark@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
  That’s really interesting, I hadn’t even noticed that banner existed!
  
  This is all Gardiner’s side of things, I just sent your thoughts over to him, thank you for the comment on it!
  
  source
Tess@piefed.blahaj.zone ⁨4⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
I love the form factor. It looks like a perfect little device to carry in my handbag.

source
BaraCoded@literature.cafe ⁨4⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
Ridiculous design, gimme foldable like the GBA SP (a design that actually protects the screen) or a non-foldable PSP form-factor, but that gadget shit is pathetic and does nothing a phone can’t already do. Stop being pigeons, stop giving gaming a bad name. Think, gamer, think.

source
- PerfectDark@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
  Image
  
  gimme foldable
  
  No, I wouldn’t give you a thing. Ever.
  
  stop giving gaming a bad name
  
  I really don’t understand what happened to society. Because you don’t like the design of a handheld you think I’m giving gaming a bad name? Fuck right off.
  
  source
lyrial@anarchist.nexus ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
The price is nice. I’d actually consider buying this since it is also just a straight up Android device so it can do more than just be an emulator.

source
- monotremata@lemmy.ca ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
  Note that it only has 32GB of internal storage, which could be kinda limiting for general Android use.
  
  source
- PerfectDark@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
  Usually I am a little hesitant to recommend things to people, but not this one. It is really, really fun. I have so enjoyed using it, and the fact it has a nice presence on my desk for things like music, podcasts, old anime? As well as gaming? Truly enjoyable!
  
  source
  - monotremata@lemmy.ca ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
    Does it support adoptable storage for its SD card?
    
    source
FudgyMcTubbs@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
Is this an ad?

source
- PerfectDark@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
  Its a review. My honest review. I’m not paid to write on my friend’s site, nor do we run a single ad on there. Anbernic don’t have any say in what I write, and if I gave up my reputation as a writer for a device this cheap, I’d be an idiot.
  
  I love the device, but if I loathed it I’d still share it here. I post all of my articles here.
  
  Check my post history, if you still think I’m some deep cover ad agent then you can have my account, I can’t even be bothered with these insinuation today.
  
  source
  - FudgyMcTubbs@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
    Listen, pal, your beef shouldn’t be with folks like me questioning if your “rave review” stippled with flowery adverbs is an ad. If you’re just some dude writing, then you’re just some dude writing.
    
    Your beef should be with marketers and advertisers who for the past decade+ have dishonestly inserted their scumbag bullshit ads into social media threads pretending to be just another excited commenter/content contributor leaving rave reviews with flowery adverbs. Go be pissed at them.
    
    Glad you like your Anbernic. I have an RG556 and two other lesser Anbernic devices. The lesser ones both stopped turning on after about a year – for no good reason. The RG556 still works 16 months after I got it. It’s fine at what it’s intended to do, but sucks as a Steam Link device.
    
    source
mavu@discuss.tchncs.de ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
Neat, but… i feel kind of weird asking this: What is the point of rotating a square display?

source
- Jarix@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
  Underneath I’m assuming is the hand help controls. Like flipping open an GameBoy Advance SP or a DS/3DS. But instead of flipping it open like a clam shell the screen is rotated open
  
  source
calamityjanitor@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
Very evocative of the 2010 Motorola Flipout I still have in a drawer. Looks very fun.

source
phaneuf@lemmy.zip ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
How’s Stardew on this?

source
- PerfectDark@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
  I don’t play that game, but someone on Discord asked me to try the Android version for them. The only issue I found was the UI was a bit squished in the intro set-up screen:
  
  Image
  
  After that it is just fine! All the pinch to zoom gestures and so on work well.
  
  Image
  
  Image
  
  Though to be fair I’m not sure what is normal and right, as I don’t play it!
  
  source
Lucidlethargy@sh.itjust.works ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
Why a square screen? What games support that?

source
- Joelk111@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
  Wasn’t the Gameboy screen pretty square?
  
  source
  - PerfectDark@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
    GB, GBC, GBA (different aspect but they look great regardless, PlayStation, WonderSwan, Genesis, SNES
    
    I don’t know, there’s a ton of 3:2-ish consoles which just look beautiful on here, people can get pedantic and state that none are true dead square, but they all suit this so well!
    
    source
- hakase@sh.itjust.works ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
  In addition to the obvious Game Boy, NES and SNES look great in 8x7 which looks really good on a square screen.
  
  source
THE_GR8_MIKE@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
This looks neat. But I already have an Analogue Pocket which seems to do everything this does, and a little bit more, except for being the same size when closed.

source
- PerfectDark@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
  I do love the Analogue Pocket’s philosophy and design, but:
  
  Analogue Pocket which seems to do everything this does, and a little bit more
  
  The Rotate runs Android. Which is a bonus to some, and a caveat to others. But it is infinitely more powerful as a retro handheld than the AP! The 'Pocket can’t run systems from the 32-bit era or later, while this can emulate a whole lot (with varying degrees of success)
  
  I just think wanted to address “…everything this does, and a little bit more…” for anyone coming across this in the future!
  
  source
  - Damage@feddit.it ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
    
    The Rotate runs Android. Which is a bonus to some, and a caveat to others.
    
    Yeah, I’d rather have a Linux handheld, rather than an android one that will be abandoned as soon as it is sold, but then again, if it’s ARM then it needs a custom kernel which will be abandoned as well, so I’ll just avoid this whole kind of device completely.
    
    It’s cool tho.
    
    source
- InFerNo@lemmy.ml ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
  Is the market getting saturated? I have an Odroid Ultra and feel like there isn’t a real good upgrade out there.
  
  source
  - PerfectDark@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
    I like to think of it as there’s a device for every single person’s needs!
    
    source
popcar2@piefed.ca ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
It’s such a cool and unique device but it’s hard to be interested in it with all its downsides.

No headphone jack

Terrible back-firing speaker (almost guaranteed to be muffled by your hand)

2000mAh battery only

Maybe if they ever make a version 2 I might pick it up, but for now I’ll probably stick with my RG35XX-H for a looooong time.
source
- PerfectDark@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
  The headphone jack is totally valid for some. I’d not used a 3.5mm plug-in pair for sooooo many years (actually I bought my first pair of IEMs a few weeks ago for my new music journey, so there’s that!), so bluetooth is just my default go-to these days. But for some who prefer wired this will 100% be a let down, or a deciding factor
  
  The back-firing speaker is fine when you hold and play it. Not once have I covered it with my hands or fingers! The only time it is a factor that drove me nuts was when I’d lay it down on a surface, face-up. That is when it gets muffled
  
  The battery is perfectly fine! 5-6 hours with pushing it on higher systems, and maybe 6-7 with basic GB?
  
  The best part is that you know exactly what you love, and what works for you. Lots of people make fun of how often devices get released, but the best part of that is that there really is a device for everyone!
  
  source
Internet@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨4⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
That perspective makes it look like a TV, lol

source
dragonlover@lemmy.zip ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
How will the upcoming android changes affect this? Most of the emulators would be sideloaded right?

Would love this but worried it’ll become obsolete / locked out of updates once google does it’s stupid shit

source
- PerfectDark@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
  None of these will affected! These retro handhelds aren’t officially certified Android Google Play devices, they just run the Play Store
  
  You can find the list here:
  
  github.com/…/certified-android-devices
  
  source
thingsiplay@lemmy.ml ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
It’s a cute device. My only concern is, how durable is the screen? Does it use Gorilla display like on smartphones, so it can handle scratches and a fall from small height in example? I think a clamshell design would have been better, but then you cannot use the display without opening it up. On the other side, for all those tasks you would use without opening it up, I would probably prefer my phone. I’m probably a more practical guy. This definitely need some extra protection layer.

I don’t want to sound too negative here, as I just focus one aspect while watching the images and videos. The form factor is pretty cool and I’m glad Anbernic is experimenting with many designs. So this is not a complaint reply here.

source
- PerfectDark@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
  It definitely isn’t Corning who are covering the top of this one. It just ‘feels’ the same as my phone screens, but I’m not actually sure what the surface is! Someone else asked me to check, so I’ve asked my friend at Anbernic (will update here if I remember!). All I can say for sure now is that it has the exact same feel as all my phones do.
  
  I’m like you though, in that I’ll be very interested in how this looks after say 6 months of use. It does come with a screen protector, and the soft case it has will protect it in transit.
  
  source
summerily@piefed.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
Okay, that does look fun.
I don’t know a lot about modern tech but I suppose that the usb port might support headphones, at least I have a phone that does so when I tried it exactly once. I’ll keep this thing in mind for sure.
I didn’t know I wanted PS2 emulation until I saw here that it is a thing that exists effortlessly enough these days so I might look into that more first… but I also didn’t know that I might want a something fun like this one in particular.

source
- PerfectDark@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
  As for PS2 emulation, there are SO many devices which run it. These days the systems which are pushing the envelope on the retro handhelds are things like:
  
  PC gaming (Steam, GOG, Epic and so on) which is 100% super doable and impressive on Android.
  
  PS3 which is just really starting out, not fantastic but the games which do play, do so great.
  
  Switch! Super, super, super impressive on handhelds. Eden is the one emulator doing the hard work these days in my eyes. There’s also Ryubing (made by one of the original Ryujinx devs), but Eden is my pick.
  
  Wii U (a rather immature emulator, just getting started on Android).
  
  It is a deep, deep world out there, with varying costs. But if you’re looking for PS2 games, upscaled and on the go in a tiny handheld? There is so many to choose from now!
  
  source