ANBERNIC RG DS
Anbernics first foray into the dual screen clamshell form factor handheld, however it is very low powered. So what market is it aimed at, who would want one?
Accessories wise there are only the items in the box, these are a type-C charging cable, capacitive stylus, screen protector, user manual, lanyard. There doesn't seem to be any other accessories such as replacement thumbsticks, grips etc available on the Anbernic store.
Of the three colours available, Black & Crimson, Turquoise Blue and Polar White I selected the turquiose varient as blue is my favourite colour and it looks very similar to the turquoise varient of the Nintendo DS.
With regards to power you can see below Anbernic seemed to be taking a step back as the Anbernic RG DS (December 2025) seems a lot less powerful than the Anbernic RG Slide (June 2025) released only 6 months earlier, why the step back could it be that Anbernic didn't want to be left out in the cold when it comes to dual screen handhelds? Possibly wanting to release anything while dual screens are the next big thing.
| | Anbernic RG DS | Anbernic RG Slide |
|---|
| Top Screen | 4" IPS | N/A |
| Resolution |
640x480 |
N/A |
| Bottom Screen | 4" IPS | 4.7" |
| Resolution | 640x480 (Both Screens) | 1280x960 |
| Processor | RK3568 Quad-core | Unisoc T820 |
| GPU | ARM G52 2EE | Mali-G57 |
| RAM | 3GB | 8GB LPDDR4X |
| Storage | 128GB UFS2.2 | 128G UFS2.2 |
| OS | Android 14 | Android 13 |
| Wi-Fi | 2.4/5G 802.11a/b/g/n/ac | 2.4/5G 802.11a/b/g/n/ac |
| Bluetooth | 4.2 | 5.0 |
| microSD | Up To 2TB | Up To 2TB |
| Battery | 4000mAh |
5000mAh |
There are three main contenders when it comes to clamshells at the moment, there is the Retroid Flip 2 which is a clamshell and there are a couple of dual screen clamshells on the market, the AYN Thor and now the Anbernic RG DS however all three are probably for different markets. AYN Thor the mpost powerful of the three and then the Retroid Flip 2 aimed at mid range use and the Anbernic RG DS the least powerful of the three.
| AYN Thor |
Retroid Flip 2 |
Anbernic RG DS |
|---|
|
CPU |
SD 8 Gen 2 | SD 865 | RK3568 Quad-core |
|
GPU |
Adreno 740 | Adreno 650 | ARM G52 2EE |
|
OS |
Android 13 |
Android 13 | Android 14 |
|
Battery |
6000mAh |
5000 mAh | 4000mAh |
|
Top Screen |
6" AMOLED |
IPS | 4" IPS |
|
Resolution |
1920x1080 |
1920x1080 | 640x480 |
|
Bottom Screen |
3.92" AMOLED |
N/A |
4" IPS |
|
Resolution |
1080x1240 |
N/A |
640x480 |
| RAM | 16GB LPDDR5x | 8GB | 3GB |
| Storage | 1TB UFS2.2 | 128 GB UFS 3.1 | 128GB UFS2.2 |
| Ex Storage | microSD | microSD | Up To 2TB |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 7 | Wi-Fi 6 | Wi-Fi |
| Bluetooth | 5.3 | 5.0 | 4.2 |
As with most if not all clamshell designed handhelds they can be best used when out and about as they tend to be of a size that can be thrown into your pocket or a backpack and being a clamshell design the screen(s) have their own built in protection once closed.
Setting up the Anbernic RG DS was a doddle, I put ROMs on a microSD card for Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Game Gear, Mega Drive and of course the one I really was excited to try, Nintendo DS. I also included Nintendo 3DS just for fun. I jumped straight in with Drastic for emulating Nintendo DS and it took no tinkering with settings it ran straight out of the box as though the games were running on native hardware and it was silky smooth. GBC for Game Boy Color emulation again after selecting the folder with the ROMs in it ran on the bottom screen which may be the way for some but after checking the settings and changing one option I had it running on the top screen and I was much happier with that.
Did the Anbernic RG DS live up to the hype? Apart from the trailers showing gameplay for the Nintendo 3DS which would be nice but not a deal breaker if it didn't work I would say "YES" it does, well and truly, live up to the hype.
Would I recommend? It really depends on your passion for gaming or passion for collecting handheld consoles. For people wanting to replace their aging Nintendo DS, I would definitely say "YES", if you are wanting to play more demanding consoles then the answer would be "NO". I would consider myself a collector and for me the answer is definitely "YES". If you want to play PlayStation 1, PlayStation 2 or PlayStation 3 or other high end consoles then this is not the hanheld for you. The Anbernic RG DS definitely has it's demographic and I think Anbernic are aware where their market lies.
My final thoughts are that I'll give Nintendo 3DS a go, I tried Azahar but it only reconised 1 of my ROMs so I uninstalled Azahar and installed AzaharPlus which recognised a few more of the ROMs, a promising start. On opening one of my ROMs it seemed a little jurky so I tried another and that didn't start, more testing needed and setting will need changing.
Michael
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