ANBERNIC CONSOLES

ANBERNIC CONSOLES

Anbernic was founded in 2017 and they started producing handheld consoles in September of 2020, their first console was the RG351P with a Cortex A35 CPU running at 1.5GHZ, not very powerful when compared to today’s processors when you consider the latest CPUs being used in Android devices is the SnapDragon Elite, but you must take into account the emulators available at the time the 1.5GHZ processor was more than enough.


Anbernic have a very large range of handhelds with varying CPU processing power, varying GPU speeds, varying stick/D-pad layouts (stick above D-pad or stick below D-pad), no sticks, varying triggers (some in-line and some stacked), vertical handhelds and horizontal handhelds, slide open configuration, overall size of handheld, clam shell and now clam shell with dual screens.

Anbernic are probably the worst culprit when it comes to flooding the market, releasing a handheld and then a month or so later releasing their next and then a couple of months down the line releasing another that is just a slight upgrade of the first (a repeating pattern). There are a few shown in the links page “Handheld Consoles”. I would list all their consoles here, however from September 2020 to date they have released a total of 35 different consoles released over a 69 month period which equates to just short of 1 every 2 months. Shall we just say they have been prolific in their releases.

From the selection of Anbernic consoles I own most have been extremely easy to set-up, however the Anbernic Win600 is a little more time consuming when setting up as Windows doesn't lend itself well to handheld consoles. Over the years many modding opportunities have become available, more so with the introduction of 3D printers, such as stick replacements, 3D printed cases, 3D printed grips, official cases and the many official and unofficial pieces of merchandise.

It would be nice to think that every incarnation of an Anbernic console would produce ever more powerful consoles, however this has not been the case and Anbernic keep revisiting the same processors which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Anbernic might not have the most powerful handheld out there but I would say they have some of the most successful. Shall we just say they know their market and how to price their consoles accordingly.

RG557 - One of Anbernics More powerful Consoles

If you were to purchase an Anbernic console there are many things you could do in helping your selection, most would look at the specifications to determine which best suits your needs and the following are things to keep in mind for your purchase: Battery size, Screen refresh rate, CPU, GPU, RAM, Onboard Storage, External Storage, Screen Size, Screen Resolution, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, OS Android/Linux/Windows, also keep in mind that there are also third party GUIs Knulli, GammaOS etc.

Anbernic are in quite a competitive market, which may account for the quantity of consoles they release, and Anbernic compete with many other makers of handhelds, Powkiddy, AYANEO, AYN, GPD and Switch (I know not an emulation handheld but a handheld non the less), etc. all of which seem to aim at different markets that require an Android, Linux, Windows or  the Nintendo Switch own operating system.

At the moment there are no Anbernic handhelds that use SnapDragon processors which seem to have become a necessity to run such emulators as those for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4 and Switch, but Anbernic seems to know its market and the Snapdragon doesn't seem to be part of their roadmap at present. The latest iteration of an Anbernic handheld is the RG Rotate but they have also recently released a dual screen console which seem to be very popular among all handheld producers at the moment and this dual screen handheld is at a price of under £100.

There are emulators for most handheld consoles of the 80s through to present day such as PlayStation 3 and Switch which is where most of Anbernics high end consoles top out.

There is always talk of consoles that can be emulated on modern handheld consoles but there are also many computers that can be emulated: Commodore 64, Commodore Amiga, Atari ST, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, PC (streamed) and many others and these don't seem to get as much coverage as retro consoles do.

Would I recommend an Anbernic device?
Most definitely, the is an Anbernic for everyone, RG DS for dual screen play, RG557 for high end gaming, Win600 for Windows gaming (including Stream) and RG35XX if you want something that looks a little retro (got that Game Boy look going on) and there is a wide variety to cater for all.

Do I like my collection of Anbernic devices?
I certainly do, my most powerful handheld isn't an Anbernic but when it comes to playing it's not all about the power, there is no point in having a powerful handheld with a SnapDragon Elite under the hood with a 3.5” screen that is only able to emulate Game Boy. Sometimes you want a handheld that looks like a Game Boy that can play Game Boy, Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance only and that is enough for some.

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Michael