Anbernic is a Chinese handheld gaming console company founded in 2017 in Shenzhen by Shenzhen YangLiMing Electronic Technology Co.

The company is known for producing devices that emulate video game systems from the first five generations, such as the NES, Sega Genesis, Game Boy, SNES, PlayStation, and Nintendo 64, as well as more recent consoles from the seventh generation, like the PlayStation Portable and Nintendo DS. More recent handhelds are able to do much more, including being able to play 6th generation consoles such as the PlayStation 2 and GameCube, as well as the Nintendo 3DS.

History

The Anbernic trademark was registered in 2017 by Chinese manufacturer Shenzhen YangLiMing Electronic Technology Co., Ltd, which released its first handheld console, the Retro Game (RG), that same year. The brand gained prominence after launching a series of popular retrogaming devices, including the RG351P, RG353V, and RG35XX models.

In December 2018, American rapper Soulja Boy launched the emulator console SouljaGame Console, which was actually a rebranded version of existing consoles developed by Anbernic. The project was shut down less than a month after its release.

Since the establishment of the company 7 years ago, it has released an average of 4-5 models per year.

Software The devices typically run on Android or Linux-based operating systems and allow users to play classic video games through software emulation.

Due to their popularity, several open source projects provide custom firmware for these devices, offering additional features and extended support. These include ArkOS, AmberElec, ROCKNIX, and muOS.

Reception Its systems have consistently received acclaim and are considered among the best retro gaming devices.

In 2020, Begina de Miguel of El País praised the RG350 model, stating that it "combines high performance with excellent gameplay," and named it the "best retro handheld console" for under 100 euros.

In 2023, Billy Givens and Harry Rabinowitz of Popular Mechanics praised Anbernic's user-friendly interfaces, selecting the RG351P model as the "best handheld game system for emulation." However, they warned that "loading old games into emulators and then selling them in this way is legally questionable in the United States," though consumers are "protected from the illegal nature of these emulations" since the company is based in China.

In 2024, Jordan McMahon of The Strategist described the Anbernic RG35XX as the "best handheld gaming console for retro gaming," while Keith Stuart of The Guardian referred to Anbernic consoles as "unofficial handhelds" that "play thousands of games –as long as you don't mind about the shady legality of homebrew emulators and downloadable rom files."

List of devices Model Release date SoC CPU GPUAnalog Form Factor Operating System RG351P Sep 2020 Rockchip RK3326 4 * 1.5 GHz Cortex A35 ARM Mali-G31 (2 Execution Engines) DualHorizontal Linux RG351M Jan 2021 RG351V Feb 2021Single Vertical RG552 Dec 2021 Rockchip RK3399 2 * 2.0 GHz Cortex A724 * 1.5 GHz Cortex A53 ARM Mali-T860 MP4DualHorizontal Android 11 & Linux RG503 Apr 2022 Rockchip RK3566 4 * 1.8 GHz Cortex A55 ARM Mali-G52 (2 Execution Engines) DualHorizontal LinuxRG353P Jun 2022 DualHorizontal Android 11 & Linux RG353VOct 2022 DualVertical LinuxRG353M Aug 2022 DualHorizontal Android 11 & LinuxRG DSDec 2025Rockchip RK35684 * 2 GHz Cortex A55 ARM Mali-G52 (2 Execution Engines)DualHorizontalAndroid 14RG Vita ProMar 2026Rockchip RK35764 * 2.2 GHz Cortex A724 * 1.8 GHz Cortex A53 ARM Mali-G52 MC3DualHorizontalAndroid 14 & LinuxWIN600July 2022AMD AthlonAMD Athlon Silver 3050e Dali APUAMD Radeon RX Vega 3DualHorizontalWindows 11 Unisoc T618 Lineup RG505 Nov 2022 Unisoc T618 2 * 2 GHz Cortex A756 * 2 GHz Cortex A55 ARM Mali G52 DualHorizontalAndroid 12RG405MMar 2023 DualHorizontalRG405VSept 2023 DualVerticalRG VitaMar 2026 DualHorizontalRG RotateMay 2026 NoneVertical Allwinner H700 Lineup RG35XX Plus Nov 2023 Allwinner H700 4 * 1.5 GHz Cortex A53 ARM Mali-G31 MP2NoneVerticalLinuxRG35XX HJan 2024DualHorizontalRG28XXApril 2024NoneHorizontalRG35XXSPMay 2024NoneClamshell (GBA SP)RG40XX HJuly 2024DualHorizontalRG40XX VAug 2024SingleVerticalRG CubeXXOct 2024DualHorizontalRG34XXDec 2024NoneHorizontal (GBA)RG34XXSPMay 2025DualClamshell (GBA SP)RG35XX ProJun 2025DualVertical Unisoc T820 Lineup RG 556 Mar 2024 UNISOC T820 1 * 2.7 GHz Cortex A763 * 2.3 GHz Cortex A764 * 2.1 GHz Cortex A55 ARM Mali-G57 MP4 DualHorizontal Android 13RG CubeJun 2024HorizontalRG 406VSept 2024VerticalRG 406HNov 2024HorizontalRG SlideJun 2025HorizontalRG 476HSep 2025Horizontal Mediatek Dimensity 8300 Lineup RG 557 April 2025 Dimensity 8300 1 * 3.35 GHz Cortex A7153 * 3.20 GHz Cortex A7154 * 2.20 GHz Cortex A510ARM Mali-G615 MP6 DualHorizontal Android 14RG 477MAug 2025HorizontalRG 477VDec 2025Vertical

RGXX lineup Identified by the inclusion of "XX" in their model name, this line of Anbernic handhelds is powered by the same Allwinner H700 chipset. Beginning with the RG35XX Plus, these devices are relatively cheap (35-70 euro) and low-powered compared to other emulation handhelds. Emulation ability tops out at PS1, with most N64 games and Dreamcast games playable at full-speed.

The only difference in these handhelds are available controls and form factor. For example the 35XXSP is a clamshell device with no analog sticks, while the 35XXH is a horizontal handheld with sticks.

Custom firmware is usually compatible across the entire lineup. Sometimes this may require a small update from the firmware developers.

References