If you have been waiting to order Anbernic’s New sub $100 dual-screen DS-like handheld you need wait no longer.
In keeping with their promise of keeping the sale price of the RG DS below $100 they are shipping it just powerful enough to run dual-screens while playing DS games. They are also offering a $6 discount for those who order early.
Performance
The specs have been a point of contention in some circles, but the Anbernic RG DS will deliver exactly as advertised. If you want something more powerful for 3DS emulation checkout the Ayn Thor here!
The display is scaled x2.5 the Nintendo DS resolution which appears to be able to be made up with a combination of shaders (I still really need to start trying different shaders). The Drastic emulator will likely be pre-installed as Anbernic does include on their other devices for DS emulation. This emulator softens up the image by default so you likely wont need to make changes if you don’t want to.
Unfortunately the RG DS isn’t powerful enough to run other DS emulators like MelonDS which allow for more robust options and awards systems such as RetroAchivements. With the RK3568 SOC the Anbernic RG DS really is balancing a power curve between basic and mid emulation while running on Android.
Specs
Thoughts
We think the Anbernic RG DS is definitely an interesting handheld and for the right gamer it might be their perfect device. If you grew up with the NDS everything down to the colors of this handheld likely will immediately sparked nostalgia (minus the silver bubble of the original DS).
You will be able to emulate other systems and use the second screen for looking up walkthroughs, watching YouTube, streaming media, etc while you play which is definitely a bonus. The RK3568 SOC in the Anbernic RG DS isn’t used in many handhelds but the RK3566 is used in a ton of them which gives us an idea how it will perform.
Giving the RG DS 3GB RAM should help with some of the Android slowdown we see in handhelds like the Anbernic RG353V and ARC-D using the RK3566 w/ 2GB RAM. This won’t remove Android bloat but it’s a welcome addition.
Set your expectations correctly and you will have a ton of fun with the Anbernic RG DS. The NDS has a massive library which includes between 3,400 – 3,600 titles.
If you want to emulate 3DS this really isn’t the right handheld for you. Even the lightest titles on 3DS are going to struggle. In that case I would again point you to looking at the Ayn Thor with its Snapdragon 8Gen2 or SD865 chipsets and dual AMOLED displays.
If you want to learn more about the Anbernic RG DS or are ready to pick one up click the button below:
I would love to know if you are picking up the Anbernic RG DS and if so what is the first game you’re going to play? We grabbed a Turquoise Blue version so expect reviews of the device soon.
GameOn
CellPhish
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