Anbernic RG DS – Digitally Downloaded

Android-based consoles, akin to these Anbernic produce, are made for an software that’s apparent: Emulation. By extension, which means they facilitate piracy, and that tends to make the video games business’s swimsuit folks mad. However, it’s also due to units like these that the indie scene prospers with new video games developed for the Game Boy, GBA, and 32-bit programs. Just try itch.io and see for your self. Many of those even get bodily releases. Yes, persons are shopping for NEW Game Boy video games in 2026, and it’s due to the emulators that any of that is potential.

One console that hasn’t had the possibility to flourish like that is the Nintendo DS, as a result of the DS has two screens and all of the options to this problem on single-screen units are immersion-breaking. Having two screens side-by-side on a single widescreen makes all the pieces look tiny and DS video games have been designed round having you flick your eyes up and down, not left and proper. And so, whereas the DS is arguably my favorite retro console of all time (so many JRPGs), it’s additionally the retro console I play the least, provided that I not have the unique system, and due to this fact had no option to play the video games the way in which they have been supposed to be performed. Thankfully, there are some dual-screen units which can be coming to market, and the Anbernic RG DS is pitched because the finances entry-level system on this explicit class. It’s not good, however coming in at underneath US$100 makes it very spectacular.

To be clear, if energy issues to you (and/otherwise you wish to play 3DS video games as nicely), the AYN Thor is $150 costlier, but in addition healthier for goal. AYN is the status producer on this surprisingly aggressive market, and Anbernic isn’t going to problem that right here. However, the RG DS does get a lot proper. Firstly, it feels actually nice within the hand. It has an analogous heft to the actual Nintendo DS, the clamshell opens and shuts properly, and the buttons themselves all really feel good. The face buttons are extraordinarily low profile and clicky (which I like), as is the D-pad (which can dominate the motion inputs for the video games you’ll play on this. I used to be much less of a fan of the analogue sticks, that are set deep into the console and really slippery, and due to this fact very troublesome to roll round in a correct 360 levels. But, once more, the DS itself didn’t have analogue sticks, and whereas this system can technically play video games from different consoles, it’s not likely what you’ll be doing with it. Not you probably have another system for these different consoles.

When you flip the system on, you’ll discover that the screens are of a pleasant high quality, although we definitely have extra premium screens available on the market in abundance now. They’re vivid and provide sufficient distinction to benefit from the video games that you just’ll be taking part in on it, although. Both screens are contact screens (in contrast to the DS), and that was vital as a result of they each run Android concurrently. With non-DS video games, you could possibly be taking part in on one display screen whereas utilizing the opposite to look at a film or learn a information. There’s even an choice to have “Anbernic AI” translate a non-English recreation for you, although I don’t know get that to work or how efficient will probably be if it does.

Unlike the DS, which used a resistive contact display screen, the Anbernic system makes use of capacitive screens. Anbernic does present a stylus that has each the gentle tip that’s commonplace for capacitive styluses, and a “plastic-coated pencil” like stylus that goals to recreate the precision of a DS stylus. For essentially the most half, these choices are good, and most video games will play simply superb with one or the opposite, however the occasional recreation that requires each velocity and precision with stylus inputs will probably be tougher than you keep in mind with this console. I wouldn’t wish to play one thing like Rhythm Heaven on this system, for instance. But, once more, JRPGs do exactly superb given their rather more modest enter necessities.

Otherwise, the system operates simply as you’d anticipate for an Android console. Bluetooth means that you can use a wi-fi controller, and you’ll join the console as much as the TV for big-screen play (for single-screen consoles, at any fee). There’s additionally a headphone jack for wired headsets, and I genuinely love that Anbernic nonetheless consists of this when most {hardware} producers now refuse to.

Once you get round to taking part in a DS recreation, you’ll discover that Anbernic’s option to throw in a Rockchip RK3568 and 3GB of RAM to energy the system is one thing of a wierd one. Obviously, they have been aiming to maintain the prices down as a lot as potential, however this chip signifies that the 3DS is nicely past the console, and DS video games will solely actually run in native decision, with no upscaling. Given that the screens are about 2.5 instances the decision of the DS, it does imply that picture high quality will probably be compromised whilst you play a bit of, although with the filters turned on, I nonetheless discovered the aesthetics to be extremely playable and comfortably nostalgic, so I didn’t really thoughts an excessive amount of. With that compromise, each DS recreation that I’ve performed on the system thus far has run completely nicely.

The console shipped to early critiques with a few different points inbuilt (most notably poor synchronisation between the 2 screens). That has been remedied with the industrial launch unit that I’ve. The DraStic emulator that’s the default on the system is not in energetic improvement, however it performs most DS video games properly at this level. However, it’s not able to taking part in DSi video games, and sadly, the emulator that does (melonDS) doesn’t run nicely on the system in any respect.

This assessment most likely comes throughout as a vital one, given the weak spot of the interior chip and a number of the {hardware} choices that Anbernic made, however the primary level to make right here is that this: I wished a tool that might play DS video games. I acquired a tool that may play DS video games. That’s it, and the truth that Anbernic has delivered it at a genuinely good worth level has made this considered one of my most used units over the previous month (and all that Christmas gaming!)