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Hands On with the Anbernic RG SP; The Game Boy Advance SP Reimagined (gardinerbryant.com)
submitted 3 months ago by to c/retrogaming@lemmy.world
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After spending time with Anbernic's RGSP, my hands-on review is now live. Mine got super delayed because I have a ton of other things I've been working on, so I'm sure not much in here will be a surprise to anyone. But if you're a fan of written articles, then this might tick that nostalgia box for you.

I spoke with Frysee, the lead developer of NextUI, and pvaibhav, who has been leading much of the H700/RG SP implementation, about what it takes to bring NextUI's firmware experience to Anbernic's latest clamshell effort. Frysee's dev unit arrived a good few days ago, so by the time you all have these in your hands, whatever tiny quirks will have been well ironed out.

Their takes on topics like boot times, display calibration, lid detection, feature parity with stock firmware, and the philosophy behind creating a true "pick up and play" experience was nice, and add a perspective. I hope at least some of you here enjoy it :)

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[–] 8 points 3 months ago (4 children)

Omg it’s in pearl blue that was my GBASP’s color growing up and one of my favorites since 😭 I already have a Steam Deck but I’d be lying if this didn’t seem tempting.

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  • [–] 9 points 3 months ago (3 children)

    It's so cheap and so portable. It doesn't really compete with the Steam Deck. You can take it places you would never take a Steam Deck.

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  • [–] 6 points 3 months ago (2 children)

    You can take it places you would never take a Steam Deck.

    yep it's perfect for this. especially on like public transit and such

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    • [–] 5 points 3 months ago

    I still have my original GBA SP (AGS-101) in this color. Got me through some hospital stays at a very unpleasant time in my life.

    Contemplating getting one of these Anbernics at some point just for the vibes.

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    [–] 2 points 3 months ago

    My SP is in pretty good shape. I’ve only had to replace the battery and got an Everdrive for it. However, I am wary of taking it outside of my house since it’s not exactly easily replaceable.

    I picked up a Brick Hammer because it was close enough to the same experience with of course, a lot of improvements. But also because it wasn’t packed with unnecessary things like joysticks, etc. The buttons are almost perfect too, which i am super picky about. If this had been out around that time it would’ve been a tough decision.

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    [–] 1 point 3 months ago

    i had a red GBA SP and i normally prefer white devices but my gosh the pink one is so cute!

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    [+] 1 point 3 months ago (1 child)
    [deleted]
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  • [–] [S] 3 points 3 months ago

    The R36S is a pretty unique device. It is very low powered, by the retro handheld industry standards. It is very cheap (by anyone's standards), and it is not built, maintained nor shipped by any one single company. The strengths of it is that it is so widely available, and one of the smartest developers I know (bmdhacks, who recently joined in as the lead dev for ARMSX2) swears by them. In fact I covered his work for the R36S specifically, not so long ago:

    https://gardinerbryant.com/the-anatomy-of-an-impossible-port/

    But it really is as entry-level-to-the-hobby as you can get. There are infinitely more powerful devices all over the place. This one, the RGSP is just...different. It is specifically designed to be about as good as you can hope for to play GBA games, but also covers most systems up to PSX.

    Comparing the two is waaaaay too apples to oranges to make much sense here. While they technically do the same thing, they do it so differently that owning one over the other (or both) makes as much sense whichever way you cut it :)

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    • 12 comments in c/games@lemmy.world view that post
    [–] 4 points 3 months ago (6 children)

    Great review as always!

    Might have to get one as a dedicated romhack machine, despite already having two perfectly functional SP’s. I think the display and speed up should be well worth the price of admission over either the PSP or 3DS that I keep alternating between.

    But I am one of those people that find clicky buttons annoying. But seems like the tape mod is supposed to work pretty well?

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  • [–] [S] 5 points 3 months ago

    I've had so many SP's, but I think while I adore the form factor so much, the modern conveniences of things like save states, fast-forwarding, the display and all the other bits make this the logical choice...for me.

    Physical it feels exactly the same in my hands, a perfect little boxy box :)

    But seems like the tape mod is supposed to work pretty well?

    I wouldn't even call these the most clicky-clicky. They are a bit, but they're really fine. Two layers will dampen that totally though, and you'll have zero issues at all. I really can't recommend this one enough, if you're after GBA games as good as they can be!

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  • [–] 4 points 3 months ago (4 children)

    The largest problem I have with the SP is that it doesn’t go into sleep mode.

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  • [–] [S] 7 points 3 months ago (3 children)

    This one solves that! Close the lid and it will suspend right there until you open it :)

    And being Linux means that the battery life will be much better with that closed-lid suspension over what Android would manage!!!

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  • [–] 2 points 3 months ago (2 children)

    Ooh, PD, that one I have to fight you on. My RGSP hemorrhages battery in sleep. It's fine for like, 10-15 minutes, but anything over an hour and you're seeing a 20% or more loss of battery. I've taken to saving and shutting down. That way, it lasts for days, instead of an afternoon.

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    • [–] 3 points 3 months ago

    Thanks for the review. I ordered one after finishing reading it. It sounds like the kind of device I was missing in my life :)

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    [–] 2 points 3 months ago (1 child)

    Great review, very thorough. Good timing too since I need a new emulator. I had an rg40xxv that i really like, but i dropped it a little while ago and the screen is broken now. Would you recommend this one, or the rotate? The prices are close enough that either is fine, and I'm not going to play anything newer than psx. These both look like really nice form factors for me, since i usually use this on trips.

    The rgsp has the same soc as the rg40xxv, so i know how that performs. The rotate looks like it should be more powerful, but does it matter? Is it powerful enough to use better crt shaders?

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  • [–] [S] 3 points 3 months ago

    Here's my own review of the Rotate, just for some context:

    https://gardinerbryant.com/hands-on-with-the-anbernic-rg-rotate/

    But yes, the RG Rotate is far more powerful. It'll run your PSX games upscaled. This one has 3GB RAM, which is a far cry from the RGSP's 1GB, so you'll have the benefits of:

    • Upscaling the PlayStation (or N64, or DC) games without an issue
    • Having enough overhead to run whatever shaders you like. I only tried a few, because shaders are just not my thing. But they'll absolutely be happier on the Rotate
    • Enough power in the to run some fun Android games. I know, you're looking for specifically retro, but it is nice to have options.
    • It is also beautifully unique. I love the rotating screen. I just had another delivered actually. Anbernic sent me the metal one to review back on release, but I just got the plastic version for a follow-up article I'm working on right now! My most recommended apps, programs and some physical accessories.

    If GBA is your dream, you just can't beat the RGSP. If you want DC/N64/PSX without compromises? Then the Rotate is your answer. I do just love them both though, just for different reasons.

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    • [–] 2 points 3 months ago

    Grabbed one recently. Put muOS on it and haven’t had any major issues besides an occasional volume glitch. Cool little system, cheap-ish intro to retro games for me.

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    [–] 1 point 3 months ago

    I really want to switch to a clamshell for portability and nostalgia, but none of the clamshells supports usb c pd.... I don't want to bring around an a to c charger just for this device

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    12 comments in c/technology@lemmy.world view that post
    [–] 3 points 3 months ago (6 children)

    I was very strongly considering buying one of these, but the shipping is nearly an additional 40% of the price of the console.

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  • [–] [S] 4 points 3 months ago (2 children)

    Have you tried Aliexpress?

    From what I've seen, that is the option which saves the most on shipping. Anbernic's own site adds way too much with shipping, but when they sell on Aliexpress that drops so significantly. I've seen a few users saying it is the way to go, so maybe it is worth a look!

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  • [–] 2 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 child)

    Thanks, will definitely take a look!

    Edit: Even with the "coupons" on AliExpress, it's still ~$20 more than the advertised $57 intro price on the site ($75 all-in). Unfortunately I think it's just a tease price, and they are hiding some of the cost in shipping.

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  • [–] 1 point 3 months ago (2 children)

    Literally what stopped me from putting in my payment info. Even the cheapest tier (16GB w/o SD card) puts it at nearly $90 to purchase. I just bought an Ayn Thor Pro (with 4.0 processor) off Swappa. With that, my Steam Deck and my Switch 2, I think I'll be fine for handheld GBA emulation.

    ...but fffffffuuuuuuuuuck, the form factor of the SP and the fact that it was my second and most memorable handheld in my life (aside from my DS Lite) is calling me like a siren.

    If units were to be shipped to the US, would the price be increased at all?

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  • [–] [S] 2 points 3 months ago*

    Have you tried Aliexpress?

    From what I've seen, that is the option which saves the most on shipping. Anbernic's own site adds way too much with shipping, but when they sell on Aliexpress that drops so significantly. I've seen a few users saying it is the way to go, so maybe it is worth a look!

    (And I totally understand, with those handhelds the power to run GBA games is well in hand, but the form factor of this RGSP is a beautiful nod to the original!)

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    • [–] 1 point 3 months ago

    I have an Anbernic RG353v, It’s a nice little machine. This looks like a great SP clone

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    [–] 1 point 3 months ago (2 children)

    While this is nice, something like this with joypads is even better

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  • [–] [S] 2 points 3 months ago

    A dedicated Game Boy Advance console, literally designed to be a love letter with thumbsticks just doesn't feel right to me! Luckily for you though, they make GBA-esque one with the sticks: the RG34XX SP

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    • [–] 1 point 3 months ago

    God help me I mashed the shit out of the buy button, now for the long wait and surprise tariff bill when it finally makes it to me in the US

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