this post was submitted on 17 May 2026
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198
Hands On with the Anbernic RG Rotate: Weird, Unique, and Instantly my Favorite (lemmy.world)
submitted 1 day ago by PerfectDark@lemmy.world to c/games@lemmy.world
57 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

So this retro handheld review might have been my favorite so far. I have such an obsession with design language (be it gaming or all the way to architecture), and seeing something as unique and different as this rotating touch screen on a retro handheld? It won me over without a second's hesitation

This handheld is a nicely squished cube with rounded corners, has a touch screen, obviously flips up to be a gaming handheld you can (comfortably) play PlayStation/PSP and even some few GameCube/PS2 games. Although you'd have to be crazy to buy this for GCN/PS2. They're just a happy bonus (really, this is NOT a PS2 machine)

Playing music or streaming music is a blast, as are audiobooks. I've had the most fun playing GBA and PS games on here, but if you're interested in my review, you can check it out here:

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

Or, you can just ask me what you'd like to know if you'd prefer to not! I love this damn thing. If I could wear it on a belt loop, I promise you I would be doing that like it is the olden days of phones!

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[–] dragonlover@lemmy.zip 1 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

How will the upcoming android changes affect this? Most of the emulators would be sideloaded right?

Would love this but worried it'll become obsolete / locked out of updates once google does it's stupid shit

[–] PerfectDark@lemmy.world 1 points 3 hours ago* (last edited 3 hours ago)

None of these will affected! These retro handhelds aren't officially certified Android devices, they just run the Play Store

You can find the list here:

https://github.com/androidtrackers/certified-android-devices

[–] ajikeshi@lemmy.world 3 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

looks amazing and decently prized: https://anbernic.com/products/rg-rotate

but that one line makes it a neverbuy item for me:

AI: One-click game guide retrieval, real-time translation, intelligent dialogue, text-to-image generation, image processing, and more features.

[–] PerfectDark@lemmy.world 1 points 8 hours ago

Fair enough!

(Or just delete that app)

[–] YiddishMcSquidish@lemmy.today 2 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

Oh, you can text on your sidekick?

Cute. :: pulls out rotate and starts furiously going through games, finally succumbing to option paralysis, and boots up Stardew::

[–] Joelk111@lemmy.world 3 points 12 hours ago* (last edited 12 hours ago) (1 children)

Am I missing something, or did you not include a photo of it fully open? A gif of it opening/closing would also be neat to see the mechanism. What a weird device.

Edit: Ope, found photos of it open in the linked thingy. I'd still love a gif/video, it looks kinda like the LG Wing to me, and that thing is so satisfying to fiddle with.

[–] PerfectDark@lemmy.world 1 points 12 hours ago

You're 100% right! I mean to some time today, record a lil video of me sweeping it open then convert it to a GIF. I've just got a few things to get through first! Someone else reminded me I forgot to do that, which is...concerning since it is the BIG point on this handheld!

For now, check Anbernic's own video on YT, it was a short one which shows the rotation well:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYdxn8lDhQc

[–] lyrial@anarchist.nexus 3 points 13 hours ago

The price is nice. I'd actually consider buying this since it is also just a straight up Android device so it can do more than just be an emulator.

[–] hakase@sh.itjust.works 19 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (3 children)

Yeah, Retro Game Corps has a great, in-depth video on this if anyone is interested. Good quality, good controls, good screen, good gimmick.

The dealbreaker for me is the legendarily awful combination of shitty, delayed bluetooth, a back-facing speaker, and no headphone jack. The most reasonable way to actually hear your games is by adding an awkward and easily losable dongle, which is not acceptable imo, especially because then you have no way to charge while you play.

Other than the unforgivable audio choices here, it looks like a really great and sleek little device.

[–] wyldrstallyns@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

Who releases a product with busted AF bluetooth these days?! Hard pass until that, at least, is corrected. 🥹

[–] hakase@sh.itjust.works 1 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

It's unfortunately still pretty common among discount handheld manufacturers trying to save a few cents. They can still advertise it with Bluetooth, so unless people actually watch a review that criticizes it, they are still likely to buy it none the wiser.

[–] WhoIzDisIz@lemmy.today 1 points 3 hours ago

Seems like it would backfire due to heavy amounts of returns - especially in an economy like this where fewer people can afford to blow money on something that winds up just sitting there because it's not meeting their needs.

[–] ampersandrew@lemmy.world 7 points 1 day ago* (last edited 14 hours ago)

If the dongle you need is USB-C, I've got one for my phone that lets you charge at the same time, and it's pretty low profile. Not ideal, but an option.

[–] aeronmelon@lemmy.world 1 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

So Bluetooth headphones are a no-go?

[–] johnnyt@multiverse.soulism.net 2 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

You can use them, but there is a distracting delay in the audio.

[–] aeronmelon@lemmy.world 3 points 20 hours ago* (last edited 18 hours ago)

Well that’s disappointing. Maybe I’ll wait for a rev A.

[–] FudgyMcTubbs@lemmy.world 1 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

Is this an ad?

[–] PerfectDark@lemmy.world 6 points 13 hours ago* (last edited 13 hours ago) (1 children)

Its a review. My honest review. I'm not paid to write on my friend's site, nor do we run a single ad on there. Anbernic don't have any say in what I write, and if I gave up my reputation as a writer for a device this cheap, I'd be an idiot.

I love the device, but if I loathed it I'd still share it here. I post all of my articles here.

Check my post history, if you still think I'm some deep cover ad agent then you can have my account, I can't even be bothered with these insinuation today.

One little edit:

I spent a solid 18 months covering Steam Deck news. I did so with a weekly news post (elsewhere, then actually here on Lemmy after I'd given it up for a long time), I'd cover what was happening, befriended devs to share their news and what was coming up, and built up a nice little community around that.

From there I started to interview these developers, because no one did so before I did. That sounds a bit tickets-on-myself-y, but it is just true. I wanted the developers of projects like Heroic, Lutris, EmuDeck, Decky Loader, Junk Store and RetroDECK to be able to share their side of things, since most of the time people tend to forget who is behind the project or program they know, use and love. Some of my articles and interviews were posted on big sites, some on smaller sites, a couple on Gaming on Linux and SDHQ and so on.

From there I made friends with Gardiner Bryant, who is now one of my closest friends. I share on his site exclusively now, because I LOVE gaming. I'm not paid for my articles (nor do I want to be), I just write because I love to. After picking up retro handhelds for awhile, some of those companies got in touch with me, asking if I'd like to review their devices. I said yes, but that I'd do so in accordance with our ethics standards we have on the site

If you think I'd risk all of that (literally years of writing content just on social media, then on sites, now with my friend Gardiner) for one little handheld? You'd be wrong. I just hate how this kind of shit gets thrown out as an offhand comment, it is so dirty and insulting.

No, this isn't an ad.

[–] FudgyMcTubbs@lemmy.world 1 points 4 hours ago

Listen, pal, your beef shouldn't be with folks like me questioning if your "rave review" stippled with flowery adverbs is an ad. If you're just some dude writing, then you're just some dude writing.

Your beef should be with marketers and advertisers who for the past decade+ have dishonestly inserted their scumbag bullshit ads into social media threads pretending to be just another excited commenter/content contributor leaving rave reviews with flowery adverbs. Go be pissed at them.

Glad you like your Anbernic. I have an RG556 and two other lesser Anbernic devices. The lesser ones both stopped turning on after about a year -- for no good reason. The RG556 still works 16 months after I got it. It's fine at what it's intended to do, but sucks as a Steam Link device.

[–] aeronmelon@lemmy.world 18 points 1 day ago (2 children)

A GameBoy Advance SP is still worthy of being a daily carry. Rock solid hardware with a huge library of timeless games.

That this thing is effectively the exact same dimensions using current tech makes it the first dedicated handheld I’ve considered getting since the DS Lite.

[–] popcar2@piefed.ca 2 points 18 hours ago

If you're looking for something akin to the GBA-SP but modern, check out the Anbernic RG34XX-SP.

It looks almost the same as the GBA-SP, but with better everything and can emulate other systems. Same aspect ratio too which makes it perfect for GBA emulation, and it comes in fun colors.

[–] rozodru@piefed.world 6 points 1 day ago (1 children)

still use mine almost daily. thing is built like a damn brick house too, rock solid. Metroid and Final Fantasy Tactics Advance are my go tos.

[–] wyldrstallyns@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 12 hours ago* (last edited 12 hours ago)

Oh, man. The hours I've poured into FFT back in the OG days... Not even Skyrim, BG3, and Starfield combined can top it. 🤓🤘🏼

[–] nazokiyoubinbou@urusai.social 5 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

@PerfectDark Wow, this is... uhm... ... ... wow...

What a strange idea for a handheld. 😆

I think I'd still prefer a flip where the screen is on the inside though. If you stick this in a pocket the screen isn't actually protected. To me that's more important than that it be a small minimal thing for music/etc. Though, I suppose if you look at it more as a MP3 player, ebook player, etc etc where you might not care if the screen gets scratched, it comes out ahead for that.

[–] wyldrstallyns@lemmy.dbzer0.com 0 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

Not protected? Take its name as a hint and turn it around to face your leg, instead. Boom. Solved.

[–] nazokiyoubinbou@urusai.social -1 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

@wyldrstallyns That actually is worse. Out is better. You want the portion with the screen to bend the least.

[–] wyldrstallyns@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 12 hours ago

Um. "Bend"? Thafuq are you doing with your pocket— actually, don't answer that. 🤫😅

[–] THE_GR8_MIKE@lemmy.world 2 points 17 hours ago (2 children)

This looks neat. But I already have an Analogue Pocket which seems to do everything this does, and a little bit more, except for being the same size when closed.

[–] PerfectDark@lemmy.world 4 points 15 hours ago

I do love the Analogue Pocket's philosophy and design, but:

Analogue Pocket which seems to do everything this does, and a little bit more

The Rotate runs Android. Which is a bonus to some, and a caveat to others. But it is infinitely more powerful as a retro handheld than the AP! The 'Pocket can't run systems from the 32-bit era or later, while this can emulate a whole lot (with varying degrees of success)

I just think wanted to address "...everything this does, and a little bit more..." for anyone coming across this in the future!

[–] InFerNo@lemmy.ml 1 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

Is the market getting saturated? I have an Odroid Ultra and feel like there isn't a real good upgrade out there.

[–] PerfectDark@lemmy.world 2 points 15 hours ago

I like to think of it as there's a device for every single person's needs!

[–] kahjtheundedicated@lemmy.world 10 points 1 day ago

Very strange this doesn’t have a 3.5mm jack. That’s one of the main reasons I daily carry a handheld (psp) these days. It’s as valuable to me as a mp3 player as it is a gaming device.

[–] PerfectDark@lemmy.world 8 points 1 day ago* (last edited 14 hours ago) (1 children)

"Or, you can just ask me what you’d like to know if you’d prefer to not! I love this damn thing. If I could wear it on a belt loop, I promise you I would be doing that like it is the olden days of phones!"

...just a heads-up, it is night here in Aus and I'm off to sleep. But, if there are any questions, I'll reply in the morning! Damn timezone differences -____-

(bonus Gunsmith Cats picture, for the other 4 people alive who know what this is!)

[–] wyldrstallyns@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

Whaaaat?! I haven't run across anyone else who's knows about Gunsmith Cats in decades! That's a deeeep cut. 🤘🏼

[–] PerfectDark@lemmy.world 1 points 12 hours ago

One of my favs! Such a fun 3 episode run (aside from the manga)

I LOVE IT SO MUCH!

[–] vonbaronhans@midwest.social 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Aww. It's cute.

[–] PerfectDark@lemmy.world 1 points 16 hours ago

It is!!!

[–] Dojan@pawb.social 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Is that slot on the back a speaker? Is that the only speaker?

[–] hakase@sh.itjust.works 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Yes, and yes. Plus, the bluetooth has a really bad delay, and there's no headphone jack.

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[–] Lucidlethargy@sh.itjust.works -1 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

Why a square screen? What games support that?

[–] Joelk111@lemmy.world 2 points 12 hours ago* (last edited 12 hours ago)

Wasn't the Gameboy screen pretty square? OP also mentions PS games.

[–] Hamano@jlai.lu 3 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

I would love to have one as a Pico-8 playing device !

A bummer that it doesn't have a jack, the speaker is on the back and there is a sharp thing over the shoulder button. Also, deleyed bluetooth...

[–] PerfectDark@lemmy.world 0 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

I saw one reviewer was annoyed by a shoulder button feel. But I have tried my hardest and I haven't been able to feel that sharp point/edge. I do have smaller hands, so that could be a factor as I play (where it might be a issue with larger hands)

I checked in with other reviewers, and I didn't find anyone else who found that an annoying issue! But as with everything on retro handhelds, YMMV!

[–] Hamano@jlai.lu 1 points 7 hours ago

Thanks for the heads up !

[–] calamityjanitor@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

Very evocative of the 2010 Motorola Flipout I still have in a drawer. Looks very fun.

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