this post was submitted on 17 May 2026
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Hands On with the Anbernic RG Rotate: Weird, Unique, and Instantly my Favorite (lemmy.world)
submitted 1 month ago by PerfectDark@lemmy.world to c/games@lemmy.world
72 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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[–] hakase@sh.itjust.works 22 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (5 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.

[–] ampersandrew@lemmy.world 7 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month 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.

[–] wyldrstallyns@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 1 month 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 1 month 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.

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[–] aeronmelon@lemmy.world 18 points 1 month 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.

[–] rozodru@piefed.world 6 points 1 month 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 2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month 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. 🤓🤘🏼

[–] popcar2@piefed.ca 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

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.

[–] riquisimo@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 1 month ago

They also have an original GBA variant. There are like 5 handhelds they made with the same internals, just different form factors. It's so great.

[–] kahjtheundedicated@lemmy.world 11 points 1 month 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 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (2 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!)

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

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

[–] hakase@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

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

[–] Dhs92@piefed.social 1 points 1 month ago

Could Bluetooth issues be resolved via firmware or is it the radio itself?

[–] Hamano@jlai.lu 5 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (2 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...

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[–] vonbaronhans@midwest.social 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Aww. It's cute.

[–] PerfectDark@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago

It is!!!

[–] Joelk111@lemmy.world 5 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month 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 3 points 1 month 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 1 month ago (2 children)

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.

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[–] ajikeshi@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month 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 1 month ago

Fair enough!

(Or just delete that app)

[–] YiddishMcSquidish@lemmy.today 3 points 1 month 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::

[–] riquisimo@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (2 children)

I can't make the "sign up" drop down thing go away when on your site (linked in your post). There's no "x" to close it. It just covers the top of the page while I scroll.

That's a bit aggressive, and made me not want to read your article. Love your passion though :)

[–] PerfectDark@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

That's really interesting, I hadn't even noticed that banner existed!

This is all Gardiner's side of things, I just sent your thoughts over to him, thank you for the comment on it!

[–] PerfectDark@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Should be fixed now! Thanks for sharing your feedback, there's a option to close it down, Gardiner just changed it

[–] riquisimo@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 1 month ago

Yes, it's fixed! Ok, you get all the upvotes now, lol.

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

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

[–] Tess@piefed.blahaj.zone 2 points 1 month ago

I love the form factor. It looks like a perfect little device to carry in my handbag.

[–] THE_GR8_MIKE@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago (3 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 1 month ago (1 children)

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!

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[–] phaneuf@lemmy.zip 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

How's Stardew on this?

[–] PerfectDark@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago

I don't play that game, but someone on Discord asked me to try the Android version for them. The only issue I found was the UI was a bit squished in the intro set-up screen:

After that it is just fine! All the pinch to zoom gestures and so on work well.

Though to be fair I'm not sure what is normal and right, as I don't play it!

[–] summerily@piefed.world 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Okay, that does look fun.
I don't know a lot about modern tech but I suppose that the usb port might support headphones, at least I have a phone that does so when I tried it exactly once.
I'll keep this thing in mind for sure.
I didn't know I wanted PS2 emulation until I saw here that it is a thing that exists effortlessly enough these days so I might look into that more first... but I also didn't know that I might want a something fun like this one in particular.

[–] PerfectDark@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago

As for PS2 emulation, there are SO many devices which run it. These days the systems which are pushing the envelope on the retro handhelds are things like:

  • PC gaming (Steam, GOG, Epic and so on) which is 100% super doable and impressive on Android.
  • PS3 which is just really starting out, not fantastic but the games which do play, do so great.
  • Switch! Super, super, super impressive on handhelds. Eden is the one emulator doing the hard work these days in my eyes. There's also Ryubing (made by one of the original Ryujinx devs), but Eden is my pick.
  • Wii U (a rather immature emulator, just getting started on Android).

It is a deep, deep world out there, with varying costs. But if you're looking for PS2 games, upscaled and on the go in a tiny handheld? There is so many to choose from now!

[–] popcar2@piefed.ca 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

It's such a cool and unique device but it's hard to be interested in it with all its downsides.

  • No headphone jack
  • Terrible back-firing speaker (almost guaranteed to be muffled by your hand)
  • 2000mAh battery only

Maybe if they ever make a version 2 I might pick it up, but for now I'll probably stick with my RG35XX-H for a looooong time.

[–] PerfectDark@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

  • The headphone jack is totally valid for some. I'd not used a 3.5mm plug-in pair for sooooo many years (actually I bought my first pair of IEMs a few weeks ago for my new music journey, so there's that!), so bluetooth is just my default go-to these days. But for some who prefer wired this will 100% be a let down, or a deciding factor

  • The back-firing speaker is fine when you hold and play it. Not once have I covered it with my hands or fingers! The only time it is a factor that drove me nuts was when I'd lay it down on a surface, face-up. That is when it gets muffled

  • The battery is perfectly fine! 5-6 hours with pushing it on higher systems, and maybe 6-7 with basic GB? And it charges SO quick. I can't see anyone going out during the day and spending more than 6 hours gaming. But maybe that is just my take on it

The best part is that you know exactly what you love, and what works for you. Lots of people make fun of how often devices get released, but the best part of that is that there really is a device for everyone!

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