TL;DR
- Specs for ANBERNIC’s upcoming RG DS have leaked via an AliExpress listing.
- It will have two 4-inch 640×480 screens and a Rockchip RK3568 SoC.
- Those screens won’t integer scale DS games, and the SoC is too weak for the MelonDS emulator.
The dual-screen gaming handheld race already has two premium champions in the AYANEO Pocket DS and AYN Thor, but ANBERNIC’s more budget-friendly RG DS made big waves when it was announced earlier this month. Coming in at under $100, it was always the case that some concessions would need to be made. but a recent spec leak has dampened some of the community’s excitement.
A listing from ANBERNIC’s AliExpress storefront was published online, and although it’s since been pulled, it revealed the full specs, size, and more. Starting with the screens, it will feature two 4-inch IPS screens with a resolution of 640×480. That’s a fairly limited resolution for screens this size, but the real issue is that it doesn’t support perfect integer scaling for DS games. Instead, it’s 2.5x, which can lead to some wonky visuals, especially in pixel art games.
Weak specs and a lack of integer scaling have dampened community excitement for the RG DS.
It will be powered by an RK3568 SoC from Rockchip, paired with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. That chipset will likely be the Achilles’ heel of the RG DS, and it’s unlikely to support more advanced DS emulators like MelonDS. Much like the MagicX Zero 40, it will be limited to playing DS games via the aging DraStic emulator, which doesn’t support modern niceties like RetroAchievements.
That also implies that despite ANBERNIC’s promotional videos showing off some 3DS support, it’s unlikely to play anything but the most basic of 3DS games. Granted, that’s not a dealbreaker on a device that’s clearly designed for DS games above anything else.
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Still, the device appears to be a solid option for simple, budget-friendly DS emulation. For reference, the cheapest alternative dual-screen device is the AYN Thor Lite, which costs $259. Another option is the $75 Retroid Dual Screen Add-on, which is a 5.5-inch OLED panel that clips onto another handheld. That one isn’t as portable, and it requires you to own a separate handheld with external screen support.
ANBERNIC is also one of the most prolific Android gaming handheld makers, so it’s likely to iterate on the design in the next year. The company has released several unique form factors this year, from the PSP Go-like RG Slide to the powerful 4:3 RG 477M, so it isn’t afraid to experiment in the space.
We still don’t have an official release date or pricing for the ANBERNIC RG DS, and although the AliExpress listing shows a $108.99 pre-order price, it may be lower on the official website. Previous teasers have promoted a price “under $100.”
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