I only just finished writing a news post about the ANBERNIC RG406P leak, and then I found a potential leak for a very intriguing device by ANBERNIC that features two displays, the main display sliding up to reveal a smaller display underneath, perfect for emulating your favourite Nintendo DS games.
This leak comes from popular retro handheld leaker NNITRX, but please do take this information with a pinch of salt as nothing in this article is confirmed by ANBERNIC, simply leaked patents that may or may not come to fruition. That said NNITRX has had some of their leaks come to reality, so who knows!
That said, I do find these designs fascinating, and it’s very unlike ANBERNIC to work on something so unique. ANBERNIC has very much followed a very basic, not-so-innovative product release for years now, and it’s why I personally made a video on what I am starting to dislike them as a brand.
However, this here would completely change that, and a part of me wants it to become a reality just so ANBERNIC can finally be seen as a company that doesn’t put quantity over quality for once.
The leak shows a 960 x 720 display that can be slid up, revealing a small 640 x 480 display underneath to create a dual screen setup that could be used for a variety of games, or a simple dashboard to show performance settings.
Not only that, it also features a removable section that comes with interchangeable analogue sticks and what looks like, start select buttons. This is an interesting concept, one that hasn’t been done before in this industry, and as much as I think it would cause issues in the long run, it could be something that offers their customers a form of customisation, and a way to buy “upgrades”.
For example, don’t want analogue sticks? No problem? Want to upgrade to LED hall joysticks, certainly. Want louder speakers? We got you!
The development process would take a considerably long time, and the build quality would have to be superb, as any force on analogue sticks would likely move this around, or even pop it off completely if not built perfectly.
The form factor itself doesn’t look too bad, similar to the RG406V build, and the notes mention that it will dual-boot Linux and Android. Another issue I have with something this complex is that the UI and front end would have to take two screens into consideration, and from past reviews of many of ANBERNIC’s products that’s not an area they are confident in at all.
I hope ANBERNIC keep looking at unique ways to make retro handhelds more appealing, I really do, I just worry about how they will be executed. Only time will tell, and I’ll keep you updated if I see any more information regarding this device.
