ANBERNIC have teased a new upcoming product that isn’t a handheld. Remarkable I know; for anyone that knows ANBERNIC that’s a big deal. ANBERNIC have now entered the wireless controller market after showcasing it on their official YouTube channel.
Most of ANBERNIC’s handhelds feature Bluetooth connectivity, so this makes reasonable sense for them to release. My concern, however, is that they will keep releasing different iterations of their controllers, over and over again until it gets boring, just like their current handheld problem.
That’s not taking away the fact they have made some of the best retro handhelds of the year, it’s just that they release far too many products in general. So I wouldn’t be surprised if we have multiple choices of controllers next year.
This new controller is called the RGP01 (numbering it like this solidified my thoughts regarding more coming next year) and comes in three different colourways: white, pink, and black.
Its design takes inspiration from a modern-day Xbox controller and is fully compatible with PC, Steam, Nintendo Switch, Android, and iOS using Bluetooth 5.3 and 2.4g connection. It can also be connected using a USB-C wire too.
It’s equipped with ANBERNIC’s signature LED Hall-effect joysticks that light up; they can be set to different colours and can even react to your individual joystick movements. There’s also a built-in six-axis gyroscope for use in games, and more predominantly when replicated Nintendo Switch Joy-cons.
ANBERNIC lets you swap the ABXY layout using software too, alongside a TURBO rapid-fire button that can be mapped as you please. ANBERNIC’s handhelds have always featured strong buttons, great DPAD’s, and comfortable hall-triggers, so I don’t doubt they can create something comfortable, and likely reasonably priced.
However, I do believe they’re entering a very oversaturated market, with the likes of 8BITDO and GuliKit creating high-quality, affordable controllers in the same niche. ANBERNIC would have to aggressively outprice them to get any kind of attention, but only time will tell.
