At this rate, it’s a full-time job covering ANBERNIC handhelds, and then reviewing them. I have the RG40XXV in the office to review, and I just can’t get around to it quick enough because they keep releasing new ones! I’m not even joking.
The RG406V is an updated and upgraded version of their older RG405V handheld which we reviewed in November of last year. It’s a thick handheld, a heavy one, with a larger screen and rounded edges. In our review I stated “if it had wheels, it would be a skateboard”, it’s that big.
Though with its size comes a comfortable gaming experience. The RG406V will come in three different colours: off-white, transparent black, and gray which features nods to the SNES.
The RG406V features a 4″ IPS touchscreen display, with a resolution of 960 x 720 with small bezels, this is a slight upgrade when compared to the RG405V. ANBERNIC states in their marketing material that “The screen’s resolution allows specific games to be displayed at 1.5x pixel-to-pixel, creating an optimal balance between detail and performance”. They even go as far as saying that it can emulate PS2 games at 1.5x its resolution… which I find hard to believe, but only time will tell and I hope they prove me wrong.
It will run Android OS opening up the handheld to Android games, some of the best Android emulators, and cloud streaming so that you can play AAA games on here using Moonlight Streaming and the 5G WiFi connectivity. I will state from reviewing many 4″ handhelds with cloud streaming, that it’s not a pleasant experience doing so. Text is too small and everything feels a little claustrophobic, but each to their own.
It also has Bluetooth 5.0 allowing you to connect multiple wireless controllers to this device, and because it also features USB-C port with Display Port Output you can connect it to a 1080p display, turning it into somewhat of a portable home console.
The gameplay shown in the YouTube video does show some good frame rates while playing Playstation 2 games, alongside good Gamecube and PSP performance, so I am hoping they’ve packed in some decent specifications for this, because PS2 on a 4″ display is just about playable comfortably.
My only concerns are the same concerns I had with the RG405V. For example, the shoulder buttons are incredibly low quality and uncomfortable, there’s no easy install/setup process for those new to Android handhelds and the price puts its in a category with far superior handhelds.
The Retroid Pocket 5 and Pocket Mini are launching before the end of the year and will likely be in the same price bracket. These are more visually stunning, the 5 features a bigger screen, they feature a Snapdragon 865 CPU and likely much better build quality.
ANBERNIC sometimes gets it right, for example the RG35XXSP is incredible, but 90% of their other handhelds are simply meh, and I think this is going to be another meh device, which the market certainly doesn’t have space for. I hope I am wrong.
