One of the best things about being part of the retro handhelds scene is the wide variety of designs available. For the most part, companies usually stick to what’s worked best, offering iterative updates on a semi-regular cadence. However, if this leak from NITTRX comes to fruition, Anbernic could surprise everyone.
This latest leak is nothing more than a few device sketches, and it could just be someone putting a concept down on paper to file it away for later. But if it comes to fruition, Anbernic might have a tough time keeping up with demand.
The sketches show a vertical handheld, and it could be named either the RG408 or RG407V, but it also offers some rather incredible modular components. Out of the box, it would probably look just like the RG406V, but there’s a button/joystick module on the bottom of the front. This means you would be able to pop out the rectangular module then flip it and put it back in.
When flipped, the module also includes dual thumbsticks, resulting in the Start and Select buttons being located on the bottom of the handheld. This alone is fantastic as it gives you the option to use the D-Pad for certain games, but also has the ability to use thumbsticks if that’s what you prefer.
The fun doesn’t stop there, as this could also be Anbernic’s first dual-screen device, but with a modular twist. The sketch in the top left corner shows the primary display being positioned further up the chassis, revealing a smaller display embedded below.
Considering how many people enjoy playing DS and 3DS games, we wouldn’t need to sacrifice precious screen real estate to show the second screen. Nor would we have to deal with making sure that the proper hotkeys are set up to switch between the primary and secondary screens when emulating those titles.
Another Potential Design and Expected Features
The second image shown gives us an idea of an alternative design, but one that is not modular. Although it still offers dual screens, the smaller second screen would be placed just below the larger primary display. Instead of a module to use thumbsticks, they would be placed on either side of the smaller screen, with the D-Pad and ABXY buttons pushed a bit lower down on the handheld.
Besides that, there’s really not much else for us to go off of just yet. The drawings do suggest that the main screen will feature a 960 x 720 resolution, while the secondary screen comes in at 640 x 480. It also seems that this device would provide a dual-boot solution, allowing you to alternate between Linux and Android.
Unfortunately, there’s no indication as to whether this is a device in Anbernic’s pipeline or not, as NITTRX says that “nothing is confirmed yet.” However, it should come as little surprise that the potential name for this handheld would be either the RG408 or RG407V.
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