Rumors have swirled for a while now about a company in the handheld emulation space taking on a slide design, and Anbernic has certainly been at the top of that heap. In what has up until now been something of a confusing release schedule for the company in 2025, it looks like the leaders in bold form factors are back at doing what they do best. Releasing handhelds of every possible size, shape, and chip out there! And this is probably the boldest and unique release we’ve seen so far this year.

I’m happy this screen is larger than I imagined

The RG Slide brings me back to the early 2000s and a time when you had to use design to stand out in the crowded cell phone market. Graphical horsepower and camera megapixel counts weren’t really on the menu yet, and manufacturers tried out a plethora of different design gimmicks to entice consumers.

The Slide will draw its most obvious comparisons to the PSP Go. I’ve never personally used a PSP Go, but I don’t imagine they were quite this thicc. But that’s not to say the choices Anbernic have made with the Slide are a bad thing…

A quick note before we get started: Opening the RG Slide smells like the indoor penguin exhibit at the zoo when you open the box. Not bad, but that’s what it smells like. A new handheld olfactory experience for sure. I’ll be curious to see if anyone else has a fun smell analogy when they first open their own units.

Anbernic RG Slide Specs

Update: Anbernic has announced pricing and release information for the new handheld. The RG Slide will sell for $189.99, with a $10 discount for early adopters. The Slide will go on sale on Anbernic’s site on June 20.

Slide Specs from Anbernic

Anbernic RG Slide (Direct) Anbernic RG Slide (AliExpress) Anbernic RG Slide (AliExpress – alternative link)

Design

The Slide is heavy. 380 grams heavy. That may not sound like much, but when held in your hands compared to another similarly sized Anbernic like the RG406H (265 grams), you can immediately feel the difference. The metal backing on the screen half of the Slide seems to add some considerable heft.

How all this will translate for you, the user, is going to be on something of a case-by-case basis. I have written at length about having larger hands that still fit comfortably into small designs, the Slide is just the opposite. If anything, it feels like it was made as a counterpoint to those designs.

You know you want to play with it

Is the Slide bulky and heavier than its competition? Yes. Is it the most pleasing ergonomic experience for comfort in the handheld realm? Absolutely not. And yet, I can’t help but fall totally head over heels for the Slide. This thing drips with personality.

If the RG35XXPro was a boring release that sells well to keep the lights on for Anbernic, then the Slide is the fun project the engineers were working on as a skunk works for themselves. This is an enthusiast’s device through and through; not the gift you give a newcomer to the emulation scene. At least not without some serious setup on your part first.

Undoubtedly a bit of a chonker, and the first thing I thought of after unboxing was a device like the T-Mobile Sidekick. I can see a dimension where this handheld has a T-Mobile logo badged across the front. The Slide pays homage to the entire design era of the PSP Go, along with the device itself, and I think they’ve nailed the assignment here.

Even if it isn’t the most practical or comfortable handheld on the planet. This is a bold design offering from a company that seems to be settling into a release schedule of “one for them, one for us”.

Display

The screen looks absolutely incredible. It came set to max brightness, and I actually had spots in my vision after a while. Needless to say, this screen should be bright enough for any play situation, and even dimmed all the way down, small text on the screen is still perfectly legible.

The first time you swipe the main screen of Android back and forth a few times, you’ll know that you’re in for something special with this resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. Two physical buttons sit on either side of the display, serving as Back and Home/Launcher.

It looks great on everything

I haven’t had the chance to apply the thoughtfully included screen protector just yet, but I’d certainly recommend one, because this thing is a smudge monster. Trying to keep it clear enough of finger grease for a photo session was tough. In real-world use, though, the brightness of the display during play makes any streaks much less noticeable.

Stunning, but smudgey

Display-out through the USB-C port works as advertised, and I had no issues connecting Bluetooth controllers on the fly. This has never been a way that I’ve really used these handhelds.

But with everything in gaming moving towards the dockable console, I think Anbernic is worthy of being commended for continually including these functionalities in their releases. Just because I’m a weirdo who already has console emulation options hooked up to my TV, doesn’t mean that normal people can’t use one device for dual purposes.

Software

The BLOAT of stock Anbernic Android

Having just come off the review of Anbernic’s RG35XX Pro, where I sang the praises of the company’s included Linux OS, the Slide provides a healthy reminder that not everything is golden in the world of stock experiences. Where they’ve trimmed, clipped, and smoothed over the Linux stock OS to be a usable and even pleasant experience right out of the box, the standard Anbernic Android offering still has some work to do.

The unit I received did not come with an SD card or ROMs (options will vary at release), but was still loaded with tons of bloatware and emulators obtained under dubious legality. I spent the first hours with the Slide just getting it to a point where I want to be using it as a dedicated gaming device.

The Anbernic Android Launcher has never been anything to get excited about, and doesn’t really show any leaps forward on offer here. They have included the new Anbernic AI suite, which is kind of neat, sure, but the actual utility of that software may still be up in the air for most users.

In short, what’s here works, but you’ll probably still want to set things up yourself to ensure the cleanest gaming setup. I’m still partial to Console Launcher or Daijisho when it comes to the Anbernic Androids.

Controls

Pad/Sticks

The D-pad on the Slide is a little more floaty in feel than some of its contemporaries. It reminds me of using something like the Razer Kishi. This isn’t a bad thing by any means. I like the pad on the Slide, but it is worth noting that it does have a slightly unique feel compared to other offerings.

The RG Slide Controls, USB-C Port, and Headphone Jack

The analog sticks on the Slide are the same tiny guys that appeared on the RG557. The included stick caps provided by Anbernic make the small analog sticks easier to live with, but do catch ever so slightly when opening and closing the handheld.

Sometimes catching to the point of being held in a downward position after closing. I know because if I have system sounds on and close the device, it goes nuts with the analog stick held down. This doesn’t happen every time, but it does happen.

The sticks are better suited here than the RG557 for sure, but the caps will have to be rethought at some point in the future. For now, I’m content to use them naked. What left folks scratching their heads on the RG557 makes a lot more sense in this handheld.

Being TMR sticks means that drifting and precision should remain on point as the Slide continues to be played and ages over time. While the smaller sticks certainly make more sense in a form factor like the Slide, they may need to trim the design on the caps to accommodate the differences. One size does not fit all between these two very different handheld forms.

Triggers

Shoulder buttons on the RG Slide next to the 406XXH

If you were expecting full analog triggers on the Slide, you’ll have to keep dreaming. In the interest of keeping everything within the compact slide design, triggers have lost favor to L1/L2 R1/R2 situations akin to the RG406H.

Given that I don’t think I’d really enjoy playing something like an FPS on a setup such as this, I don’t think it will be an issue. It certainly wasn’t something I felt detracted from the overall experience during my testing.

Buttons

Face buttons on the Anbernic RG Slide

The face buttons on the Slide are nothing new for folks who have used recent Anbernic devices. These are the same buttons featured on the other T820 handhelds, like the RG406 series.

Being slightly recessed into the face of the handheld gives them a slightly different feel in use. I found myself searching for A/B with my thumb instead of X/Y at first. The buttons are ever so slightly off from where my brain wanted them to be, but I settled in quickly.

Will It Be Worth It?

Stay tuned for our full review, but as of this moment, this is my favorite release from Anbernic since the original RG35XX SP. Anyone who has used a few different dedicated emulation handhelds will tell you that there’s more to it than just the design, horsepower, or controls.

It’s when all these things are able to come together in harmony that magic is made. The RG Slide is not a perfect device on its own, but it has so many things going for it that are unique and cool that I don’t care about some minor annoyances.

Writing about a handheld like the Slide gets my blood pumping. It reminds me of why I love this hobby. This is a niche product that they really didn’t need to make, yet here it is, and I’m all the better for it.

So, whether you’re a 40-something like me looking back fondly on a forgotten tech era, a younger person with a healthy love for the early 2000s aesthetic, or just someone who loves games, it’s hard to argue that Anbernic has done something a little special with the Slide.

Update: Anbernic have announced pricing and release information for the new handheld. The RG Slide will sell for $189.99, with a $10 discount for early adopters. The Slide will go on sale on Anbernic’s site on June 20.

Anbernic RG Slide (Direct) Anbernic RG Slide (AliExpress) Anbernic RG Slide (AliExpress – alternative link)

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