Anbernic RG SP Review: Slimmer, Cheaper, and Better Than Expected

As the dog days of summer drag on, it’s been an interesting year for handhelds, to say the least. Anbernic, like many other companies, is feeling the heat from the never-ending RAMageddeon, and has been forced to do a bit of pivoting. However, the Anbernic RG SP isn’t the handheld I expected to be reviewing around this time, seeing as the RG 55G1 was announced weeks before we knew the RG SP even existed.

For one reason or another, Anbernic went back to the drawing board, while using the RG SP to help fill the gap. Yes, it’s another clamshell, and yes, there are a lot of similarities with the others in Anbernic’s lineup. But after about a week or so with it, I think Anbernic might have a sleeper hit on its hands.

Anbernic RG SP Specs

It’s Another H700

I’m not going to bore you with performance, because the Anbernic RG SP is practically no different than the 10+ other H700 handhelds. I say “practically” because the biggest change internally is that the RG SP is using 1GB of DDR3 RAM, as opposed to the DDR4 RAM found in previous iterations.

That said, the RG SP is great for up to PSP and PS1, with some N64 and Dreamcast thrown in the mix. As always, once you start getting into the more recent systems, you’re going to have to contend with no joysticks, and performance will get sluggish. The same goes for PortMaster support, as some games are just too demanding for 1GB of RAM.

But hey, you can at least play Gen1Recomp until the cow’s come home, even if that means playing without any additional mods.

Bits and Bobs About Anbernic’s Stock OS

When I joined RH, my first review was the RG35XX 2024, and since then, I’ve used just about every RG XX handheld from Anbernic. The lone exception is the RG35XXH, but for other reasons I’ll probably be rectifying that sooner rather than later.

Anyways, my point is that back when I started, Anbernic’s stock Linux firmware was downright atrocious. I didn’t really know any better back then, but I’ve come to learn that not only was it un-optimized, but it was a hodgepodge of jank slapped together. While some bemoan the continued use of the H700 chip, the truth is that I don’t know if I would really want Anbernic to move away from it with handhelds like the RG SP.

The custom firmware community has saved the H700 handhelds in more ways than I can count. Frankly, the community has saved a lot of handhelds from becoming nothing more than paperweights.

That being said, I’d like to commend Anbernic a tiny bit with the RG SP. This handheld arrives with a newer version of the stock OS compared to other RG XX devices, offering a bit more refinement than we’re used to.

No, for whatever God-forsaken reason, the stupid and annoying “Button Sound” is still enabled by default. So be sure to turn that off as soon as you power it on for the first time. Besides that, I did notice a couple of subtle improvements that I rather appreciate.

The biggest of which is the ability to cycle between a few different pre-installed shaders. There are only a handful available, includingdotmatrix, and Scan Line, but it’s nice being able to just hit the Menu button and switch to something different on the fly. I couldn’t even tell how to do it on Anbernic’s older firmware, nor do I know if it was even possible outside of fiddling with RetroArch settings.

That’s not to say that Anbernic has managed to fix everything with its stock Linux firmware. It does seem that the RG SP on stock seems to drain quite a bit faster than the RG34XXSP or RG35XXSP. Sometimes closing the lid will actually put it to sleep, but more often than not, I’ll close the lid, walk away, and come back to it a few hours later only to see the Power light still on.

I’m hoping it’s just a bug or something that can get squashed with an update, and isn’t something that we just need to deal with moving forward. That’s where the custom firmware scene comes into play, and with the RG SP, it’s only a matter of time before compatibility catches up with the rest of the lineup.

At the time of writing, I tried a few different options, just to see what would work, and largely relying on the respective RG34XXSP build. The only one that I couldn’t get to boot correctly was KNULLI, despite hearing the Menu Music playing shortly after turning it on. I assume it’s an easy fix, and chances are that it’s already been fixed.

Beyond that, I also learned that there’s an H700-dedicated NextUI build in the works, which is pretty darn exciting. Suffice to say, another week or two and your RG SP will likely work with all of your favorite firmwares, and more. But Anbernic’s stock solution has improved to the point that it’s not an absolute monstrosity.

The RG SP Compared to Other Clamshells

When we first learned about the RG SP, I immediately thought of it as an “RG34XXSP without sticks.” And that’s pretty much what we got. The RG SP is thinner than the RG35XXSP and RG34XXSP. But how does it stack up to the other clamshells out there? Well, here’s a nice little comparison table for you:

Okay, sure, the last three don’t really count, but hey, at least you know where the RG SP stands. That being said, I’m kind of conflicted on how I feel about using the RG SP on a daily basis. It’s very game-dependent, but sometimes I find myself wishing it were just a bit thicker, or maybe a bit wider.

Playing something casual like the Pokémon Gen1Recomp isn’t as much of an issue. But seeing as I’ve been on a Pokémon Pinball kick, I recently found that some rather intense sessions can result in a bit of hand cramping. It’s not as egregious as some of the other handhelds I’ve used, but it’s enough that I have to take a break after an hour or so.

Again, not earth-shattering, especially with someone who probably has some undiagnosed carpal tunnel going on. I just wanted to bring some attention to it, in case you might have similar concerns. That said, I’m sure that picking up a grip case (or just a grip) for the RG SP could alleviate it a bit. Then again, that kind of defeats the purpose of a handheld that’s so lightweight and close to the size of the original Game Boy Advance SP.

What Does the Future Hold?

The bigger question I have is what does this mean for Anbernic’s current lineup? With the RG34XXSP being downgraded to 1GB of RAM earlier this year, and featuring the same screen as the RG SP, there’s some obvious redundancy.

The only real reason why you might go with the older model is because of the color choices. Sales and random discounts notwithstanding, the RG SP retails for $3 less than the RG34XXSP, again leaving little reason not to get the newer device.

The most likely outcome is that the RG SP sells well enough that Anbernic starts producing it in different colors. In doing so, the RG34XXSP can quietly be sunset and removed from the lineup, leaving the RG SP and RG35XXSP as the predominant GBA SP clones for Anbernic.

Should You Buy It?

If you’re in the market for a GBA SP clone and want a device that gets about as close as it gets to the original, the Anbernic RG SP is the way to go. The only exception to this is if you have a chance to get your hands on the older 2GB RG34XXSP variant. If you can, grab it before it’s gone.

Other than that, I’m really enjoying the RG SP, a lot more than I actually expected to. Especially now that I’m on a Pokémon kick for the first time in years thanks to Gen1Recomp and a couple of friends from back home. Now I just need to keep my fingers crossed that Anbernic releases the RG SP in a few more colors so I can grab a different one.