If you’re like many normal folks, the fatigue of Anbernic releasing handheld after handheld with the same chip might have set in already. However, if you’ve got problems like me, you’ve been sitting through the slog of waiting for the best H700 handheld. The 1:1.
Well here we are in October, and the latest release of the Anbernic RG CubeXX has brought a terrible name, but a form factor that may be my top option in the low-end field. A cube brings a square screen which means this might be the Pico-8 handheld for me, but that may be an eventual situation. So join in as I talk about my first 48-hour impression of the Anbernic RG Cube XX.
Specs and Unboxing
It’s an Anbernic RGXX handheld which means you’re about to be met with the standard affair, but at the same time, it’s good to know what you’re rocking.
[wpdatatable id=12]The Look
Squares
The RG CubeXX comes swinging out the gate, looking almost exactly like the RG Cube. Which for me personally, was a pretty good thing. The original cube had some nice ergonomic grips and overall was a pretty comfortable device to use. The big difference though is the slight increase in height from the Cube.
With that, they raised the D-Pad and face button up, and made the device spread out just a little bit better. I’ll talk more about that in the controls portion of my impressions, but overall the RG CubeXX hits right. When compared to something else like an RGB30, you can see the resemblance, but the grips not only make this a thicker device but also a more comfortable one as well. Though the RGB30 still looks good to me, the RG CubeXX wins for now.
The Controls
D-Pads
Talking about the controls you’ve got the standard affair from Anbernic. The big difference from the OG Cube at least comes in on the shoulder buttons. Rather than analogue triggers you get digital soft thunky buttons. The same comes with the shoulder buttons, replacing the clicky ones from the Android RG Cube. Face buttons and sticks feel the same. Featuring those RGB Switch sticks that, after the 406V, they’re slowly going to move away from.
The difference comes in the D-Pad. It’s a slight improvement over the Cube, it’s a little louder, and clacks a bit more when I press it, but the feel comes closer to something like the RG Arc. I think between the three, the Arc still has the best D-Pad, but the RG CubeXX takes second place easily over the Cube amongst others like the A1 Unicorn.
Doing a few preliminary Celeste runs, I found that I was over-correcting myself a bit with jumps, but I was having almost no issues purposefully going into my diagonals, which means this could help me achieve an even better run at the game.
The Experience
When it comes to the experience you’re getting Anbernic’s stock OS that has been progressively getting better throughout the year. Soon enough you’ll be seeing options from Knulli, muOS, as well as MinUI that should hopefully set right with this device. Usually, muOS is my go-to, but maybe MinUI will be my choice for this one. In actual gameplay, everything the H700 does well does well on this handheld. Genesis and Super Nintendo play their games perfectly fine, and GBA runs my favorite “X Advance” games as good as they can be on a 4” 1:1 screen, but the best examples fill that space.
Game Boy and Game Boy Color games take up most of the screen real estate and the bezels Anbernic uses make it a pleasant experience. Not pleasant enough to make me come back a lot, but good enough. My favorite though came Pico-8. Once I got it to work.
After realizing, that on the stock OS, you need to use .p8 files rather than the .p8.png files I’ve been using all year, everything booted up and worked amazingly. Celeste, Cosmic Collapse, Bas, and Golf Sunday looked amazing on screen and are giving me more reason to play my thousands of Pico-8 games a little more. I’ll likely be doing a “Square-Screen Round-up” but if my initial impressions are correct, this will be the answer 9/10 times.
Final Thoughts
Anbernic is filling the market with H700 handhelds to the point where all you need to do is pick a form factor. For verticals, the answer is basically RG40XXV or RG35XX SP if you need a clamshell. The verticals did come down to size, but with the introduction of the RG CubeXX, you also need to ask if you need that vertical screen real estate.
I’m not a big Arcade guy, so outside of Galaga, the only reason I’ll really need the big “taller” screen is for GBC and Pico-8. If that’s what you’re looking for too, this might be the way to go for you.
At least with the RG CubeXX, you’ll be sure it charges well consistently. Unlike some other Powkiddies. As always stay tuned into the Youtube Channel for Reviews, Impressions, and Unboxings for the Cube amongst other handhelds. And keep an eye out on the website for a full review and possibly a handheld round-up coming soon.
If you’re interested in picking up the RG CubeXX for yourself, pre-orders are set to kick off on October 22. It retails for $67, but for the first 72 hours, the price will be discounted to $60.
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