You had one job, Anbernic: Modern Nintendo DS emulator.
I expect a flaw or two from the RG DS; it is an Anbernic handheld after all. But to fail at its core function is exasperating. There was concern before launch, with most people understandably concerned about the screen’s resolution not being able to scale to the integer scale of the Nintendo DS.
Anbernic RG DS Specs
Before diving too deep, here’s a quick look at the RG DS specs:
- Displays: 4-inch IPS, 640 x 480, 60Hz
- Processor: RockChip RK3568
- GPU: Mali G52-2EE
- RAM: 3GB
- Storage: 32GB + microSD (up to 2TB)
- Battery: 4,000mAh (~8 Hours)
- Audio: Stereo Speakers, 3.5mm Audio Jack
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2
- Extras: Hall Switch Chip (Lid Closing Detection), Gyro
- Dimensions: 160 x 91 x 21.5mm
- Weight: 321 grams
Anbernic RG DS (Direct)Anbernic RG DS (Direct)
Displays
Visual fidelity turned out to be the least of my concerns.
To that end, any fears about scaling that I had disappeared the second a game booted and began running on their pre-configured Drastic install. With the LCD shader turned on, pixels were sharp, colors popped, and when upscaling behaved properly in 3D titles, it was damn near stunning.
Unfortunately, the dual-screen configuration of the device has yet to stop surprising me with new ways to fail. The top screen freezes at random, and swapping the layout of the two screens in DraStic only registers on the bottom display, leaving the upper screen stuck in place. Other times, the upper panel of the device would simply stop working and would not function again until I relaunched the emulator.
Controls
The controls are a mixed bag, too. The face buttons feel great, and everything is pleasantly low profile to accommodate the clamshell design. The sticks are in an awkward no-man’s-land where my thumbs had to fight against three decades of posture, and the in-line triggers remain a “take them or leave them” situation.
For my money, though, the D-pad is the real offender. It looks like the excellent RG34XXSP D-pad, but mine spat out false diagonals like it was a feature.
Battery and Design
It isn’t all bad, though. Thermals were better than I expected. Once I got it to work, I played upscaled DS for quite a while and only reached lightly toasty levels of heat. As for battery life, it’s too early to make a fair judgment, but so far, no egregious draining in sight.
The shell’s design is pretty big, close to DSi XL territory, but impressively thin. The hinge is tight. I’d have preferred something more in line with the snappiness of the 34XXSP, but it’s firm and deliberate instead, good for any viewing angle.
The plastic is extremely shiny, which will either invoke nostalgia for the DS Lite or bring back memories of Fisher-Price toys. Surprisingly, it didn’t seem to pick up fingerprints like most glossy devices do.
Source of Confliciton
Anbernic is kind enough to include a snazzy stylus, but it felt awkward enough that I abandoned it in favor of my finger, and the screen size made most games perfectly playable that way. Latency didn’t seem bad, though I avoided rhythm games because I’m terrible at them and refuse to drag an innocent handheld’s name down with me. It should be noted that our friend the Phawx has also discovered an interesting quirk that can drop one of the screens down to 40Hz mid-game.
All of this leads me to my core problem: I’m extremely conflicted. On paper, this is a nostalgic little miracle. It’s elegant, ambitious, and cheap enough to excuse some quirks. But in hand, it’s big, uncomfortable, and not great at the one thing it exists to do.
The RG DS is fascinating, promising, and deeply compromised. Custom firmware like GammaOS could go a long way toward fixing the software quirks, but if I had a nickel for every time we’ve made that excuse for Anbernic, I’d just buy a Thor.
Anbernic RG DS (Direct)Anbernic RG DS (Direct)
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