Anbernic RG G01 Review: Not Quite There

Here I was, having just finished reviewing the Manba One and deciding “The screen is nice, but not necessary”. At that point, I probably wouldn’t care about a screen on another controller. Only for Anbernic to come out of nowhere with not only a second controller, but one that has a screen and a heart rate sensor.

With a very familiar look to something like the Manba One, but at a cheaper price tag, is the Anbernic RG G01 the one you should get instead? Or should you skip the screens as a whole?

Anbernic RG G01 Specs and Pricing

Coming in at $39.99 prior to shipping, and closer to $55 afterwards, you’re spending a bit more than their last controller release. In an ever-growing market of cheaper controllers, how does this one stack up?

Controls

Here’s where the mixed bag begins. At least to me. The face buttons are essentially micro switches, but have a bit of travel prior to actuating, which for some isn’t ideal. The sticks feel great on the other end. My unit doesn’t have any grinding, drift, or issues that would make these feel anything less than quality. Just like that, the triggers in long throw mode feel great. A light to medium tension for throw, and end up being pretty accurate in terms of precision in racing games. 

On the more negative end, the short-throw toggle feels bad. The amount of extra travel needed is unnecessary, especially considering it’s just a micro switch at the bottom. The worst part was the fact that I sometimes had issues being able to tell they had activated. And my least favorite spot? The dpad. I don’t have an issue with the tactile, clicky response of it. I have an issue with how high it is. Way higher than a normal dpad, and despite being removable, you have nothing to replace it with. 

And if you do take it out, be careful putting it back in, or you could end up bending the clips too far, and you’ll have to bend them back to get it to go in. Don’t ask me how I know. 

Ergonomics & Build Quality

Build quality is okay. The glossy front plate is similar to that of something like a Manba One or an Aolion K10. The plastic feels slightly slick to my hands, and despite the texture on the back of the grips, I never found my hands using that spot too much. There’s no creaking or groaning if I “accidentally torque” the controller. And really, there’s nothing to truly complain about.

As for ergonomics, it’s super similar to the Manba One. The screen makes the entire controller a bit taller, and while face controls remain unaffected, the R1/L1 shoulders are a bit harder to use. Andrew on the team mentioned that he wasn’t a big fan of the ergonomics after a few rounds of Call of Duty, and after a few races in Forza Horizon 5, I’d probably have to agree. Face buttons; Great. Shoulders; not nearly as much.

Features

When it comes to the additional features of the controller, the screen and heart rate sensor will be covered later, but I want to touch on them now. The macro buttons are set a bit too close to the grips, as I found myself accidentally bumping them a few times. Setting them through the Anbernic software is easy, but I prefer leaving them off. 

Gyro and Vibration worked well when playing connected to my Nintendo Switch 2, mostly to play a few more games of Mario Kart World. It’s about what you’d expect from a sub $50 controller advertising gyro. Last I want to mention the phone mount. It’s a nice inclusion, and for those wanting to play your games on a phone, on the go, it’s pretty good. That being said, the quality of my mount leaves a bit to be desired, as it finds itself sticking when fully extended. Every time. 

But hey, it’s a “free gift” that you paid to have a dedicated spot for in your box. 

Software

When it comes to software, there really isn’t any for PC. Everything you’re looking at is done directly from the screen on the RG G01. For me, that’s great as I don’t need to download more software. For others, that may not be ideal if they want to dial in every last aspect of their controller. 

On the device, you can control which mode you’re in, calibration for your sticks, triggers, and sensors, as well as set macros and track your heart sensitivity. It takes a bit of getting used to the navigation, but you can find your way around. As a whole, it doesn’t do anything abhorrently wrong, but it also feels a bit cumbersome. As for the heart monitor, you have to press it to turn it on for much longer than you’d expect. As I learned from Russ at RetroGameCorps, it’s more like 15-20 seconds rather than a quick 3-5 second press.

That being said, I’ll never use the heart monitor and prefer to turn it off to save battery. 

Final Thoughts

It’s not bad. It’s not terrible. It’s a lot better than Anbernic’s initial go at a controller. But that was also a $15-$20 controller. This is twice the price with twice the features and twice the expectations, at least going into it. And if you ask me, it doesn’t hold up. At $40, if you absolutely want that display, sure. But you don’t need it.

Around this price, I have a lot of recommendations I’d rather give. The Fantech EOS Pro IIS is still a great option in my opinion. The EasySMX D10 is better and comes with a dock. But if you want that screen, maybe spend the extra $10 and grab the Manba One when it goes on sale. I’ve seen it happen regularly. 

Again. It’s not bad. There are just better choices. 

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