In the realm of retro handhelds and tech in general, I’m a big fan of when a company tries to do something “different.” Even if that “different” is actually just a re-hash of a design that is long forgotten. After what pretty much amounted to a disappointing launch of the RG Vita and RG Vita Pro, the Anbernic RG Rotate is here to provide a bit of a palette cleanse.
Mine arrived just a couple of hours ago, so this isn’t going to be our final review, but just my initial impressions of this unique handheld.
Anbernic RG Rotate Specs, Price, and Release Date
The Anbernic RG Rotate first started making waves back in March, thanks to a series of leaked images and videos showing it off. In true Anbernic fashion, this led to a slow burn, resulting in its official unveiling about three weeks ago.
This Unisoc T618-powered handheld will officially go up for “pre-sale” on May 11, priced at either $82.99 (Polar Black) or $99.99 (Aurora Silver) for the first 72 hours. After the pre-sale phase has concluded, pricing will bump up to $87.99 and $107.99, respectively.
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Hardware | |
| CPU | Unisoc T618 |
| GPU | Mali-G52 MP2 |
| RAM | 3GB |
| Display | |
| Screen Size | 3.5-inch |
| Resolution | 720 x 720 |
| Aspect Ratio | 1:1 |
| Refresh Rate | 60Hz |
| PPI | 290.92 |
| Storage | |
| Internal Storage | 32GB |
| External Storage | microSD |
| Battery | |
| Battery Capacity | 2000mAh |
| Est. Battery Life | 5 Hours |
| Connectivity | |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 5 |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.0 |
| Ports | USB-C |
| Controls | |
| Triggers | Analog |
| Shoulder Layout | Shelf |
| D-Pad | Top Left |
| Audio | |
| Speakers | Mono |
| Speaker Location | Rear-facing |
| Audio Notes | USB-C Audio |
| Physical | |
| Dimensions | 80 x 80 x 21mm |
| Weight | 167g (Polar Black) | 204g (Aurora Silver) |
| Form Factor | Vertical |
| Software | |
| Operating System | Android |
What I Like
As I mentioned before, I really enjoy checking out devices that stray from the “norm” when it comes to design. The Anbernic RG Rotate is no different, as the rotating display hinge has already started taking over as one of my favorite fidget toys.
Although Anbernic delivered excellent experiences with the RG35XXSP and RG34XXSP hinges, along with the RG Slide, I was still concerned about the RG Rotate. This is a completely different mechanism compared to those other options, presenting its own set of potential failpoints. As I mentioned, I’ve only had the RG Rotate for a few hours, but the hinge still feels great so far, even with me mindlessly pushing the screen open and closed.
Anbernic was kind enough to send over the Aurora Black model, which makes use of ABS plastic for its build. It’s quite a bit lighter than I expected, which is great for just tossing it in your pocket without feeling like you’re being weighed down. However, I do think that I’ll be trying to pick up the Polar Silver model with its aluminum build to see which one I like more.
We even have the option to swap out the shoulder buttons, which wasn’t something I was expecting to see, let alone be included in one of Anbernic’s showcase videos. I haven’t had the time to take the RG Rotate apart just yet, but I’m going to try swapping them out once I can get my two-year-old to take a nap.
Since this is a retro handheld after all, the Anbernic RG Rotate seems to perform as well as you’d expect from a Unisoc T618 device. So it’s not like we’re dealing with anything out of the ordinary here compared to previous T618 handhelds. I played a bit of Burnout Legends for the PSP at 2x upscaling with no issues, but trying to play MVP 06: NCAA Baseball for the PS2 loads fine in the menus, but gameplay is a juttery mess.
Lastly, I’m by no means an audiophile, but since Anbernic is advertising the RG Rotate as a portable DAC, in addition to a retro handheld, I wanted to see what the fuss was about. The included “Casse-o-player” app offers a unique aesthetic in its own right, with plenty of different skins to choose from and design tweaks to make.
Many are going to be turned off by the lack of a 3.5mm audio jack, which will likely be exacerbated by the lack of an included USB-C to 3.5mm audio adapter. To me, it’s not that big of a deal, but I can definitely see why some might be frustrated or annoyed. On the bright side, decent adapters are fairly inexpensive, but you can always rely on some Bluetooth earbuds.
What I Don’t
Without a shadow of a doubt, my biggest complaint about the RG Rotate so far is the plastic on the Polar Black version. Somehow, it feels worse and cheaper than basically anything Anbernic has released in the past year or so. It’s just one of those handhelds that gets all smudgy as soon as you take it out of the box, so you can understand my desire for the Silver version.
On one hand, the plastic build is great as it doesn’t add a lot of heft to the RG Rotate, but when the screen is flipped out, I’m not a big fan of the way it feels. It’s not top-heavy or anything like that, so I don’t worry about it falling out of my hands. But it also doesn’t give me the same sense of comfort as other similarly sized devices.
Speaking of playing games, I was surprised to see that Anbernic went with the T618 this go-round. For a handheld that is technically powerful enough to emulate games that use dual sticks, only having a D-pad is interesting. By no means am I a developer, but I have to wonder if this wouldn’t have been better served by something like the RK3576, or dare I say, the H700.
It’s also absolutely asinine that we only have 32GB of internal storage. On the surface, that might sound like more than enough, but according to MiXplorer, only 22.8GB is usable, and I’m already down to around 15GB left. This is after installing just a handful of apps, such as Argosy Launcher, Cannoli, PICO-8 Android, ES-DE, and a few different music players. All of my ROMs, music, and BIOS files are on the microSD card.
One thing of note, I don’t have anything to write home about when it comes to how the RG Rotate sounds, because everything sounds fine to me. That is, unless I put the handheld down while music’s playing. The rear-facing speaker is high enough for my hands to avoid covering it while playing games, but the enjoyable experience is broken as soon as I place the RG Rotate down on a flat surface. It’s not a massive deal-breaker, but it was something that I happened to notice and wanted to make mention of it.
Conclusion
I think I’m going to give my other “pocketable” handhelds a break for a little while, and just use the RG Rotate. The square screen is a bit small in some instances, but it is plenty large enough to try and make my way through two of the three latest Games of the Month. The arrival of the RG Rotate has also reignited my desire to sort through and organize my digital music library, something I’ve been putting off for years.
Compared to the RG Vita and RG Vita Pro, which both retail for more than $100, the RG Rotate is definitely enticing with its $83 pre-sale price. We aren’t paying a premium for the unique rotating hinge, and it doesn’t seem to be over-engineered, as was the case with the RG Slide.
Nevertheless, I’m a fan of what Anbernic’s doing this time around with the RG Rotate, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it will continue to be an enjoyable experience. In the coming days, you can expect to see more opinions and thoughts about the Anbernic RG Rotate as review units arrive for other members of the RH team. So be sure to keep your eyes peeled, and sound off in the comments if you have any specific questions.
