UPDATE: 3/18 – 11:45 PM: When we originally published this article, we did so with the information we were provided. However, it seems that the pricing was incorrect, with the numbers swapped around. Here’s how the pricing will actually shake out:
- Anbernic RG Vita (Purchase on AliExpress)
- Early Bird (72 hours): $99.99
- Retail: $109.99
- Anbernic RG Vita Pro (Purchase on AliExpress)
- Early Bird (72 hours): $139.99
- Retail: $149.99
We apologize for this mistake. You can read the original article in its entirety below.
Anbernic first showed off the RG Vita and RG Vita Pro almost two months ago, and the company is finally gearing up for launch. Pre-orders for both devices are set to open on March 23 at 6 AM EDT (3 AM PDT).
The RG Vita will be priced at $99.99 for the first 72 hours, with the RG Vita Pro coming in at $109.99. Once the pre-order phase has concluded, pricing starts at $139.99 and $149.99, respectively.
| Anbernic RG Vita | |
|---|---|
| Display | |
| Screen Size | 5.46-inch |
| Resolution | 1280 x 720 |
| Refresh Rate | 60Hz |
| Hardware | |
| Processor | UNISOC Tiger T618 |
| GPU | Mali-G52 MP2 |
| RAM | 3GB |
| Storage | |
| Internal | 64GB eMCP |
| External | microSD |
| Battery | |
| Battery Size | 5000mAh |
| Charging | 5V/9V – 18W |
| Expected Battery Life | 8 hours |
| Connectivity | |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 5 |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.0 |
| Software | |
| OS | Android 12 |
| Extra Features | |
| Display Out | ❌ |
| Dual-Screen Support | ❌ |
| Anbernic RG Vita Pro | |
|---|---|
| Display | |
| Screen Size | 5.5-inch |
| Resolution | 1920 x 1080 |
| Refresh Rate | 60Hz |
| Hardware | |
| Processor | RockChip RK3576 |
| GPU | Mali-G52 MC3 |
| RAM | 4GB |
| Storage | |
| Internal | 64GB eMCP |
| External | microSD |
| Battery | |
| Battery Size | 5000mAh |
| Charging | 5V/9V – 18W |
| Expected Battery Life | 8 hours |
| Connectivity | |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 6 |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.2 |
| Software | |
| OS | Android/Linux (Dual-Boot) |
| Extra Features | |
| Display Out | Mini HDMI |
| Dual-Screen Support | ✅ |
Many in the reviewer and content creation space have had the standard RG Vita for at least a few weeks, and the reaction hasn’t quite been what Anbernic likely expected. There are a variety of issues, the least of which is that it’s practically impossible to emulate PS Vita games on a handheld that is designed to look like one.
That said, there’s a bit more excitement around the RG Vita Pro, not just because it dual-boots Android 14 and Linux, but because Anbernic seeded units out to developers ahead of time. This includes the likes of ROCKNIX, KNULLI, and GammaOS, meaning that we should be able to ditch Anbernic’s cruft in favor of more optimized software experiences on day one.
A few of us here at Retro Handhelds are still waiting for our RG Vita Pro review units to arrive, but Jim just received his and said, “My first impressions are basically the same, but it has a nicer screen and a terrible Linux build.” That alone makes the availability of custom firmware even more important once the RG Vita Pro is officially released.
There are only a few days left until pre-orders open, so you can expect to see more content from the RH crew in the very near future. Are you going to pick one of these up for yourself? Or are you going to hold off and wait for that wild Anbernic RG Twist handheld that was recently leaked?
4 Comments
Those prices are crazy, so many better options for around or under $100 now (Mangmi Air X, Ayaneo Pocket Air Mini, MagicX One 35, Trimui Smart Pro S etc etc). I was interested in the Pro because the new CPU looked like it might make a nice replacement for the aging RK3566 in that $50-$100 price range, but Anbernic has priced themselves out of the market again IMO. The retail price of the Pro is around what I paid for the 476H, and worryingly we haven’t even seen any reviews of the Pro yet (though the base RG Vita reviews do not instill confidence…).
Anbernic is really failing here. They keep putting the same or similar old internals in different form factors. Time to start looking at other brands. This is a joke of a device at those prices and, apparently, it can’t even play Vita games!
Why does it say “Display Out USB-C” when the Pro has HDMI out?
Fixing this, good eye!