Anbernic is back, yet again, with another handheld! This is another crack at the verticals, and since I had so much praise for the RG40XXV, I was excited to try this one out. As someone who had their RG351V as my first retro handheld, I was interested in this one. I never had the newer RG405V and this looks to be an improvement on that.

Check out Andrew’s first impressions too!

The first complaint before even opening the box has to be where is the woodgrain? It is such a silly colorway, but I also really enjoy it for its absurdity. The color options are an off-white device with skittle buttons, transparent black, and an SNES option. The SNES option doesn’t have the usual purple buttons that we usually get, but the PAL version instead with the colorful buttons.

Anbernic RG406V Specs

Below are the specs that you can expect on the RG405V.

• Display: 4-inch IPS
• Resolution: 960×720
• Processor: Unisoc T820
• GPU: Mail-G57
• RAM: 8GB LPDDR4X
• Storage: 128GB UFS 2.2 w/ microSD Card Expansion (up to 2TB)
• Battery: 5,500mAh (rated for up to 8 hours)
• Charging: 5V/2A (~3.5 hours)
• Audio: High-fidelity dual-speakers / 3.5mm headphone jack
• Video: 1080p Display Output via USB-C
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi / Bluetooth 5.0
• Extras: Six-axis gyro / Vibration Motor / Large-angle 3D Hall Joystick / 16 million color RGB Lighting Effect
• Software: Android 13
• Dimensions: 145 x 105 x 29mm
• Weight: 289 grams
• Colors: Black Transparent / Beige White / Gray

Design and Display

I received the SNES color and it looks great! I especially like the grey bezel too. The plastic has an almost matte feel to it. The back grips seem to have a small bit of a texture on the grips that makes holding it feel a bit better. 

The first word that comes to my mind when I see the RG406V is chunky. The device is just so bulbous and it looks awkward. It looks like a cliche of a cartoon character after gorging themselves at a buffet. However, it is extremely comfortable to use, especially for someone with larger hands.

GBC, RG40XXV, RG406V, GB DMG

The screen on this device is fantastic. This may be the best screen Anbernic has released yet. With a 960×720 resolution and a 4×3 aspect ratio, a ton of your retro games are going to look great. While using integer scaling, it looks really good. The colors seem to really pop on this one.

The new normal for these devices seems to be the use of RGB lights. It is not my favorite feature and I know you can turn it off, but it is a small nitpick I have with them. 

Controls

Anbernic has finally updated their analog sticks! No more Nintendo Switch sticks or cardinal snapping. These sticks are ones that Anbernic should keep using because they feel so smooth to use. I was playing a little bit of Spyro the Dragon and noticed that I could walk/run way more smoothly than I could on my RG Cube. This is a huge improvement, especially for those wanting to play 3D platformers. They do feel a bit too tall though. It feels awkward to try and use both sticks at the same time.

I really loved the D-Pad on the RG40XXV. I even went as far as to say that it was my favorite D-Pad that Anbernic has ever released. When I compared the two devices, this one is either the same or very similar. It is a huge joy to use and the best non-Vita-style D-Pad I have used. This device is worth picking up for that alone for me when I want to play something real quick.

I prefer stacked shoulder buttons, but I know that would look kind of strange on a vertical device. This device looks so bulky and chunky already, I would have been fine if they just went for it and used those instead. I just feel like my hands end up holding or pressing them in an awkward way, but this is probably a me issue. The buttons themselves don’t feel very clicky. I do notice that I am accidently pressing them a decent amount though and they aren’t ideal for PS2/GameCube racers and shooters.

Performance

Upon setup, the device automatically downloads the emulator apps that you may want. I have issues with this because it could be a not as updated version of the app. Some of the apps are also the paid version that it is downloading for free. Personally, I usually delete all of these and put my own copies of the emulators on it, but your choices may vary.

First, I started with NBA Street Vol. 2 at a 1x resolution. During the pick-up game, I noticed that there was a consistent 60fps. I decided to then boost it to a 2x resolution and had a few dips. After switching the CPU to high (this is an option on the top drag-down menu), it went right back up to 60fps. GameCube looks great on this 4×3 screen and it seems some games can handle some upscaling.

Next, I tried some PS2 and set the resolution to 1.5. I tried out Time Splitters 2 as it is one of my favorite shooters and I could really test the sticks and shoulder buttons. The game ran great! I was getting a consistent 60fps with the CPU set to “High”. The comfort of playing a shooter on this was not great though, just as I anticipated.

If you want more insight of what this chipset can do, you can watch Stubbs testing more PS2 games in the video above. He uses his RG556 to test more games.

Streaming

I tried out Moonlight from my ROG Ally X to the RG406V and it worked perfectly. If you want to stream from your PC to this handheld, it is an option that works. Again, the comfort of using this device for more modern games is not ideal.

I also tested out XBPlay. This worked just as well. I played a round of Halo 5 online and it was very playable. It was not fun to control, but it still worked nicely. I can see myself streaming some Indie games and having an enjoyable experience with that.

Battery Life

Battery life is one of the biggest selling points of a device for me. After using something that sips battery, it is easy for me to get battery anxiety while feverishly checking what percent I am at. I am happy to report that after using this for the last few days, the battery life has been great!

I ran 2 separate tests to see how the battery life went. The first test I did was on GBC as a lower-end battery test. I ran Game and Watch 2 for the GBC in RetroArch using Gambatte. I had Wi-Fi on and the screen brightness was up to 100%. From 100% to 0%, the battery lasted a little over 12 hours (12:06).

Next, I ran 100% to 0% for GameCube using the standalone Dolphin emulator. Again, I had Wi-Fi on, the screen brightness set to 100% and the CPU was set to normal. This test lasted a little over 8 hours (8:13)! Both times charging, I used my Steam Deck charger and got it to full in about 3 hours time.

Sleep mode in Android just works so well too. I was able to sleep my device for hours at a time with very little hit to my overall battery. If you are looking for good battery life in a vertical handheld, this is a viable option.

Final Thoughts

Anbernic has been extremely giving this year. Yes, the releases are tiresome, but no one is making you buy them all. It really just let’s you get a variety of different devices for each kind of person. Yeah, it becomes a bit of a meme with the releases, but it also opens them up to letting the hobby be more accessible. This device is a bit more new though with new sticks and screen that will hopefully be the new norm for them.

If you are someone who loves a vertical form factor, but you want a bit more power than your typical XX devices that have been releasing, this handheld is one for you. The sticks are great, the D-Pad is wonderful, the screen looks so good, and the battery life has been fantastic. It was honestly difficult to nitpick things I did not like about it. 

My top handhelds of the year are brewing in my head and this may be one that sneaks into my top or at the very least, honorable mention. If you can overlook the bulbous/chunky design, this handheld may be a sleeper hit. This is my favorite Anbernic release of the year…so far.

What I Like:

• Battery Life
• Screen
• D-Pad and analog sticks
• Performance is good

What Can Take a Hike:

• Thick and bulbous design
•  No woodgrain?!
• The sticks are a bit tall
• Overly sensitive shoulder buttons

Order your own RG406V at the links below.

• RG406V (Direct)
• RG406V (AliExpress)

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