Anbernic RG556 Setup Guide

I’ve been part of the RH scene for 4 years now, and in that time, I’ve held probably close to 50 different handhelds (it sounds like a lot, but many more have held many more). One of the single most comfortable handhelds to use is the RG556, a device that also has a top-tier screen and a decent amount of power. It’s one of my favourite devices to use for Game Pass streaming (something I covered here). However, it is a device that needs a bit of love applied to it before it’s able to provide its best.

This article is designed to be a setup guide for a new RG556 owner in order to get to the good stuff as quickly as possible.

While this guide is designed for the RG556, it should equally apply to the RG Cube, however, it has not been tested on that device. If any readers experience any issues replicating these steps on the Cube, I’d appreciate it if you could leave a comment.

Anbernic RG556 Specs

Display Size: 5.4 inches, AMOLED
Resolution: 1920 x 1080
Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Processor: Unisoc T820
GPU: Mali-G57
RAM: 8GB LPDDR4X
Storage: 128GB UFS 2.2 + 1x microSD Card (up to 2TB)
Battery: 5,500mAh (~8 hours)
Connectivity: Wi-Fi / Bluetooth 5.0
Ports: USB Type-C, 3.5mm Audio Jack, microSD Card
Extras: RGB Joysticks / Vibration / Display Out via USB-C / Active Cooling
Sensors: Hall Effect Joysticks / Six-Axis Gyroscope / Hall Effect Triggers
OS: Android
Dimensions: 223 x 90 x 15mm
Weight: 331 grams
Colors: Black / Transparent Blue

Where to Buy

Fixing Cardinal Snapping

The biggest criticisms of the RG556 relate to the joysticks. The worst of these stick crimes is the cardinal snapping. Cardinal Snapping happens when an analog stick is configured by the manufacturer to prioritize Up, Down, Left, and Right (and the diagonals) over any other movement.

This means that the joysticks work more like 8-way arcade sticks as opposed to acting as true analog sticks. This can be good for old 8-bit and 16-bit gaming, but trying to play modern games is not a fun experience with Cardinal Snapping.

Aish (now of Aish Talks Tech) showed how Cardinal Snapping shows up on a joystick testing app in his review on the RH YouTube Channel.

Luckily, a friend of RH and my fellow Brit TheGammeSqueeze has built a fix. However, this requires the device to be wiped, meaning it is wise to make this the first decision made by a new 556 owner.

How to fix Cardinal Snapping

In order to apply the cardinal snapping fix, the device bootloaded first needs to be unlocked (this allows users like us the ability to access device configurations that were locked by the manufacturer). In order to unlock the bootloader, you will need a Windows desktop/laptop and a USB-C cable (I’d recommend USB-A to USB-C if your Windows device has USB-A ports). The following steps should be completed.

Download and unzip the file “Bootloader_Unlock_Anbernic_T820” from here.
Turn off the RG556 completely without a USB cable connected. (Don’t just put it to sleep).
Run the file “unlock.bat”. (It’s included in the zip file you just downloaded)
Hold down the Home/Back button on the RG556 and, while keeping the button held in, connect the RG556 to the desktop/laptop with the USB cable.
- This will need to be completed within 30 seconds of the unlock.bat file being run, or else it will time out. If it times out, remove the cable, run the .bat file, and try again. If it’s not clear, the Home/Back button is one of the two buttons directly under the joypad, and of the two, it is the one on the right.
The unlock process will then start, and the home/back button can be released once the process starts.
The RG556 will now reboot. If the battery charging symbol is shown, just power on the device.
On the second reboot, an admin menu will be shown, and the option to “wipe the device” should be chosen.
- The option can be selected using the volume buttons and confirmed by pressing the power button

When this is on screen in when the 556 needs to be connected

This should unlock the bootloader, meaning that the joystick fix can now be applied. To do this:

Download the “UnisocDrivers” and “RG_556_Analogue_Fix” zip files from here.
Unzip both files.
Install the Unisoc USB drivers, which were included in the “UnisocDrivers” zip
Just as before, fully power off the 556, making sure no USB cable is plugged in. Just like last time, we are going to trigger a file on the Windows device,
When triggered, the process will run in a command line window on the Desktop/Laptop. In order to confirm the process, you will need to enter the word “yes” into the window twice.
Once the task is complete, the window can be closed, the process is complete, and the joysticks will have full range.

This bootup Screen means the bootloader is unlocked

Once this is all complete, there will be a couple of lines of white text in the screen every time the device is switched on.

Updating the RG556

This Screen Indicates an Update is Available

On the first boot-up up it is worth checking whether there is an official Anbernic update to be installed. In order to complete this, the RG556 will need to be connected to Wi-Fi (this will be the same as connecting an Android phone to Wi-Fi). Anbernic includes its own App for checking for updates, called FOTA Update, and it’s worth launching this (after connecting to Wi-Fi) to see if you’re using the latest software. If there’s an update, this screen will look like this once the app is launched

Installing Applications

All of these Apps Should be Deleted

The RG556 ships with old and outdated versions of most emulators. While it is possible to get a decent experience using the device “as is”, we recommend updating the emulators to the latest version for the best possible experience. If there are any errors with the download, it is recommended to delete the existing installation and install the latest versions

Emulator Recommendations

Cave Story – one of my favorite GOTM games from last year – on PPSSPP

On Android, some emulators are available on the Google Play Store, but others can only be downloaded from outside the Play Store. Below, you’ll find the emulators that I recommend downloading from the Play Store for the RG556:

However, be sure to check out the list of our favorite emulators for Android, which includes those that you won’t find on the Play Store.

The best way to update emulators that aren’t on the Play Store is to use an app on GitHub called Obtanium. This acts as a central hub to ensure that all the non-Play Store apps are kept up to date. Please follow RH’s guide to set up Obtainium.

Each installed emulator will need to be opened and a random game loaded in order to make sure the emulation has the Android permissions and the required access to the locations of the BIOS files and the folder where ROMs are located.

RetroArch

While each emulator will need a small degree of configuration, RetroArch will need a little more attention. I recommend following the steps in our Setup Guide for Android Handhelds, which can be found here.

Frontends

Up until the end of 2022, I used to hate Android handhelds, thinking they were a real pain to navigate. These days, most of my favorite devices are running some form of Android. The biggest difference is the emergence of frontends, which an experience more similar to that available on Linux handhelds.

My two personal recommendations are ES-DE and Dajisho. The stock version of Anbernic’s Android build does include its own RG Launcher, however, I strongly recommend using either ES-DE or Dajisho as an alternative.

My personal preference is ES-DE since this has the closest resemblance to my Linux handhelds and since it’s very easy to transfer between handhelds. However, this is a paid-for app requiring a $5 donation on their Patreon page, while Dajisho is a very good alternative for people who only want to use free apps.

For a guide to setting up these frontends, I recommend the RetroGameCorps videos on how to set up ES-DEand Daijisho.

On the front of the RG556, under the joypad, there is an R button, which is set by default to trigger Anbernic’s RG Launcher, even when other frontends are installed. I like to change this so that it instead launches my frontend of choice. You can find the instructions on how to, and the instructions to find this can be found here.

Streaming Apps

Odin 2 Mini playing Halo via Xbox Game Pass

Previously, I’ve written about how I think the RG556 is the best streaming handheld available for under $200. I personally recommend the following apps for game streaming. For each record, I’ve mentioned whether the app in question is available on the Google Play store, on GitHub, or on a separate Website

Better xCloud – for Microsoft Game Pass (Github)
Steam Link – for Local Steam Game Streaming (Google Play)
Moonlight – for All PC Game Local Streaming (Google Play)
GeForce NOW Cloud Gaming – for GeForce Now (Google Play)
XBPlay – Remote Streaming from an Xbox Series X or S (Google Play)
Chiaki-Up – Remote Streaming from a PS5 (Google Play)

Conclusion

And that’s it, you should be done.

At the time of writing, the successor to the RG556, the RG557 has just been announced, using the same screen and ergonomics. While it might not be the best-in-class device that the AYN Odin 2 is, I really like the RG556 when it’s set up right. The device has an amazing screen and amazing ergonomics, and for its price, it’s powerful enough for most GameCube and PS2 emulation. However, it’s a device that really benefits from being set up the right way. I hope this guide will help any owners get the most out of their devices

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