When the Anbernic RG34XX came out, I knew it was going to be one of my favorite XX handhelds. I loved the GBA as a kid and this gave me so much nostalgia when I saw it. When my review unit came in, I got the black and I was find of meh on it. I have grown since I was a kid and the small size was a bit crampy for me.
Glacier was the color I had as a kid and the new release had my interest piqued yet again. This is not a full review, just about the color. If you want to read my review, you can here.
Anbernic RG34XX — Now in Glacier!
The glacier color is not just a transparent white, but it has a bit of a blue hue to it as well. Anbernic just released this not long after the first batch and people were either annoyed or saw it coming. The renders Anbernic released though do not do this justice. I am sorry to those who wrote it off because of those images because this looks much more accurate in person.
The blue hue shines through very well and it looks great! I lost my childhood Game Boy Advance in a move, so I wish I could compare the 2, but it does strike my something deep within me when I hold it. Something I really love that Anbernic did with this release is match the X and Y button with the shell so you cannot see them at a glance. It gives it such a more natural look of the original 2 button design.
The Feel
I am going to probably reiterate some of my points from my previous review, but I guess I now have nostalgic rose-tinted glasses to go with it now. Does it still feel small in my hands? Absolutely. I still am not a fan of the inner R2/L2 placement. Guess what? I am not going to be playing any games on this thing that will be using those buttons.
Even if it is small, again just to me so that is subjective, it is as close to the original gba as you can get. This is a great clone and it is made even better by having this new popular color. I loved the 90s and early 2000s. Being able to see through your technology is such a fun feature and I love it here. I am also a big fan of the volume wheel switch.
Final Thoughts
I just spent a good amount of time trimming my collection down to 5 handhelds. This arrived on my doorstep and I am now spiraling. I did not keep a portable device, so maybe this is the one I can toss in my pocket and take places. Do I need a dedicated GBA device? With how close this is to my childhood console, I think I just might.
Sorry for those who ordered the first release and wanted a glacier. I am sorry that those renders do not do it justice because this thing is spot on. If you had a glacier gba as a kid and you want one now, this is a no-brainer. Order your own at the link below.
Anbernic RG34XX (AliExpress)Anbernic RG34XX (Direct)
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