At the time of writing Anbernic have just announced a flash sale, where one of the most visible price reductions is on the RG-Arc. A device which was recently rumoured to be the basis for the next H700 device. I felt this was a good time to revisit this unloved child of the RK3566 series, explain why it’s one of my favourites and why we don’t need a new version.
I got my first RG-Arc as a kind gift from another member of the RH Discord in June 2024. Somewhere between then and October of the same year I damaged the screen, not so much that I couldn’t use it, but enough that it bothered me. The fact that this upset me enough to trade my TrimUI Smart Pro for another RG-Arc should show how much I like this device.
The RG-Arc didn’t have a particularly successful launch. While I was immediately taken with the look of the device, and the large screen, reviewers weren’t thrilled with it, when it arrived in their hands. Everyone’s favorite YouTuber RetroGameCorp titled his video “Great for Sega and Fighters”, damning it with faint praise, and many other videos follow suit with bittersweet titles like “Emulation Brilliance, but…..”. Even the favourable reviews thought the device was technically good, but it wasn’t universally loved. RH’s Zu praised the devices looks but thought that people who didn’t already have another RK3566 device should maybe look elsewhere due to the lack of analogue sticks
Reviewers tended to have 3 issues with the device:
- It looked like a Saturn Controller but wasn’t able to play Saturn games well
- There was no custom firmware available
- It was an RK3566 device in a world already filled with RK3566 devices
All of those were valid criticisms, however all of those don’t let the Arc fight on home turf. Let’s look at them in turn.
Why It Doesn’t Matter That the RG-ARC Can’t Play Saturn Games
Systems I like to play on the Arc Pt. 1: Genesis
The RG-Arc isn’t a device like the Retroid Pocket 5 that can provide a great experience for every system imaginable. I like to think of it in the same way I think of the recently released Anbernic RG34XX, it’s a device which provides my favourite experience for the systems it excels at.
To me, the RG-Arc is easily my favourite choice for playing anything Genesis or below.
Yes, it’s kinda madness to release a handheld clearly influenced by a Sega Saturn controller that isn’t great for Saturn games, but since I was always more familiar with the Genesis than the Saturn, I’ve always thought that the tear-drop form of the controller was more like the original Genesis controller (with some buttons added), than a Saturn controller.
If you’re able to frame it like this, the device makes a lot more sense.
Systems I like to play on the ARC Pt. 2: Amiga
And when used to emulate a device doesn’t need any more than 3 face buttons, the Arc really becomes a joy to play. The D-pad, screen and A, B & C buttons are a perfect match for the controls required on these other games.
The D-pad on the Arc is frequently considered the best D-pad that Anbernic have made to date. It may fail the RGC patented Contra Test, but it doesn’t need to pass it. The idea of rocking a joypad left and right is to test for accidental diagonals, and with a floating D-pad like the Arc’s there aren’t “accidental” diagonals. Each directional press feels deliberate and precise. I’ve never played Celeste on it, but if I ever had to participate in RH Weekly’s Celeste challenge, this handheld would be the one I’d bring to that specific battle.
Despite being 480p, the Arc screen still looks good
The Screen on the Arc was, up until the release of the RG406V a couple of months ago, the best 4 Inch screen on any handheld. While it’s since been surpassed, it still does everything it needs to since all the 8-bit and 16-bit games prior to Genesis tended to be 2D, which doesn’t benefit as much from upscaling to higher resolutions compared to 3D games from the PS1 era.
Some people, such as myself, don’t mind retro games looking a bit…..well retro. What’s important here is the screen size. While 3.5 inches used to be the basis for almost every handheld, the extra half inch diameter on the Arc’s screen really does make a considerable difference to the gamer experience.
The ABC Buttons are just so pressable. A number of retro games require the face buttons to be absolutely hammered in a way modern games don’t. On many retro handhelds, again thinking of Retroid devices, the buttons aren’t great for mashing in this style. On the other hand, the buttons on the Arc feel designed to have the absolute bejesus pummelled out of them. Something which is really useful for those 8bit and 16bit systems I mentioned
Why It Doesn’t Matter That There Wasn’t Any Custom Firmware
Systems I like to play on the ARC Pt. 3: Arcade Games
It took a while but about 6 months after the RG-Arc was releases, the first Linux Custom Firmware was realised. It amuses me greatly that my RH colleague Ban wrote an article about the Arc six months on from release, and in the tiny window between the article being written and published, ROCKNIX has released a build for the Arc with such little fanfare that virtually no one noticed. I was genuinely surprised to find it existed when I received my first Arc in June.
(Prior to ROCKNIX there were two sort of options available — beta versions of The Retro Arena were downloadable, alongside a version of GammaOS which wasn’t optimised for the RK3566, and which wasn’t a smooth ride. I am very grateful to both developers for their work.)
ROCKNIX is to me, one of the more familiar names in RH Custom OS, and the site of the familiar set up makes it a much more attractive device to game on.
Why It Doesn’t Matter That It’s Just Another RK3566 Device
Russ from Retro Game Corp showing the best way to grip the RG-ARC
In my time I’ve owned different models of 4 RK3566 handhelds (The Arc and 3 others). I had the RG353VS which I got rid of because I preferred horizontal devices. The RG353M, which despite having my favourite ever colorway, was too heavy to put in a jacket pocket and carry around. I have a RGB30 which I hardly ever use, despite having an amazing screen, as I don’t find it comfortable to hold for long period.
Each of these RK3566 devices have almost been replaced with a newer, cheaper, similar looking versions within Anbernic’s XX series — especially if you consider the RG CubeXX to have replaced the RGB30 — yet the Arc persists. There were rumours of Anbernic releasing an RG ArcXX with analog sticks, but to my mind the renders take away a lot of the wonder of the device.
I love the look of the device. It unashamedly looks a bit like a toy, and I really like that, but it also looks really retro. The RG-Arc the sort of device that the discerning retro gamer could play in public and get the right sort of positive attention from passers by, especially if they were using the solid black colorway.
I also love the grips at the back of the device. I know other candy-bar style devices aren’t exactly uncomfortable, but the Arc is in a different league. The mini-grips on the back of the Arc, which perfectly line up with the tips of the fingers, mean that the Arc is one of the most comfortable “cheap devices” to hold, only recently bettered by the CubeXX.
The Future of The Arc
It took 6 Months for the first full release custom firmware to reach the Arc, and now a further 6 months on from that – a full year after the device has released – there is the hope for further options coming along.
In September 2024 Gamma released the beta version of his striped down offering — called GammaOS Core — which will very much suit the Arc (and it can run off a SD card, meaning it will work on the Arc-S and the Arc-D)
And while nothing has been formally announced, I’m quietly hopeful that we might see some form of KNULLI build for the Arc in 2025
Purchase the RG Arc-S and the Arc-D direct from Anbernic, or through AliExpress or via Amazon.
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