The Anbernic trademark was registered in 2017 by Chinese manufacturer Shenzhen YangLiMing Electronic Technology Co., Ltd,[3] which released its first handheld console, the Retro Game (RG), that same year.[4] The brand gained prominence after launching a series of popular retrogaming devices, including the RG351P, RG353V, and RG35XX models.[5]
In December 2018, American rapper Soulja Boy launched the emulator console SouljaGame Console, which was actually a rebranded version of existing consoles developed by Anbernic. The project was shut down less than a month after its release.[6][7][8]
Over the first seven years, the company has released an average of 4-5 models per year.[9][10]
Due to their popularity, several open source projects provide custom firmware for these devices, offering additional features and extended support. These include ArkOS,[13] AmberElec,[14] ROCKNIX,[15] and muOS.[16]
Reception
Its systems have consistently received acclaim and are considered among the best retro gaming devices.[2][5][17][18]
In 2020, Begina de Miguel of El País praised the RG350 model, stating that it "combines high performance with excellent gameplay," and named it the "best retro handheld console" for under 100 euros.[17]
In 2023, Billy Givens and Harry Rabinowitz of Popular Mechanics praised Anbernic's user-friendly interfaces, selecting the RG351P model as the "best handheld game system for emulation."[18] However, they warmed that "loading old games into emulators and then selling them in this way is legally questionable in the United States," though consumers are "protected from the illegal nature of these emulations" since the company is based in China.[18]
In 2024, Jordan McMahon of The Strategist described the Anbernic RG35XX as the "best handheld gaming console for retro gaming," while Keith Stuart of The Guardian referred to Anbernic consoles as "unofficial handhelds" that "play thousands of games –as long as you don’t mind about the shady legality of homebrew emulators and downloadable rom files."[19]
Identified by the inclusion of "XX" in their model name, this line of Anbernic handhelds are powered by the same Allwinner H700 chipset. Beginning with the RG35XX Plus, these devices are relatively cheap (35-70 euro) and low-powered compared to other emulation handhelds. Emulation ability tops out at PS1, with most N64 games and Dreamcast games playable at full-speed.[22]
The only difference in these handhelds are available controls and form factor. For example the 35XXSP is a clamshell device with no analog sticks, while the 35XXH is a horizontal handheld with sticks.
Custom firmware is usually compatible across the entire lineup.[23] Sometimes this may require a small update from the firmware developers.
