Whereas many individuals are nostalgic for flip telephones, sliders are the strategy to go for me. Positive, I had a primary flip telephone in the early 2000s, however I didn’t actually get enthusiastic about telephones till I obtained my first sliding telephone with a full QWERTY keyboard in 2006. That satisfying THWOMP made me really feel like I was a undercover agent each time I texted my mother to select up some extra Mountain Dew and Cheetos.

However when the PSP Go and Xperia Play introduced that type issue to gaming, I simply didn’t get it. At the moment, I didn’t wish to overlap my gaming units with my telephone. I nonetheless don’t, however that’s the unlucky world we now stay in.

So when the ANBERNIC RG Slide was introduced, I was skeptical. Clamshells like the Retroid Flip 2 had me hungry for extra distinctive type components in the retro gaming handheld world, however can this slider overcome my previous prejudices?

After unboxing the gadget and sliding it open, that acquainted THWOMP instantly had me hooked. The RG Slide may not be good, but it surely’s excited me about the way forward for handhelds in a means that few units have in the previous 12 months.

Aside from the slick sliding mechanism, the very first thing that stands out about the RG Slide is its dimension. It is extremely chunky. The 4:3 side ratio, 4.7-inch display screen, and rounded design make it seem like a telephone from twenty years ago, however the thickness jogs my memory of even older handhelds from the 90s — the sort that ate by way of AA batteries like I went by way of Mountain Dew.

As soon as I obtained over the preliminary shock, I discovered that the dimension truly labored in its favor. As soon as I obtained used to the bulk, it was surprisingly comfy to carry, and the thickness permits for inset capacitive sticks with a pleasant vary of movement. The controls normally are unbelievable, with a delicate D-pad and quiet buttons. The triggers are very clicky, and the small energy and quantity buttons are discreetly tucked away on the aspect.

There are two additional buttons, and so they’re discovered on both aspect of the display screen. These are nice for emulation hotkeys, and so they make it in order that I by no means actually wanted to the touch the display screen. That alone made it really feel extra like a gaming console and fewer like an Android telephone.

The display screen itself is stunning. The 120Hz refresh charge is definitely overkill for a tool like this, however the colours and brightness are good. It’s not an OLED panel, however I would don’t have any complaints if Anbernic and different firms continued to make use of this display screen on extra units in the future. Nevertheless, it’s fairly uncovered on the outdoors of the gadget, so I’d positively suggest utilizing the included display screen protector.

Taking one other web page from the e-book of older smartphones, it additionally has stereo audio system on both aspect of the display screen. They sound nice, and the placement means you’ll by no means cowl them together with your palms. They really make the RG Slide a stable media viewing gadget, particularly for older, non-16:9 content material.

If I have one grievance about the design, it’s that the display screen is ever so barely off middle. It’s not noticeable when the slider is open and also you’re enjoying video games, but it surely is noticeable when enjoying touchscreen video games. Extra on that in a second.

I was initially upset by the Unisoc T820 chipset on the RG Slide, because it felt like a tool this distinctive ought to have one thing extra highly effective. The T820 has been used on many Anbernic units in the previous, although, and it’s a stable performer for all the pieces as much as and together with some PS2. Simply don’t count on to get pleasure from frontier Change or PS3 emulation.

I ran the gadget by way of our commonplace suite of benchmarks to get a common concept of what we’re speaking about. There’s just one configuration accessible, with 128GB of storage and 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM. You possibly can improve that storage with a microSD card, and ANBERNIC sells the gadget with the possibility to incorporate a 128GB or 256GB card, loaded with video games of questionable legality.

Take a look at the outcomes of our exams above, pitted towards two Retroid units on both aspect of the RG Slide by way of value. The Pocket Flip 2 has an getting old, however succesful Snapdragon 865 SoC, and the Pocket Basic has the new handheld-focused Snapdragon G1 Gen 2.

Outcomes are combined, with the RG Slide falling someplace in between the two Retroid units in most exams. The newer G1 Gen 2 reveals spectacular efficiency for the way low-cost it is, however the Unisoc T820 nonetheless blows it away in GPU efficiency. Personally, I would like to see a follow-up to the RG Slide incorporate the mid-range Snapdragon G2 Gen 2 chip that’s set to energy the subsequent Retroid flagship. ANBERNIC has by no means used a Snapdragon chipset in any handheld, although, so which will by no means come to fruition.

When it comes to precise emulation, the RG Slide dealt with all the pieces I wished it to. Retro programs clearly ran nice, and the 4:3 display screen is good for PS1, N64, and extra. Sadly, 16:9 programs like the PSP function fairly heavy letterboxing. Mockingly, I wouldn’t suggest snagging this PSP Go-shaped gadget to play PSP video games.

GameCube and PS2 are additionally playable, however you’ll should make some compromises. I couldn’t get all video games to play at full framerates, not to mention upscaled. With out upscaling, PS2 video games play at 640 x 480, which is half of the native decision of the RG Slide’s 1280 x 960 IPS panel, and it seems fairly muddy on the 4.7-inch show. It’s playable, but it surely’s removed from preferrred.

As a sidenote, I deserted my beloved ES DE frontend for the sake of this evaluate, sticking to ANBERNIC’s homegrown RG launcher. It took a little bit work to get it to acknowledge the video games in my microSD card, however as soon as it was arrange, it was surprisingly nice. The console comes with many emulators pre-installed (though I ended up swapping some for extra up to date variations), and you’ll choose which emulator to launch proper in the launcher settings.

There’s a toggle in the notification shade to alter the default launcher, so you possibly can play your video games with out ever seeing an app icon. With all the pieces configured correctly, the RG Slide turns into a bonafide gaming console quite than an Android telephone pretender. There’s even an choice to lock and unlock the gadget with the sliding mechanism, which is indescribably cool.

Native Android video games don’t present up on this menu, however they’re additionally nice on this gadget. I usually solely play controller-compatible Android video games on these gaming handhelds, however on this gadget, I additionally loved portrait touchscreen video games. It seems and works similar to a chunky telephone when the slider is closed, so it didn’t really feel awkward to play mobile-first video games like Monument Valley, Conflict Royale, or Subway Surfers. As talked about above, the off-center display screen is obviously noticeable when holding the gadget vertically.

The final word right here is battery life, and for the most half, the 5,000mAh cell goes the distance. Relying on the settings and programs I was emulating, I obtained wherever from 5 to 12 hours of battery life.

The draw back is the charging speeds, which prime off at 10W. In my testing, it took roughly two hours to completely cost, so don’t count on a fast top-off between matches.

Whereas the RG Slide is an interesting gadget, it’s additionally pretty costly. It begins at $189.99 for simply the console, which places it in a wierd place by way of worth. The middling chipset and combined PS2 emulation make it a tough promote at that value, but it surely makes up for it with a design that’s a lower above the competitors.

That’s a comparatively new place for ANBERNIC. The model isn’t precisely identified for innovation, however quite for incremental enhancements on present designs and concepts. The RG Slide is perhaps the gadget to show that popularity on its head.

In case you are searching for extra efficiency, you’ll have to take a look at a unique type issue. The Retroid Flip 2 ($229 at Manufacturer site) is one possibility, and it presents fairly a bit extra efficiency for PS2 emulation, but it surely additionally prices fairly a bit extra, beginning at $229 earlier than transport and taxes.

In any other case, you’re taking a look at extra commonplace vertical or horizontal handhelds, which frankly don’t hit the similar as the RG Slide. In case you have any nostalgia for sliding units like the Xperia Play or PSP Go, this gadget would possibly scratch that itch.

In fact, you’ll additionally anticipate ANBERNIC to do its factor and iterate on this gadget. If it have been only a smidge smaller and a hair extra highly effective, it will be an absolute slam dunk.