Another day, another leak. This time it’s the Anbernic RG405.
After announcing the RG505 in November and the RG3XX just a few weeks later in December, the RG405 marks Anbernic’s first new announcement of 2023.
The RG405 appears to be a revamped version of the RG35 series of handhelds, albeit with a newer design.
The big change this time around is the switch from a PlayStation button layout to a more Xbox-centric affair. Thumbsticks now sit diagonally from one another, as do the D-pad and face buttons.
There is also a home button below the D-pad, and on the other side of the RG405 sits two extra buttons below the right stick. What those buttons are for isn’t clear at this point but I’ll keep you posted as more info comes out.
Specifications
All images via RetroHandhelds on Twitter
As of right now, the rumor doing the rounds is that the RG405 will make use of the UNISOC Tiger T618 chipset seen in the RG505 and the Retroid Pocket 3S+.
That means, RAM-pending, you’d be looking at the RG405 being able to emulate the following systems:
- Sega: Genesis/Mega Drive, Master System, Game Gear, SegaCD, Sega32x, Dreamcast
- Nintendo: NES, SNES, Gameboy, Gameboy Advance, DS, 3DS, N64, GameCube
- Sony: PlayStation, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable
- Misc: PC Engine, WonderSwan, Mame, FBNeo, Neo Geo
That is, of course, on paper. And let’s be real here, GameCube will surely be pushing it. Still, with the right tech and operating system, there’s a lot of potential here.
It’s also worth noting, there doesn’t seem to be an HDMI-out port. This may be visible from a different angle, but it’d be somewhat understandable if Anbernic did decide to ditch it to save costs.
Most people use their Anbernic devices as a handheld, and with better options available to hook up to a TV, I’m not sure how many people really used that function.
Early Impressions
As with anything from Anbernic, it’s hard to judge until people can actually see the thing in action. The T618 chipset would be a solid choice, especially if the operating system and RAM can help to make full use of it.
What’s interesting is seeing Anbernic taking risks. The new layout looks like it should be more comfortable to play on, especially in 3D games. How many more devices we need with a 3.5-inch screen is up for discussion, but given there aren’t millions of these things made at a time, iterating with new versions of what works is a solid way forward.
As always, I’ll be sure to keep an eye out for more information and some concrete specs, and will update you all once I learn more.
