Remember the RG35XX that came out in December 2022? Anbernic has a new upgraded version named the RG35XX Plus due for release on November 25, 2023.
Anbernic says that the RG35XX Plus will be capable of playing up to PSP, Nintendo DS, DOS, and Dreamcast, though, which is a fairly solid upgrade over the original model’s ‘up to PS1’.
In terms of what’s powering the device, an H700 quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 fronts the CPU, while a dual-core G31 MP2 is heading up the GPU capabilities. The device also features 1 GB of LPDDR4 RAM and has 64 GB of storage. For the operating system, it’s Linux.
| Original RG35XX vs New RG35XX Plus | |
| Original RG35XX | New RG35XX Plus |
| CPU: quad-core ARM Cortex-A9 | CPU: H700 quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 (faster) |
| GPU: PowerVR SGX544MP | GPU: G31 MP2 (more powerful) |
| RAM: 256MB | RAM: 1GB (faster) |
| Storage: 64GB | Storage: 64GB (same) |
| Operating System: Linux | Operating System: Linux (same) |
For anyone who’s considering picking up the device, it’s worth noting neither the original nor the new model features an analog stick of any kind. For N64 and PSP it’s possible to get around this by using the d-pad to act as a stick, but that workaround may not work for every game out there.
Elsewhere, Anbernic says the vertical handheld also comes equipped with 5G Wi-Fi, Moonlight streaming, HDMI output, and Bluetooth 4.2.
What’s interesting here is just how much more powerful the new device is compared with the original model. As well as newer processing and graphical chips, the jump from a measly 256 MB of RAM versus the new 1 GB is sure to make the new model run a lot faster. PSP emulation, in theory, should be easy to achieve providing the device isn’t rushed out.
Is it worth the upgrade? It all depends on how much you want to play PSP games without an analog stick. If you don’t own one yet, the newer RG35XX is easily the stronger prospect of the two thanks to its higher power. But if you’ve already got one and are happy with it, it may be worth staying put. Either way, the device will be up for order on the Anbernic website from November 25.
