Anbernic RG35XXSP Review
The best Game boy Advance SP clone yet?
Retail Price: $86.99
The Anbernic RG35XXSP isn’t the first Gameboy Advance SP clone, yet it is likely the best one out there. Gameboys are and will always be my favorite portable handheld format. It’s pure nostalgia for me at this point, but the Gameboy Advance SP was beloved by gamers around the world for good reason. This clamshell form factor was near perfection at a time where mobile gaming was a recipient of rapid innovation. That’s also why it isn’t a surprise to anyone that Anbernic’s own SP clone is also off to a hot start on the market.
Almost a Replica
I wouldn’t fault anyone for thinking this console was an actual Gameboy Advance SP by merely looking at it. It’s a bit thicker and not as clean with the buttons and ports as the original SP, but I actually think Anbernic did a great job in recreating the original'‘s form factor for modern times. Since this is an emulation machine, there’s no cartridge slot. Instead, there are two microSD card slots on the bottom frame next to the headphone jack. The top side provides users with a USB-C and a mini-HDMI port to push out images to a bigger display.
Different Options
This handheld gaming device is sold in three color options: Silver, Transparent Gray, and TRansparent Blue
Speaking of images, when the clamshell pops open, a 3.5 inch IPS display fills the real estate. It’s a near perfect square as the 4:3 aspect ratio pushes the display to form a 640 x 480 p resolution. That’s slightly different from the 3:2 aspect ratio of the actual Gameboy Advance SP, but you won’t have to lose any information as since this is an emulation platform, the aspect ratio can be adjusted by the system it's emulating. I wouldn’t go around bragging about the screen Anbernic used here, but for something so small and faithful to the SP’s portability, I’m perfectly content with what we have here. The pixel density is enough to make Gameboy Advance games feel sharp to look at on a sub-4 inch display. The viewing angles are also consistent across all positions. It’s a decent screen to look at while playing old games.
The responsibility of being the device’s default frontend goes to Retroarch. It’s a pretty standard ordeal for anybody who has experience with emulation handhelds. I don’t love the limited customizability on this build out of the box, but if it’s something that really bothers me down the line, I can always dedicate some time to modifying it. That’s the beauty of these emulation consoles. We’re buying it for the hardware. The frontend can always be altered later.
More Advanced Than a Gameboy
Anbernic provides buyers with a microSD card loaded with consoles up to PSP and PS1 roms. That should give you a clear indication of what the company believes the hardware is capable of emulating. There’s a quad-core ARM processor with 1 GB of ram pushing the SP. I went into this not expecting it to play kindly with 3D era titles. To my surprise, some PS1 games like Activision’s 2000 Spider-Man ran basically flawlessly. Even a game like Tekken 3, which I expected some frame drops on, surprised me with how fluid it ran on the SP. Of course, not every title will realistically run at a playable frame rate, but my point is that it pushed the boundaries of what I personally thought it would be able to handle. When I pitted the RG35XXSP against competitors like the Powkiddy RGB10S or the Miyoo Mini, I found the SP to actually match those products extremely well. I went back and reviewed those reviews and a lot of what I have to say here replicates what I said about those products.
As long as you go into the SP knowing the capabilities and limitations of what platforms it can emulate, I think a majority of people will be quite happy with this Gameboy replica. And that threshold is mainly due to the look and feel of the SP. While the console is made of plastic and lighter than I would have guessed from looking at it, I do think it is built well overall. It doesn’t come near the premium ranks of some of the other Gameboy clones, but there’s something to be said about having a portable console that you don’t mind getting dinged up slightly.
I have the Transparent Blue model that takes the design language made popular by the Game Boy Color in order to see the parts inside of the SP. I personally do find the color ways that Anbernic offers to cheapen the product, but I also understand that this isn’t an actual Nintendo Game Boy Advance SP, and the paint quality can’t compare to that level.
Can Use Some Improvements
Still, most of my gripe with the RG35XXSP really lies behind the weight. Being lightweight has its benefits, but I do find this SP to feel slightly awkward in my hands. The bulk of the weight comes from the 3300 mAh rechargeable battery which keeps the system alive for roughly 8 hours of Game Boy Advance gameplay. Later generations of gaming consoles will cut that number down. While the battery life is decent, it takes forever to charge.
Back to the weight thing, I just felt like the SP didn’t feel balanced. I realize it’s ironic to mention that the actual Game Boy Advance SP weighs less and is physically smaller than this device, but for some reason it doesn’t feel that way when holding them in succession. It’s not that big of a deal, but I might be missing the cartridge slot weight as a comfort pillar of sorts.
I realize that some of my dislikes about the SP stems from my comparisons to the official Nintendo console, but that’s also expected when the product’s form factor is a clone of a beloved product. From the first time I flipped the clamshell open, I also felt something was just a bit off about it. Anbernic uses a hall and magnetic switch to pull the lid down to the base when they’re close to one another. The hinge relies on an alloy axis that allows the max angle to recline to 190 degrees. The clamshell form factor works nicely, but as with the weight distribution, it just didn’t feel right. There isn’t a satisfying click, or an indication that would let you know you’ve reached the minimum closure distance before the magnetic pull kicks in. Once again, these are things that I can’t help but look at the original Game Boy Advance SP with nostalgic glasses.
NOstalgia For a New Age
It goes without say though that if reliving nostalgia is the prime intention, then Anbernic has done a great job of that. This is especially true when a Game Boy game is running. I would occasionally get lost in the immersion as if I was holding a legitimate Game Boy Advance SP again. Everything is quite acceptable with the replication. The buttons are clicky and don’t stick to the shell. Audio quality is tinny and gets distorted quickly at higher volumes. So headphones are a must for serious gaming sessions. Still, you can survive with them for short spurts. The one thing I was pleasantly happy about was the vibration motor. Of course most of the original consoles this device emulates didn’t have rumble support, but the PS1 does. The vibration the SP emits is subtle enough not to be disturbing, but pronounced enough to be something you remember. I like it for this form factor.
A modern Game Boy wouldn’t be complete without the modern amenities of gaming from this century. Save states are the best way to live with games for working adults. It allows you to set the console down and pick it up at any time without forcing players to add a few extra minutes to reach a save point. I can’t live without it and this feature allows me to relive many games that I probably wouldn’t have the time to play anymore now that my schedule is so full.
While I don’t personally use this handheld to do this, it can stream PC games through Moonlight streaming. Plug the SP into a TV and use a bluetooth controller with it, and this can become a little modern gaming hub that can be taken anywhere thanks to how small it is.
There’s a lot to like here. While nostalgia is a big factor in why the RG35XXSP exists, I personally find it to be the biggest weakness as well. Unlike an Analogue Pocket that was a better Game Boy than the Game Boy it replicated, the Advance SP was and surprisingly is still a masterful product. The form factor and quality in which Nintendo developed their SP was superb and ahead of the times. That makes any clone have a tall hill to climb.
I actually think that this would be an amazing experience for any young adult who wasn’t around for the Game Boy era of portable handhelds. In fact, they may even appreciate this little bundle more than someone who has biases to the original. Whatever the use cases or experiences with the original Game Boy might be, I find it hard to go wrong with the Anbernic RG35XXSP at this sub-$100 MSRP.
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