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Anbernic RG405M Retro Handheld Gaming Console

Ronald

January 2, 2024

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With their ongoing handheld release schedule, most recently released the ANBERNIC RG405M. The Unisoc T618 chipset is used in this $170 handheld, which is not new, but ANBERNIC has designed it in such a manner that it represents a significant improvement over their well-liked RG353M, which many of you may know is one of my personal favorite throwback handhelds.

First, the shell has undergone a change, ditching the straight edges in favor of a more rounded form that makes it more comfortable and gives it a Gameboy Advance-like appearance. Due to the larger size, they added a 4″ IPS touchscreen with a 640 x 480 resolution, giving it the ideal 4:3 ratio for playing most of your old-school games.

The display is not the finest I have ever seen, despite being large enough to play on huge consoles like the PS2 and tiny enough to feel pocketable. When viewed from various angles, the IPS panel’s brightness varies, giving the impression that it is of poorer quality. Although I am aware that this is standard for IPS panels, there is simply something about this one that bothers me.

There are buttons and analog sticks all around the screen. The DPAD is nearly ideal, much like other ANBERNIC gadgets; it is big enough for control, has good movement, and has a soft-touch click. The analog sticks are hall joysticks, which have high-quality rubber on the outside of the shell to prevent catching on objects while being moved. R3/L3 functioning is highly responsive and responds to very little force.

I’m not the greatest lover of high gloss buttons or the coloration of the buttons either, but that’s just a matter of taste. The action buttons have the SNES color scheme and are high gloss on both color versions. I believe that making the handheld completely black and colorless would have given it a more streamlined appearance.

Below that are your plastic start/select buttons, which are simple to push and provide clicky feedback, and your analog stick. Because your fingers naturally rest here, there are no buttons or connectors on the sides of the device. Instead, everything you need is on the top or bottom.

A USB-C connector, volume controls, an LED light, and a power button are all located on the top. A headphone connector, an SD card slot, and two speakers are located on the bottom.

While I think that this is the ideal placement for all of these ports—nothing gets in the way and everything is accessible—I would have preferred if the SD card slot had a protective door, even if it were made of rubber.

Anbernic RG405M Technical Specification

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