Anbernic announced its next retro handheld today and it’s easy to see where the design of the RG34XX draws its inspiration. It appears to be a faithful clone of Nintendo’s original Game Boy Advance, although updated with additional action and shoulder buttons allowing games from more recent systems to be played. Pricing and availability hasn’t been revealed yet, but the RG34XX will come in transparent red and green colors, as well as the GBA’s purple and black.
One feature Anbernic didn’t carry forward is the Game Boy Advance’s LCD screen which lacked a backlight and was notoriously difficult to see unless you were playing outside on a sunny day or cozied up next to a bright lamp. The RG34XX will instead feature a larger 3.4-inch display with a 720×480 resolution. The display will also use the same 3:2 aspect ratio as the Game Boy Advance, so GBA titles should look great, and older games developed for 4:3 TV screens will fit without extensive stretching or pillarboxing.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25777028/anbernic3.jpg)
Image: Keep Retro
As with previous Anbernic handhelds, the RG34XX doesn’t have a cartridge slot like the Analogue Pocket or the ModRetro Chromatic. It’s instead designed to play games through software emulation. Details on the RG34XX’s processor aren’t known yet, but Retro Handhelds speculates it will be based on the Allwinner H700 chipset the company has used in its other XX series handhelds. If that’s the case, you can expect it to play games from older consoles up to the original Sony PlayStation, and even some N64 and Sega Dreamcast titles.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25777023/anbernic2.jpg)
Image: Keep Retro
The RG34XX will include Wi-Fi connectivity facilitating online play as well as streaming PC titles through Moonlight, and Bluetooth for connecting multiple wireless controllers for shared screen multiplayer. If that 3.4-inch screen still seems too small, the RG34XX also includes a mini HDMI port for connecting it to a TV, alongside a USB-C port for charging, and a pair of microSD card slots for storing ROMs and its operating system.
This isn’t the first time that Anbernic has copied Nintendo’s homework. Earlier this year the company released its RG35XXSP with a design inspired by the clamshell Game Boy Advance SP but with an improved screen, a more capable processor, and a concerning number of pre-installed pirated ROMs.