I wanted the smallest possible device so I just got the 4 Pro. I thought I would be disappointed by the screen but it’s pretty good. Performance is great on PSP and PS2 games 👌
That’s what I like but the other 556 is pretty big is it worth getting if you have the pocket 4 is the same other than what you see one better than the other…I mainly use it for playing modded madden 12 revamp installed on psp and ps2 psp runs it great ps2 very playable I don’t think it’s perfect but it is playable…college hoops reborn (mod for ch2k8) ps2 is running very good…at the end of the day is this 556 worth getting
I have both, find myself on the 556 way more. That screen wins it. Also the battery on the 556 is insane, no led on and I play 3ds for hours and still above 60% battery.
Same here Anbernic RG556 has excellent battery life better than Retroid Pocket 4 pro despite having same 5000mah capacity. And. The OLED screen is simply amazing and more beautiful the color reproduction and the vibrant and saturated colors makes me want to play anbernic rg556 more!
@nepaliprayasgurung2594 right. The rp4pro has all that power and honestly it's a waste without a 1080 screen to use it on. Yeah I can a few games better but they look like trash on comparison.
@@ExiledRetro I have Odin 2 and honestly the screen quality is excellent all it needs is OLED display to make the bring out the vibrant and saturated colors. Not saying the ips lcd is bad or anything because it's great screen but having oled would be cherry on top. All I need from Odin 3 is oled display powerful hardware capable of emulating Wii U and PS3, being able to play gamepass from Xbox and it would literally be one of the best handheld!
@@ExiledRetro I agree Odin 2 is king of 2024 emulation handheld. Nothing comes close at the price point. 2nd place I do feel like Anbernic RG556 is 2nd best handheld after Odin 2. Anbernic RG556 oled screen is so beautiful to look at, and honestly many reviewers said that PS2 needs tweaking to get work and you'd have to underclock the performance and you'd have to switch from vulkan to opengl. That's partially true some games do require underclocking majority of PS2 games run fine whether you play it on vulkan or opengl graphic. And DreamCast, GameCube and Wii games definitely run well enough at playable frame rate and quite good. So far I'm happy to call Anbernic RG556 second place after Odin 2, because performance wise this device definitely runs PS2, GameCube, Wii, DreamCast, Saturn and N64, exceptionally well quality wise, except PS2 games which will require tweaking to some degree but almost all other emulators run fantastic no slow down. And build quality is great and my hands doesn't get tired or fatigue even after long duration of play time. With anbernic rg556 battery life is amazing, and so is the oled screen therefore anbernic rg556 overall is definitely a second best handheld after Odin 2!
Why I chose the RG556 Amoled Screen vs IPS Larger Screen (Better for streaming) Better ergonomics Bigger Battery / Longer Battery life Significantly cheaper here in Southeast Asia More available on online stores that often do sales and discounts I thought the performance difference would be noticeable, but it seems they can both run a similar amount of emulators at comparable fps.
Thanks for the video comparison man. I was torn between these two but I guess bang for the buck would definitely go to RG556. In my country (Malaysia), managed to snagg it for around 215 USD including shipping and a 128gb SD card with games. Just ordered and I guess i have to wait for around 1-2weeks for it. Thanks again, and I do hope you'll upload a video regarding the best way to optimize or customization for the RG556. I just wanna be able to finally play my favourite PS2 game Rogue Galaxy on the go :)
@@fardulmuslim damn bro. susah gila nak jumpa orang yang tahu pasal game rogue galaxy hidden gem tu. so far try, dia ada performance issue. even on normal occasion tengah jalan-jalan pun ada stutter. bila tengah lawan, fps drop kawkaw. but lepas minor tweaking sikit sikit, sekarang dapat around 60-75fps at 1.5 resolution. dah cuba juga kat 1x reso, tapi performance pun lebih kurang je. now playable and memang best gila main portable
Im happy that i decided to buy the Retroidpocket 4Pro. Its very portable and powerful enough to play all my games including PS2 up to 2x resolution. Even some Switch games run at 50-60FPS 😊
@@ramrodbldm9876Pretty sure he said they are both good devices… but yeah cool man😂 let’s knock him for picking the cheaper one, with the better screen/ergos etc. ‘Lmao’ btw people like different things, but awesome that your mum got you the retroid for your Bday👍
@@ramrodbldm9876I would of got the rg556 to but since you wanna talk about the retroid pocket pro the Odin 2 is crushing that so it’s based on what people can afford and I’m all for that
I bought my Retroid Pocket 4 Pro for 190$ + 10$ delivery from China to Russia + 7$ for ergonomic grip. I must say that if you're adult with normal hand size, then ergonomic grip is "must have" option. Without it your hands will begin "screaming for help" after 40-60 minutes of play.
Good choice, I'm trying so hard to like my RP4P but even with the grip is a pain to use the joystick...not sure who would use the joysticks without the grips. There are many regrets but too lazy to list them
@@WreckerALeX Just get the RG556 and forget you ever spent a penny on the RP4P. Trust me, the minute you hold it, play it and see its phenomenal AMOLED screen for yourself you'll be so glad you did. If only every mistake in life never cost me more than $200 lol.
Only about 10 to 15% of the PS2 library runs too slow to play, the rest of them run and play awesome. Not bad numbers at all for a sub $200 hand held. @@kubiyoshi2744
I got the RP4P recently and very happy with it. The price to performance is really great. I don't mind the LCD screen and the overall size. RG556 is just too 'meh' for me because it's just boasting the OLED and the ergonomic sides. But the analog stick is not good and also Anbernic stock android is crap that it needs an upgrade with GammaOS which has not been released currently.
So the thing about USB C video out... You can get a usb C dock, and that will supply the unit with power while allowing you to output to a display. The retroid pocket 4 pro actually has the same feature, and like the 556, the signal is 1080p, instead of 720p like you get with the micro hdmi port.
Someone needs to make a list of games that are playable on the rp4 pro but not playable on the 556 that will be a short list lmfao and then people would realize extra performance means very litttle when ur limited by emulation advances
I was considering buying either one of them. I chose RP4P because it is convenient for me to carry and play it around, especially when I am taking the subway. I also like the looks of RP4P more.
I barely had a few hours of use before experiencing a broken Retroid Pocket 4 trigger button and the "replacement shells" still use the same exact spring design. Haven't even touched the 556, but Anbernic wins by default.
Pocketability is the whole point of a handheld. If my system is only going to be played at home, I'm playing on the tv/monitor. Also, the RP4P has a grip that makes it more ergonomic. I much prefer the freedom to go ergo or pocket depending on the circumstance. So pocketability is one thing, but the actual freedom to choose whichbis everything.
Yeah I don't think I'm going to be replacing my rp3+ anytime soon. I just can't justify the purchase being disabled. I'm still very happy with the rp3+ and it plays a lot of ps2.
I bought the RP4 Pro, the springs in my triggers did break though since i got mine in the first batch and they sent the replacement back plate no problem. Ive had no other issues and I play mine all the time.
Thought I'd pop in with an update. I've been playing along of Mega Man X dive and Minecraft on it. Since getting the new springs I've had no issues with the system at all.
I got the rg556 for $160 which included shipping and it comes with with a screen protector. The RP4+ was $240 including shipping, grip and screen protector. Idk but the RP4+ just didnt seem worth the extra $80
Rg556 is way better to me because of the oled and ergonomics will always matter, so thats a weird take tl hear from a review. Better battery life on the rg556 too, the battery life is awful on the rp4 pro considering its not that much more powerful. The shoulder button issue is also very common on rp4 models even with the fix, so thats another win for the rg556. Last but not least, the rg556 is just way cheaper than the rp4 pro is since you can get it in aliexpress for a third less than the price of an rp4 pro. Good review though even I dont agree with some points.
I got the RG556 direct from Anbernic’s AliExpress store for £130 including the case, with free shipping and no additional tax. 🤷🏻♂️ That’s without considering OLED, Hall effect sticks, analogue triggers, etc too.
I think the performance difference for the price difference is much better on the RG556, especially cause they go on sale a lot of places and retroid almost never seems to. Plus Amoled screen and better ergonomics
I ordered one already. For performance, while RP4pro have slightly better performance, this gap can be closed once JelOS support this device. Overall, i like the bigger screen and ergo design.
If the Retroid P4Pro had its joystick above the D-pad like the Anbernic does, it would be a no brainer for me... The low joystick looks so uncomfortable
The answer is simple: RP4Pro is pocketable, RG556 is not. I don't mean actually walk around with it comfortably in my pocket all day (I have a smartphone for that), I mean 'pocketable' as in: I can quickly shove it down my pocket in a hurry if I need to instead of relying on a case + bag each time
I own the 556. amazing device. Just want to state another untalked about deciding factor is choice of charging solution. Micro-USB is so old, its very outdated and NO ONE uses it anymore, please tell me the last time you seen them? WAY slower charging and transfer speeds, limited by literally a decade+ old standard. Anbernic wins in this category. Just another thing to consider.
I was going to get the Odin2, but got a 556 bundle for $100. I couldnt pass it up. I already have a 405M and an Ally, but wanted something better than the 405M and not near as expensive as the Ally. The 556 will probably be my work buddy.
Definitely going with the RP4P. For the little difference in cost, the amount of power you get is just insane. Retro Game Corps had a video comparing the benchmarks between the two and it almost DOUBLES in performance compared to the RG556. That and the fact that it's still actually pocketable are big wins for me. I think the Anbernic RG556 just goes over that threshold of being portable and not pocketable, which kind of shoots it in the foot for me. At that point, I've got my Steam Deck OLED.
LMAO double benchmark scores is irrelevant, check out actual performance...Example Switch emulation like Mario Wonder both can only run at x.5 resolution to get sub 50fps..My RP4P is just more stable 50fps so it can push x.75 resolution if you are ok with some 30-40s dips. In other words, no, you won't get double or even 50% more fps in reality... I've watched many videos comparing both and in reality, RP4P if you want to upscale a little bit more resolution but that is it...there is no double anything.
It quite simple for me. If you care for the better screen, OLED, buy the Ambernic. If you care for everything else and don't mind paying a little more for a grip, then Retro Pocket wins. The dpad and the thumbsticks kills the Ambernic for me immediately. No competition at all.
I had the RP3+ with official grip but the annoyance and lose of portability wasn’t worth it for me. Plus the screen size is too small for what it can play, and adding a grip will not solve that. The RG556 is on another league on that regard, with pure zero-concession on comfort.
@@MegaVSable Sure, but for such size I don't really care about PS2/Gamecube on it, screen is too small, personally I would stick to a RG35xxh. Plus the face buttons were microscopic, glad they made them a bit bigger for the RP4.
The only reason why I didn't get the RP4 is the D-Pad on top. They market it as an affordable 6th+ gen capable handheld, so I still don't know what were they thinking with that layout. I can only hope for a revision or RP5 to be designed properly.
I play on my rp4 pro for hours and use the d pad all the time. It works fine. Even when I switch from the D-pad to the joy stick it is seamless like it was meant to work that way.
For me it's exactly the other way around. I would never ever buy a handheld with D-Pad at the bottom. It's almost unusable there. Analogstick at the bottom however is still very usable (on some controllers it's even perfect).
rp4 pro is just too great. Its compact the os is clean without any preinstalled apps and ads, and very good optimized. They fixed ghosting and latency issues with updates. It runs almost any ps2 game, and many android games. I know about a better screen on RG556 and ergonomics but still I would choose rp4 pro. The screen is worse yes, but I don't mind it on a retro handheld, I just don't need the latest and greatest. Maybe this year there will be even better devices out at this price range but for now rp4 pro is best for me
I ordered the 4Pro because of its compactness and greater power, as well as because of the best fungi. I don't really want to delve into the emulator settings and turn the settings every time to find the missing 5FPS to 30FPS. Moreover, the 4Pro emulates a better Switch.
Simples, pelo que entendi o desempenho no Pocket é melhor, mas a tela é menor, já no 556 o desempenho não é tanto quanto no pocket mas roda e a tela é maior, aí fico em dúvida sobre tela mesmo kk
Your overhead shots comparing both handhelds being played is unfair. You should have kept the camera at the same height / focal length. Judging by size of your fingers, you appear to have zoomed in on the Pocket 4 videos., completely negating the extra screen size on the RG556.
Looking to buy the 556. I heard its not worth it to pay extra for the SD card that comes loaded with games and better off to buy my own SD card and just download the emulators and games of my choice.....is this true???? Can anyone help me out with this?!?!?!?
Yes, anbernic ships their systems with no name brand as cards which are known to fail eventually. I got mine with an SD card shipped and just bought a brand name as card and swapped the files from anbernics SD card to my new one.
Retroid pro 4 for performance, beauty, quality plastic, analogic and don't care about ergonmic, with a cheap grip is very good. I don't see so much difference between ips and amoled 1080 maybe in PSP.
Does anyone know if either of these come with games pre-loaded? I have absolutely zero clues as to hiw to set these things up with games and emulators etc. Thanks
I've been thinking about getting one of these devices it's just the only thing that's stopping me is do the devices come with the emulators and games because I'm looking for PS2 and GameCube and n64 games.
i love my rp4 pro i take it to work and play it and i love the hdmi out function and jpw well it runs. Im going on a 12 hour drive soon and am looking forward to playing it while we are on the road. I the the 556 would be a better experience for those with bigger hands then me
@@Techcravers omg. finally, a response! thank you! follow up question, when you say better? how? like less stutter? The rg556 has oled right? means its much prettier to look at? So clarify pls
@@rhovenom04 All the details are covered in the video. You'll find that what I mean by 'better' is clearly demonstrated in the footage. With the RP4 Pro, achieving full speed at higher resolutions requires less adjustment compared to the RG556. To attain satisfactory speed in PS2/GC games on the RG556, some emulator settings tweaking is necessary, whereas it's notably easier to achieve smooth performance on the RP4 Pro. However, as also highlighted in the video, the RG556 boasts superior screen quality and ergonomic design.
@@Techcraverswell.. resolution wise.. correct me if Im wrong but the rp4pro max res. Is 720P? And the rg556 max res is 1080P right? So hoe much different is that resolution thing where you say the rg4pro can play it better on higher resolution, you mean the 720P is smoother on the rp4pro playing ps2 against 720P playing ps2 on the rg556?
A device like this with terrible controls is stupid, plain and simple. The deadzone on those sticks is awful and you can see how bad it is when you’re playing Wind Waker, where Link immediately snaps to a cardinal direction anytime you move. Screen and ergonomics are great but who cares if the controls suck?
Glad to see someone that chooses RP4 pro over RG556 finally! Also thank you for your honest review between these two devices. For some we all know that reasons there are quite a lot youtubers that compare them and come out bias conclusions. Obviously You are not one of them. Thanks again,
😂 i have both and i dont touch the rp4 the damn thing feels like gaming on a peace of wood lol and the screen looks like shit and the screen too tiny to see anything
RG556 is more of a couch device, I like Retroid because of portability, fits in my fanny pack and I actually take it with me everywhere I go. BTW I only have the RP3+, still deciding if i want to upgrade to RP4P
No retroid actually redesigned thier "blocky" style as my hands are huge and cramped on the retroid 2 but on the RP4 pro it works fine my hands never cramp or hurt. I also have very big hands. The preoid pocket 4 works flawlessly as far as ambernic i might get one just to do it but the retroid 4 pro is the prerfect size. Not too small and not too big.
Hello techravers I Am between retroid and rg556 for playing ps2 game cube dreamcast and emulators games but I also need easy gaming for my hands because I have a disability in my hands need your advice in whats best for my hands please
Hey, thanks for commenting! I'm not sure exactly what kind of disability you have, but if comfortable grips are important to you, the RG556 from Anbernic is definitely a winner. It will play most of your PS2 and Gamecube games relatively smoothly, while also having a good grip, a large screen, and well-designed controls. Most other handhelds I've reviewed on my channel are smaller and have less comfortable controls. Alternatively, I can recommend the Odin 2 if you want to future-proof with even better (currently superior) performance. However, it will be more expensive.
