I like the bulkiness my hands are very large which is funny because when I was a kid when the GBA SP launched it fit in my hands perfectly but now the GBA SP is too small for my hands but when I got my Anbernic SP it felt exactly like how I remember it was to hold the GBA SP
I was never a fan of OG SP back then, so this Anbernic SP doesn't attract me at all, but yeah, nostalgia plays a big role on these things and they know it. That's why I love my GB-colored RG35XX Plus, despite its black bezels 😂
Actually the black bezels help hide where the screen has bezels from running a system that is wide screen. I have the gray unit like in the video and the gray bezels are my only gripe. A small gripe tho.
I much prefer watching your reviews on handhelds compared to the other channels that go so in-depth that most of the time regular consumers just won't care. Unlike your videos, you don't go so much into specs but rather the experience of using these devices. Which is way more important for me. I bought the RG35XXH after watching your videos. I hope your channel grows more.
Thanks a lot! The more direct reviews have their place as well, but yeah, I also like "heart to heart" talks like these. It makes videos way more personal and enjoyable, almost like talking to a friend. Regarding specs, I'd usually put a lot of importance on this, but since most Linux Anbernic handhelds are mostly identical under the hood these days, they quickly lost a lot of relevance (at least currently). When something with different specs comes along, I'll be one of the first nerds to concentrate on that. 😁
I love my flippy boy! The thickness makes it more comfy to hold for long periods, I think. And it still fits in my pocket just fine. Plus I can throw it in my car or pocket or bag and I dont need a case to protect it.
One reviewer stated that you can turn the buttons to analog sticks by double tapping the power button. I haven't gotten around to confirm it but for games that use the sticks as camera adjustments this would be a better than nothing. Can anyone confirm that? I asked on reddit and fb and can't get a clear answer.
One thing I don't think I've seen any reviewer talk about is the fact that the flippy screen keeps it at a much better angle for you to look at while you play it. As in, you don't have to crane your head lower or hold/angle your hands as severely to get into a good position for playing/viewing the screen. I think this makes it significantly more comfortable to game on than a flat device like a phone or the RG35XX H for example. And if you have a 3D printer, you can print out a grip for it so that you can have a more comfortable grip on the device when you want long sessions.
Personally, I think it's going to more popular than the OG Miyoo. Just my opinion. Thanks Vlad. BTW, I was older than you NOW when the original SP was released. Just saying, still looking for my tree.
You need to wait until i build that cabin first. Then you can accidentally find it while looking for that tree, and we'll crack open a couple of beers by the campfire and share stories about how horrible those Atari 2600 thumbstick controllers were!
Thanks for telling me this. Then the only thing that comes to my mind is that some might have tightly-screwed hinges. In which case, there should be an easy fix for this. I'll cover this in a next video once I open blueboy up.
I have both the Anbernic SP and an original GBA SP. Fun fact: when a plastic case is put on the GBA SP it's the same exact size as the Anbernic SP. Same. Exact. Size.
About the creak. You are probably hearing the screen ribbon "flick" across itself. You can maybe fix by rewrapping it. Can even see them touching on the transparent ones.
Generally speaking, I started calling it the "35-SP" I have the clear blue and I love it. I am waiting for Knulli to add the sleep function to the lid and I will be 100% satisfied. I am also actively researching portmaster ports like SkiFree and Space Cadet Pinball
Also, I personally don't mind the bulk, but would like it slimmer. Overall it still does the thing I am concerned about the most... it protects the screen
I agree with you on a lot of things but the SP is very much so the most pocketable. While it is a thick boi, that's all it is. Its very small in length and width so it fits the pocket better. It also protects the screen so you dont have to worry about being delicate going in and out of the pocket. The RG35xxH is less pocketable because it's screen is exposed and you're messing up your analog sticks. The SP is the ideal for any retro style games that don't use analog sticks. And if i want sticks I can just use a Bluetooth controller. I like my handheld without the sticks so its not as cluttered as well.
I think that the SP is amazing. I have the gray one and it looks very retro looking. I like the fact that on games that require a joystick, if you press the power button it will enable the joystick functionality on the dpad without requiring mapping. That’s an amazing feature. However, after playing for an hour non-stop, I noticed that my hands were hurting. I had not experience pain with the H, the Plus, or even the tiny 28xx. Maybe I’m getting old, Lol. Who knows. I still like it though. The clicky buttons make noise but if you’re wearing headphones, you won’t noticed it. And there’s something about the clicky sound that makes the gaming experience fun. However, for sure it won’t be the handheld for times when I’m waiting at the doctors office etc. i will still play games but perhaps not for an hour straight. Lol. I believe out of the 35xx family, the H is by far my favorite all in one hand held and the price is a no brainer to own an least 2. I’m hoping Anbernic releases a retro gray version of the H to complement the handhelds I have. So Anbernic if you’re reading this…. Give us a retro gray if the H.
PS1 doesn't depend on it, the console only had a d-pad before it got joysticks. Ape Escape from what I know is the only one that requires the joystick.
@@VladNerd yeah that would be awesome behind the clear blue shell. One thing to try is print something but ensure the blue channel isnt printed so the blue shell will compensate. (so item isn't a blue tint)
While I love the Retro Colors of these things, it's the transparent models that just, are so dang neat and well, that's why both my RG35XX H and Plus are both transparent colors. And my Steam Deck OLED LE, etc...
Great video!! Your channel icon would look sweet under the hood of that blue one. Although the A30 took the wind out of my sail,.. I'm still hoping for a great Miyoo "flippy boy".
I bought the silver the first week this was available. I had hinge creak issues as well. I also felt it was too bulky. I wanted to replace my Miyoo Mini + with something more powerful and portable but wasn’t satisfied. I returned it and got the 28xx instead. I’m glad I did too, GBA just looks gorgeous on the smaller screen and it just slides into my pocket.
Dude, I thoroughly enjoy your videos. I have a question: If u had a choice between the RG35XX SP, H, or Plus, and u could only have 1. Which would it be? The H, right?
Your explanation is great. I really wanted this RG35xx SP. It was my dream, especially the blue color. My original was stolen by my addicted friend. He glued it without me. This console is great, but I can't afford to buy it for several reasons. When it turns out that this product is available, my entire childhood was liberating. I'm from Brazil. tumara translator is great from google
Man, I just recently got into the retro handheld space. Been loving my RG35XX Plus (Mother No-Flipper) but your channel is by far my favorite retro handheld channel! The humor is on point, the focus on the overall feel and user experience with the device is refreshing to say the least! #PeopleAreHorriblePetsReignSupreme
Thanks for the heads up, my transparent black 35XXSP arrives today. I have the H and love it, but I like the nostalgic form factor of the SP. I may try a different CFW for the SP. I already use modified stock on the H.
I purchased the Anbernic SP knowing I was mainly going to play the GB family of games and consoles up to the SNES so I'm fine with not having thumbsticks I actually prefer it without sticks.
I use It expecially for Pokémon hack roms, cause I hate to play on the smartphone touchscreen. I didnt have the Nintendo sp but i play a lot on the Nintendo Ds and the gb color. And the shell configuration for me works the best cause I can put It wherever I want without risking to scratch the screen. Just an amazing console
i try to stay away from clear plastics as those tend to be the weakest kind. since this is a flip up i can't see the hinges lasting long. Please anbernic make a solid black one that isn't clear. I always wanted the black gb sp
For me the problem is how hard the buttons are no the sound. For a game like contra you either use turbo or your finger will be destroyed after some minutes of play.
I disagree about the size. Unless you're putting the device straight in your pocket with no other items, a standard handheld is going to need some sort of case to protect the screen and controls. Those cases add a lot of bulk. The SP form factor eliminates the need for a case, so the end result is much more compact.
Fair point, but I also think that something like the RG35XX H would be pretty safe. I mean, the thing still has plastic around the screen + in case of a drop, the sticks and buttons would be the first ones making contact. It'd still be more vulnerable than the SP, but overall more protected than we might think at first glance. It's great for how it is, but I still think Anbernic could've made it slimmer, though. :)
@@VladNerd Yes I'm sure they could have. Maybe they decided that a thicker design would more closely resemble the SP, and at the same time allow them to use a bigger battery. There certainly doesn't seem to be any wasted space inside the unit, so maybe the slimmer design seen in that engineering model didn't work out for some reason.
I wonder if someone will figure out the hinges. On reddit someone had one that was missing what looked like a bolt in the hinge. It looks like it can be tightened to adjust the holding/closing force and maybe the angle. I love mine, I have the blue, I had my Steam Deck on once in the since I got mine. That what it is for me, a companion for my Steam Deck. If my SP plays it that is where it is played, saving my Steam Deck battery life.
i got the blue boy and love it. some of the emulation doesn't translate well because the lack of thumbsticks. i like it still but now one the RG Cube now because it emulations my favorite generations of the PS2/Game Cube era, and it's also android.
My opinion on thumbsticks: like cars, they're nice when they're new, but they have rubber parts that need to be replaced and by the time they wear out they don't make parts for them anymore. That's where you contact it the most often too, imagine buyng a car that you can't change the tires? If they're rubber parts and they're not easily replaceable I don't want them
I mean this as a compliment. But you kind of look like Post Malone without all the tattoos. I thought that was pretty cool. Thank you for the video. I've got a blue one coming tomorrow.
if the miyoo flip can fix the issues with the rg35xxsp (clicky buttons, thickness and lack of thumbstick(s)) I wouldn't mind double dipping and picking one up even though I bought the sp. I just love this form factor. I mainly want thumbsticks. I'll even be happy with just one thumbstick where the speaker is located on the sp considering most games this thing will be able to emulate require only one
I haven't noticed smudging on either tbh. They have a slightly matte surface to them, which helps with this. Scratches might be way more visible on the non-transparent ones though, since they don't have a rubberized pad underneath like the RG35XXH. :)
Did you use PD (fast) charging? This shouldn't happen, tbh. I'd check if the battery is swollen. If it isn't, then I might need more details on this...
@@VladNerd It’ll turn on and appear to be fully charged, but won’t bypass the boot screen and sometimes the boot screen will have a slight distortion with different colored lines…
@@davidtharp2125 ohhh, you're ok then. Most likely your included card failed. You just need to reflash your OS on a new (name brand) card. Just get an SD card and download the latest stock OS from the Anbernic website. :)
I'm with you Vlad, I want thumb sticks and am anticipating the miyoo flip, that being said I'm a weak man and have my flippy boy in the mail as we speak lol
I wish Powkiddy would make an updated version of the V90. Make the screen actually 3" (instead of 2.7"), make it 640x480 and add a beefier processor (something like the one from the R36S would be more than enough). It can actually play GBA through GPSP 1.2.2 pretty dang well, but sadly we have no GBA color correction or grid shaders. If we at least had enough resolution to scale it without looking like shit (or have an actual integer scaling, which is impossible on the 320x240), that be more than enough.
The cardigan chess club friend and the go to the rave and tell jokes friend... I feel like we need both of these friends in our lives to be a complete human being. I'm going to buy both. Great video Vlad, love your work brother 😃👍🏻
I don't understand the criticism for nothing having sticks. That's basically the point if this device. To resemble a GBA So as much as possible. There are 4 different devices in the RG35xx family so everyone can buy what suits them. With the same reasoning I don't understand people buying the H version and taking off the sticks when you could have gone for another device in the family without them.
I have a silver and a silver and I have the same differences between the two. Except my blue one (newer batch) has way quieter and easier to press switches on the buttons. It's quieter and softer than the one with the tape mod
Are you saying Anbernic is already releasing new revisions with quieter buttons? I just ordered a Gray SP model from their official AliExpress page about 2 days ago. I'm wondering how mine will be.
@@westonscampbellI took apart the new blue one to do the tape mod and there was a little removable heat shield between the battery and the cpu! They definitely made changes already! So I did the tape mode for the sound, the actuation force was already lower on the new ones.
From what i have herd and you didn't talk about, some people don't like loudness of buttons, i hope if they make them more soff, if they manage to make device more slim it would be instant hit.
they're a bit clicky, but that didn't really bother me. You're right, I should've totally mentioned it. I'll cover it in a next video where I mod the RG35XXSP to fix this. :)
Love this bro glad someone pointed this out! This could make some ppl mad. Also I have a idea! Maybe you can help out! I wanna make a baby RGB thin film lair with different color LEDs with a baby lithium battery and it's own micro charge controller that all you have to do is remove some screws unplug your battery then plug in a 2 way wire for the battery and bam! RGB in these thing is I down own the RG3xxSP I own a RG405V clear purple which I absolutely love and I still have a RG353V black clear. Send me a message back if you can tell me if your battery is soldered to the abernic motherboard or is it a plug that you can pop out cause I wanna make these for bunch of different models. Also you seem like a real smart person being European im guessing. I'm Romanian lol but you can help with the designs also the thickness could work in our favor for this idea
I can't decide on whether I like the RP Flip or the SP better... I am thinking about doing PS2, PSP, N64 and GC on the Flip and older on the SP... But man I love these handhelds haha
Vlad bro i would like to ask you when Knulli or Mu OS master Portmaster on the codee and compability department you please make a video to led US know. Knulli hás bigger potencial but Portmaster is better só far on MU OS.
I want one so bad but I'm holding out for a better version. Size, no left joystick and proper sleep just holds me back right now. Plus it's higher priced than the rg35xxH which I have already.
Really enjoyed this review! I already got my hands on the silver one and I am really enjoying it! The only thing I'm not fond of is the clickyness of the buttons and they're not super comfy to use when playing racing games like mario kart but beyond that, it's one of my favourites :D
These clicky buttons I really don't mind. I'm still pretty upset at whoever decided to put "mouse-like-clicky-buttons" on controllers, though. ... some people just want to watch the world burn, I guess. 😄
@@pompeytillidie83 in the EU they're included by default for anything under 150EUR. Not sure how it is for you guys now though. The situation should be identical to ordering from any other store / platform abroad. :)
@@pompeytillidie83 I wouldn't trust the "taxes" shown on the Anbernic site. There's been a lot of reports of people paying that "tax" and still having to pay tax at customs. Imo, they should rename that "tax" field to "tax we invented to add on top of the base price"
Removing the thumb stick doesn't make any sense and I'm very confused by anyone would do that Just ignore them if you don't want to use them. Also I could have swore I saw a clamshell device that had thumb sticks but I could be wrong. I do remember I saw a RU-vid video where the RU-vidr had a device that looked like an SP but it was smaller than an official SP If size is a big problem for you.
The color thing you pointed out I can almost put money down on its deferent manufacturers of the case there not made in the same place also makes sence why the plastic is different
LMAO my blue boy legit just got delivered today so i was picking up when i started watching your video. Yeah i... would have really preferred something thinner but im very excited regardless
I don't ever comment because I don't shut up but you shouldn't tell me you love me. You asked for it, so I'm writing a novel for you! I think we went to that same chess club - I did the same thing gifting the black transparent MM+ to a friend just as an excuse to try the grey one. Whilst I'm glad I did, I miss the customisability (read: all-night, sexy MM+ raving time). I also had a chance recently to hold both A:SPs and I knew already the blue was going to feel better for the reasons you mentioned (looks better too,, sorry C64). However, I didnt get one... because I'm holding out with vague hope like you that Miyoo uses their delay in manufacture to get right with their device what Anbernic got wrong here. By the time Miyoo releases, Anbernic may revise a new model anyway. 😅 You're also absolutely right - it's *just* a little too bulky to be completely portable. Opinions are divisive but I'm nerd-camp analogue sticks too, I'd love to play N64 games on the go with a truly pocketable device that offers flip-protection. I'm of the opinion that 'it's better to have it and not need it than...' etc. I doubt it from the renders but I pray Miyoo can work their older buttons into the Flip somehow - they feel perfect to me. When I tested the A:SP d-pad, the clickiness wasn't as bad as I expected, but I felt I had to press way too deliberately to make comfortably-accurate inputs. The face buttons and the shoulder buttons were just too clicky and loud for me (but better than the obnoxiously loud and cheap vertical 35XX models) and so I never picked up a single 35XX model since Anbernic changed to mostly dome-switch inputs. I can't enjoy them, especially for fighting games but people seem to love them. Most retro consoles I really enjoyed (SNES, GB, PS1) were mushy. Clicky d-pads which are still soft and quiet yet very precise (PS Vita, RP4Pro) are acceptable. But loud, clicky face buttons feel cheap and taxing on the thumbs, like early 3rd party controllers for retro consoles we bought then hated back in the day (my opinion). So roll on MM:F! Praying for them to release it with the right plastic/hinge, less chunky somehow (is this possible with the recessed sticks?), nice, quiet controls that they're known for, good battery life and as flawless emulation as the alleged RK3566 can handle. If they can completely revise the device and implement Android so it can actually sleep when folded, that would be the one. The A30 was a let-down but I think they can flip back into the consumers' good books if they learn from this and take time to craft something perfect (and if they release the pastel colourway from the early renders, then they've transcended into god-tier). Let's see! Either way, this and the H are the best of the line, still decent, but hopefully this incites competition. Finally, I commented this epic prose because this was one of your better videos, had a great balance between your style of comedy, genuinely interesting and different perspectives and fair/unique critique. :) Been watching since you started but subscribed today. Keep at it. ;)
I absolutely loved reading this! And thanks for the kind words at the end. ❤️ It seems we think pretty much alike with this stuff. You should totally join my discord, my guy. :)
this device needed a different chip with a real sleep function (like the trimiu smart pro) and it needed a better screen for GBA! gba sucks on this screen, the text is all wobbly and crazy. 640x480 will never be good for gba my rg35xxSP has seen almost no serious playtime because of these two issues. I don't it will ever make it into regular use for me
I personally never installed it (since we have an Android port), but it shouldn't be too hard. Use my Portmaster video as a point of reference. :) (I talk about other games there, but the process should be similar)
Definitely different plastic. I think the transparent ones have a slightly softer plastic used for the shell. This doesn't mean "lower quality" plastic, but it's a notable difference nonetheless! :)
finally a thumbstick enjoyer, i have no clue why everybody wants to rip their thumbsticks off their consoles I'm eagerly awaiting the miyoo flip, why's it taking so long?
I thought I knew (why the Miyoo Flip took so long), but by this point the deadline that I had came and passed. My hunch is that they're just getting out of the "engineering unit" phase and they're feeling immense pressures from Anbernic. I just hope they land it successfully. After the bad press they gained from the A30, I don't think they can survive another bad handheld launch...
You know it! ❤️ I need to figure out how to streamline these videos. Nowadays it takes me roughly 4.5 days to push one out. I'd love it if I could lower this down to one every 2 days or so.
