Quick correction. This isn't "an upgraded model with more power". In fact, it has less RAM than the 353P. This is a budget version of that model without the ability to run Android.
just because the ps model doesnt have touchscreen and android doesnt mean its a downgrade from the p version. matter of fact, performance are better on the ps than the p, and i consider that as an upgrade
I chose this over the RP3+ and the RG353VS that are going on eBay now, as well as the RG351P which gave me the idea to get this one, with no Android but a horizontal layout. The RG280V will stay as it’s the daily portable. We are one group that this device is primarily for.
This is the device I'd personally recommend for anyone wanting to get a first emulation handheld. I'm looking forward to the day we have something more powerful than the RP3+, but with a 4:3 aspect ratio, as the perfect device for playing PS1/Dreamcast/PS2/GameCube.
@@jbc6980 Ah yes true - but I'd really want stacked shoulder buttons too, plus the chipset that it, and the RP3+ use, isn't quite powerful enough for consistent PS2/GC gameplay (still have a lot of fun playing TimeSplitters 2 and SoulCalibur II on the RP3+, but you're not going to be playing Gran Turismo 4 or Metal Gear Solid 2 on it).
@@zetnikoven I didn't mention PS2 on the RG353P(S) - I was talking about the Retroid Pocket 3+, and my hope for a future 4:3 device with perfect PS2/GC performance.
Nice bright background. This is a fair price for this device, this colour is nice, but the clear glass variant is 🔥 thanks for a very clean clear video 👌🏾
I just got mine last night and I love it. The screen has the best color balance of the 5 devices I own and the ability to shift the saturation, gamma, hue etc through ArkOS really makes it look incredible. Plus it's super comfortable to hold and I love the case that came with it, super slim and sturdy. Really wonderful for the price
@@s0appy683 That's right. I had ArkOS set up for my 353M and literally all I did was pop the two sd cards out and put them into the 353PS and everything worked perfectly
I hope this one gets new folks into the emulated handheld space :) That said, my frustration with the handheld industry is the constant churn of new products with only marginal upgrades. Getting my RG350 was a great holdover while I waited for my steam deck, but it feels like if there's something that will be better in 6 months, when's the right time to buy when a new/better model right around the corner?
That's the thing about products like Anbernic; when you buy a new console like a PlayStation you know that it'll last years; handheld consoles must be bought with a mindset of "is it doing what I want it to do at that price?" instead of "will there be a new one on the way?", because it'll always do.
A nice looking device. Would prefer a bigger Start button, for sure, but the build quality looks good, the ui is straight forward, 2 sd slots, usb c, and fair 3d sliders. What's not to like?
Good review but i think its a bit odd to not compare it with the RK2023 when its obviously the closest analog: same chipset, similar form factor and screen, same battery size, same price point, etc.
Yeah, I was debating between these two. For my kid (and myself). RK2023 is smaller, but in the end I also wanted the option to use it as a TV console so BT won out.
Right? It's not a spec bump in any way, it's a cheaper budget revision of the 353p. It's also not $85, at least not $85USD, but it's on sale right now for $88 so close enough and maybe it was meant to be the eur price.
I have the RG353P, and really like it. Although, I really hate the absolutely tiny L1 & R1 buttons. You'd want to replace the stock micro SDs right away, and install JelOS. I really do wish I'd known this one was coming, since I don't use the Android side of mine at all, and would have saved a lot of cash.
Back in the 80s/90s there was a Pole Vaulter called Sergey Bubka who is not dissimilar than these manufacturers. He broke the indoor and outdoor World Records a total of 35 times. He didn't slowly get better. He got a nice payday from his sponsors everytime he broke the World Record. Instead of Vaulting to his full capabilities he progressively increased it 1cm at a time. Milking it for every penny. 😉
im going down the rabbit hole to find which retro handheld to buy, and right now i've narrowed it down to this or the 35XX Plus (for now). they are a comparable price point, and have a lot of overlapping features. I do really want those sticks on the PS but i noticed on their website that the PS doesnt have a GPU while the XX Plus does. how much of a difference does that make?
Well, I have the 353p (the one with Android) and it's flawless on the N64 games I've played....Kart, WcWvsNWO revenge, Golden Eye, and a few others. It's an amazing device for this stuff...he's not wrong...this is an AMAZING introductory handheld. People race about the JeLOS, but I honestly really like the stock software. It runs smooth, has good set ups and requires zero extra work from you. I never use the android side, so I see this as an awesome buy. If you don't have a rom collection, then this will cost you more than $85-88, but it'll be worth it. Also, anticipate spending more anyway to upgrade those SD cards it comes with. It's worth using Win32 disk imager to make copies of the images and put them on higher quality cards that won't fail. Additionally, you can even just DRAG AND DROP the whole file system as it's formatted in fat32. That's so crazy to me as someone who came from Odroid and RasPi Linux land. Just an awesome buy.
353PS+ArkOS. I have an occasional stutter in menu for N64. But in game it’s very good. So far only Super Mario 64 was a bit weird with textures. I wouldn’t call it all flawless though. PS1 or GBA is flawless on 353PS.
@@ondrej1893 Yeah, I guess I didn't notice the occasional stutter in the opening stuff, as I'm just playing the games. I'm also not on ArkOS...I'm using the stock version and I'm beyond happy with it. Of course I'm no high fidelity type. I prefer to just get into playing those old games on the go when I'm not on the original systems using my original CRT to enjoy games as they always were. This device is a super close approximate feeling with the 3/4 aspect ratio and screen size. It just works so well for being a mobile version of those 8-32 bit era games.
All cool looking things but I use my pc for everything I have retroarch, citra, dolphin and yuzu or whatever its called for switch games. So Im loaded on those old school console games haha. I dont travel a lot to ever need a portable gaming device quite frankly. Only my husband has the steam deck because he is training in the military a province away from where I reside so it makes sense to own that to play with me still across a province away.
I own the previous version , and it's very cool but it can't run psp properly or only some titles. Don't see the point having now many other options, like the 505 which is an underrated console, so good!
Where is the spec bump? Looks like it has the exact same processor, but 1 gig less ram, no android and no touch screen...i wish they would've made the snes purple version with this one.
@@ExaltedSev og xbox is kinda demanding. If it does up to wii and ps2 all the better. PS2 emulator has a setting to run worse then a ps2 does. Less taxing of the hardware. Just want some gaming on the go really. Something i can fit in my pocket. Otherwise a laptop is ideal.
Please update this video and the accompanying article to accurately state that this is NOT a spec bump. It has the exact same SoC as the RG353P. It has 1 GB less RAM and lacks a touchscreen because it only runs Linux instead of dual booting between Linux and Android. This is the same path Anbernic took with the RG353V and RG353VS. Claiming that this device is a spec bump when everyone knows it's not has made me loose faith in Retro Dodo.
How does it run GameCube games :00 I’m a huge Zelda nerd and wanna play Windwaker my favourite (surprise surprise) and lots of other GC games, would it be worth it in that regard?
Also stay away from the RG353V/RG353VS both suck since this device exists Both the RG353V and P have the same things and everything is the exact same expect that the RG353P is more comfortable than the RG353V Since the RG353V is cramped unlike the P
I really like this, but I hate the speakers aren’t front firing. My ears are not below my waist. Can anyone give recommendations of handhelds with front firing speaker/s?
Let's talk German... 😊 Im Laufe der Jahre habe ich 5 Arnbernic Handhelds gekauft (rg 351m/p usw.) und jeder hatte früher oder später irgendwelche massiven Macken . Bei einer Nutzung von max. 2std. täglich. Bei allen die ich sonst so gefragt habe war ganz genau das selbe . Die meisten gingen einfach nicht mehr an ...die gung Kontroll Led war an und das war's . Deswegen würde mich am allermeisten ein review interessieren wo Leute ihre Erfahrungen erzählen bzgl. Langzeitnutzung, 1,2 Jahre. Ich habe mittlerweile den China Handhelds komplett abgeschworen! Wenn ich alleine das seit 3,4 Jahren fast gleiche Datenblatt vin den teilen sehe 😳😂...Wahnsinn, 1gb. ram 👍😂 usw. Ok, wer tatsächlich "nur" bis zum gba oder SNES zocken möchte , ok. Aber alles ab N64 wird zur Glückssache...das kann's nicht ernsthaft sein. Kauft man eine stärkeren Arnbernic kosten die Teile ca.180€ 😳... Warum da nicht jeder blind eine Switch lite kauft ist mir ein Rätsel 🤔. Ich hab's , erneut , gemacht und bin unendlich zufrieden . Für Emulatoren,rom's usw. nutze ich ein altes redmi Note 10 pro mit 8gb. ram und SD 732g 🤩, dazu ein 8bitdo pro 2 😍... Damit spiele ich aber alle auch alle rom's von GameCube,Wii,Ps2,Dreamcast! Ohne irgendwie lange rumzutüfteln wie ich was halbwegs zum laufen bringe . Aber, das ist jetzt meine Entscheidung und nur meine Vorliebe für's retro zocken ! Allen die Freude an den China Handhelds haben wünsche ich viel Spaß damit und das die Teile auch lange halten . PS. Nix für ungut 😊👍
Danke für den Kommentar. Hab mir auch überlegt eine. Anbernic zu kaufen, aber wenn die Dinger tatsächlich so mindere Qualität haben, dass die mit der Zeit ständig Macken aufweisen, dann bleibe ich den china Handhelds dann doch fern. Die meisten Reviewer spielen die Teile sowieso nicht langzeit, sondern immer nur kurz, evtl. sogar einen Monat, wenn es hoch kommt, aber das wars dann auch schon. Ich jedenfalls wende mich dann doch eher non china Handhelds zu. Die sollen dann auch Jahre halten. Meine Vita z.B. läuft bis heute tadellos.
Da fällt mir gerade ein, kann es sein, dass du die mitgelieferte sd Karte benutzt hast? Die sind nämlich von so minderer Qualität, dass die immer nach einer gewissen Zeit kaputt gehen und dann die Geräte genau die gleichen Symptome aufweisen (schwarzer Bildschirm, Leuchte an). Deswegen empfiehlt jeder die sd Karte von ambernic auszutauschen und eine eigene zu benutzen.
I like how these things don't last over 2 hours on batteries and they are so expencive. If it don't work all day then people will leave it at home. Worthless!
Android on a device like this is just a distraction. The joy of Linux-only is the dedicated gaming experience with no distractions. I admit that the DS would be better with touchscreen, but maybe that justifies the existence of the P or V models from the 353 range.
@@diphMO2 I tried setting up Android on my RP3+ and it was/is a miserable experience, I will get rid of it. Meanwhile, my 353VS, 280V and 351P are running fine with Linux-based custom firmware. I actually enjoy not having internet other than for scraping covers. Maybe I am just too dumb for Android, but these devices are already not as streamlined as something like a Vita would be, so I welcome any simplicity. Having said that, I would try Android and Playstore on my little-used Fire 7 tablet, but again, that’s a different type of fish with a low price tablet form and a 7” screen, so Android would hugely enhance it.