Anbenric RG40XX V Retro Handheld Game Console, 4.0 Inch IPS, Linux OS, 64GB Preloaded Classic Games, H700 Quad-Core, WiFi Bluetooth, Ideal for Travel, Commute, Home & Outdoor Entertainment(White)

I recently grabbed the Anbernic RG40XX V, and honestly, it’s scratched that retro itch perfectly. This little vertical handheld is a solid piece of kit right out of the box, but the real magic happens when you dedicate an hour to setting it up properly. First off, the emulation performance is exactly what I signed up for. Everything up through the 32-bit generation—think PS1, SNES, Genesis, and GBA runs like butter. Seriously, smooth frame rates and great audio fidelity across the board. For the price point, it’s an absolute winner for 8-bit and 16-bit classics. Now, let's talk about the software. Ditching the stock firmware for MustardOS was a complete game-changer, and thankfully, the process was almost completely painless. It took me maybe 15 minutes total. Download the image, use a good flashing tool (I used Raspberry Pi Flasher, but Rufus would work too) to put it on a new card, pop it in, and boot up. The interface is clean, quick, and just makes navigating your library a joy. If you’re nervous about flashing custom firmware, don't be. This specific process is extremely user-friendly. Speaking of cards, if you buy this thing, consider this your non-negotiable step one: trash the included SD card. Seriously, toss it immediately. Anbernic uses the cheapest, slowest card possible, and it’s notorious for failing right when you’re deep into a playthrough. Spend the extra $20 on a reputable, high-quality, high-speed card (like a Samsung or SanDisk), and flash your OS and ROMs onto that. It ensures better stability, faster load times, and complete peace of mind. Overall, it's a fantastic device that brings classic gaming to life in a comfortable vertical form factor, provided you're willing to handle the minor, but necessary, DIY steps. It’s easily one of the best budget retro experiences out there once fully configured. So far the battery life seems excellent. I played Tetris for several hours one day, and didn't even realize it, checked the battery and I'd only lost 30 or so percent. The screen is crisp too, and plenty bright no matter what. I haven't had a chance to test it outside, but under very bright florescent lights it was incredibly usable.

Excellent console for the money. Made well and controls work perfectly. Great screen, tons of games. My only negative is it’s missing many Nintendo games but that can be fixed by downloading roms online.

The Verdict: If you want a vertical handheld that feels like a premium GameBoy for the modern era, the RG40XX V is a high-quality piece of hardware. I bought this as a gift for my 11-year-old daughter, and while she loves it, you should know that you’re buying a platform, not a finished "out-of-the-box" toy. It nails the ergonomics, but you’ll need to put in a day of work to make the software match the build quality. The Pros- ​Display & Build: The 4-inch IPS screen is excellent. Colors are vibrant, and the 640x480 resolution makes retro titles look incredibly crisp. The vertical form factor is nostalgic but updated with rounded edges that make long play sessions comfortable. ​Performance: The H700 chipset is a workhorse. It runs everything up to and including PS1 flawlessly. No frame drops or stuttering in the games we tested. ​ User Experience: Surprisingly kid-friendly. Once the initial setup was done, the interface was easy enough for my daughter to navigate without help. ​ Audio: Usually, these budget units have tinny speakers; this one is surprisingly loud and clear. ​ Battery: Holds a charge well for several hours of continuous use. ​The Cons- ​Middling Library: The preloaded game selection is "mid" at best. There are no real powerhouse titles included. To get the most out of this, you’ll need to curate your own ROM library. ​Storage Warning: The included microSD card is poor quality. It’s not a matter of if it will fail, but when. Replace it immediately with a reputable brand like Samsung or SanDisk. It’s a cheap fix, but essential for data integrity. ​ The "Setup" Barrier: This is not a "plug and play" device if you want it to be great. Expect to spend a few hours figuring out quirks—like how to handle multi-disk PS1 games (e.g., creating .m3u files so you can swap disks in the emulator menu without a crash). ​ Developer’s Quick-Tips (See My Photos/Video): ​PS1 Handshake: I’ve included a video of Final Fantasy VII to show the performance. Even in cutscenes, it’s smooth. ​ Custom ROMs: In my photos, you’ll see the custom library I added. It’s worth the effort to replace the stock "mid" selection. ​Card Swap: Don’t even boot the stock card more than once. Clone it to a high-end card and enjoy the peace of mind. TITLES SHOWN IN MY PICTURES AND VIDEO NOT PRELOADED ONTO DEVICE. I used them to show what is possible

Ok, I have tried a few retro consoles, I’ve even tried openemu on my Mac, I’ve done retro gaming on my kindle fire with an 8 bit do controller! But this handheld emulator is so much fun!!! Easy step by step on YouTube on how to add games! I’m Playing Zelda Ocarina of Time!!!! It works really well, battery lasts a long time and for the amount of games the price is not too bad. It’s sturdy and strong.

Right out of the box it only holds a 90% charge on a full charge. Been charging the device using 5v charger as instructed in the manual and will not hold a charge higher then 90%. Very disappointing.

Out of all my handhelds I use this one the most. Screen is bright and clear. Plays everything up to PS1 and Dreamcast. You can even play some lightweight N64 and PSP. Controls are nice. The thumb stick has cardinal snapping but there is software that corrects it. If you have bigger hands and you like a vertical form factor then this is the budget handheld for you. If you don't mind tinkering then I would recommend installing Knulli as your OS. Also, get a slow charger. Any charger that is 0.5 A will work. If you use a faster charger, you will end up diminishing the life of the battery.

Super dope! Does everything it supposed to do and looks amazing

I love this thing. I love how small it is, and I love running Knulli on it. The stock OS that it came with is fine, but it has a bug of sorts that snaps the analog stick in cardinal directions, so it acts more like a D pad than an analog stick. There is a fix for this in Knulli. So please keep in mind that this review is from a Knulli users perspective. I'll keep this one short since there are ton's of review videos on this and all the other Anbernic "XX" Allwinner H700 SoC based devices out there. But some pros and cons. Pros: Installing Knulli was super easy. Physical buttons feel great. 640x480 screen is surprisingly sharp and vibrant. And at least for me, it strikes that perfect balance of screen size, form factor and portability. These are all reasons I chose this over all the other "XX" devices from Anbernic. Cons: Even with the fix for the analog stick it doesn't have a huge amount of travel. They could have maybe used a smaller thumb rest on the analog stick to make for more travel. It works OK, but if you get this, I'd suggest mainly getting it to emulate D-Pad based consoles and think of the analog stick as more of a bonus. The rear shoulder buttons are a little too easy to press down while gaming. Not a big deal if you're playing a game that doesn't support them but for something like a GBA game it may be an issue. Battery life is... ohhh kay. For actual gaming it's pretty good. This will depend on what you're playing, but overall the Allwinner H700/Mali GPU and somewhat low res 640x480 LCD are reasonably power efficient, but the standby for this thing super sucks! I think it's actually just on, but with the LCD turned off. You will loose something like 10% an hour or more in standby. I found the best thing to do is make a save-state for the game you're playing, exit the emulator, and do a graceful shutdown. It boots back up in seconds. Yeah not as convenient as something like a Gameboy Advance SP, but it will save your battery if you are out and about and away from a charger. Oh one last thing. This does have USB-C but it's what I call "dumb" USB-C. USB-C "PD" (Power Delivery) requires a sort of power negotiation. Like so many cheaper USB-C devices from China, it doesn't do this, it just expects 5 volts basic USB. Most USB-C PD compatible chargers will not charge without this negotiation at all! The cable it comes with is USB-C on one end and USB-A on the other. Any basic 10-15W USB A charger should charge this no problem with a standard USB-A to C cable but generally not a USB-C to C. So docked 1 star for having a basically useless analog stick with the stock OS, and having "dumb" USB-C support. Otherwise totally worth it and very happy. If this is the form factor for you, get it before the tariffs make it 145% more expensive. D