Childhood memories are probably the most beautiful ones we keep in mind, especially those starring i Games we grew up with. With the boom of retro-console, it is possible to relive those memories in a modern and portable way thanks above all to one of the main manufacturers of this type of device: Anbernicus. The model that we bring to know today is RG353V, with a design that will surely remind you of the legendary Game Boy Color.
Index
Anbernic RG353V review
Unboxing and setup
The packaging of Ambernic RG353V takes care of protecting the display and the analogue keys in the best possible way: the parts most at risk of being damaged during transport. A small rubber mold locks the keys in place and takes care of completely covering the screen, so as not to incur scratches or damage of any kind. The sales package also includes a charging cable, practical instructions for the basic commands and a protective film to be applied to the screen.
The configuration is extremely simple, as with any device Anbernicus: the only action required by the user is to insert the SD card included in the package into the dedicated slot and turn on the console. Already on the first start Ambernic RG353V will be ready to use: the boot will be made directly to the customized Linux operating system with all the emulators you need to start playing. From the settings you can configure your own WIFI network for searching for and installing updates to the firmware, or decide whether to start Android as the default operating system.
Thanks to the support DualOSIn fact, Ambernic RG353V comes with two operating systems: the main one (installed on the internal memory) Android 11, and the secondary (albeit more useful) OS Linux customized. To switch from one operating system to another, simply press and hold the “F” during login, to boot the OS that has not been set as the primary.
Design and materials
As mentioned above, Ambernic RG353V offers a similar design to the iconic Game Boy Color, obviously supported by some modern additions that guarantee support even with the most modern consoles. The console is equipped with a IPS touch screen display da 3.5" with resolution 640 480 pixels x, abundantly enough to run the games of yesteryear (which often struggle to even get to 720p); the color calibration is excellent, the colors are bright and the images are always sharp. The body is made of plastic with a transparency effect, which lets you glimpse the internal components of the console: on the front we find the D-PAD, the keys XABY (Nintendo style) colored buttons Home, Select e F accompanied by a LED state pin positioned precisely in the center.
The two analogs complete the front endowment, which also sees the presence of one single horn speaker. On the back side are the four triggers: Ambernic RG353V in fact it does not offer back keys, but in this case also the classics R1 ed L1 are transformed into triggers like R2 e L2. On the right side we find the key ON / OFF e Reset, while the keys for adjusting the volume are assigned to it. The ports for connectivity are divided between the upper and lower sides: at the bottom we find the port USB-C charging, at the top instead a door USB-C OTG, headphone jack 3.5mm and one output mini-HDMI for connecting to TV or monitor.
Overall, it feels like you're using a device to the touch great qualityVery solid e well done, with an all in all low weight (only 180 grams). L'ergonomics it could, however, not be the best: after an hour of play, in fact, you start to feel a little hand fatigue, above all due to the not exactly comfortable position of the triggers: if you have very large hands you might prefer the design of Ambernic RG353M.
Hardware and software
Ambernic RG353V provides chipset performance Rockchip RK3566, which over time has proven itself up to every type of emulation available on this console. This chip offers a quad-core 64-Bit CPU consisting of four cores Cortex-A55 with a maximum speed of 1.8 GHz. As for the graphics sector, we find a GPU Mali-G52 which is in turn joined by 2 GB of RAM LPDRR4. The available storage space is equal to 32 GB his memory eMMC 5.1, while two slots are available for micro SD: one from 16 GB for the Linux operating system and the other cut of your choice for multimedia content.
As far as connectivity is concerned, the console makes the connection available Wi-Fi Dual Band (2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz) joined by the Bluetooth 4.2. To power this Anbernic signed device we find a battery of 3.200 mAh, with support for charging from 7.5 means USB-C, which guarantees up to 6 hours of autonomy: largely sufficient to guarantee a good gaming session on the move.
As mentioned earlier, thanks to DualOS support, Ambernic RG353V it features two different operating systems, both with their strengths and weaknesses. Despite being installed on SD card and not internal memory (assigned to Android 11), the system Linux custom offers the better user experience for this console. Taking advantage of the capabilities of this OS, it is possible to immediately use the most popular retro-console emulators, such as: Game Boy (Color, Advance), NES e SNES, Sega Mega Drive, PlayStation 1 e Nintendo DS.
The hardware is so well established that the console can also handle the emulation of the game perfectly PlayStation Portable, mainly known as PSP. Our test showed that the gaming experience is extremely fluid with any emulator pre-installed on the console: it's really a pleasure to go back to playing the titles of the past with a device modern e smart.
Also Android, however, offers its advantages: the Play Store is not present, but we already find it pre-installed on the system Google Chrome which allows you to download and install APK files. In this way it is possible to take advantage of streaming from other consoles or PCs, such as for example Playstation Remote Play or Moonlight. Several emulators are already installed on the OS, but the advice is to use Linux for an extremely smoother user experience.
Anbernic RG353V review: Considerations and price
Ambernic RG353V is a retro-gaming console that provides excellent performance, mainly dedicated to those who prefer a design that follows in the footsteps of the classic Game Boy Color, compared to the modern design with buttons and analogs positioned on the sides of the screen. The transparent shell, albeit in plastic, offers an elegant finish that is very popular in recent times. List price is approx €160, but thanks to the discount code you find below you can make the console yours for only €127, bringing home the version with SD card da 256 GB.
Anbernicus offers great quality products, and model RG353V no less: if you are interested in retro-gaming with hardware capable of emulating games up to the generation of the PSP, this is clearly the device that's right for you.
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