One Month With The Anbernic Rg35xxSP

Perfect supplement for our Daily Brain Drains.

I'm Doing my part as a Late Gen Z'er by buying something my phone used to do. but the point is that it is not my phone. I don't even got NEAR enough discipline to not use my phone while I'm bored. So an alternative is needed. and I decided on a handheld Emulator.  

That being the Anbernic Rg35xxsp.

This just has a really good form factor for portability. and the clamshell just adds another form of protection for both the screen and buttons. so this being at the bottom of a bag or in a pocket has zero problems.

 

And that's the main feature I'm trying to get out of this device. I could have gotten something like the 35xx but for almost the same controller size and form. the sp tucks away into a 3 inch and 1 anna touch more inch thick square. While I would not say thin enough for some tight pants. this fits inna bag very well. but if you got that shit on. these fit well into oversized Camo pants.

 

Software. (and It's issues)

So fresh out of the box... the anbernic is y'know Different. The Stock OS is kitch I would say. I saw no real use in this. I mainly bought it for it's alternative operating systems. After alot of thinking. I picked the most popular OS on the anbernic Subreddit. MUOS, since this is linux based there is no "jailBreak" method. It's just as simple as flashing the software onto an SD card. I certainly remember my time modding PSPs and IPods. there's always some weird method and multiple layers to it.  where this is super easy.

 

Not saying MUOS is flawless tho. there is a LARGE problem I came across with MUOS. From my very first install I had problems with the clamshell sleep function having issues with how MUOS handles power and sleep function. so with how they overlay. it can COMPLETELY CORRUPT your MUOS install.

It's not some unknown boogie man though I just recommend doing this.

DO NOT CLOSE WITHOUT POWERING OFF and not until both the backlight and Powerlight turn off

ONLY USE THE POWER BUTTON TO POWER ON. only use the power option on the menu to turn off the device.

CHARGE WITH THE SCREEN OPEN. Charging turns the screen on and takes it out of sleep mode. but having the screen closed overrides that function thus making issues.

Considering The SP is the only console with a clamshell. it makes sense as to why MUOS has such a problem with overlapping Sleep and power functions.

 

But other than that. MUOS Is very good and stable. I would imagine the 35 is just a standout from the other players and that's why it has so many issues. This uses retroid for emulation so it's very simple to load roms and cores. MUOS does list cores that are shipped with the OS and ones you'd need to find. and that gets into the weird cores.....

Music Codec and Video Codecs are available on the anbernic. The Gameboy Video dream is REAL. I genuinely Have the entirety of brazil (1985), Xavier renegade angel, azumanga dioh, and the grinches ultimatum. and I have actually used this on break at work and it's a breeze. and working like a breeze is like most games on the console.

This supports up to ps1. and pretty light PSP games. But I would not bet on all PSP titles working on this. PS1 runs very well. and everything below works just as well. some of my fav titles being of course GBA titles and SNES titles. one last fav with MUOS is the Themes. Themes are always the best parts of alt Operating systems. and MUOS does it right. Right now I'm rocking hello kitty but there are tons and tons of themes for MUOS.

Hardware (and It's issues)

so take note this is a budget player. it's an all plastic build and I reckon all of its weight comes from the battery. But for being a budget player it certainly matches that standard. I really like the screen quality. reaching sufficient brightness and great resolution for video and later generation consoles. The buttons are okay. They feel nice with a poppy and clicky action. but my main issue is with the d-pad. where there is no see-saw action. this meaning other directions can be pressed on accident and worse being all can be pressed at the same time. I'm okay with the shoulder button format but I can imagine this being cramped.

I love the usb-c function but it only charges. since the storage is not recognized on my computer. AND A FREAKIN HEADPHONE JACKKKK. this works well for ear buds. but the amp Is pretty weak even to the point where koss headphones are asking too much from the amp. and I DO NOT reccomend to use the SD card the player comes with. I've heard alot of reliability issues with the factory card.

 

Overall

If you want something with no hitches... get something more expensive. Just being honest. For the price point of the player it is a ton of fun. far more fun than mobile gaming. or just scrolling to scroll. a super easy mod with tons of customizability and multi media function. it's really good