Retro Gaming has come a long way since the early PC emulators. I was curious at how well a portable handheld could handle emulation and am impressed with the Anbernic RG351p. Based on online reviews the RG351p is probably the best handheld for those serious about portable retro gaming and only want to own 1 device.
I'll have to agree with those reviews and was able to start gaming within 10 seconds of owning the device. This by itself is impressive.
The RG351p is by no means 'perfect', but there are no perfect portable handhelds and its competitors using the same chipset may have features and capabilities that out class the RG351p, but have their own share of drawbacks.
The target audience for the RG351p are casual gamers who plan to spend 15-30 minutes in a gaming session. It can run for much longer multi-hour sessions, but really this is for casual gamers.
When shopping around for a portable, I evaluated the following devices:
- Retroid Pocket 2
- RGB 10
- RG351p
- RG351m
- RG351mp
Based on my research, the RG351p wins. I measured this in 7 categories:
- Emulation Speed
- UI - User Interface
- Screen Quality
- Battery Life
- Ergonomics
- Build Quality
- Features
1. Emulation Speed - RG series win
While all of the devices use the same chip set and have similar processing and ram specs, the RG series tend to run faster on startup. You can be gaming within 10 seconds of powering on the RG351p. It will take closer to a minute to startup a Retroid Pocket 2.
But once its running they are basically the same based on online reviews.
RG’s get 1, others 1/2 point.
2. UI - User Interface - RG series wins
If your new to retro gaming, portable handhelds and have limited technical knowledge in configuring/tinkering than the RG series again wins. Out-of-the-box its ready to go. The others require configuration and tinkering to make the games run perfectly.
Now, the RG series default OS is not perfect. I had to adjust the video settings as the default settings it ships with makes some games look terrible. There are online guides on how to fix the settings.
Another inherent weakness of the RG default OS is powering off and switching between games/emulators requires several navigation and button clicks.
RG’s get 1, others 1/2 point.
3. Screen Quality - RGB 10 wins
The RGP351p uses the same 3.5 inch size screen as the other devices in its class, but has a lower 480 x 240 resolution vs. 640 x 480 for most other devices. This is a bummer for some newer generation consoles, but doesn't matter for anything PS1/GBA/SNES or older.
The winner on a technical spec level would be the RGB10 with a large 5.5 inch display at 854 x 480. I still give a nod to those with the 640 x 480.
RGB10 gets 1, the Pocket 2 and RG351mp get 1/2.
4. Battery Life - RG351p wins
Based on what I can tell this will run as advertised for 5-6 hours on a full charge. Most others in this class have similar specs. But with the lower resolution screen, this actually improves battery life by maybe 30-45 minutes extra game time.
RG351p gets 1, rest 1/2 point.
5. Ergonomics - Tie
My hands start to hurt after a heavy gaming session. But, I think its the inherent size of this form factor.
All get 1/2 point.
6. Build Quality - RG series wins
I cannot comment firsthand on the other devices as I don't own or have handled them, but from what I saw on online reviews the RG series tend to have better overall build qualities and I can attest the RG351p is quite well built.
RG and Retroid get 1 point, all others 1/2 point.
7. Features - Except RG351p, all others are better
Next to the lower resolution screen this is where the RG351p loses out. It lacks built-in WiFi that all other systems have by default and while few in its class have it, older generation handhelds supported HDMI video out.
RG351p gets 1/2 point, all others 1.
Final Score
Giving 1 point for a win and 1/2 point for a tie by the numbers the RG351mp has the highest score, followed by the RG351m and RGB 10. So technically, those would be the 'better' handhelds.
- Retroid Pocket 2 - 4.5
- RGB 10 - 5.5
- RG351p - 5.0
- RG351m - 5.5
- RG351mp - 5.5
Closing - RG351p wins due to price
Although the RG351p has a lower score of 5.0 relative to its RG cousins, the price difference between the models is too significant to ignore. The RG351p can be found for $40-60 cheaper than an RG351m and maybe $60-80 cheaper than an RG351mp. You are not getting 50-100% better of a handheld relative to the price so when I deduct for cost of the device, the RG351p wins.
There is no 'perfect' handheld. Nearly everyone online agrees as there is always something left 'wanting' in each device. In the end, we are all drawn to retro gaming for different reasons and for me I just want something casual.
2/7/2022 - 6 Month Review Update
I barely use the handheld now. It sits on a shelf and sometimes I might turn it on and play a few minutes of a game, but not sure why I just don't find it as exciting as before.
I forgot about it while I was flying for 9 hours and instead just watched movies. YMMV but after a while the novelty of a portable retro handheld loses steam.
8/1/2022 - 1 Year Review Update
Put it simply, the RG351P makes retro gaming convenient. I haven't touched it for months and then about a month ago picked it up and started gaming again and it works perfectly.
While, the ergonomics is not ideal for extending game play, its one of those devices you want to engage for a short gaming stint of 15-30 minutes and upward of an hour at a time.
12/11/22
Still using this thing and I'm finding it helps satisfy my retro gaming needs. I may consider the newer RG353P, but honestly for what I use this for, the only thing that might matter is a bigger screen.
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