Anbernic hasn’t formally launched and even put its new RG Slide handheld up for preorder but, however a handful of reviewers have just lately shared their first impressions of the brand new console. Anbernic could also be leaning a bit too far into novelty and nostalgia with the RG Slide’s design, whereas not truly capitalizing on what made units like the sunshine and compact PSP Go and Xperia Play smartphone so fondly remembered.
The RG Slide will probably be priced at $189 and is anticipated to go on sale beginning on June twentieth, 2025, according to RetroDodo. It’s powered by an octa-core Unisoc Tiger T820 CPU, which is a processor Anbernic already makes use of in its higher-end handhelds just like the RG Cube that may emulate most video games from the PS2 and Nintendo GameCube period. That’s paired with 8GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, a microSD card slot, and a 5,000mAh rechargeable battery that’s estimated to energy the console for as much as six hours between expenses.
Retro Dodo favored the RG Slide’s 4.7-inch, 1280 x 960 pixel resolution screen and located it makes “retro consoles similar to GameCube, Dreamcast, and PS2 look barely extra vivid compared to earlier Anberic merchandise.” It additionally discovered the console’s sliding mechanism to be satisfyingly strong, however lamented the loud “clack” it makes when opening or closing the machine.
The console’s controls are pretty much as good as what’s discovered on different Anbernic units and appear moderately snug and well-balanced, however not fairly as ergonomic as different handhelds.
Each Retro Dodo and Russ Crandall, who runs Retro Game Corps, really feel that Anbernic missed the mark in terms of the RG Slide’s dimension, which feels too giant and thick to be comfortably pocketable. It additionally weighs 380 grams, which is simply shy of the unique Nintendo Swap that weighed 390 grams and far heavier than the 158-gram PSP Go.