RG Cube Review.
Portable Gamecube Handhed.
Design and Specifications of the Anbernic rg353m
The new anbernic rg353m comes with an RK3566 CPU which make it a solid handheld emulator. This chipset is capable of emulation Gameboy, Game Gear, super nes, mega drive, Game Boy Advance ( GBA ), PlayStation 1, Nintendo DS, N64 and Dreamcast emulation and possibly some PSP games as well. It has 2GB of LPDDR RAM, 32GB eMMC memory for the Android side of things, 2.4 and 5GHz wifi chip, Bluetooth 4.2 chip, a 3.5-inch IPS multitouch display running at a resolution of 640*480 pixels, and a 3500 mAh battery that gives around 7 hours of battery life for your gameplay pleasure.
It is capable of running two OSes: Android OS (version 11) without Google Play Store preinstalled and Linux Operating Systems with an Emulation Station frontend.
The most prominent feature of the device is its luxurious metal shell, which gives it a much more premium feel compared to other devices in its class This includes even some released by ambernic themselves bearing a similar name (rg353) and internals ( We are looking at you, rg353v and rg353p ). The other standout feature Ambernic included in here is a pair of hall sensing joysticks, which should prevent any possibility of stick drift in the future.
Anbernic provides two colour options a metallic blue and purple colour.
Controls and Ports
The device features rubber membrane buttons for start and select, along with a high-quality DPAD. The ABXY buttons also utilize rubber membranes, providing a pleasant feel. They are appropriately sized to prevent accidental presses and ensure comfort despite the handheld’s overall compact size. In addition to analog sticks using magnets to improve its longevity, Anbernic also made them L3 and R3 buttons that are easily pressed.
The top of the device features left and right shoulder buttons, 3.5mm headphone jack, OTG port (for peripherals), HDMI port, DC usb-c charging port, function button (used differently depending on where you are in the OS), as well as right and left trigger buttons. The bottom of the device had two speakers (left & right) and two sd card slots. The left sd card slot comes preloaded with a 16gb micro sd card. This card contains the Linux OS pre-installed on there. For an additional fee a additional 64g or 256gb card can be purchased in a bundle which comes preloaded with games as well. The left side of the handheld has a nice recessed volume rocker and the right side is where you will find the power button and a reset button.
Screen Quality
The screen boasts crisp image quality due to its 3.5 inch IPS panel, which offers outstanding viewing angles and exceptionally smooth frame rates on the majority of supported emulation platforms. The included touchscreen is a nice touch, making navigation and Android use much easier. The small bezel size and 4:3 aspect ratio, make it perfect for games from earlier console generations and offers a full-screen experience without any pillar-boxing ( black borders ).
Teardown and Modding
The device can be disassembled quite easily, only requiring a hex and phillips screwdriver set. As long as a user is cautious with the internal ribbon cables, the device can easily be modified or repaired if needed. It is reassuring to know that if anything were to break in the future, this will not end up as e-waste. Modding potential includes swapping around the ABXY buttons or replacing other parts like speakers or analog sticks if they become damaged. The teardown also reveals that the left and right panels are made of plastic rather than metal, likely for better wireless signal reception.
Photo showing gba emulation
Emulation Performance
The RG353M performs well in emulating numerous classic consoles up to PS1. Dreamcast games and PSP emulation may have occasional frame rate issues but still provide enjoyable gameplay. This seems to be more prevalent when playing more demanding PSP games like god of war or ratchet and clank. This seems to be the exception as we tried many games that played at near full speed. While you will also be able to play ds games, some may be difficult to play with a single screen. DS emulators such as Drastic do allow you to play most DS game via screen switching when needed.
Beyond emulation, anbernic’s device is capable of playing many android games. This can be a welcome change of pace for some, however, this is not where the rg353m strengths lay, as it has limited internal memory, a small touch screen and not ideal aspect ratio for most games. Additionally the way to play some these games often involve using amberinc’s touch screen mapping software which is not without its issues.
Users may squeeze out some additional performance by trying different cores in retroarch or by taking the more drastic step or installing custom firmware such as arkos on the linux side. We tend to prefer android on these handhelds so we did not dabble too much using the linux os as it often felt less customizable and did not seem to improve performance.
Final Verdict
We highly recommend the Ambernick RG353M for anyone seeking a portable retro handheld that feels premium with its all-metal build, capable of running both Linux and Android OSes. The candy bar form factor of this metal handheld game console make it easily pocketable yet durable.
However, if price performance or ease of setup is your primary concern, this might not be the ideal choice for you.
If you’re interested in purchasing an Ambernick RG353M yourself or want more information, you can find a affiliate link here.
