The retro handhelds are becoming quite trending now a days. It is a bit funny how handhelds are making an epic come back. 90s gaming was dominated by chunky square handheld with exciting pixel games. Anbernic is quite popular with launching handhelds that gives retro vibes.
Recently Anbernic announced that they will be launching a new handheld that resembles a cube and it will have aspect ratio display of 1:1. This new handheld’s name will be RG Cube which will resurrect the nostalgia of 90s handheld gaming.
Aesthetics and Design: A Throwback to the Classics
The mean feature of RG Cube is the display it is a perfect square display. They got rid of the widescreen format which is the current trend in handhelds. The RG Cube confidently embraces the square screen which was making buzz back in the 90s. The design almost resembles the original Game Boy and Neo Geo Pocket. The RG Cube looks like a love child of these two beloved 90s handhelds. However, the design does lean towards the Neo Geo Pocket more.
The leaked images of RG Cube make it seem like the handheld is a bit chunkier than some of Anbernic’s recently launched handhelds. They went for the 90s bulky design than modernized sleek and light design. The chunky design may allow the button placement to be comfortable.
It is unclear which materials have ben used to make the exterior of the RG Cube. However, analyzing their previous release we can say they use mix of plastics and metals for enhanced durability. The buttons will be laid out like previous retro handhelds. Moreover, it will have D-pad, face buttons and quite possibly shoulder buttons as well.
Internal Specs: Balancing Power and Efficiency
The specification is not revealed yet so we are all waiting on Anbernic to make detailed announcement on it. However, the gaming community is guessing it will have similar capacity like another handheld released by Anbernic. We are hoping that the RG Cube will be able to emulate games from PS2 and Dreamcast. Although, it mostly seems like the RG Cube will focus on Game Boy Advance, NES, Genesis and maybe PS1 titles.
The RG Cube is rumored to be using T820 CPU as a processor which will be capable of emulating decent number of games. It would also balance emulation power with battery efficiency. So, you can play on your handheld during long road trips with one single charge. However, these are just all speculation based on their previous releases.
The RAM of RG Cube is also unclear. However, any RAM between 1GB to 2GB would be good enough to target decent emulation rage. The storage will probably be in a form of microSD card slot. This will allow players to also expand their gaming library.
Display: A Pixel-Perfect Retro Experience
As mentioned before the 1:1 aspect ratio display is the centerpiece of the device. It seems the screen will be around 3.5″ – 4″ 1:1 display with a resolution of 720×720. It is hard to give exact numbers but it seems like it will be bigger than RG Nano. This means the screen will be comfortable for viewing experience.
People are speculating that RG Cube might utilize IPS panel for wider viewing angles. Moreover, the color reproduction is also top notch compared to cheaper TN panels. This will make gaming more vibrant and visually pleasing.
Emulation Performance and Software
Anbernic devices usually comes with pre-loaded custom Linux OS. The devices also have emulator launchers like EmulationStation. These emulators may have the capability of launching popular retro consoles like NES, SNES, Genesis, Game Boy Advance, PS1, PS2 and Dreamcast.
Battery Life
The battery life is also not known but it is safe to assume that it will be somewhere around 3000mAh and 4000mAh. This range is ideal for playing on your retro handheld for several hours. You can enjoy playing emulated retro games without being interrupted.
Conclusion
Anbernic is becoming a fan favorite when it comes to launching retro handhelds. They are almost dominating the market. Most importantly, Anbernic is successfully bringing back the nostalgic handhelds from 90s. If you want to experience something similar to Neo Geo Pocket then you should definitely look out RG Cube.
