Anbernic’s newest gaming handheld looks like a Game Boy Advance SP

Handheld gaming is growing by leaps and bounds, and Android is a big part of that with companies like Anbernic. That’s not to say every handheld the company makes runs Android, but many do. Well, if you love gaming handhelds like we are at AP, then you may be excited to learn that Anbernic has announced the RG35XXSP, with that SP at the end being of note. The company has taken its Linux-based RG35XX and added a hinge to the case, making for a device that now looks a heck of a lot like the original Game Boy Advance SP.

The above video comes directly from Anbernic, and it showcases how the device runs a selection of game roms from across console generations. As you can see, the games do run smoothly, even managing to stream demanding titles like Street Fighter V. While it does look like Game Boy Advance games are letterboxed and pillarboxed to fit the screen, traditional 4:3 titles from home console to arcade games look to fit the screen in full. So if your goal is to emulate Game Boy games, despite a handheld design that looks just like a Game Boy, your Game Boy games won’t fill the screen unless using software to stretch, which is a bit of a bummer.

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Still, the Anbernic RG35XXSP is clearly no Game Boy. It offers enough buttons to play modern games, which means the device should be versatile enough to play games across generations and systems. It also looks much larger than an original Game Boy Advance SP, but that stands to reason, considering you need much more powerful hardware to run the games the RG35XXSP has been showcased running.

While we know the RG35XXSP will support 5G Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2 with support for multiple controllers at once, HDMI out, and Moonlight streaming, thanks to the YouTube description, details are still light. I assume the device will run Linux just like the RG35XX, though precisely what kind of internals will be used is still unknown. But at the end of the day, Anbernic has proven itself a competent handheld maker with many successful devices under its belt, and the upcoming arrival of one such device that mimics the look of the Game Boy Advance SP sure is welcome in my book, it’s a proven form factor I wish we saw more of.

Now here’s hoping the price is right when the RG35XXSP launches, as everything looks great so far, especially if you’ve got a soft spot for the Game Boy Advance SP design.

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