🕹️ Hello and welcome to a special review edition of The Memory Core! This time I’ll be talking about the ANBERNIC RG DS, which I’ve been testing for the past few weeks.

To say the RG DS launch was a hot mess would be an understatement. There’s so much confusion and conflicting information out there that I wanted to try to clear things up and throw in my two cents.

Like previous reviews, this will be a simple question/answer format, so feel free to jump around to find what you’re looking for.

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ANBERNIC RG DS review: It’s a new DS!

The ANBERNIC RG DS is the company’s first dual-screen device, and the only one on the market that targets just DS emulation. No 3DS like the AYN Thor or AYANEO Pocket DS, just the Nintendo DS.

As a result, it’s far cheaper, coming in at $95. Unfortunately, you get what you pay for, as there are some concessions made to hit that price.

But I have been having an absolute blast playing DS games on this thing. It scratches the DS itch in a way that others can’t match, despite being a slightly compromised experience.

ANBERNIC RG DS quick specs: Screen: 4-inch IPS x 2 Chipset: Rockchip RK3568 RAM: 3GB Storage: 32GB Battery: 4,000mAh Price: $94.99 Official website

Who is this for?

The RG DS is for fans of the Nintendo DS. It’s not a great machine for other systems, so if you’re looking for a general-purpose device, this isn’t it.

Despite having two screens, it’s also not great for multitasking. It can play retro systems with a guide pulled up on the second screen, but watching videos sometimes causes stuttering.

Personally, I use this to play Nintendo DS games and nothing else. And that’s actually a pretty compelling use case, because the DS catalog is filled with bangers that play like crap on other devices.

Why should I care about it?

Dual-screen devices are currently cutting-edge tech in emulation handhelds (despite the DS coming out more than two decades ago), but this is the first affordable device to hit the virtual shelves.

I’d also argue that it’s the only one that targets DS games in a significant way. This is the only clamshell device with two 4:3 screens, just like the original DS. The screens aren’t perfect, but they are closer to recreating the original magic than any other device so far.

Why is the RG DS so controversial?

The RG DS had serious bugs in its early review software. The biggest ones were screen desync and a bug that caused the top screen to lower to 40Hz after 30 seconds of focusing on the bottom screen (which was the main way to play DS games).

Those issues have been fixed in the retail version with firmware 1.14, and if this were a normal consumer device you wouldn’t have even heard about them. However, since the retro gaming handheld scene moves at lightspeed, reviewers are incentivized to publish their content as soon as possible to maximize views. Brands themselves also push for this.

As a result, RetroGameCorps called it a “Half-baked mess” in his early hands-on, which pretty much sealed the deal in the court of public opinion. Even later reviews still focused on the early release software, with WULFF DEN’s post-fix review titled “The RG DS sucked but it’s better now.”

None of this matters to end consumers, but niche communities like this one thrive on drama, so the narrative quickly got out of control. More established brands typically use review embargoes to catch this stuff, but handhelds are still effectively the Wild West.

To its credit, ANBERNIC does ask reviewers to provide feedback for potential issues in its reviewer's guidelines. But once the problems were made public, the gloves were off.

UPDATE: Russ from RetroGameCorps clarified that he did reach out to ANBERNIC before publishing his initial hands-on, but was not told to hold his video or that a fix was coming.

How is the build quality?

The RG DS feels very sturdy and closes with a satisfying thwomp. Unlike most handhelds, you can throw this one in your bag without a case, and it should be completely fine. My only concern would be the shoulder buttons, which sit a bit proud.

Then again, you’ll probably want to invest in a case to store the stylus. It doesn’t stow away in the body of the RG DS, and if you’re like me, you’ll probably lose it at the bottom of a bag. Or have it stolen by your kids.

The “Stepless Hover” hinge is very rigid, but not in a bad way. It was definitely surprising the first time I opened it, but eventually I appreciated the fact that it can stay open at any angle, including a full 180 degrees.

As for the screens, I let my six-year-old loose for several intense sessions of WarioWare: Touched (without a screen protector), and never felt like it was in danger. I’d probably install a screen protector if the device were for her, but it’s not. Sorry.

How are the screens?

The 4-inch screens are nice and big, especially when compared to the DS Lite I grew up with. They’re also quite a bit brighter than the aging panels on the original hardware.

But there’s a bigger issue than just the size, and that’s the resolution. The RG DS screens are 2.5x the resolution of the original panels, so there’s no perfect integer scaling.

Thankfully, the shaders in DraStic do a great job of hiding this, and I never really noticed the difference on the RG DS. Those shaders are enabled and configured by default, so it’s as close to a plug-and-play experience for DS games as you’ll find outside of original hardware.

I will point out that the 3DS didn’t have integer scaling for DS games either, and the distortion was much more noticeable.

If you are an absolute stickler for accuracy, you can also change the settings in DraStic to 2x integer scaling on both screens. There’s a pre-installed app called Apollo to add a mask (overlay) for the border, and the images are included in the root directory of the device.

How are the inputs? And the stylus?

The D-pad and face buttons are nearly perfect. They’re dome switch/microswitches, and they’re nice and quiet. No complaints whatsoever there.

The in-line shoulder buttons are also microswitches, and they’re very loud. It is nice to have an L2 and R2 for emulation hotkeys, since they aren't needed for DS games.

The joysticks, which are an interesting addition to a DS-focused device, are just bad. I haven’t liked the sticks on any clamshell device I’ve ever used, and this is no exception. I’m glad DS games don’t use it, and I'm glad the D-pad is on top, unlike the AYN Thor.

DS games do make frequent use of the stylus, and it mostly works well. The included stylus has a rubber nub tip and a disc tip, but I found myself sticking to the rubber nub. It’s not the most accurate, but it’s fine for most DS games.

However, there is a noticeable amount of lag, which makes rhythm games unplayable for me. This is something I’ve experienced on other devices emulating the Nintendo DS, so it’s not unique to the RG DS.

How powerful is it? What can it play?

The Rockchip RK3568 is very weak, and the 3GB of RAM is also very limited. This is likely why it doesn’t have Google Play services (including the Play Store) pre-installed.

But older systems still run just fine. For starters, it can play retro consoles up to PS1, handhelds up to PSP, and a wide variety of Android games. But the interesting part here is DS games, so I want to focus on that.

The RG DS played every DS game I tested, but only in the DraStic emulator. DraStic is far more performant than any other DS emulator on Android, but it’s been out of development for years. That means no RetroAchievements, multiplayer, or DSiWare support.

I tried loading up a few games in MelonDS, but this device simply isn’t powerful enough. MelonDS is still a resource hog on Android, so you’ll need a more expensive device to run it.

I also tried testing a few 3DS games on Azahar, which comes pre-installed. However, only a few were really playable, and even then, I wouldn’t recommend the RG DS for 3DS games. Get a 3DS or an AYN Thor if that’s what you’re after.

How is the software?

ANBERNIC’s software is very barebones, with few extra features or tweaks to stock Android. Even the company’s launcher is remarkably plain, with no option to scrape box art or customize the experience.

There are a few unique options, like turning off the top screen to save battery life. You can only do this with the top screen though, so the lid just kinda sits there while you play on the bottom half.

I encountered a few small bugs with the dual-screen setup, but most were tied more to Android jank than ANBERNIC jank. None were game-breaking for playing DS games.

Any other considerations?

• The speakers are fine, but they hum slightly at zero volume.
• I didn’t use the screen protectors, but I’ve heard that the device doesn’t close properly when both are installed.
• GammaOS is already available coming soon for the RG DS, and it offers improved performance and a few other small upgrades if you want to spend the time/money to upgrade.
• I got roughly 4-6 hours of DS game time on a single charge, but charging speeds are very slow (2+ hours).
• Some frontends, like ES DE, don’t recognize the altered DraStic app, so games may not open correctly from there.

Should I just save up for the AYN Thor?

While the AYN Thor is clearly a more versatile device, I still think there are arguments to be made for the RG DS.

For starters, it’s a third of the price. That alone makes it the only affordable dual-screen handheld, and one that you can more easily replace in case of loss/theft. ANBERNIC devices are also much easier to pick up for a discount, so it could be an even bigger difference with the right discounts.

You could also argue that it’s a better experience than the Thor for DS games. The included stylus and pre-configured setup make it ready to play out of the box. The screens, while not a perfect integer scale, are at least the same aspect ratio. Neither is perfect, but the RG DS gets closer, in my opinion.

The bottom line

Despite what you might have heard from your favorite reviewers, the RG DS is a great device for Nintendo DS emulation. I can’t tell you how many hours of joy this thing has brought me (and my kids) over the past few weeks. If you like the DS catalog as much as I do, it’s worth the price of entry.