Anbernic RG476H Review

Anbernic RG476H Review

The Anbernic RG476H is one of the few recent Anbernic handhelds that I was actually interested in spending time with.

Anbernic has released quite a few devices lately that I simply haven’t bothered covering because there wasn’t much about them that interested me.

The RG476H is different.

It has a 4.7-inch 4:3 display running at 120Hz, a T820 processor, analog triggers, and a relatively reasonable price.

It’s not perfect, but I think Anbernic has finally found a pretty compelling formula for a 4:3 handheld.

The RG476H currently sells for around $160, although I think the sweet spot is closer to $130-$150 shipped.

Specs

The RG476H uses the same Unisoc T820 processor found in several previous Anbernic devices, including the RG556, RG406V, and RG406H.

The T820 isn’t a particularly powerful chip by modern standards, so I wouldn’t buy this expecting it to be a serious GameCube or PS2 machine.

For me, the natural limit is Nintendo 64, Dreamcast, and PSP, with some lighter GameCube and PlayStation 2 games available if you’re willing to tweak settings.

The big selling point is the display.

You get a 4.7-inch 1280×960 4:3 screen running at 120Hz.

And it looks fantastic.

The 120Hz 4:3 Display

A 4:3 screen makes perfect sense for the systems this handheld is designed around.

PlayStation 1, Nintendo 64, Dreamcast, and most of the older systems fit the display perfectly.

There’s no stretching and no wasted screen space.

Super Mario World, for example, fills the screen exactly as you’d want.

But the 120Hz refresh rate is arguably even more important than the 4:3 aspect ratio.

You might initially think that 120Hz doesn’t matter because you’re not going to be running retro games at 120 frames per second.

That’s not really the point.

Android handhelds have inherent input latency and responsiveness issues compared with many Linux handhelds.

A higher-refresh-rate display can make the entire device feel significantly more responsive.

The RG476H feels extremely smooth, and that’s one of the things I like most about it.

I haven’t done scientific input-lag measurements, so I wouldn’t claim that this definitively beats a particular Linux handheld.

But subjectively, the 120Hz display makes the RG476H feel much more responsive than you’d normally expect from an Android handheld.

This is one of those features that sounds unnecessary on a spec sheet but makes a real difference when you’re actually using the device.

The Controls

The RG476H has some excellent controls, although there are a couple of things I’m not completely sold on.

D-Pad and Sticks

The D-pad is very good.

It’s slightly more resistant than the D-pad on my RG405M, which I actually prefer because I like a looser D-pad.

Still, it feels good and works particularly well for 4:3 systems.

The analog sticks are a huge improvement over the older sticks found on something like the RG405M.

The RG405M uses the older Switch-style sticks, while the RG476H has much better sticks with a more substantial feel.

Unfortunately, the placement is still something I struggle with.

The sticks are positioned below the D-pad and buttons, which means stick-based games require you to flare your hands outward to reach them comfortably.

For games that primarily use the D-pad, this layout is excellent.

For something like Super Mario 64, where you’re constantly using the analog stick while also needing the triggers, it becomes much less comfortable.

This is the same basic problem I have with the Retroid Pocket 5, although the RG476H is more comfortable overall.

If Anbernic had swapped the positions of the D-pad and left stick, I think we’d be having a very different conversation about the controls.

Face Buttons

The face buttons are one of my bigger complaints.

Anbernic changed the feel of its buttons on some of its newer devices, and unfortunately I don’t like this newer style as much.

Older devices such as the RG405M have relatively soft buttons.

They don’t require much force to press, while still providing plenty of travel and feedback.

The RG476H’s buttons are much springier and require noticeably more force.

The buttons almost feel like they’re constantly pushing back against your thumbs.

After playing for a while, I actually start to experience thumb fatigue.

I suspect I’d eventually get used to them if this were my only handheld, but it’s definitely a negative for me.

Analog Triggers

One of the more surprising advantages of the RG476H is its analog triggers.

Anbernic’s more expensive metal version of this handheld (RG477M) doesn’t have analog triggers, which makes very little sense to me.

I prefer analog triggers whenever they’re available, even if I don’t necessarily use them for most of the systems this device is designed for.

They’re particularly useful when moving into GameCube, PlayStation 2, and other systems where analog trigger input matters.

The RG476H remains relatively slim despite having the triggers sticking out from the back, and overall I don’t have any major complaints about the ergonomics.

GameCube

GameCube is where things become more complicated.

The T820 can run a number of GameCube games surprisingly well, particularly lighter titles.

Games such as Mario Tennis, Mario Kart: Double Dash, and Animal Crossing can provide good experiences.

However, you shouldn’t take that to mean that the RG476H is a GameCube handheld.

More demanding games can struggle considerably.

The later sections of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker can become difficult to run, and Twilight Princess is particularly demanding.

F-Zero is another example of a game that doesn’t run particularly well.

This is largely down to the combination of the T820 and the current state of GameCube emulation on Android.

There are definitely games I could play on this all day, but there are also plenty that I’d rather just play on a more powerful handheld.

That’s why I personally consider Nintendo 64, Dreamcast, PSP, and older systems to be the natural target for the RG476H.

PlayStation 2

PlayStation 2 is much more hit or miss.

Burnout Revenge is one of my usual PS2 test games, and it immediately showed the limitations of the T820.

At default settings, performance isn’t good enough.

Using aggressive speed settings and hacks can improve things, but at that point you’re making a PS2 game look and run considerably worse than it did on the original hardware.

That’s not how I personally want to experience emulation.

There are people who are perfectly happy with that, and that’s fine.

There are also lighter PS2 games and JRPGs that can work reasonably well.

But if you’re buying the RG476H specifically because you want to play a large PS2 library, I’d look elsewhere.

I’d rather play the systems that the RG476H handles well than spend my time forcing games to work that the hardware wasn’t really designed to run.

No Video Output

One limitation worth mentioning is the lack of video output.

The T820 doesn’t support video output, so you can’t connect the RG476H to a TV or monitor over USB-C.

The rest of the hardware is fairly standard for an Android handheld, with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, a microSD card slot, USB-C charging, and a headphone jack.

There’s also an active cooling fan, although I haven’t found it particularly noticeable during normal use.

Anbernic’s Android Software

One of the bigger frustrations with Anbernic’s Android handhelds is how restricted the Android environment can be.

Unlike Retroid and AYN devices, you don’t have the same level of access to Android’s data storage.

That makes transferring saves for things like GameCube and PlayStation 2 much more annoying.

RetroArch and some other emulators allow you to work around this, but for emulators that store their data inside Android’s restricted storage, you’re stuck with a much more frustrating process.

This is something that could potentially improve with GammaOS.

GammaOS is expected to come to the RG476H, and one of the advantages would be improved access to Android’s data storage along with other changes to the software experience.

The Price

Anbernic’s pricing strategy is part of the reason I like the RG476H.

The more expensive metal version of this device costs substantially more, and at that price I don’t think it makes much sense.

At around $280, you’re getting dangerously close to handhelds that are much more powerful and offer considerably more functionality.

I’m not spending that kind of money on an Anbernic just because it has a nice 4:3 screen.

The RG476H is different.

At around $160, it actually makes sense.

I’d still prefer to see it closer to $130-$140, and once you factor in shipping, $180 starts getting a little harder to justify.

At that point, there are other options that become much more appealing.

But if you can find the RG476H somewhere around $130-$150 shipped, I think it’s a very good purchase.

The Best 4:3 Handheld at This Price

This is ultimately why I like the RG476H.

It’s not the most powerful handheld.

It doesn’t have the best controls I’ve ever used.

It doesn’t have video output.

It isn’t going to replace a more powerful GameCube or PS2 handheld.

But that’s not really what it needs to do.

For 4:3 systems, this is an excellent experience.

The 4.7-inch 120Hz display is gorgeous, the D-pad is good, the new analog sticks are a big improvement, the device is comfortable, and the analog triggers are a welcome addition.

Most importantly, Anbernic hasn’t priced it like a premium flagship.

This is where I think 4:3 Android handhelds should be.

I don’t think we need a $300 4:3 handheld.

At that point, I’d rather buy a more powerful 16:9 device and deal with the black bars while getting a much bigger range of systems and better performance.

But around $160, a 4:3 device specifically designed around retro systems makes a lot of sense.

For me, this is essentially the natural endpoint of the 4:3 handheld design.

Final Thoughts

The RG476H is one of the Anbernic handhelds I’ve enjoyed using recently.

The buttons are too stiff for my liking, the analog stick placement isn’t ideal for stick-heavy games, and the T820 is limited once you start pushing into GameCube and PS2.

But for what I think this handheld should actually be used for.. 4:3 systems up through Nintendo 64, Dreamcast, PSP, and some lighter GameCube.

It’s excellent.

The 120Hz display is the star of the show.

It makes the device feel incredibly responsive, and the 4:3 aspect ratio is perfect for the systems this is targeting.

At $200 or $300, I’d pass.

At $180 shipped, I’m not sure.

But if you can get one around $130-$150 shipped, I can easily recommend it.

For me, this is currently about as good as 4:3 Android handhelds get at this price.