Anbernic RG40XX V Review

Introduction

Anbernic has released a bunch of devices in the XX line. There was the small vertical RG35XX Plus, then the small horizontal RG35XX H, another RG35XX 2024, the small micro RG28XX, the awesome clamshell RG35XX SP, the bigger horizontal RG40XX H and finally, the seventh device, the Anbernic RG40XX V.

If I save you ten minutes, this is the Anbernic RG40XX H, but vertical and with one less stick.

If I save you even more time, this has the same performance as all of the other Anbernic XX series devices. That means some Nintendo 64, some Dreamcast and some PSP.

But I actually quite like this one. It has a nice big screen, feels good in the hands and makes for a good vertical experience.

Specs and Price

Going by specs alone, this is basically a word-for-word, spec-for-spec match for the Anbernic RG40XX H.

That means you get the 4-inch 640×480 screen, 3200mAh battery, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, HDMI and so on.

Internally, this is a known quantity to the community, since this is now the seventh device with most of these same internals.

The RG40XX V is priced at around $76 USD shipped using code JOEY from GoGameGeek.

The price is interesting because there are competitors to this device that we’ll get into later, but in general, it’s decently priced considering there are only a few options for 4-inch vertical handhelds.

D-Pad and Buttons

Looking at the D-pad and buttons, I can pretty confidently confirm that all of this is the same as the RG40XX H.

The D-pad is the same one we’ve seen on the RG35XX Plus and RG40XX H, and it’s a good D-pad to me.

It’s not always super accurate, but I like the looseness of it, and I especially like that it’s rounded compared to the RG35XX H D-pad, which was sharper and stiffer.

Overall, it’s a good one.

The buttons are the same as the RG40XX H and feel good. Anbernic rarely gets buttons wrong. They do what you want them to do, have decent travel and just feel fine.

I can’t say that I have any particularly negative or positive feelings towards the buttons, and that’s probably the best compliment I can give.

Analog Stick

The stick has RGB LEDs and is the same one Anbernic has been using lately.

It still has the cardinal snapping direction issue, which has now been fixed on custom firmware like muOS, but it is not fixed on the stock firmware.

For those unfamiliar, this basically means that on stock firmware, the stick acts more like a D-pad and has very little diagonal movement.

With the fix, it becomes a normal usable stick, but on stock firmware, I probably wouldn’t use it very much.

I know not many people will agree with me here, but the stick really just shouldn’t exist.

At the very least, removing it would make this device a lot more unique. I just imagine how much cleaner this would look without a stick, and it would be an awesome D-pad-only vertical handheld.

Unfortunately, it’s here.

Comfort

On the back are the shoulder buttons, and I think a fear that a lot of us have since the Anbernic RG405V is whether these will be easy to press or cause accidental pushes.

Thankfully, these don’t have that issue.

I actually quite like the shoulders on this. They’re nicely curved and feel good to press.

As for the overall comfort, when using it normally without the stick and just using the D-pad, it feels just fine.

It’s a bigger vertical than usual, but obviously not as big as the RG405V. I didn’t experience the usual cramping issues that I get with some vertical handhelds, and this felt good to use for long periods of time.

Even using the stick, it technically feels fine.

I still find the entire act of using the stick on this thing to be blasphemous. I hate it. I hate all of it. I don’t want to use it ever.

Performance

I’m not going to spend a lot of time on performance because, once again, this is now the seventh device with essentially the exact same performance.

If you’ve seen one of these devices, you’ve seen them all.

The main difference here is the larger 4-inch screen, which does give you more real estate and makes games look a little better.

I’ve never been someone who cares a whole lot about 3.5 inches versus 4 inches. Both are fine with me.

As mentioned earlier, this can play some Nintendo 64, some Dreamcast and some PSP.

I wouldn’t buy it for those systems. They’re bonuses.

If you want to play older systems like SNES, NES, Game Gear, Genesis and everything around that era, this is a great choice. If you want to tinker and have fun, you can try the systems above.

Competition

If you don’t mind a 3.5-inch screen, there are hundreds of vertical handhelds competing with this, so let’s filter those out.

If you want a 4-inch screen or larger, there are a few options.

Powkiddy RGB20SX

The Powkiddy RGB20SX is my personal favorite vertical handheld.

It has a 1:1 720p screen, which is very nice and significantly higher resolution than what Anbernic is using here.

Processor-wise, it’s using the RK3566, which is roughly on par with the H700. The main difference is really the custom firmware options. The RGB20SX uses ArkOS, while you’d usually put muOS on the RG40XX V.

The RGB20SX also has a much larger 5000mAh battery compared to the RG40XX V’s 3200mAh, and it has a second stick.

The D-pad on the RGB20SX isn’t as good as the RG40XX V, but the buttons are basically the same. The triggers are better on the RG40XX V.

Then you have the colors, which are obviously personal preference. I think both the RG40XX V’s blue and white look fantastic, while I love the transparent blue RGB20SX.

The RGB20SX is also slightly cheaper, so it’s a tough one.

On paper, the RGB20SX has a lot going for it, but I personally prefer the D-pad and buttons on the RG40XX V.

Sometimes it’s as simple as that.

Anbernic RG405V

The other option is the Anbernic RG405V.

It’s significantly more powerful, meaning Nintendo 64, Dreamcast and PSP are easily on the menu, along with some GameCube and PS2.

The battery is also massive and lasts a long time, and it runs Android with two sticks.

Overall, it’s a better and much more powerful handheld, but it’s also much bigger and more expensive than the RG40XX V.

Anbernic RG406V

Then there’s the newer Anbernic RG406V.

This is the successor to the RG405V, with a higher-resolution display, a better processor and improvements across the board.

Once again, though, you’re paying considerably more than you are for the RG40XX V.

Final Thoughts

All of that is to say that if you’re in the market for a vertical handheld, you can’t really go wrong with the RG40XX V at this price.

I quite like the RG40XX V.

There are no massive deal breakers here, and there’s really nothing I feel like I need to warn you about.

The performance is exactly what you’d expect from the H700 platform, the D-pad and buttons are good, the 4-inch screen is nice and the vertical form factor feels good in the hands.

The biggest thing I would change is removing the stick, but that’s obviously a personal preference.

For me, if you’re looking for an inexpensive 4-inch vertical handheld, the RG40XX V is a recommend.