Unlike many people, I never played video games. Sure, I’ve played a bunch of Minecraft (he hasn’t), but I’ve never spent so much time on any other title. When people ask what games I play, I always give the same “Oh, I don’t really like video games” answer and change the subject.
I’ve tried playing retro games in the past, but they just never clicked with me. I enjoyed playing them, but when I emulated them on my phone, tablet, and laptop, I always got distracted and 10 minutes later I was doing something else. But I found out about a month ago emulation handhelds. For some reason, something about these hands intrigued me. As I continued to research, a company called Anbernic kept appearing and appearing a good choice for high-quality, inexpensive handheld devices.
Finally after hours of research I bit the bullet and bought an Anbernic RG 40XXV and after countless hours of daily use I have A new price for retro games (and may have even become a player in the process).
It is portable and very comfortable to hold
Perfect for long play
The Anbernic RG40XXV is small, about 5 x 4 inches. Its compact size makes it very portable and I’ve been able to carry it around and play games when I need to pass the time. I found myself playing games in the mornings while drinking my coffee, even staying up late as I lost count of the time I spent playing in bed.
It is also very comfortable to hold. I can hold it for over an hour without issue and can even hold it and play some games with just one hand (great for mid-game snacking!). That’s why I’ve spent more time playing games on this device than on my computer. It’s much more enjoyable to pick up and play whenever I want than to spend time on a long gaming session on a console or PC.
Its 4-inch screen and controls are beautiful
This device has satisfying controls and its screen is immersive
The device is basically a beefed-up Game Boy. There are face buttons, d-pads, start and option buttons, but also a joystick and R1, R2, L1 and L2 buttons. Thanks to these extra controls, I can play a wider variety of games than games that require cardinal movement with the d-pad. Additional controls also bring added flair to familiar games; I found I enjoyed some games a lot more after re-binding d-pad input to joystick control.
Before I started playing any games, I assumed that the handheld’s 4-inch screen would be too small and uncomfortable for the eyes (although it is one of the larger screens Anbernic offers). I was wrong. For such a small screen, it’s certainly immersive, and it made me lose track of time while playing.
It gave me an excuse to try more retro games
I have met many wonderful games
Thanks to the Anbernic RG40XXV, I have played more games in one month than I have in my entire life. After purchasing the device, I was obliged to find a bunch of games to play on it to justify the purchase. It allowed me to rediscover games I was already familiar with and even introduced me to some I had never heard of.
Since the device has built-in internet, I was also able to enhance my experience while playing certain games. For example, I was able to join sites like RetroAchievements, which allowed me to earn achievements while playing my games. It made playing the game more engaging and I found myself playing some games longer as I tried to get as many achievements as possible.
Because most retro games are so small, you could theoretically fit thousands of retro games for systems up to the PS1. This is great because you don’t have to spend extra money on a large microSD card (which the device uses to store the operating system and games).
Only download games that you can get legally. Many retro games allow non-commercial downloads, and you can even try homebrew games from sites like itch.io!
I think I can finally call myself a gamer
Over the past month, I’ve played countless games on the Anbernic RG40XXV, and it’s given me a new appreciation and love for retro gaming. It turns out that telling people I don’t like gaming wasn’t entirely true, because for the longest time, playing AAA games on my computer was my only way to experience video games. I’ve never really thought about focusing on retro gaming, but now I realize I was wrong not to.
