Latest news with #Anbernic
Gizmodo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
The Atomic Purple Game Boy of VR Headsets Is Here, and It's Glorious
I'll admit it, I'm a sucker for Atomic Purple. There's just something about the Game Boy nostalgia that gets me every time. Slap a translucent shell on just about anything and you've got my attention. That goes for Nothing's products, these Beats earbuds, and the many, many retro Anbernic handhelds. Now, it goes for Bigscreen's Beyond 2e VR headset, too. We're excited to partner with @VRChat to launch the Bigscreen Beyond 2e: VRChat Edition — Bigscreen (@BigscreenVR) July 16, 2025The recently released Beyond 2e isn't a huge departure from the Beyond 2, but it does sport an exclusive 'Atomic Purple' shell that borrows style tips from Nintendo's iconic Atomic Purple colorway, which debuted on the 1998 Game Boy Color and later made its way to the N64. Not going to lie, I love it. Nostalgia, you dirty dog, you win again. While the Bigscreen Beyond 2e may look like a Game Boy, it's actually all about another thing—VRChat. Bigscreen made its new headset specifically for lovers of VRChat, a VR game-turned-social platform where you get to sport silly avatars and talk to other people. I could go down the rabbit hole talking about how strange VRChat can be, but for now, let's stick to hardware. From a technical perspective, there's not a huge difference between the Beyond 2 and 2e, but Bigscreen says that it did go all out to miniaturize its eye tracking. Believe it or not, according to them, the Beyond 2e has the world's smallest eye-tracking system and features a sensor the size of 'a grain of sand.' To help that tiny sensor, Bigscreen says it also worked on the software side of things. 'Unlike prior approaches, Beyond 2e's eye-tracking algorithms utilize novel computer vision techniques. We trained AI models of the human pupil and run inference on GPUs in real-time on models fine-tuned to each unique individual,' Bigscreen said in a statement. As Bigscreen notes, eye tracking is a big part of delivering a solid VRChat experience since it helps players translate their expressions more and make avatars more lifelike. It's hard to say how all of that hard work paid off from an eye-tracking perspective, but the fact that it can shrink something like that down so much is a feat in and of itself. For hardcore VRChat fans, this may not be the most high-tech experience (tethered headsets are still best for that), but it is lightweight at 107 grams, which is hard to argue with. Outside of eye tracking, Bigscreen is also including some other perks for VRChat users, including a special VRChat-themed box and some exclusive items and stickers for in-game use. If you're as jazzed about this Atomic Purple headset as I am, you may want to place a preorder quickly. Bigscreen's Beyond 2e is limited edition and only available 'while supplies last.' It starts at $1,269 but may be more expensive depending on what cushion you choose. It's set to ship in September.
The Verge
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Verge
Anbernic's sliding screen handheld might be too chunky and heavy for your pockets
Anbernic hasn't officially released or even put its new RG Slide handheld up for preorder yet, but a handful of reviewers have recently shared their first impressions of the new console. Anbernic may be leaning a bit too far into novelty and nostalgia with the RG Slide's design, while not actually capitalizing on what made devices like the light and compact PSP Go and Xperia Play smartphone so fondly remembered. The RG Slide will be priced at $189 and is expected to go on sale starting on June 20th, 2025, according to RetroDodo. It's powered by an octa-core Unisoc Tiger T820 CPU, which is a processor Anbernic already uses in its higher-end handhelds like the RG Cube that can emulate most games from the PS2 and Nintendo GameCube era. That's paired with 8GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, a microSD card slot, and a 5,000mAh rechargeable battery that's estimated to power the console for up to six hours between charges. Retro Dodo liked the RG Slide's 4.7-inch, 1280 x 960 pixel resolution screen and found it makes 'retro consoles such as GameCube, Dreamcast, and PS2 look slightly more vivid in comparison to previous Anberic products.' It also found the console's sliding mechanism to be satisfyingly solid, but lamented the loud 'clack' it makes when opening or closing the device. The console's controls are as good as what's found on other Anbernic devices and seem reasonably comfortable and well-balanced, but not quite as ergonomic as other handhelds. Both Retro Dodo and Russ Crandall, who runs Retro Game Corps, feel that Anbernic missed the mark when it comes to the RG Slide's size, which feels too large and thick to be comfortably pocketable. It also weighs 380 grams, which is just shy of the original Nintendo Switch that weighed 390 grams and much heavier than the 158-gram PSP Go.
Gizmodo
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
This New Retro Handheld Is Nostalgia Bait for Early-2000s Sliding Phones
Anbernic is used to playing on our nostalgia, and to be honest, that strategy seems to be working. Just last month, the company released its Anbernic RG34XXSP, which is a Game Boy Advance SP-like retro handheld that somehow crams your love for Game Boys and the GameCube into one (very affordable) gadget. My millennial lust for gaming nostalgia is tingling just thinking about it. Now, Anbernic is taking that same strategy and applying it toward another retro gadget you may not have had on your retro gaming bingo card—2000s-era sliding phones. Anbernic's RG Slide is the company's newest handheld in a very long stream of handhelds that somehow seems to be getting longer and longer. The slide has a TPS IPS screen that comes in a 4:3 aspect ratio with a resolution of 1,280 x 960 pixels. The display, unlike my iPhone 13, supports a 120Hz refresh rate, has a contrast ratio of 1200:1, and has a max brightness of up to 500 nits. Emulation-wise, Anbernic says this sliding handheld will be able to play PS2, Wii, GameCube, and Dreamcast games at a 640 x 480 resolution. It'll also emulate PS1 and N64 games at a 320 x 240 resolution. I think the headlining feature of this handheld isn't what it emulates or how good or bad the screen is— it's the form factor. The RG Slide, as you may have guessed from the name, has a sliding screen that pushes up to reveal two thumbsticks, a D-pad, ABXY buttons, and a start and select button in the middle. That design might be evocative of a couple of things, but for me, it has 2000s-era phones written all over it. Yes, it's also got big Xperia Play energy—Sony's gaming-centric smartphone from 2011—but my mind goes back even further to the days of sliding phones from LG or Nokia. What I would pay to slide open my LG Shine Slide one last time… In case you were wondering, yes, the screen is also a touchscreen, so theoretically you could use touch controls to play games, but I cannot think of a single reason to actually do that given the built-in thumbsticks. You can also play in a cursed vertical orientation, which should be good for some mobile games. Speaking of mobile games, this thing also runs Android, not Linux, so if playing Genshin Impact is high on your list of priorities, the RG Slide should have you covered. There's still no information on when the RG Slide will be released or how much it will cost, but if Anbernic's previous handhelds are anything to go by, then we can expect a competitive starting price. It's no sliding phone, but maybe, just maybe, it'll scratch that same itch.
Gizmodo
31-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
The Best Gadgets of May 2025
Handhelds, novel cameras, and more handhelds. Oh my! As eventful as Google's I/O was, May was just as much about gaming hardware as it was the Next Big Thing for Gemini AI. The Switch 2 may be on the foreseeable horizon, but other handheld gaming companies like MSI, Lenovo, and Anbernic weren't goofing off and waiting for Nintendo to bowl them over. MSI dropped the Claw A8 in lime green, while Anbernic put out the RG34XXSP, a Game Boy SP-style retro handheld, and Lenovo launched its Legion Go S handheld gaming PC with SteamOS. It's not just about gaming. This month's list has some wild cards, too, so scroll through for some gadgets that will upgrade your kitchen game, bring you back to a simpler time of taking photos, and maybe even kickstart your journey into pixel art. Handheld gaming PCs may be getting bigger, but one thing that's been holding them back, by most people's accounts, is software (looking at you, Windows). Valve, which makes the Steam Deck, is here to make that hindrance just a little better by licensing its UI, SteamOS, to handheld makers, and Lenovo's Legion Go S will be the first of such gadgets. We haven't gone hands-on with the Legion Go S with SteamOS yet, but I can't imagine that the new UI won't give the Legion Go S a huge upgrade over the Windows 11 version. We already lauded the Windows model for its perfect ergonomics, so this software upgrade should make those pros feel more pronounced. See Legion Go S at Best Buy This camera might literally be a heavyweight, which is not great if you're looking for something low profile, but it's also got quite a few features that might make the weight feel worth bearing. Among those features is autofocus, enabled by the ability to swap between four different lenses inside the camera that are on a rotating gear. If you're okay with a little heft, Polaroid's Flip camera delivers photos with the characteristic and charming instant camera look that you're used to—just make sure you've got proper lighting. See at Best Buy Do you need a device to display pixel art in your life? No, no, you do not. Would you like one, though? You might, especially if it's this one from Govee, which is bright, versatile, and even displays GIFs at 30 fps. It's not just images, either; this thing also has a speaker (albeit not a loud one) to pair your 8-bit artwork with some chiptunes. If you're feeling truly compelled, it even has a feature that lets you track the price of Bitcoin, though we prefer to keep things uncomplicated with Mario or Metroid. See Govee Gaming Pixel Light at Amazon I'm a minimalist in the kitchen, but I fully acknowledge that a good kitchen gadget can change your life, and the Breville Paradice 9 rises to that level. I personally love using a sharp-ass set of knives, but sometimes you just want to make things easy, and that's where food processors shine. The Paradice 9 has lots of strengths, including a dicing kit for even chopping and a feed chute that's big enough to reduce the prep that you need to do going in. That means you can just cut an onion in half, throw that sucker in, and process away. It's pricey for the field ($400), but it does its job and does it well. See Breville Paradice 9 at Best Buy The SP is Nintendo's best Game Boy ever, and while you can't relive that magic pixel for pixel with a new handheld, you can buy one from Anebernic that nails the classic SP form factor with a twist. The RG34XXSP is one of the many, many retro gaming handhelds from Anbernic that riffs off Nintendo's Game Boy to bring retro emulation to a pocket near you at a price you can probably afford. My personal favorite is the GameCube colorway, but there's also one that mimics the PlayStation and the Playdate. For $67 you can emulate all sorts of games, too, including N64 and Dreamcast titles. Good news, TikTok, you've got a new Fujifilm to fawn over. The X Half is a new half-frame-esque camera with a high price tag but also a bunch of cool retro features, film simulations, and a vertical format that will make your social feeds happy. For $850, you get an 18-megapixel sensor with a lens that's equivalent to 32mm with an f/2.8 aperture. If you're into the vintage vibes, there's a lot to love here, including a 'film mode' where you need to use the frame advance lever after taking every picture, which simulates the experience of shooting on actual film. Your move, Gen Z. If vibrators and dildos aren't cutting it, Motorbunny has your back. We reviewed the Motorbunny Buck, which is a saddle with some serious horsepower. If you're willing to shell out more money to get your rocks off mechanically, then the Motorbunny Buck is a solid option with powerful vibration, thrusting, and tons of attachments to fit your pleasure profile. For the gamers, there's even an attachment that syncs vibrations to your game controller so you can really feel the heat. See Motorbunny Buck at Amazon We love a gadget that hits the sweet spot for affordability, and the Surface Pro 12 caters to that. While you still have to buy a keyboard separately, the Surface Pro 12 toes the line between tablet and laptop well and debuts at $800 with 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage at base. It also runs on Snapdragon's X chips, which—despite being relatively new in the space—are already delivering great battery life in a range of well-priced devices. This thing is light too, at 1.5 pounds, which means you can actually use it as a tablet. Plus, on a more subjective note, I'm a sucker for purple gadgets. See Surface Pro at Amazon See Surface Pro at Best Buy
Gizmodo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Gizmodo
Retro Maker Anbernic Hopes to Make Handhelds Mainstream
Anbernic makes retro handhelds, practically an avalanche of retro handhelds. The company is known for pushing so many products out the door each year, customers can barely keep up. Now, the handheld maker seems to be one of the few pushing into the direct U.S. market in an effort to offer customers one of the bare few avenues of gaming for cheap. Going mainstream has a few costs—not just in price—but in what the company needs to do to avoid scrutiny over its promotion of legally murky game emulation. Gaming deals hunter Wario64 first picked up on Anbernic's move into the mainstream. The device maker now offers a select few products on Best Buy, specifically the company's more powerful handhelds like the RG 556 with its 5.5-inch display and the RG406H with the 4-inch touchscreen. The RG 406V is a Game Boy-style handheld with a smaller display, but all of these devices run on Android compared to Anbernic's usual stock software. These devices are also far more expensive than if you buy directly from Anbernic. The RG 406V starts at $160 on the handheld maker's site. Through Best Buy, it's $250. Based on the product descriptions, none of the handhelds listed on Best Buy include any ROMs—the video games ripped from retro cartridges or game discs. These kinds of handhelds normally include a microSD card with a metric ton of old-school titles on them. If you order the devices from China, you can pay a little extra for a small, 128GB microSD card packed to the gills with games (though in our experience, not every ripped ROM will actually work). You can also find most Anbernic devices on Amazon through third-party sellers at the same price or less than Best Buy. Depending on the reseller, some of these devices will also come with the microSD card full of retro titles. If you want to save money, it's still better to buy directly from the handheld maker. Previously, retro gaming enthusiasts would tell you to check out the prices on dropshipping sites like AliExpress. However, ever since President Donald Trump's 'Liberation Day' and the end of de minimis exemptions, AliExpress and fellow cheapo product sites Temu and Shein are still flailing against the crushing weight of new U.S. import taxes. It's now much easier to buy directly from Anbernic. Last month, the company declared it had to stop direct shipments from China to the U.S., citing tariffs. It promised it would keep shipping to its U.S.-based warehouse and eat some degree of the customs cost. Since then, Anbernic removed the notice from its shipping page and posted on its products that China-to-U.S. shipping was 'restored.' Despite that, if the company wants to continue on its trajectory, it needs other avenues for customers to get its new products. In just three days, Anbernic announced two separate devices that could be its most enticing creations yet. The first was the RG 35XXPro, a Game Boy recreation with twin joysticks not found on Nintendo's original handhelds. The device bears a striking resemblance to the BatlEXP G350, a super-cheap handheld I bought for around $35 (Anbernic has not clarified its connection to the G350, despite the box including a thank you card with its logo). That cheap-end Game Boy mimic didn't include a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi chip, but the new device does. If the Pro includes a better speaker than the G350 and the original RG35XX, it could prove to be one of the best handhelds of its class. For those desperate for something truly different, Anbernic dropped a video Wednesday showing off the RG Slide. At first glance, it could be an homage to the T-Mobile Sidekick with its slide-out main screen. We don't know what's happening on the other side of that backplate, but we're praying it's a second screen. There are a paltry few devices designed for Nintendo DS emulation. Those that exist, like the Ayaneo Flip, are priced for handheld PC gamers rather than emulation enthusiasts. We doubt the upcoming OneXSugar with its flip-up controls will be any less expensive. When a Switch 2 costs $450, $150 more than an original Switch, we're growing increasingly desperate for cheap avenues to get into gaming. Anbernic is in a position to level the playing field, as long as it doesn't lose itself in the process.
