Anbernic RG505 In-Depth Review

At long last, Anbernic has released a handheld device that is both affordable AND powerful. Let's take a look at the RG505 and see whether its PS Vita OLED panel, Unisoc T618 chipset, and hall sensor analog sticks make it worth considering.

UPDATE: Anbernic has now added Google Play Store functionality to the device, it is available via an online updater app that is bundled on the device. All future shipments will come with Play Store as standard.

This was a review unit sent to me by the manufacturer. All opinions are my own, they did not see this review ahead of time, and no money was exchanged in any way.

Timestamps:
00:00 introduction
01:54 tech specs
03:32 unboxing and impressions
06:51 analog sticks
08:59 other buttons
10:16 size and weight comparisons
14:08 screen, color, and charging
16:27 software experience
21:18 Dreamcast issues
24:12 emulation testing (classic games)
26:37 N64, Saturn, NDS, 3DS
28:32 PSP and GameCube
31:09 PS2 and Switch
34:44 Xbox, PS5, and PC streaming
37:05 summary (likes and dislikes)
40:40 conclusion

Theme song written by Jim Gray of Our Ghosts:

This video is for entertainment and educational purposes only.

#Anbernic #RG505 #RetroGaming

[RetroGameCorps]

UPDATE: Anbernic has now added Google Play Store functionality to the device, it is available via an online updater app that is bundled on the device. All future shipments will come with Play Store as standard.

[Sleththeoriginal]

I left a comment once asking about fast forward capability, and now you regularly mention it in every review.
Much appreciated! Most helpful reviews on the YouTube!

[WMARUoriginal]

Wow I thought this would be a lot better. Can’t wait for the RP3+ comparison. Excellent review Russ!

[mggi]

Just got mine today, and apparently Anbernic has listened, the language is in English and the Play Store is included now

[Handheld_TECH]

I would not have thought that Anbernic would again design a handheld in such a way that you cannot get to the shoulder buttons properly and cannot grasp the handheld perfectly so that you can reach all the buttons nicely. Without words... Anbernic makes it easy for Goretroid to release the better handheld again. No OLED display helps either.

[MrPanda-kerf]

Yes I've been waiting for your review after all the teaser

[jaydarke]

I picked this up today over the rp3+. Two reasons, availability and shipping. 90 day turn around for retroid. 2-3 weeks for ambernic. I can live without the hdmi since my laptop is already docked to my flat screen for at home gaming. I wanted this for road trips and breaks at work.

[adinwalls]

Thanks for this review Russ, I can deal with all the quirks apart from the HDMI out. I don’t even think that screen would bother me but this is such a perfectly “dockable” device that the hdmi seems like a glaring oversight. I was so excited about a well made Anbernic device that was powerful and looked like a switch lite. Ah well…

[salitz]

As expected, my confirmation bias is glad this turned out to be a 40min affirmation that I made the right choice with the RP3+. I had some buyers remorse when I saw this revealed, but this definitely put that to bed. After loving my RP2, the RP3+ is a no brainer (for me) for all its features over the 505. Can't wait for my Retroid in the mail. Thanks for the great review, Russ!

[Cyko..]

I had high hopes for this but now I'm thinking I'll pass and wait for their next offerings. I already have a modded PlayStation Vita and it plays PSP perfectly.

[raulgorgulio]

It would be really cool to see all that power in a smaller and Linux-based device. I hope next gen of 35X series will be able to run PSP games that well.

[alluringming]

Its nice to see some more affordable hanshelds that run decently. Might keep my eye on this company and see what else they can do. Some these other handheld devices i seen are ridiculous in price.

[MP-dzvy]

The R353m with this chip would probably make the best anbernic device ever

[justinsfhc]

Adding google play store and services to any android device is very easy. I’ve done it with my rg353v.

[BrentBlueAllen]

I got in my head a couple of weeks ago that I'd like one of these retro handhelds for an upcoming trip and your videos have been indispensable. Portability factored in very highly so I ultimately decided to wait another generation or two and use my old DS Lite with R4 & EZ-Flash for the trip but I'll keep watching your videos to find a handheld that suits my interests. I'm definitely excited to hear your thoughts about the RP3+ soon!

[wickedportablegaming]

25:10 love it how you start the audio test with Streets of Rage 2 from the Genesis 🤗

[daniel]

Did you take it apart? We can see a screw is missing at 4:25.

[igorR]

Amazing review as usual. I already bought the RP3+ and it will be interesting to see what you say about it and how to extract the best of it.

[JimmyBackbeat]

Remember the good old days when there was more than weeks between new hardware?

[samh]

Remember saturn running quite abit better on your original x18s video (the first one).

As you review these higher powered devices, can switch to using more accurate emulators (such as bsnes for SNES, beetle hw core for RetroArch or duckstation with PGXP enabled etc) for the older systems?