There’s something a bit funny about a company spending three attempts to perfectly recreate a handheld Nintendo already made two decades ago — and then selling it for less than the original cost. But that’s exactly what’s happened with the Anbernic RG SP, which launched this week at $64.99, with an early-bird price of $57.99 for the first few days. For context: the actual Game Boy Advance SP launched at $99.99 back in 2003. Inflation-adjust that and the gap gets even more embarrassing for Nintendo.
Third Time’s the Charm
This isn’t Anbernic’s first go at the GBA SP homage. The RG35XX SP arrived in 2024, followed by the RG34XX SP a year later with dual analog sticks bolted on. The RG SP drops the sticks entirely and goes back to tactile buttons only — a decision that sounds like a downgrade on paper but, if early hands-on coverage is anything to go by, actually makes for a slimmer, more faithful-feeling clamshell. Sometimes the answer to “how do we improve this” is “stop adding things.”
Under the hood it’s the same platform as its siblings: a 1.5GHz Allwinner H700 quad-core chip, 1GB of RAM, a 3.4-inch 720×480 IPS display, and a 3,300mAh battery good for roughly six hours. It runs Linux, and going by hands-on gameplay footage, it handles everything from Game Boy Advance and Game Gear titles up through Dreamcast and Nintendo DS without obvious strain — there’s footage floating around of it running Soul Calibur and Stardew Valley without dropping frames, which is a lot more than a $65 handheld from 2016 would have managed.
Colours and Storage
Four metallic finishes are available at launch: Graphite, Platinum, Pearl Blue, and Pearl Pink. The base $57.99/$64.99 model comes with a 16GB SD card; if that’s not enough headroom, Anbernic also offers 64GB and 128GB bundles for $72.99 and $87.99 respectively. The catch, as always with Anbernic’s direct-order model, is that shipping comes from China, so factor in potential import fees before you check out.
Should You Buy One?
If your retro handheld shelf is already stacked with an RG35XX SP or RG34XX SP, this isn’t a must-upgrade — it’s largely the same internals in a slightly slimmer shell with the sticks removed. But if you’ve been holding out for a proper GBA SP clone and haven’t bought into the line yet, the timing’s good: it’s cheap, it’s shipping now rather than “coming this autumn,” and by every early account it’s the most refined version of this specific handheld Anbernic has made.
The Anbernic RG SP is available now direct from Anbernic, starting at $57.99 for early orders.