Anbernic makes a wide range of portable gaming consoles whose designs leave nothing to the imagination, with the usual arrays of controller buttons alongside or below a display. With its upcoming device, it's taking a more discreet design direction, which should also make for an easier fit in your pocket.
At first glance, the RG Rotate looks like a hi-fi music player with a compact squarish screen, or a flip phone like the Motorola Razr when it's closed. Push on one side of the screen with your thumb, and it'll swivel to reveal a gamepad that's perfect for all kinds of retro games from decades past.
That's great for folks who aren't especially keen on gaming hardware aesthetics, and want something more subtle to go with their EDC loadout. You'll be able to choose from aluminum alloy and ABS plastic exterior options, in Polar Black and Aurora Silver colorways.
The D-pad and face buttons should get you through most Game Boy titles, and the inclusion of shoulder buttons should expand your options to 16-bit consoles' libraries. You could even try some PS1 and Sega Saturn games that don't require analog sticks. Oh, and those shoulder buttons can be swapped from high to low ones depending on how you like to play.
The company says it's worked hard on perfecting a thin alloy hinge so it opens up the swivel display reliably and holds up to extensive use.
Anbernic hasn't revealed much else about this model, so we don't know what chipset it'll run, or exactly what sort of screen it's packing. It has confirmed this will run Android, and squinting at the rear panel in the promo video reveals it'll get a 2,000-mAh battery.
I can't see a 3.5-mm headphone jack, so that might mean you'll have to make do with USB-C wired headphones or Bluetooth ones for game audio, and streaming music and podcasts.
Given the lack of analog sticks, this likely won't attract people looking for the most versatile gaming handheld out there. But if you find yourself in the market for something to play nostalgic favorites on without draining your phone's battery, it could well be just the thing.
Stay tuned for updates on the RG Rotate's release date, specs, and pricing in the weeks to come.
Source: Anbernic
