Great video, the sound quality in your gameplay section is fantastic! But come on, you didn't fix Mega Man's life bar by using a proper shader or filter :D
*EDIT - ArkOS and Jelos for these devices includes a workaround for the below issue. Stock OS does not; so if you're sensitive to a lot of judder, consider moving to one of these* Something that's worth mentioning about all of the 353 devices - much like the 351V and 351MP, the display panel is a 120hz display that never quite hits the full 120hz - this creates some quirks in terms of frame timing that results in minor microstuttering. This is an issue that was resolved on the 351V/MP in custom firmware due to dev work on alternate screen timings, but is not (yet) available for the 353 series. It's not a dealbreaker for me, and odds are good that it will eventually get worked out - but it is something that I noticed, and people who are more sensitive to these things should be mindful before buying.
I remember when i tried to convince the retro discord server, that the 351V has a 150hz display panel, no one believed me and called me a tool/fool. No one there wanted to see this microstutter. This handheld community is extrem toxic. Please avoid those discords.
I have the 350M and the 351V. Love them both. What I really want is a clamshell design. GPD quit making them (had the original GPD XD and loved it) and the Powkiddy X18S is too expensive (230 euros). I bought both of my handhelds for a little over 100 euros each which. Bring on the clamshell Anbernic!
Touching on the stacked design, if the goal is to fit in the pocket, the stacked design is usually pretty bad. This form factor is too thin for stacked to be any good even if it is preferred. We are spoiled with full size handhelds and controllers that are NOT pocket friendly.
Man, those are some JUICY sounding speakers. Also love your in-depth analysis of the new analog sticks. Like most Anbernic fans you value build quality and controls over performance. But for 150 bucks this is still too expensive for me to upgrade from my RG351 devices. If this falls below 130 bucks in the next 2 weeks, I might consider it though. BTW: the RG353 is almost identical in size to the RG351P/M. It is only 3mm thinner.
It seems to be in direct competition with RP3. RP3 has a better screen, ergonomics, and CPU power. RG353M has pocket friendly design, Hall Sticks, and Metal construction. Both should probably NOT attempt gamecube. The gap in performance seems to be high end PSP and maybe Dreamcast, but both handhelds can handle N64 & PS1. If the priority is value and PSP performance, the RP3 seems to be king, but portability is squarely in RG353's camp. The Hall Sticks are the wild card here bringing the 353M some value.
an RG353M form factor with with hall-sticks and a mid-tier snapdragon like 720G or 845-ish (or equivalent) if priced under $250 would absolutely take the market by storm. Portable gamecube & 5Ghz wifi for streaming... MAYBE a 16 : 10 screen, but keep it small enough to pocket.
I love the concept of vertical shooters that do horizontal scrolling, like at 19:06. At that point the devs should have just used a 4:3 screen lol (and yes, I know about how they used to recycle cabinets and all that)
that weird cardinal dead zone for the analogue sticks breaks my heart. I'm a huge stickler for control stuff like that and despite it being completely minimal I think it'd drive me up the wall. I can always wait for the next similar model that has a fix for it... haha haha ha...
I will wait for Anbernic to make the RG505 with this design (and maybe stacked shoulder buttons). I LOVE the way it looks, but I will definitely not use it since I have way too many handhelds (Steam Deck, my black RP3+ is on the way, iPhone, hacked Vita’s, a hacked and normal new 3ds).
this device is awesome, i just wish they went with a better SoC because it doesn't play PS2 games well unfortunatly.. otherwise it is my favorite handheld!
I'm really itching for the moment these smaller handhelds can handle PS2 games well. The Odin is very tempting, but I really like my RG350 form factor. It's very pocketable and snug in the hands when I'm playing PS1 games.
@@skycloud4802 The Rocket 3+ released today. It's definitely not able to play all PS2 games but it appears pretty decent from the RUclips videos that they've released. I'm gonna wait for reviews before deciding. Such a shame about this device as well because I love the design and form factor of the 353m but if I'm spending more than $100 then I want comfortable ps2 emulation.
I came so close to ordering this....but the fact that it cant play the full dreamcast library without framskip was a real put off. I know i will be super disappointed having to play dead or alive 2 at 30fps. Retroid po ket 3 plus FTW.
RG353M Hall sticks might be compatible with the rg353v? The rg353v uses the same sticks as the nintendo switch joycons, so if the hall sensors of the rg353m are compatible with the 353v this could be HUGE! I know it's a little early but if you can confirm this pls share!!
Smaller screen works well for most retro console games up until the PS2 generation and very old portables like Gameboys because of the 4:3 aspect ratio. But wide-screen is much better for Android games, pc streaming, and the few wide-screen portables like GBA and PSP. It all really depends on what games you like to prioritise. But with limited but ever increasing windscreen hacks to retro games, it can be said that windscreen handhelds are probably the future.
Should I go for one of these? Or maybe just get the RG353V instead? The gameboy-like design of the 353V is pretty cool, plus it is slightly cheaper than this model.
I have to make a video about these deadzones, they are terrible, because they ruin any game that needs precise movement on the analog sticks, especially shooters
My ps1 is lagging on this device, I heard you can change the retroarch from 16 to 32 bit. How can I do this or did you just get this to review and you've not used it since?
Heard there’s not a lot of big name Nintendo games preloaded- Mario etc.??? Can anyone vouch?? (Not a deal breaker, as I could always add my own roms just an interesting spec that could be helpful for Mom‘s & dad‘s/uncles & aunts when purchasing and comparing price points)
It is so close to the perfect device 😞 - The shoulder buttons shouldn't be clicky like a mouse. I wish they would be like the A/B/X/Y buttons. - Also it would be even more awesome if the Shoulder-Buttons were stacked :') - And I would like it to be made out of plastic instead of metal, so that it becomes more light weight
@@Flopp93 Oh absolutely, it definitely is a little bit bigger especially in terms of thickness. But that's one of the downsides of having stacked shoulder buttons...pocketability does take a hit.
I was playing the gc dolphin app on Android but I deleted the emu by accident. I downloaded the emu on the android side, on the chrome they have but when I start the game, the android button come up on the screen. How do you get rid of that? Also did you have any Pre installed gc or ps2 games?
Have put my order in for this. Will be an upgrade from rg351v looking forward to getting it. Was wondering as I have amberelec installed on rg351v would my memory cards work straight off in this or have I got to start from fresh. Is it actually worth doing or is their stock firmware good enough now.
AmberELEC isn't available for the 353 devices, so you will need to start with a clean internal TF card using Anbernic's stock OS, JelOS, or ArkOS. You might be able to get away with using the same external TF card, but just be aware of any differences in folder structure between the old OS and your new one, because they won't necessarily be looking for your ROMs and save files in the same places, so you might have renaming work to do. The simplest thing may be to back up your game library, save files, and gamelist.xml files (if you have them) to a hard drive, then format the card and allow the new OS to set up the folders on a clean card. Then you can drop your games and saves back in their respective folders.
@@jvvaughn brilliant thanks for the reply I appreciate that. I've backed up my roms and bios and save files so I'll do what you said. I'll probably just check the stock firmware see if it's decent first if not then move onto jelos or arkos. Thanks for that
@@donnyboy1972 There's an official Anbernic discord server with stock OS links. You can find the link to join the server on r/Anbernic by clicking the Discord button in the sidebar.
One thing you seem to have missed is that Megadrive works poorly on the linux side (Android OK). If you look again at Sonic there are a lot of stutters and frame drops when the screen scrolls at higher speed. Maybe it is the core used or Retroarch performance in general.
It's amazing how many people are doing what you do. Only one person has been nice enough to communicate with me so far. Hopefully you'll be the second. I am 52 disabled from pain and need variety. It's getting extremely difficult to convince myself to play one of my PS4 RPGs for the tenth time. I already bought a retroid 2 plus back in March and unfortunately realized I have no darn clue on how to put roms and emulators on to the device. So there went 115 dollars. So could you be kind enough to suggest what preloaded handheld or console to get with the best selection of RPG type games? So far from what I can tell it's between the super console x king or the rg353m or the chuwi larkbox j4125. One thing I don't like though are the controllers. I wouldn't want to buy thousands of batteries being that I play 12 hours a day. And the handheld would have to be one that can connect to a TV. Any advice on the best console or handheld preloaded to get would be very appreciated thank you and happy Thanksgiving. Anything under 400 dollars unless there is one that is preloaded and plays everything. I did see one for 800 dollars that if I remember right played everything but that was a little more than I wanted to spend.
Great video, the sound quality in your gameplay section is fantastic! But come on, you didn't fix Mega Man's life bar by using a proper shader or filter :D
Russ is everywhere. :D
I know right? My O.C.D. has taken a massive hit
Just to add: you don't need to remove the boot SD card to boot to android, if you hold Function as you press power it'll boot android
Thanks, that is a great help
Good to know but this is the third device in this series so they could have made it a switch
*EDIT - ArkOS and Jelos for these devices includes a workaround for the below issue. Stock OS does not; so if you're sensitive to a lot of judder, consider moving to one of these*
Something that's worth mentioning about all of the 353 devices - much like the 351V and 351MP, the display panel is a 120hz display that never quite hits the full 120hz - this creates some quirks in terms of frame timing that results in minor microstuttering. This is an issue that was resolved on the 351V/MP in custom firmware due to dev work on alternate screen timings, but is not (yet) available for the 353 series.
It's not a dealbreaker for me, and odds are good that it will eventually get worked out - but it is something that I noticed, and people who are more sensitive to these things should be mindful before buying.
Can you set the display to 60hz and get a locked 60 fps?
@@archonblaze I wish it were that simple.
The 60Hz fix is now baked into Jelos and ArkOS for the 353m.
@@hog_hedge Yep. New patch dropped a few days ago which helps.
Really does stress how much better of an experience running custom FW provides.
I remember when i tried to convince the retro discord server, that the 351V has a 150hz display panel, no one believed me and called me a tool/fool. No one there wanted to see this microstutter. This handheld community is extrem toxic. Please avoid those discords.
I have the 350M and the 351V. Love them both. What I really want is a clamshell design. GPD quit making them (had the original GPD XD and loved it) and the Powkiddy X18S is too expensive (230 euros). I bought both of my handhelds for a little over 100 euros each which. Bring on the clamshell Anbernic!
I'll definitely email them about that.
Count me in! I want a good clamshell as well :-)
Touching on the stacked design, if the goal is to fit in the pocket, the stacked design is usually pretty bad. This form factor is too thin for stacked to be any good even if it is preferred. We are spoiled with full size handhelds and controllers that are NOT pocket friendly.
Man, those are some JUICY sounding speakers. Also love your in-depth analysis of the new analog sticks. Like most Anbernic fans you value build quality and controls over performance. But for 150 bucks this is still too expensive for me to upgrade from my RG351 devices. If this falls below 130 bucks in the next 2 weeks, I might consider it though.
BTW: the RG353 is almost identical in size to the RG351P/M. It is only 3mm thinner.
Copy that! I love my RG351MP and will hold on to it little longer till the price drops before I move over to the RG353.
I agree 100%
Wow, an in depth review of the upgraded features (sticks) rather than "template" review most other reviewers have.
It seems to be in direct competition with RP3. RP3 has a better screen, ergonomics, and CPU power. RG353M has pocket friendly design, Hall Sticks, and Metal construction. Both should probably NOT attempt gamecube. The gap in performance seems to be high end PSP and maybe Dreamcast, but both handhelds can handle N64 & PS1. If the priority is value and PSP performance, the RP3 seems to be king, but portability is squarely in RG353's camp. The Hall Sticks are the wild card here bringing the 353M some value.
an RG353M form factor with with hall-sticks and a mid-tier snapdragon like 720G or 845-ish (or equivalent) if priced under $250 would absolutely take the market by storm. Portable gamecube & 5Ghz wifi for streaming... MAYBE a 16 : 10 screen, but keep it small enough to pocket.
Quite a premium look there
Shiny metal case vs stacked shoulder buttons...I'll take the stacked shoulders each time. Love my rg353p. The p is for plastic fun!
I love the concept of vertical shooters that do horizontal scrolling, like at 19:06. At that point the devs should have just used a 4:3 screen lol (and yes, I know about how they used to recycle cabinets and all that)
The only Handhelds Anbernic makes that play GameCube are the Win600, RG552, and the upcoming RG505.
that weird cardinal dead zone for the analogue sticks breaks my heart. I'm a huge stickler for control stuff like that and despite it being completely minimal I think it'd drive me up the wall.
I can always wait for the next similar model that has a fix for it... haha haha ha...
I'm going to buy this Handheld later. I want the Deep Purple color.
I will wait for Anbernic to make the RG505 with this design (and maybe stacked shoulder buttons). I LOVE the way it looks, but I will definitely not use it since I have way too many handhelds (Steam Deck, my black RP3+ is on the way, iPhone, hacked Vita’s, a hacked and normal new 3ds).
this device is awesome, i just wish they went with a better SoC because it doesn't play PS2 games well unfortunatly.. otherwise it is my favorite handheld!
I'm really itching for the moment these smaller handhelds can handle PS2 games well. The Odin is very tempting, but I really like my RG350 form factor. It's very pocketable and snug in the hands when I'm playing PS1 games.
@@skycloud4802 The Rocket 3+ released today. It's definitely not able to play all PS2 games but it appears pretty decent from the RUclips videos that they've released. I'm gonna wait for reviews before deciding. Such a shame about this device as well because I love the design and form factor of the 353m but if I'm spending more than $100 then I want comfortable ps2 emulation.
A device this small will not be able to play PS2 well for a while. It does look adorable tho, even though I know I won’t use it much.
@@skycloud4802 watch for the 405 coming soon
I came so close to ordering this....but the fact that it cant play the full dreamcast library without framskip was a real put off. I know i will be super disappointed having to play dead or alive 2 at 30fps. Retroid po ket 3 plus FTW.
RG353M Hall sticks might be compatible with the rg353v?
The rg353v uses the same sticks as the nintendo switch joycons, so if the hall sensors of the rg353m are compatible with the 353v this could be HUGE! I know it's a little early but if you can confirm this pls share!!
Great review. Cheers!
I need Anbernic to revisit the RG503 shell with a Circular D-Pad like the Sega Genesis and Stacked Shoulder buttons.
Is the default linux os based on batocera ? It looks like it has all the same options.
Super curious about PSP Dungeon Siege - Throne of Agony on this device. Any chance you could post a bit of that gameplay? Loved this review! Thanks
Am I crazy or does Anbernic keep releasing the same device? I have yet to see a performance boost in any of the RG devices.
For what it is, it doesn't seem too bad but that tiny screen is the killer for me.
Smaller screen works well for most retro console games up until the PS2 generation and very old portables like Gameboys because of the 4:3 aspect ratio.
But wide-screen is much better for Android games, pc streaming, and the few wide-screen portables like GBA and PSP. It all really depends on what games you like to prioritise. But with limited but ever increasing windscreen hacks to retro games, it can be said that windscreen handhelds are probably the future.
It has a hdmi connection. Just hook it up to your tv. Small screen problem fixed.
@Norman Can I still claim the prize, I'm a black homosexual. Rare_Guitars
FANTASTIC review. Can anyone recommend a budget controller to play 2 player on the TV.
Should I go for one of these? Or maybe just get the RG353V instead? The gameboy-like design of the 353V is pretty cool, plus it is slightly cheaper than this model.
I have to make a video about these deadzones, they are terrible, because they ruin any game that needs precise movement on the analog sticks, especially shooters
My ps1 is lagging on this device, I heard you can change the retroarch from 16 to 32 bit.
How can I do this or did you just get this to review and you've not used it since?
Not really 'HD' but that is GOOD retro consoles up to 6th gen use 480p at best so its native or a perfect 2x scale
Looks nice
I could never get xCloud to play correctly it always freezes, I wonder what I did different than you...
Would love to know if those would work in a Joy-Con. Do you think you’d be able to test it?
Heard there’s not a lot of big name Nintendo games preloaded- Mario etc.??? Can anyone vouch??
(Not a deal breaker, as I could always add my own roms just an interesting spec that could be helpful for Mom‘s & dad‘s/uncles & aunts when purchasing and comparing price points)
It is so close to the perfect device 😞
- The shoulder buttons shouldn't be clicky like a mouse. I wish they would be like the A/B/X/Y buttons.
- Also it would be even more awesome if the Shoulder-Buttons were stacked :')
- And I would like it to be made out of plastic instead of metal, so that it becomes more light weight
The anbernic 353p might be right up your alley. The only thing it's missing is the hall sensor analogs sticks.
@@teebs90 But that one is quite big, don't you think? :-) The RG353M's form factor seems so much more pocketable
@@Flopp93 Oh absolutely, it definitely is a little bit bigger especially in terms of thickness. But that's one of the downsides of having stacked shoulder buttons...pocketability does take a hit.
So, basically, N64, DC, PSP, PS2 are going to be played well? I really love this handled but I want to be sure it's worth it
Absolutely not PS2
Some n64, most DC, most PSP, basically no PS2. All PS1.
What's the song playing on the Vice City clip?
will this run Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights on PSP?
HDMI - output to 16x9 stretched?
Circus charlie? Yeah, Jontron told me all about *that* game.
I was playing the gc dolphin app on Android but I deleted the emu by accident. I downloaded the emu on the android side, on the chrome they have but when I start the game, the android button come up on the screen. How do you get rid of that? Also did you have any Pre installed gc or ps2 games?
Which would you chose between RP3 vs RG353m?
Entre sa et powkiddy x39 pro le quelle est mieux ?
Anyone know why mine came with only 14 games
14:12
can anyone tell me what gradius game he was playing?
Can the sticks be swapped in the joycons?
Have put my order in for this. Will be an upgrade from rg351v looking forward to getting it. Was wondering as I have amberelec installed on rg351v would my memory cards work straight off in this or have I got to start from fresh. Is it actually worth doing or is their stock firmware good enough now.
AmberELEC isn't available for the 353 devices, so you will need to start with a clean internal TF card using Anbernic's stock OS, JelOS, or ArkOS. You might be able to get away with using the same external TF card, but just be aware of any differences in folder structure between the old OS and your new one, because they won't necessarily be looking for your ROMs and save files in the same places, so you might have renaming work to do.
The simplest thing may be to back up your game library, save files, and gamelist.xml files (if you have them) to a hard drive, then format the card and allow the new OS to set up the folders on a clean card. Then you can drop your games and saves back in their respective folders.
@@jvvaughn brilliant thanks for the reply I appreciate that. I've backed up my roms and bios and save files so I'll do what you said. I'll probably just check the stock firmware see if it's decent first if not then move onto jelos or arkos. Thanks for that
One last question will I be able to download latest anbernic os from their website somewhere so I can flash to memory card?
@@donnyboy1972 There's an official Anbernic discord server with stock OS links. You can find the link to join the server on r/Anbernic by clicking the Discord button in the sidebar.
@@jvvaughn thanks for that appreciated.
I have no idea how to do anything on this device.... HELP
I just wanna play the PS1 library.
Can the Linux software play wind waker?
What's difference streaming games and normal games?
can you flash Lineage on to it
How many games does the device have?
Can the joystick be used in a joycon?
How is this compared to the Retroid Pocket 3+?
Are there any Dreamcast games that this device struggles with?
OMG.... Gradius V PS2! 14:06
One thing you seem to have missed is that Megadrive works poorly on the linux side (Android OK). If you look again at Sonic there are a lot of stutters and frame drops when the screen scrolls at higher speed. Maybe it is the core used or Retroarch performance in general.
At this point it's more worthwhile to buy a steam deck for emulation purposes, just because this thing will be outdated in a year.
This plays GameCube???
It's amazing how many people are doing what you do. Only one person has been nice enough to communicate with me so far. Hopefully you'll be the second. I am 52 disabled from pain and need variety. It's getting extremely difficult to convince myself to play one of my PS4 RPGs for the tenth time. I already bought a retroid 2 plus back in March and unfortunately realized I have no darn clue on how to put roms and emulators on to the device. So there went 115 dollars. So could you be kind enough to suggest what preloaded handheld or console to get with the best selection of RPG type games? So far from what I can tell it's between the super console x king or the rg353m or the chuwi larkbox j4125. One thing I don't like though are the controllers. I wouldn't want to buy thousands of batteries being that I play 12 hours a day. And the handheld would have to be one that can connect to a TV. Any advice on the best console or handheld preloaded to get would be very appreciated thank you and happy Thanksgiving. Anything under 400 dollars unless there is one that is preloaded and plays everything. I did see one for 800 dollars that if I remember right played everything but that was a little more than I wanted to spend.
This one is 200$ and does everything you just stated. And you can just buy a rechargeable Bluetooth controller on Amazon
The 351 m dpad sucks, especially for fighting games.
Premium and 3566 in the same sentence?
Yes, premium shell with a RK3566 in it.
l wish they stop using underpowered chips.
Please stop saying 'touch base'.
The usually, same, boring, anbernic device
Can you add MK 3 Triology for PS1 on it?