Before the RG351P was confirmed, a version of this chart was posted on Baidu. It shows the naming convention for Anbernic’s handhelds past and present. The inclusion of a “V” for vertical raised a few eyebrows, as the RG300 didn’t make use of that particular nomenclature. It was of course speculated that a vertical machine was in the pipeline from them, and here it is – the Anbernic RG280V.
The RG280V is the latest in a long line of Ingenic based handhelds from the Anbernic camp. It’s a dinky looking machine which resembles the LDK in some ways, whilst also adding a Famicom aesthetic. I think most people were hoping for the CPU digit to be a 1 or 2, but it doesn’t come as much surprise to see a zero. The zero of course indicating that this is yet another JZ4770 handheld.
SPECIFICATIONS
The RG280V is available in two colours. Classic famicom red and gold, as well as a black and brushed steel style finish.
We can see that the RG280V is aimed at the same customer base as the LDK. That is, gamers who prioritise portability over polished ergonomics and the luxury of analog sticks. The RG280V has a brushed metal face plate reminiscent of the Famicom controller. Inputs on the front are limited to a d-pad, start, select and ABXY buttons. The top of the device reveals L1/L2/R1/R2 buttons as well as a USB Type C charging port and headphone jack. The shoulder buttons seem to have an unusual configuration, with the R1 and L1 overlapping the back of R2 and L2.
The naming convention indicates that the RG280V has a 2.8″ LCD, possibly the same one as the RG280. Unsurprisingly it runs OpenDingux out of the box, and therefore will support most emulators up to and including the PS1. Other fifth generation machines such as N64 and Sega Saturn won’t be supported.
The RG280V can be seen as an upgrade to the LDK vertical, sharing a similar layout albeit with a slightly more polished looking design. The addition of 2 extra shoulder buttons and a CPU bump from JZ4760B to JZ4770 makes this a bona fide successor to the LDK, and is a good upgrade for those looking for a compact but capable emulation handheld.
AVAILABILITY AND PRICE
As of November 2nd, the RG280V is available to order for $80 shipped.
Don’t forget, there’s a tiny discount when using the code OBSCURE at whatskogame.
For me the letdown is the screen size. I just got an rg300 with the exact same screen, I don’t care about staggered pixels, they don’t look that bad on a small display, but 2.8 is really too small. I have a 351p and it’s much better despite the aspect ratio. I’d love an rg401v
I need a GREEN one!
Looks nice. I wonder what the battery life on this badboy will be like.
I want one, but that red that far too bright for a Famicom colored version. Guess I’ll go black.
This seems interesting and would be worth picking up if it’s $40 or less to let the kids carry around.
Also, glad to see the increase in posts, I missed your updates! 🙂
Any chance we can get a 2nd look at the Retroid Pocket 2 once Android 8.0 drops later this month?
I did have one on pre-order but after 5 weeks I cancelled it. I’ll order one when they’re widely available and do a proper review. I’ll probably be the last person on the internet to review it, though.
I ordered on 8/29 and after waiting for 2 months, I reached out and was told due to my color choices (I ordered multiple units as Christmas gifts for family) I was told I could wait an indefinite amount of time as they refused to ship out partial orders or pick yellow to replace my Pink (daughter) and RS1 (Dad) units.
So…I cancelled. I’m pretty disappointed but it was expected considering how things were progressing. I did fix myself up with a nice Moto G Fast (Snapdragon 665/3GB ram) with a larger screen (6.4″ @ 720p) with decent enough resolution for old school titles and it runs up to DC titles all flawlessly. I can even push it and run some GameCube titles like Wind Waker, Luigi’s Mansion and Mario Kart: Double Dash.
Oh dear that is hideously overpriced for what it is. I hope this is just a case of retromimi selling it for far more than Anbernic will sell it themselves, but if it’s anywhere near that price in giving up on this.
It’s about as overpriced as a RG350, basically the same product with the sticks.
ordered mine from ali express, on nov 4th. it showed up on nov 27th! that was a shock. everything else ordered from ali always looks several
months
They like chunky bezels….
My RG350 has always been more of a headache for me than anything because of the sticks and because my screen happened to break (I’ve replaced it now, but bleh). I’m hoping this thing is cheap as it looks like it would be a much more suitable mobile retro Fire Emblem and other retro games machine for me. Then, I would get something like the Gameforce for a more comfortable handheld retro gaming session in bed.
If it’s RG281/RK3326 I’d probably get one.