Is this the Ultimate Retro Handheld?

[@adinwalls]

That clear black is beautiful. The 405 is one of my faves so I'm excited to get the 406.

[@baldlyrudy]

The upgraded hardware is definitely welcomed.

[@chadballew]

@@adinwalls stoked to see your review of this one. I couldn't stand the fomo and ordered one

[@baldlyrudy]

@chadballew same!

[@Sadtiric]

@@adinwalls Yeah, I'm glad I snagged that color, and I'm excited for the extra power over the 405V! This is gonna be my last new device for a little. Got a backlog of devices to make content on as is.

[@rickster7373]

The clear black is great but sometimes I wish they created regular black that would make the design even better

[@2LoudTech]

Honestly this looks excellent and i camt wait to give it a try.

[@codedwarrior226]

I recently upgraded from a 353v to a rg 556 and I can’t tell you how much I LLLLove this thing!

[@baldlyrudy]

Oh yeah! The RG556 is absolutely amazing at what it can do. I have some things that I don't like about it, but it's still a great handheld.

[@austinrivers2885]

The "arch" in Retroarch is short for "architecture," so I suppose that means the word should be pronounced "Retro-ARK"

[@baldlyrudy]

Thank you!

[@shuflie]

You missed the point of the quick launcher in the settings, and I've not seen anyone else mention this either. When you install a different game front end you can set this to be the quick action button instead of the Anbernic launcher, it recognises different launchers and they become available in the settings page. Really handy as you don't need to set up the main Android launcher to your desired front end which can cause issues when restarting the device as it can take a while for an sd card to be usable and certainly emulation station doesn't like this.

[@tonyrosario1940]

Appreciate your honest take on the D-pad and face buttons. 🍻🤘🏼

[@mrwoodcat]

the flip version of this would be dream. come on abernic, RG40XXSP for next week ?

[@JonathanJackson-tn4xw]

@@mrwoodcat my 35xxsp is on the way 😂 I'm sure the 40xxsp will be out by the time I get it haha

[@DD-bv9jl]

@@mrwoodcat But the RG40XXSP would have an H700 not a T820 :(

[@tomekkowalski5522]

xx is a different line of products with less powerful chip and runs linux rather than android

[@flink1231]

There is no such a thing as a "ultimate" retro handheld without 6 face buttons. It is horrible to play saturn, genesis and n64 with 4 face buttons. N64 is nearly impossible without per game mappings. So please, all retro channels need to start talking about this. Or we will keep getting crippled controls like this.

[@Husslehoff]

Good point, if they can fit two analog sticks on these things we can get 6 face buttons.

[@naruhearts1]

How so with the N64? You got the joystick, d pad, A and B, C buttons on the R stick, L and R, and R2 or L2 for Z.

[@ramirogarcia3313]

I just purchased the grey model with the 128 gb game card. I'm so excited to try to play Scarface: The world is yours on the PS2.

[@baldlyrudy]

That's awesome!

[@ddave7026]

@@ramirogarcia3313 that soundtrack was nice!

[@SansINess53]

The price never made sense to me, the only reason people love the RG405V was because of the pricing but the price is kinda higher than the RG Cube. (Anbernic should probably decrease the price by 5 bucks that's it) (since most of their money comes from their weak handhelds)

[@RetroGamingWithDeadfred]

Great insight and great video friend. I enjoyed the content

[@baldlyrudy]

Thank you so much! I appreciate that.

[@Sadtiric]

I'm glad you have the black one because, I hadnt really seen them in action yet.

[@baldlyrudy]

Thanks! I didn't really have a choice. Anbernic just sent it to me. 😅 But I'd be lying if I said I didn't like the aesthetic.

[@Sadtiric]

@baldlyrudy Well, yeah, review unit and all 😅 but still, it looks really nice! I wish they had that purple still, but oh well!

[@baldlyrudy]

@@Sadtiric oh yeah! An Atomic Purple would be nice.

[@lazyshinobi2861]

I am extremely torn. I really love the aesthetics of this chunky device but my issue is at this price point wouldn’t it be better to just spend 60$ more and grab a retroid pocket 5? Or for the same price point grab a retroid pocket 4 since they’re now on sale since the 5 launch? Maybe there is people who own both that can chime in.

[@baldlyrudy]

I own both. I prefer the Retroid Pocket 4 Pro because of the screen and aspect ratio. I mainly play 16-bit titles, but I do like to play PS2 or Gamecube from time to time. I guess what you mainly want in form factor comes into play. That's a pretty interesting and justified comparison.

[@lazyshinobi2861]

@@baldlyrudy yeah especially now that on retroid official site the pocket 4 is basically the same price. Wild to think but that really is a heck of a value for the days you might play something needing more power or legit triggers 😵‍💫. I wish I could just grab both but would prefer one that does all. 🍻

[@JaRew]

I have question. I’m new to looking for an emulation machine. I have several “retro” consoles ranging from Atari to modern. I am trying to find the most “all in one” device that can be semi portable (not a desktop) but can play pretty much anything with multiplayer for couch games with buddies. Will handhelds ever reach that level? Am I basically looking at a PC handheld? I know certain games are problematic, like Conker’s Bad Fur Day (one of my favorites) and I would love to find something that doesn’t have limitations. Another favorite I loved was a weird one, Seaman on the Dreamcast. That would need a microphone and I assume that is a unique issue I’ll struggle to find something to emulate.

[@baldlyrudy]

Yup. Sounds like you're looking for a PC handheld. Steam Deck or any of the Z1 Extreme handhelds are good. I do think that there will be some handhelds that can hit those levels if they're mainly designed for emulating old titles. I'm thinking the Retroid Pocket 5 may hit that mark for you once it's out. I don't have one, but looking at the spec sheet alone gets me excited to test it out. Also, I'd recommend getting a dock of some kind to connect to your TV for couch co-op. There are a ton out there to choose from depending on your needs. Edit: Check out EmuDeck if you are going with a PC Handheld. It's awesome and easy to set up.

[@JaRew]

@@baldlyrudy Thanks! I just heard about the Retroid Pocket 5. I'll keep an eye out for the video. Something I am also curious about is how these handheld would handle having multiple Bluetooth controllers connected and being played on a TV so truly emulate a couch gaming session with my buddies or my wife and kids. I'm assuming that is not a common use for them since it doesn't seem to be talked about in many videos.

[@baldlyrudy]

@@JaRew I totally understand where you're coming from. It's definitely something to look into in future vids.

[@AngryMiddleAgedMan]

Great handheld but not perfect, mainly because of the ergonomics (bottons design and grip)... Last year I bought the Rg405V and despite being great at emulating, I ended up selling it because it gaved me hand crams/fatigue after using it for 10 minutes... If L/R could be a little more higher the console would be perfect. While using the left analog + using the L/R triggers, the grip design is practically of no use

[@mr.2cents.846]

Yesterday I ordered a R36s. Today I checked and it's actually the R40s Pro. They looks the same, (in Purple). Is there a huge difference?

[@wingedhussar1453]

2 joysticks tht close at the bottom wil give you huge cramps

[@Cookies75494]

I have a question does it have the play store and if it does then I’m upgrading it from my powkiddy rgb20s to this

[@baldlyrudy]

Yes. It does.

[@Cookies75494]

@@baldlyrudy100% upgrading

[@jesusiskingofkingss]

if i was the owner of one of these companies id try to hire the people who made aethersx2 and pay them to continue the project, so that the devices actually have a fully functioning emulator to play ps2 games which is what a large number of people dream of with handheld devices. at the moment they kind of sell us the promise of emulating ps2 but only works for a few games, and the manufacturers have to use extremely powerful chips to run the non-optimized emulator and it still doesnt play all ps2 games

[@NonameNoname-tr8uv]

The RG Cube and the XX40V seemed to have been forgotten completely

[@baldlyrudy]

Never got any of them myself. 😅

[@roberthunter7247]

@14:49, "heavier PS2 titles are kind of like the moment where things slow down". This is not good news for me. I NEED to play my NFL 2k5 first person football on the go, smoothly! A legit portable PS2 rom player. PLEECE!👏

[@naruhearts1]

This is just not powerful enough for several PS2 games. And the emulator itself is still pretty new. Maybe a 407V in the future. The cheapest thing that can play PS2 more dependably is the RP5, but only at around 1x-2x. This works best with Gamecube minus the non analog triggers

[@Djehuti-85]

I've been always interested in a device like this, I really like verticals with OG dmg ergonomics (I sold my original GB dmg since it had some issues). What holds me back is that the 406 and all the similar devices are rather expensive all-in-one solutions but I wanna use a vertical design primarily for retro emulation, so I pay for gimmicks I dont need. For PS1/PS2 and PSP anyways, I prefer a horizontal handheld with a 5" display and a wider screen. If the 406 was a scaled RG40XXV with at least 4.5", not so chunky, maybe even without touch but a bit cheaper it would have been nice. So I guess people who use multiple devices anyways would get 2 or 3 for different purposes.

[@naruhearts1]

Youll be looking at the RP5 or wait for the RP6

[@I30J4N]

I bet rg406m or rg406h will come out soon.

[@baldlyrudy]

Nailed the hammer on the head. Lol

[@mrwoodcat]

imagine rg40xxsp

[@denisemiddleton311]

Looking to buy my dad something he can play things like Tetris, solitaire and old school Nintendo games. Larger screen. Backlit. Easy to use for $100-150. I’m not sure what to trust on Amazon. Suggestions on model??

[@baldlyrudy]

Are they only going to be playing 8-bit and 16-bit games? Like Nintendo and Super Nintendo?

[@denisemiddleton311]

@@baldlyrudy yes and I would prefer it to be preloaded and as simple as possible to use. Solitaire and games like that in addition to OG Nintendo games would be great. Thanks for your help!

[@baldlyrudy]

@@denisemiddleton311 gotcha. If you buy it with an SD card, you'll get it with games. This handheld runs Android, so you'll be able to download games from Google's Play store, like Solitaire.

[@denisemiddleton311]

@@baldlyrudy thank you!

[@baldlyrudy]

@denisemiddleton311 you're welcome!

[@bigdubyuh7901]

The front of that handheld looks like a face with the joysticks being eyes and the start and select being the mouth and stuff and d pad and face buttons looks like hair like costanza from seinfeld

[@rb806gaming2]

Noticable difference between the joysticks on this and those on the 556? I wonder if they are swappable

[@anadventfollower1181]

Very thought out handheld.

[@Raphtor13]

I'm considering it but want to wait and see the RP5 which may be a better fit for me - just not sure yet.

[@baldlyrudy]

Understandable.

[@Joe3D]

I would like to know if the screen issue happens only to your unit or is widespread, don't you have any other unit to test?

[@baldlyrudy]

I do not have another unit, but I would check out other reviews just in case.

[@jordansoodsma608]

Most reviews I've seen show the same thing. Russ from Retro Game Corps specifically talks about it in his video

[@adrianwilliams6577]

The screen is tiny compared to the one on the Steam Deck, I'm getting too old to cope with smaller screens.

[@MetalKingdomOfHammer]

Depends on the aspect ratio of the console you are emulating. It’s about as tall as larger screens but more boxy. For consoles using the matching aspect ratio, you won’t get a larger image than much larger screens.

[@turnbasedtoddy7664]

The 556 is the highest resolution screen Ambernic has ever done. This one is second I believe. Can’t wait for the horizontal version of this

[@tomekkowalski5522]

RG556 is a horizontal version of this ;)

[@turnbasedtoddy7664]

@@tomekkowalski5522 no it’s not. The horizontal version will have a 4:3 screen not a 16:9 screen

[@tomekkowalski5522]

@@turnbasedtoddy7664 so 16:9 is not a horizontal handheld 🤔🤔😂😂😂

[@turnbasedtoddy7664]

@@tomekkowalski5522 yes it’s a horizontal handheld, but it’s not the horizontal version of the 406V. I don’t understand why people don’t get this. Ambernic came out with the 405v and then came out with the 405m horizontal version of that with a 4:3 screen. Ambernic will do the same thing with the 406. It’s really not that hard to understand man.

[@tomekkowalski5522]

@@turnbasedtoddy7664 you should first understand the meaning of a word "horizontal" ;)

[@aztekno2012]

At around 12:00, did you say this would play PS2 games???

[@baldlyrudy]

Yes. And it does.

[@diljinderdhir]

Dude, thank you for telling us.

[@BACK2FUTURE2015]

I currently have the RG405V and the RG353V, on the fence on this one. I need something that can handle PS2 and GC better, and 405V doesn’t run the games that great. Should I wait for the next one?

[@baldlyrudy]

The RG406V handles GC with ease. And almost all the PS2 games that I've tried run without issues. Some run just under 60fps, but that's about it.

[@itsroads206]

Awesome video! I’m currently waiting for the RG35XX, should I return and get this instead? Not sure why the price tag for the 406, is it worth it? This would be my first handheld.

[@baldlyrudy]

Thanks! The RG35XX and the RG406V are on two different levels when it comes to performance. The RG35XX is great for everything up to PS1, N64, etc. Honestly, most games that are meant for a D-Pad are everything up to 16-bit. 32-bit games are a plus, IMO. RG406V is more for PS2, PSP, Gamecube, Wii, DS, etc. It should run everything that you throw at it, as long as there's an app on the Google Play Store. There are some performance dips with PSP and some PS2 titles, but overall it's a solid handheld.

[@itsroads206]

@@baldlyrudy Def good to know and will keep that in mind. Thanks again!!

[@baldlyrudy]

@@itsroads206 you're welcome! Hope you enjoy whatever you decide getting.

[@TheCgOrion]

What would everyone think is the best retro handheld for SNES? It doesn't have to be inexpensive.

[@djredshow]

I have those nba hands so the size would be pretty nice for me. Being talls not always fun especially in a grocery store. My wife's heard hey can I borrow him? Dang top shelf and little controllers are my kryptonite.

[@PaulTravis-c6m]

Can you play any kemco jrpg games on the system at all

[@vandopereira38]

Is it better than Retroid Pocket 4 Pro?

[@RapierGold]

I looked at it through your link. I’m guessing they don’t include preinstalled games with it?

[@baldlyrudy]

They do. You just have to pay for the one that includes the card. It's an option there. I would recommend going with the smallest card. Larger cards tend to have repeats of the same games from different regions.

[@6mazing]

@@baldlyrudy dang it, i got the 256 gb card, now i can only imagine how many repeats are gonna be on it😅😅😅

[@baldlyrudy]

@@6mazing oh man. Well.... Maybe you'll get some more recent, larger titles. You can easily play GC/Wii and almost all of PS2.

[@DeathMetalThrasher]

Cool, I can order Dominos pizza with this

[@baldlyrudy]

yup

[@PaulTravis-c6m]

​@@baldlyrudycan you play any kemco jrpg games on the system at all yes or no

[@med4vg464]

Is there any custom firmware already working on this handled?

[@naruhearts1]

Its android so i doubt it will ever have that

[@FAZED_isUP]

PLEASE HELP ME I GOT THE RG 406V BUT I SKIPPED THE FILE DECOMPRESION SCREEN ACIDENTALLY AND NOW IT SAYS I HAVE 0 GAMES PLEASE GET BACK TO ME AS SOON AS POSSIBLE

[@reviewsvr7083]

Look great…does anybody know if this will work with the Xreal Air glasses since it has usb c video out?

[@baldlyrudy]

I don't have the Xreal Air Glasses, but I do have the Viture Pro XR and they work just fine. The image displayed is still a 4:3 aspect ratio, but still clear.

[@reviewsvr7083]

⁠@@baldlyrudythat’s awesome! I would imagine if they work on those they will work on the xreal airs! I may pick this thing up just for that simple fact. Thanks for the reply! Just a suggestion may be a cool idea to do a quick video of this thing working with the display glasses you have and talk about the experience just because there are not many devices that have that capability without a bunch of dongles. :)

[@baldlyrudy]

@reviewsvr7083 thanks! I appreciate that. I might make that into a Short with all the devices that support video out via USB-C.

[@juggernautmma42]

What game is at 2:49 ?

[@baldlyrudy]

Viewtiful Joe (GC)

[@kaktuz5882]

Hi, What is the diffrent to the 405?

[@ThyArtIsMetal]

Half the ram, a worse cpu I think, worse joy sticks, and a worse screen

[@kaktuz5882]

​@@ThyArtIsMetalthx

[@cadderley100]

If I hadn't already got a Steamdeck, I might have entertained one. The guys on eBay are smoking some strong stuff, if they think that I am going to pay £200 for one though, when I can buy it new, from Anbernic, for £170 with 9000 games. The problem is that the "Ultimate" unit comes out today, then something better comes out tomorrow, and the "Ultimate" unit becomes mediocre overnight.

[@baldlyrudy]

Agreed.

[@EliasPfaiffer]

Is this the Anker 737 Powerbank? I'm thinking about getting this for my Odin 2 and my other 5 handhelds. What do you think of it? Does it pay off? I would currently pay 100 euros for it. I'll wait for your answer :) Greez! EDIT: ah. it the one from UGREEN...but maybe you can answer my questions anyway :)

[@baldlyrudy]

Hi! I think it's a good choice as you can keep an eye on all of the power output for all of your devices at the same time. I tried it with multiple devices and it handled each one well.

[@EliasPfaiffer]

@@baldlyrudy Thank you for your quick reply!

[@dr.wolfstar1765]

Can it Run Halo 3 well?

[@namechanged3044]

how does one get games? I'm super new, I don't really have alot of time (super painful bizzes trip) and nor do I have tons of money.

[@MetalKingdomOfHammer]

@@namechanged3044 you either buy a cartridge dumper and cartridges or you put on your pirate hat

[@vicvancen]

They are preinstalled, my friend.

[@khuramjilani09]

Hello guys. Needs experts advise. I want to buy such console for my 10 years boy. Which model is latest and better for modern games .

[@jorgeclaussen6401]

"In order to use PS Remote Play to mirror my PS5 on my RG406V, I noticed that it was giving me an error because the RG406V was rooted. So, I had the idea of installing Magisk to hide the root from the PS Remote Play app. Unfortunately, after installing Magisk and restarting, the RG406V's operating system disappeared. Please don't try this procedure. Does anyone have the OS ISO for the RG406V that I could use to try and revive my RG406V?"

[@baldlyrudy]

Where did you get that quote?

[@kevinhuang8833]

Any Star Wars game?

[@magoichiii3631]

nice shirt 😻

[@kavanaghshawn055]

Link for this handheld system

[@baldlyrudy]

It's in the description.

[@fillerbunnyninjashark271]

Give me this with a 3:4 screen and it'll be perfect for shmups

[@bachphamxuan2070]

Can I connect it with airpods?

[@baldlyrudy]

Yeah.

[@ONIXG5MER2015]

Could you please try the android game "Dragon Ball legends" on it?

[@baldlyrudy]

Seems to be working. The only thing is that you have to force a landscape orientation in order for it to work with the handheld being vertical. You'll get black bars on the sides.

[@ONIXG5MER2015]

@@baldlyrudy cool and thanks I just wanted to know if it was possible.

[@fiziedon]

8gb ram ddr4 overkill for psx and psp.. but as long as support ps2 no complain here.. can play android is also useful.. ( r36s user) some psp game cant be played on my r36s.. im using my Z fold 4 instead 😂

[@anonymousmc7727]

How old are you?

[@baldlyrudy]

12

[@anonymousmc7727]

@@baldlyrudy no your in your 40s

[@baldlyrudy]

@@anonymousmc7727 haha. Damn. I look that old? Ouch.

[@OblivionPrime]

The analog stick placement looks so bad imo

[@baldlyrudy]

I've never been a fan of analog sticks being placed down there. But the bulky size helps it a bit.

[@robras2850]

So close

[@baldlyrudy]

Yet so far away

[@altheapolyam]

So for me this is a hard choice. I own a 405v and its fantastic, and I'd definitely prefer a vertical handheld as the gbc is my fav console ever. Still, lack of proper R2 & L2, big vessels and, the most important for me, the lack of fan support to personalize the thing. Like, theres hundreds of easy mods for all the ambernic devices, but there was nothing for the 405v, and I fear it'll be the same for this one. I know this might sound silly but as an autistic person that grow up sticking all kinds of sht to my gbc, it's a big deal. I might wait to see how fan support goes, or for them to launch another vertical handheld with an easier to work shape and same specs

[@masterchririus]

rg556 has a higher resolution..

[@baldlyrudy]

I would assume so. It's a larger screen overall.

[@masterchririus]

@@baldlyrudy 👍 In the vidoy you say this one might have the highest resolution of all Anbernics, that's why I commented.

[@baldlyrudy]

@@masterchririus understood. Thank you. 🙌

[@AaronDavis057]

Looks confusing

[@baldlyrudy]

It's pretty easy once it's set up.

[@genecicordeirodossantosjun5037]

It would be the best If we had Oled screen on it

[@baldlyrudy]

I'd see an AMOLED working. Just don't see it staying at the price it's at though.

[@genecicordeirodossantosjun5037]

@@baldlyrudy I would pay more for It. Maybe I should get the Retroid Pocket Mini but the 3.7" Screen seems too smal

[@baldlyrudy]

@@genecicordeirodossantosjun5037 I also need to get one as well. 😅

[@baldlyrudy]

@@genecicordeirodossantosjun5037 also, yeah the RP5 looks good.

[@shaycray7662]

Frist!

[@shuflie]

Was this a typo as Google offered to translate for me and came up with "Deadline!", probably was Rudy was up against :)

[@shaycray7662]

@@shuflie Gosh damage! I didn't catch that typo. Thanks for pointing it out to me

[@wizzel22]

Still baffles me why people accept Android on a device with a 4" Screen. Not only is it too small, but to configure a Retro Gaming Android alone is a pain for itself. It doesn't get better with a small screen.

[@baldlyrudy]

Then this isn't the device for you. Get the RG556 instead. Configuring it isn't that much of a pain. It's the same as any other Android device, regardless of size. Chill. 🤣

[@arunavamalo]

​@@wizzel22 Ability to connect whatever bluetooth headphones/ accessories should be the reason alone to have an android handheld. Then there is a full fledged web browser of YOUR choice to download ROMS directly on-the-go onto the device than be dependent on a laptop or PC to copy files. If that is not even reason enough, then there is support for some amazing native android ports like Max Payne 1 and more, to be played on an android handheld that support controllers. Then at last if all of these are not important to you and you want to set it up as a retro console only. Well, you can download and install retroarch and dolphin nightly builds and not wait for weeks to get an OTA on a linux handheld. I mean, if you love to try out nightlies. I myself love my Miyoo Mini Plus+ and use it/ carry it daily. But someday when a powerful android handheld is released in same form factor and size and not too bulky, I'd get it in a heartbeat.

[@Phoenix_VanDerWeyden]

Still baffles me that some people still don't know how to configure android , specialy now at the age of cellphones 🤣

[@WendigoSotomonte]

@@wizzel22 skill issue.

[@cocozimme]

Pick up a rp2/2+ 😂

[@-Airwalk1616-]

9:30 anyone know what game this is?

[@baldlyrudy]

Viewtiful Joe (GCN)

[@darkbulbs]

Hate that fat bezel and add to that that it runs on Android and it's a big no.