The King of Niche Retro Handhelds - RG Cube Review

Anbernic is back at it again with a new handheld release. In this video, we take an in-depth look at the new RG Cube.
Available Here:
AliExpress: s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DBhb2v
Anbernic: anbernic.com/products/rg-cube...
Socials
Twitter: / takiudon_
My Discord: / discord
IG: / takiudon
Timestamps
00:00 - Intro, Specs. & Pricing
00:52 - RG Cube, RGB30, & AYANEO Air
02:10 - Controls & Input Testing
05:14 - Screen Issues
07:20 - Software
09:12 - Console Mode, PD Charging, & Thermals
10:59 - Teardown & Fix
12:45 - Benchmarks & What this does well
13:29 - In-depth Emulation Testing
21:06 - Pros & Cons / Battery Life
23:04 - Recommendations
Disclosure:
The manufacturer sent this device to me for review. They did not see this video before it was posted, and no monetary compensation was provided. All opinions are my own.
Affiliate Disclaimer: This review includes affiliate links. Anything you purchase from those links helps support the channel.
#rgcube #androidgaming #emulation

[@TakiUdon]

Sorry for the delay, the battery life tests took way longer than I expected. Note: I used the Retro-8 core to play the Pico 8 games featured in the "What this does well" section.

[@mikelxanadu]

When you think about it, that’s actually a very good thing

[@lnrdo49]

How are the analog sticks? They look similar to the ones in the RG556 which a lot of people didn't like.

[@OceanTechh]

At the level you bring these reviews you can take the time you need ;)

[@nate6862]

Were those battery tests with the stick lights on? Just curious.

[@justinbouchard]

must have been some good battery life :p

[@MrMegaManFan]

"It's been less than a month since their last release..." never have more accurate words about Anbernic been spoke aloud.

[@SkateSoup]

I think that's their company motto as well

[@benvalenz1888]

They re brand AliExpresss handheld consoles

[@gamerman644]

this applies to ayn too, a new device before anyone even got the last one with the same ryzen cpu

[@robertwolfgan]

This is what worries me and the reason I'm reluctant to buying any handheld just yet (except maybe Steamdeck OLED but I might be willing to wait until their next upgraded SteamDeck 2); because it reminds me of the smartphone company Xiaomi and it's phones that sure, it releases so many with incredible high specs and "affordable prices", BUT...poor unknowing people that gets them then has to suffer so many issues with it and I'm not even talking about low quality hardware malfunction due to cheap components, but software related things that rely on VERY high alert software developers updates to fix and since they're SO busy releasing 5 different devices every 2 days, this urgent update is almost never gonna happen and they have to either become software engineers themselves to fix their system by their own hands tweaking and jailbreaking it, or just literally give up. I know it sounds too farfetched and exaggerated, but I've honestly been there as one of those ignorant buyers...and only after many buys like that did I learn that it's not always about the specs but the quality of their reliance on software security and OS updates. So I'm not saying these devices like the many handheld gaming systems out there are bad, just that, I'm not "rich enough" to buy something that may or may not give me trouble and I can just brush it off and buy another or something like that. I'm so poor I need the closest thing to 99% reassurance of quality that will last me a good while without any further spending.

[@RyeJ_86]

@@gamerman644AYN’s made like 4 product lines since 2021, Anbernic probably has 10x that

[@wrtucey]

The light bleed is a deal breaker for me. Thanks for calling it out.

[@B3nG420]

$160 device should not have that. Rgb30 has little to no light bleed, but qc with is probably just as bad with the battery charging etc.

[@nate6862]

@@B3nG420 I mean, it's easy for an RGB30 to have no light bleed since there's no pressure on the screen...because the internals of it are pretty empty. I've taken mine apart several times to reset the battery and it's literally a screen, single board, and a battery being used as a heatsink.

[@GawrGurasBathTubPizza]

light bleeds can only bother you if you look for it, even psp has it

[@Cheeseshredder]

complaining about light bleed makes you sound like a spoiled kid lol. What handheld out there plays wii and ps2? I would be excited to own one of these.

[@SomeOne-wr1wr]

​​@@CheeseshredderI mean there are choices now. To each their own, if it bothers him then so be it! It'll help him narrow down the handheld he'll buy. That's what reviews of devices like this are for.

[@UkeofCarl]

I love the way it looks. Like some kind of pre-school toy.

[@Tuned-Supercharged-Gaming]

Looks like one of those Leapfrog Handhelds Lmao

[@zZiL341yRj736]

That's bad!

[@UkeofCarl]

@@zZiL341yRj736 I don’t think so.

[@Tuned-Supercharged-Gaming]

@@UkeofCarl yeah exactly it could bring nostalgia to some people

[@TheShadowHatter]

Pretty much the only reason I'd want it too but at that price point I'll pass.

[@YourWishes]

Thanks again for subtitles, it's still surprisingly not standard in even medium sized youtubers.

[@JasonJrake]

???? I thought it was an automated thing. I’ve never not been able to enable them even on tiny channels with less than 1000 subscribers. Are you saying that some KZbinrs flip a switch that denies the ability to view subtitles, or that the ones that have them as an option are all actually uploading transcripts to make that possible? I’m apparently ignorant of how all of this really works. 😅 Thanks.

[@KyleRuggles]

Agreed! For some of us who are hard of hearing, this is a big plus.

[@johannliebert2870]

After KZbin removed the community added captions feature, a lot of KZbinrs just ignored them and left the captions to the auto generator.

[@naheo]

​@@JasonJrakeIf they aren't auto-generated, they've been written and uploaded.

[@YourWishes]

@@JasonJrake all videos have auto-generated (basically speech-to-text) subtitles, they have a lot of drawbacks and barely work in my opinion. Alternatively, youtubers can opt to manually define subtitles for their videos that can be accurate and potentially provide extra context for non-audio viewers.

[@StevoBortzLevel99]

Damn, I had my money on your RG Cube review being titled "It's (Even More) Hip to be Square".

[@Moes_Prep_and_Tech]

I can picture the youtuber ,Techdweeb saying that lol

[@CrowScareify]

This is a super niche comment for a super niche device…. But the Rgb30 can handle Caves bullet hell library up to about Ketsui and Dodonpachi DOJ (2003 ish) with little issues…. And the rg cube can handle their entire library including up to Dodonpachi Saidaiojou which I believe was released in 2012 and was their last bullet hell…. That is so cool and exciting to me

[@TeamCGS2005]

The circle d-pad looks like that on the Sega Saturn. Fantastic!

[@shoelacedonkey]

That was my first thought as well, loved that controller.

[@mitchthepreacher1512]

Another extremely thorough and candid review. Thank you for what you do for this community.

[@julianthemighty1]

Taki, thanks for this review, the PASS/FAIL review format is really useful for me as a potential buyer!

[@andino1152]

I was waiting to hear from you before pulling the trigger on this! Excited to hear what you have to say. Thanks for all your work Taki! 🙏🏽💪🏽

[@robertwolfgan]

Thank you for the video. I was literally waiting for something like this when I found out this handheld existed like 5 days ago.

[@tuttyslodd2405]

The review I was waiting for

[@NIKMOE]

Great video, there are so many options available and this was super helpful!

[@mariodiaz2114]

Bro you are cooking with these reviews! Keep up the good work!

[@TheSilencer1776]

What a perfect review my man! I'm slowly getting to see all of the recent Anbernic releases. This might be the most thorough review on KZbin. Subscribed for sure.

[@3up3rn0va]

These releases never stop do they 😅 Great vids as always!

[@rars0n]

The more I watch of your reviews of these kinds of devices, the more impressed I am with how significantly better they are compared to others. You're extremely thorough, but also succinct. That's an incredibly hard balance to achieve. Thank you for your continued work on this channel!

[@Opebin]

I'm a sicko who loves how goofy games look when stretched to fullscreen, so I'm definitely gonna get a kick out of this thing

[@Broken_robot1986]

Disgusting

[@Swaytekk]

Back to the hole you crawled out from

[@kroganshepard6594]

You maniac!

[@rb806gaming2]

You monster!

[@SaiyanEuc]

😂

[@petewinder3211]

Wow this was a masterclass review

[@psychodad4434]

I JUST ordered one of these today. Was agonizing between this and the new clamshell SP, but flipped a coin and ordered this one. Excited to see what we can improve on ir over time from the user end. Edit: I should clarify. My handhelds are my Switch, Steam Deck and Miyoo Mini atm. I can't take the switch or Steam Deck to work because they're either the family console or too valuable to toss in and out of a backpack daily. The Mini is amazing for what it is, but trying to game on it too long with aging hands is truly painful. This device seemed like a nice toss in the backpack, work friendly device that can also support being played for an hour or two at a time on the couch.

[@Pastafari4]

The Cube looks so beautiful ❤

[@SwedePotato314]

I’ve not bought a handheld since the retroid pocket 2 and I’m DEFINITELY getting this

[@RetroGamerReviews]

This has been rhe best review so far. All the other first few day reviews haven't cover alot of what he coverd and it was all the stuff i was looking for

[@ItsJustHenriHeck]

Awesome video dude

[@SansINess53]

the fan is directly taken from the RG405V and the fan looks like that to emulate a cube look, like damn, never knew the RG405V's fan was foreshadowing for the RG Cube.

[@thiegoalberto8203]

never fails to deliver!

[@I.M.T.S]

Just received mine today. I bought the retro grey one. Build quality indeed feels on par with my RP4 pro. The right trigger has the scrapping feeling as mentioned. Light bleeding wasn't super noticeable, but I'll have to test it more; haven't run any game on it yet. Scrapping is very annoying, I'll have to open it up later today. Edit: Nope, light bleeding is indeed quite bad. On mine there are three spots, two at top and one at bottom.

[@a9udn9u]

This white cube looks so clean, love it

[@jamiecal11]

I can't wait until devices like this are 100 bucks or less.

[@B3nG420]

not gonna happen anytime soon. Rp2s is your best bet.

[@lambasted6886]

Because you've spent so much money on legitimate copies of games, right?

[@PS3ClassicGamesHD]

@drezial Sarcasm?

[@lambasted6886]

@@PS3ClassicGamesHD Yea. Sorry, it's a big eye roll hearing people talk about the price of an emulation device at their expense when I'm pretty sure most of them aren't dumping games they already own.

[@RundbarkKonark]

@@lambasted6886 Lol, I guess you're supporting devs by buying PS2 games from Ebay huh?

[@phaneckswhy]

great video! really like the new review format. I ended up buying one even with the issues which I think I'll be able to live with since I only have a steam deck and the R36S. I wanted something in between, lil bigger then the R36S and more ergonomic but smaller then the steam deck.

[@brokensprites]

From transferring the ROMs and setting up the software, testing settings and tons of games, a tear down with a partial fix.. comes a brutally honest review! Seriously that's a lot of work that went into this video and I enjoyed it. Hopefully this helps the community make a better purchase... Or influence the companies to make a better device. 👍😎

[@Moes_Prep_and_Tech]

Thanks for pointing out that Factory Defect, I think i'll wait for the Ayanoe Micro to release

[@leonfire99]

I totally agree about left joystick on bottom. Especially when old games sometimes require the claw grip.

[@Blak22390]

This is pretty much exactly what I was looking for, minus a six button layout, definitely gonna be picking one up.

[@shilze1]

A note about Wii, there's a setting that's unfortunately a little "buried" in Dolphin that allows you to set Wii games to a native 4:3 aspect ratio mode with no stretching if that will be more desirable for you - in config > Wii, toggle OFF widescreen. That's it. The easier to find solution is unfortunately "Aspect Ratio" in Graphics Settings with a forced 4:3 that will stretch. I can't exactly tell what Taki did, but since I didn't hear him mention it, I figured I would. I believe a majority of games you might want to play on the device have this, the Galaxy games, Sonic games like Unleashed, Colors, and All Stars Racing, but certain games like New Super Mario Bros. Wii will still be in a forced letterboxed 16:9. Still a worthwhile option to consider if you're going to play Wii at all, and it'd be kind of cool if we had an option that did the inverse of a Widescreen hack in order to get a full 1:1.

[@tomoesan6179]

great video for review this

[@finebowgames]

i love so much the design of this console, i'm using rp3+ with handgrip at the moment but i love so much 1by1 aspect ratio and this ergonomics. Looks like they have made this console for me, it fit's so well. I think it's time to buy another handheld...

[@ericmikuta]

Looks great! If the d-pad was digging into my thumb because of the ridges, I would very CAREFULLY file it down a bit, just to take the edges off. No biggie.

[@jorgedelgado5231]

Anbernic is getting close to affordability and performance. No ps2. I like the form factor of their devices.

[@GangstalkingPlaybook]

This is really cool

[@ThisUploaded]

Man, this thing is adorable. No use for one myself, but damn it just looks neat.

[@jdavid1463]

I was really hoping this device would be good… I think its better to wait. Great video, thanks for the feedback

[@cutecoots]

Great hands on video! Very interesting device, probably gonna buy one. Don't care about the light bleeding very much

[@thoyo]

Chaos Legion?!?! Dude, haven't heard that game mentioned since it came out. So underrated. Thank you!

[@MarkTheMagnificent]

I'd be so much more interested in this if it were a 4:3 aspect ratio. Maybe I'm nitpicking, but I really just don't like those borders. I love the look of this handheld but I have others with much better screen real estate.

[@Mr.GuGuGaCucaSnooch]

Totally. The square aspect ratio makes this a really tough buy. You're limited to older games despite the beefier hardware which makes this handheld full of lost potential.

[@MegaVSable]

This is good for ds and 3ds only.

[@Mr.GuGuGaCucaSnooch]

@@MegaVSable Cell phones can already do that with no effort. Why put so much power in something that'll only be good for low end games?

[@gluttonousmaximus9048]

@@Mr.GuGuGaCucaSnooch 3DS is hardly low-end

[@gluttonousmaximus9048]

@@Mr.GuGuGaCucaSnooch I don't even think Game Boy is going to be perfect on this as it's 720x720 while integer scaled Game Boy/Game Gear will be 768x720 or 640x576

[@Jason-Scott]

Looks absolutely sweet 🍬

[@backbonedray7612]

I gotta get this for sure, looking for a friend to accompany my Nintendo Switch and my ROG Ally

[@TheShadowHatter]

So excited to see handhelds that are starting to handle PS2 games well. I can't wait until we get a device that can touch all PS2 games flawlessly and I'll finally be done with my handheld search....assuming whatever device can do that does the rest like this one did with GC/Wii/PSP/DC/etc.

[@Julione7]

Excellent analysis. I really hope Anbernic releases a revision with silent L R buttons. A noisy portable video game is very inconvenient.

[@SRC267]

The closest visually looking Dreamcast handheld

[@Crisalido96]

Hi Taki! Greetings from El Salvador, I really like your videos!

[@Sir_Bone-Head]

I’ve already ordered one, I’m mostly interested in 3DS, but also a few GameCube and Wii titles as well. I guess I’ll have to toy around with it to find my preferred settings.

[@Ojref1]

Thank you very much for your candidness and your attention to detail. Its unfortunate that you have to QA these things for the company in the field, they would stand to benefit a lot if they just worked with (and paid) people like you for the effort.

[@LilfoxTheHybridHylian5967]

I should totally buy one

[@carefulcrosser]

Perfect device will be here in maybe 2 years for a great pricd lets go

[@piodelgado2890]

The thing I like most about this device is that Anbernic is finally doing step ups in quality. This device alone looks like if they keep this way, more beautifully crafted handhelds are coming from them. Though, I will never agree with clicky shoulders, those are not nice to press or hear.

[@TARS..]

We need more square screen devices in general, such a useful aspect ratio

[@lionoh]

My wallet weeps and My heart sings of joy. I already got the scheme to custom paint this and other mods planned out. I love the over all look of this. As Russ would Say it's Very Pocketable.

[@ChiWoHauHane]

My retroid pocket 2 just died after a few years of services Your vids are pretty useful to make a choice !

[@RobyMicrobi]

Thanks so much for your review. I own an RGB30 but I hate the stiff controls, also dpad hurts my thumb after playing for a while. Seeing your review, I know I wont buy the RG Cube, as I hate backlight bleed with a passion. Thank you very much!!

[@msipandaify]

dang man the gamecube performance...the ps2 performance...crazy!

[@aurionson]

I'm still rocking my head automatically whenever I hear Escape from the city.

[@ToyKeeper]

Seems like a cool device. After getting a rg35xx-h though, I'm holding off on Anbernic devices until they make their buttons less stiff.

[@Dark3rin0]

Hi, would you consider making an updated video when uou investigate rhe light bleeding? Mine it's in its way and I would love a guide on how to fix it!

[@jasonviande5053]

Love the look of this thing, even though I don't know if I will get it. The price itself isn't terrible, but I think the screen might be too small for my eyes, which is kind of a shame. But what you said about Ambernic is spot on. Always got to be something weird or broken

[@therunawaykid6523]

Yeah it’s a pretty nice device but yeah I wish the screen was a bit bigger, I’m probably going to get the powkiddy x55 as that has a nice 5 inch screen and has thousands of games pre installed 😏

[@marumisu9560]

Only thing I wish is that all these handhelds had a built-in kickstand in the back so I can bring it to my kitchen and watch stuff while eating, then quickly switch to gaming whenever.

[@VojoMojo]

I DIY my own kickstand

[@gluttonousmaximus9048]

Generic phone stands should work and they can be used with anything else. Why watch stuff with this square screen anyway?

[@jorge69696]

I always suspected these rgb lights were a waste of power in mobile devices. Thanks for confirming it.

[@valentine_puppy]

Taki, you should really think about making an ASMR channel. You are top tier level dude. Seriously.

[@uncaringbear]

That was a fair review. I think it's enough of an upgrade that I'd buy it over the RGB30, but the price has to be more competitive, especially given the major flaws of light bleed and improper video out. I will keep my eyes open for sales but I'd probably lean more towards the RG556.

[@mininu_milagre6121]

Cara q top esperando mais sobre clone do mister fpga❤

[@Grimlo9ic]

Thanks for doing the investigation on the cause of the light bleed! Bummer to know every unit will have it unless they change the structure (they won't, cuz it's shipping soon).

[@Nick-hz9no]

Thank you for the in-depth review. I think after seeing 3ds performance and lack of gyro, I'm less likely to pick one of these up. And console mode not working, that's a HUGE downside. Thanks for the info.

[@glennshoemake4200]

I'm looking to replace my RG552 due to poor battery life and was considering this, but I think i'll wait for the handheld FPGA OLED that is coming out this year.

[@danfu1299]

You can fix the screen bleeding by using a thinner thermal pad on the back of the mother board or squash the pad flatter.

[@flightless]

I'm willing to put in the effort to fix minor issues, so I'm happy with this. It will be my second dedicated retro handheld device, and I'm confident that I will be very satisfied with it. The form factor is just right to where it's nearly the size of a controller. I expect we will see a fix for display out, whether it be from anbernic or 3rd party, and at that point I can see this as my favorite device to use with AR Glasses while on a train, bus, or just lying in bed. -As much as I love my Steam Deck, I will definitely grab something more controller-sized for streaming if it's a better fit for the task.

[@Eragonfrost]

I also have a Steam Deck and just ordered the Cube for DS/PS2/Wii and GC

[@michaeldemers2716]

Oh crap SON!!!! You just sold me on that thing with video out and Bluetooth. I needed something for Pico 8 and if this has the Video out the way you say it may not be as big but the picture should be awesome. Thanks. ETA Prime kind of missed the Video out thing. For the price though I just still need to think about it. IDK. Hmmmmmm

[@youtibbles2546]

@TakiUdon i really hope the MiSTer handheld will also have a 720x720 1:1 screen. i feel like this screen upgrade for a handheld is such a boon and 1:1 allows for a much wider range of games, specifically arcade games, which the MiSTer has a ton

[@TakiUdon]

Mine screen is better, and the resolution is higher.

[@saifeliya]

Just ordered my rg405v and I’m not sure if I regret it or not . I mean I might still return it only because I hope they would release a vertical version of this. I have mixed feelings about the screen ratio being 1:1 , and ideas?

[@roy2177]

I'll just wait for RGB30 version 2 🤞🏽

[@user-oe8mv7be6b]

Are you able to use any Android Hue adjustment apps to scale back the saturation of the Reds?

[@masonracing98]

I'm def interested in this one! Bought a Retroid Pocket 2+ but I want something so bad that can run Gamecube and PS2 Need for Speed games. Seems like this is the one but Ill be waiting for that video out support forsure.

[@inn0v8]

For video out, did you try it with an EDID emulator? Sometimes I'll use an EDID Emulator when I have issues connecting to disobedient displays. Or sometimes I'll have to use one if I have a device lacking horsepower on a high res display where I know performance will suffer if said device tries to default to the capabilities of that display... It might be worth a shot to add an EDID Emulator to your tool bag for future video out testing.

[@Honethite]

Thank you for looking at the light bleed issue. I was going to get this to replace my RGB30 since the RG Cube has touch controls so better DS/3DS usage, but that d-pad position is less than ideal for my needs. I use my RGB30 a lot for the Game Boys/MD/SNES/Neo/DS etc thanks to that 1:1 screen but does anyone have any experience with long play sessions on the RG Cube with that bottom d-pad?

[@Andrasturiexplore]

Sticks position really sucks, but battery performance for a retro games is a deal breaker.

[@chumorgan443]

I'm dieing for a clamshell Renaissance.

[@Sir_Bone-Head]

Well, finally got the device, wanted to know if there's a way to activate Gyro features or what's going on with that if you know, would definitely help with certain games I play.

[@dennisfereoles768]

I just noticed the mini family computer console on the upper right of the screen. Where can I get one?

[@WiseAcres-op2qz]

Watching the teardown videos, i see that the d-pad and analog sticks are usually modular. It wouldn't be difficult for the companies to offer both styles. It would basically be a different shell.

[@crappyatlife]

Gonna wait 72 hours for the next version

[@smallmistake]

I would be super interested in a dedicated video about hacking 1:1 resolution for 3D games on PS1, PS2, Gamecube, etc. Your video is the only one so far I've seen even mention it and all I can find on KZbin are videos for widescreen hacks to enable 16:9.

[@Blackoutseven]

Looks cool but I’m still in love with the rg35 xx H. If they upgrade that, take my money

[@Faillord1]

Maybe a weird question, but what audio cable do you use to capture the Sound from the handheld?

[@TakiUdon]

Just a no-name attenuated 3.5mm cable.

[@Faillord1]

@@TakiUdon Okay, thank you very much.

[@ezkimoshake]

Dealing with the 1080p out, Anbernic contacted me and showed me a video where it was literally just a button in the settings menu to switch to widescreen output.

[@ClassicCult]

Can you make a video for the light bleed fix

[@ndMaikel]

still waiting for the RG556 review from Taki :D

[@PS3ClassicGamesHD]

The screen looks amazing. Clean and bright. No need to have an oled sreen.

[@Anthestudios]

Great video, thanks

[@Zaapiel22]

I was able to get it under $150 shipped from their eBay store last week with the site wide coupon they had. I didn't think I would have paid more than that for this, especially if I have to try and fix the video out myself.

[@beatsinmycrates]

Abernic does not disappoint. But im gonna wait and see if they improve this one.

[@mukiex4413]

Oooh, finally a Pico-8 capable screen!

[@richardbullivant230]

You’ll need the RGB30 for Pico 8 🙌🏼