Anbernic is a brand name you might have heard of in the gaming space if you've dabbled in handheld retro consoles. It isn't one I'd expect to see making a play for our best PC controller list, but it might have just started a new trend I'd love to see other peripheral makers following.
Anbernic's new RG G01 gamepad has a built-in heart rate monitor, which I've never seen before in my years of reviewing controllers professionally. It was originally revealed on YouTube a week ago, but the brand has just dropped a brand new teaser trailer that gives us a closer look.
There are loads of fun use cases for this. Streamers who want to track their BPM for their audiences will have an easy way to do so, competitive gamers can track the ice in their veins during intense matches, and your everyday hobbyist can see what their resting heart rate is, and panic about needing to do more exercise.
As much as it might seem like a gimmick, I really do think this could be a huge feature for more gaming controllers to have - and I question why no one has thought of this before. Beyond Ring Fit Adventure, the last fitness-linked gaming accessory I can think of was the Wii Fit, which, in fairness, did make a name for itself by telling perfectly healthy 10-year-olds they had the BMI of a 40-year-old obese person. Definitely not drawing from personal experience there.
I've been playing Hunt: Showdown for close to six years now, and there are still gunfights in that game that make me feel as though my heart is pounding through my chest. Part of me has always been curious to see what my heart rate is actually doing in those intense gameplay moments, and I'm sure you can probably think of a game that does similar things to you.
The heart rate monitor also seems to have an alarm system, which I guess will ring if it reaches a certain threshold. I'm one of those insufferable gamers who acts like they're never scared in horror games (I definitely am), so it'd be very fun to have a controller that would see straight through my poker face.
I'm also big into my fitness and wellbeing, and finding out my resting heart rate in more relaxed, cozy games could be a really beneficial thing to track goals. Joking aside, I feel like it wouldn't be such a bad thing for more gamers to keep on top of that too, and a simple resting heart rate reading above 60 or 70 can tell you a lot about your health.
Beyond the novel heart rate monitor, this controller doesn't look half bad. It looks like it's cut from the exact same mould as one of my favorite controllers, the Manba One, in that it has a pretty generous display set in the middle of its face that will let you control various aspects of its software and functionality. I have seen other brands using this controller's body and design, but I haven't seen any other brand getting creative with this screen to track health and well-being.
As a gaming peripheral, the Anbernic RG G01 is packed with great features too. It has four back buttons, capacitive thumbsticks and gyro support, as well as macro mapping, turbo modes, and two-way trigger stops.
Interestingly, Anbernic hasn't followed convention by calling this a TMR controller or even a Hall effect controller out of the gate. Instead, the brand is advertising "Purple Kirin’s electro-inductive capacitive joysticks" which it says will ensure silky smooth movement.
We don't have a release date or price yet, but it seems like the RG G01 will be available this year in three colorways, yellow, white, and black. I'll definitely be looking to test this one out for myself, so stay tuned.
For more on gamepads, take a look at the best PS5 controllers, the best Xbox Series X controllers, and the best Nintendo Switch 2 controllers.
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