Upon catching Anbernic's RG SP teaser, I assumed an old clip had reached my feed. After all, the handheld maker already has two GBA SP clones, so it's reasonable to think it wouldn't have a third stab. It turns out I'm a big idiot, as it is indeed cooking up another model that ditches the previous portable's embedded thumbsticks.
The trailer in question reveals the Anbernic RG SP in all its clamshell glory, but not before highlighting its prior retro handhelds. In a bid not to mask over previous GBA SP clone portables like the Anbernic RG35XXSP from 2024 and its RG34XXSP successor, the teaser presents both in a timeline before revealing what's actually changed.
As I've already spoiled, highlighted improvements actually include taking away a feature, as it's now "stickless for pure nostalgia." The resulting eyeroll almost injured my peepers, but I am actually happy that Anbernic is focused on making something that looks close to a GBA SP.
Contributing to those latter GBA SP clone efforts is a 25% thinner top screen bezel, which should help reduce some of the previous bulk to OG Nintendo handheld levels. The overall profile is 10% slimmer too, so I'm pretty keen to inflict a weird Game Boy Advance Pepsi challenge on my friends.
Just like before, though, modern prevents the Anbernic RG SP from creating a Spider-Man pointing meme scenario. The control panel is still uncanny, largely thanks to the d-pad, four face buttons, and the middle toggle that Ninty original used for brightness, but the side microSD card slot and bottom 3.5mm jack are tells. You've also got a momentary power button on the side instead of a slider and an "R" reset button, not to mention that the cartridge slot is understandably gone.
As for the specs, you're getting the same H700 quad-core chipset as before, meaning the RG SP should be capable of emulating up to the PS1 and Dreamcast on its 3.4-inch 720 x 480 IPS screen. It hasn't revealed a full spec sheet yet, as it's unclear how much RAM the Linux handheld will be rocking, although I suspect we'll get 1GB.
I'll be sure to fill you in on full specs when they land, but at least we've got an Anbernic RG SP flavors list. It'll be available in metallic silver, pink, blue, and black, matching Nintendo's original colorways. The other biggie is that there's no MSRP yet, but I'd be slightly insulted if it's way more than the RG34XXSP since that clamshell is $67.99 at AliExpress. I'm not holding my breath since component prices are continually spoiling handheld releases in 2026, but perhaps Anbernic will weather RAMageddon by sticking with what it knows.
Swing by the best retro consoles for FPGA remakes, emulation machines, and more.
