So, I'm a big big sucker for these kind of handheld devices that play retro games. I haven't owned many yet, but the ones I've owned dedicated to this purpose were: A Retroid Pocket 2+ and a Miyoo Mini Plus. I've also done tons of emulating on hacked Switches, PSPs, Vitas, DS's, 3DS's, on phones, on tablets, and more.
But I've gotta say, I haven't found anything as good as the RG 505 yet.
This came out over a year ago, and specially now with its price going down (specially on the used market, where I got it) it's a very good proposition.
Unlike the Miyoo Mini Plus which ran Linux but like the RP2+ which ran Android, this also runs Android, more specifically Android 12.
Photo from droix.net
This is the default Android build/launcher that comes with it, but of course, you know me, even if this thing isn't an official console, I'll find a way to hack it. And in this case I decided on installing Gamma OS
Gamma OS was made for the x05 devices by Anbernic, more specifically the 505 and 405. And it does wonders. It comes with more up to date GPU drivers, it has extra features, it treats the controls as a bluetooth controller which allows some Android titles to function properly (like Genshin Impact and CoD Mobile), etc etc.
I mostly installed this because of the increased battery life and that beautiful Daijisho front-end.
My Widgets section in Daijisho, with my RetroAchievements score and some Android games
Daijisho on the library section where you choose a game
If you wish to learn more about Daijisho, I highly recommend this video from Retro Game Corps. It works on any Android device and can really transform the experience into something new and refreshing.
Specs
The RG 505 comes equipped with a Unisoc T618 octa-core CPU, which is plenty powerful for the systems it claims to support (with the exception being PS2, of course, that thing is HARD to run).
But anything from retro 8 and 16 bit to Gamecube and PSP have been running fine here. The GPU is more than capable as well, being a Mali G52 clocked at 850Mhz.
This CPU is not only good but also power efficient, I spent hours playing the Switch version of Vampire Survivors last night and before I went to bed the battery was at 64% after a full charge, and on standby this thing can last ages.
Another interesting thing about the specs from this is the screen, it is literally the same screen found on a Vita OLED with a resolution of 960x544 and of course, being OLED.
This means you get a perfect 2x integer scale on PSP games, and with the power at hand here, just about the entire library runs perfectly fine and looks like HD remasters of PSP games - it's frankly astonishing.
It's the best I've seen PSP games run and look on a portable handheld, all because of the combination between CPU-GPU and screen.
It's also got 4GBs of LPDDR4X RAM, and 128GBs of internal storage which is more than plenty enough for me, although it can be expanded via SD card.
It of course has wifi and bluetooth, so it makes going into a file-share to retrieve your backups a lot easier, and I've found myself checking up guides for some RPGs on the system itself and not having to rely on my phone. With Gamma OS you can install either a version that comes with or without Google Play services, I went with them because some apps require them, but decided to use Aurora Store to get my Google Play apps, and also F-Droid for open source stuff.
My only major gripe with this system is that the R2-L2 "triggers" are in-line with the L and R buttons. But once you get accostumed to that, it's pretty much a non-issue.
The little rubber thinges on the back which are by now an Anbernic staple make the system quite nice to hold and make it very stable on surfaces. I like it.
Overall, performance here is great, I've been playing tons of Mario Kart Double Dash, I've been playing some Android titles, retro titles looks awesome, and PSP looks downright criminally good.
I highly recommend this device if you can find it for cheap. Of course, more modern options are way better, like the RP5, but this isn't a bad find for just $100.
Thanks for reading and have a great rest of your day!
