Anbernic, which makes handheld consoles for emulating several classic systems, recently threw all the hype the company built with the retro gaming community in the trash.
The company already has a dedicated user base because of how its emulation devices look like actual handheld consoles like Game Boy, GBA, and GBA SP. Now, it has announced a new console that looks exactly like the Nintendo DS and would be able to emulate DS and 3DS games with a touchscreen.
The Oct. 14 was enough to hype the retro community. That’s because emulating the two Nintendo DS screens while keeping the touchscreen functionality and all physical buttons is really difficult. So, Anbernic’s take on the DS looked like the perfect solution, and players were hyped to see how well it would work.
That is, until the specs leaked on AliExpress on Oct. 29.
The processor is a Quad-Core ARM Cortex-A55, which is the bare minimum to run several Nintendo DS emulators and not enough for the recommended specs. That means the RG DS might not support more demanding games or extra visual features that make the emulation look closer to the real DS and 3DS experience.
The system will also run Android 14, which is considered too heavy for that processor. Because of that, players are worried about how the device will perform and what features it will actually be able to use.
Another problem is the battery. It’s supposed to last about six hours, but it takes a whopping three and a half hours to fully charge, which feels too much when compared to the lower charging times of more robust handhelds like the Steam Deck and the Nintendo Switch 2.
"We quickly went from 'they cooking' to 'this is so cooked'," a fan wrote on Reddit. "Way to kill any hype I had for this, congrats Anbernic," a second one added. "Should be called RG DB (deal breaker)," a third one joked.
These main pain points of weak specs and slow charging have made the retro gaming community go from extremely hyped about the RG DS to extremely disappointed. Anbernic hasn’t commented yet, and the official reveal with confirmed specs and pricing should be coming soon. But if the leaks are true, it seems Anbernic might have fumbled one of its best chances to deliver the perfect handheld for DS emulation.
The post ‘This is so cooked’: This retro console lost all hype overnight after leaks killed expectations appeared first on Destructoid.
