Anbernic RG556

It’s always great to have options when it comes to finding a reliable console for retro gaming. The Anbernic RG556 is one of the latest solutions you can find on the market right now that looks very similar to a Switch, but it’s made specifically for retro games. It delivers a plethora of interesting options, while also bringing in a very engaging set of gameplay mechanics. Here’s what we think about the Anbernic RG556.

Design and display

One of the standout features right from the start for this product has to be the display. A 5.48” display is quite rare for retro consoles these days, which are usually smaller. With that in mind though, you will notice that the product looks incredible, and the OCA full fit 1080x1920 resolution certainly helps deliver the great impression. But at the same time, we also have to realize some of the games were not built for a larger display.

That leads to a few issues when upscaling, in some cases. Yet for the most part, the games we tried worked without hitches. The design itself is great too, a Switch-like design is great for portability and we also have to note that the manufacturer also has a screen protector added in the package. It’s a nice way to ensure everything is great, and you’re definitely receiving a lot of value for your money here, which is always nice to have.

Memory and CPU

The Anbernic RG556 has Android 13 as the operating system, which we think is an extremely good option. It makes the games run a lot smoother, and you get support for a huge range of emulators. You can play games from PSP, PS1, TurboGrafx-16, but also from N64, Sega Genesis, Super NES, Neo Geo and NG Pocket COLOR, GB, GBA, NES and so on. There’s a huge range of consoles supported, and aside from that you can also play your Android games on a larger display. That alone makes things much better!

When it comes to the processor, it’s an octa-core T820 Unisonic processor. They also went with a Quad Core Mali G57 GPU that’s quite good at delivering the graphical fidelity you would expect from this type of product.

Yet the thing that’s most interesting has to be the memory. They have 8 GB of memory, which is on par with many laptops these days. That’s quite a lot for pretty much all the older games and emulators. However, that also means every emulator runs smoothly and you don’t have to deal with delays, something that will happen sometimes when you use these types of units.

Storage space

If you get the standard version of the product, it will have 128 GB and that’s pretty much it. On the other hand, you can get a version with 128 GB extra, and one that has 256 GB extra. That’s quite enough for most players. However, if you also want to play mobile games for Android, you might end up needing more space, in which case you can go up to 2 TB if you want to buy an external SD card on your own.

Storage-wise, we think there’s enough space for most retro games that you want, since you can add thousands of games on there. Yet as we said, if you also want Android games, it makes sense to have an SD card in there too, just to add some extra space in case you need it.

Sound

The overall sound system uses high fidelity dual speakers. They are good for what you need, these are obviously not audiophile territory speakers. But if you want decent speakers for a retro console, we think these do the trick and then some. Don’t expect revolutionary sound, but for retro games, we think you’re getting quite a bit of value from them.

Other notable features

Aside from the general gyroscope and hall joystick that’s built-in, they have a very good high speed fan that helps cool everything down and prevents heating. They also did an excellent job at using a heat pipe system to spread and dissipate heat as well. We like they added USB type C, which means you can do a DisplayPort output to an external display, if you want to.

In addition, their energy saving system can be customized, so you can choose which ones of the features can be shut down to not consume energy. If you’re on the road (and if you have the Anbernic RG556, you most likely are), then you will need to shut off some systems to not consume as much energy. And this approach is great for that.

Battery life

When it comes to the battery life, we expected this larger retro console to not last as much. However, since you get a 5500 mAh polymer lithium battery, you can go up to 8 hours of gameplay. Note that it will take around 3.5 hours to charge, since there’s no fast charging. But if you play older games, the console can go up to 9 hours sometimes. It will depend on the settings and features you use.

Price

The base model for this console costs you $425. If you want to add 128 GB extra, that puts the price at $450. And in case you will need the version with 256 GB more, that’s $475. Of course, you can buy just the base model and purchase external storage up to 2 TB if you want. So there are certainly ways to choose how much storage you want, or you can go the custom route.

Is the Anbernic RG556 worth buying?

In our opinion, the Anbernic RG556 is totally worth it for all retro console lovers. The quality of this console is second to none, and they did an excellent job at bringing in extras like a screen protector, but also support for all kinds of customization options. It looks great, and you’ll have a very good experience while using it. Plus, the price is not overly expensive, which makes it a worthwhile purchase, especially if you also play various Android games!