Anbernic RG Vita: More Like "RG PSP"

Product overview (Anbernic RG Vita, non-Pro)

A retro-style Android handheld from Anbernic (reviewed model: non-Pro RG Vita). The reviewer expected something closer to a PS Vita replacement—both by name and appearance—but says it doesn’t deliver the Vita experience.

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Key features / specs mentioned (non-Pro)

• CPU: UNISOC T618
  • About “3 years ago” it was strong for Android and can handle Dreamcast/PSP/N64 at a “reliable amount” for this class.
• RAM / storage: 3 GB RAM (not 4 GB like some prior Anbernic T618 devices), 64 GB internal + microSD slot
• Display: ~5.5-inch LCD, 720p
• Battery: 5,000 mAh, reported about ~6 hours use
• Charging: max observed around 9W
• Connectivity: 5 GHz Wi‑Fi, Bluetooth 5.0
• Video out: No USB-C video out
• OS: Android 12

Other hardware notes:

• 278 g weight
• 3.5mm headphone jack, dual downfiring speakers
• No active cooling (typical for this chipset)
• Clickable/trigger buttons described as micro-switch/digital type (may limit some games)
• Analog sticks:
  • Adjustable sensitivity
  • Anti-stick drift mentioned
  • RGB lighting on sticks

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Design & user experience (build/ergonomics)

Pros

• Comfortable in hand despite no ergonomic grip; hands can rotate naturally.
• Pocketability is comparable to other ~5.5” devices (e.g., Retroid Pocket 5/6).
• Analog sticks feel good; trigger/shoulder click feel is acceptable for some uses.
• PSP controls/feel are described as a highlight because the device is D-pad-centric.

Cons

• The reviewer strongly criticizes authenticity: it looks like a Vita from the front/back, but overall feels thicker, “hollow,” and cheaper than the Vita.
• No rear touchscreen (back is non-functional aside from appearance).
• Rubber membrane D-pad and face buttons feel like “standard Anbernic handhelds,” not Vita-style dome switches.
• The D-pad is too sensitive, causing accidental diagonals in precision testing.

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Screen quality (major negative)

The reviewer calls the screen a big problem, with multiple specific issues.

1) Colors: muted / undersaturated

• Colors are described as muted (even for LCD); “colors do not pop.”
• Miy / Mangmi AirX is described as significantly more saturated and clearly better.
• OLED comparison: an older RG505 (T618 + Vita OLED) is said to look substantially better than the RG Vita’s LCD.

2) Oversharpening / halo effect (software issue)

• A known Anbernic T618-era issue: oversharpening creates a dark halo/haloing around text and characters.
• Reported as present here as well (even years later).
• The reviewer suggests it can make games unpleasant unless fixed via custom firmware (e.g., GammaOS is mentioned as a likely workaround).

3) Ghost touches (hardware/unit issue)

• The unit has significant ghost touching: the screen taps without user input in menus.
• Required extra time for setup and forced use of a USB mouse during emulator configuration.
• Only affects:
  • Setup/navigation and games that use touch input (DS-like experiences)
  • During emulation gameplay (often non-touch-based), it’s less impactful.
• The reviewer reports Anbernic said they’d send a replacement, and other reviewers reported the same issue:
  • At least Rod (Retro Tech Dad) experienced it.
  • Reviewer says 2 of ~5–6 people had it (not guaranteed, but “non-zero chance”).

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Performance & emulation results (what it’s good at vs not)

Not a “PS Vita replacement” (key verdict)

• Vita3K exists for Android, but the reviewer says it does not work well on this chipset.
• Even lightweight Vita games:
  • About 1/4 crashed outright during testing.
  • Some games fail visually/behaviorally (example: Fez described as inaccurate/unplayable).
• The reviewer argues Vita3K performance/accuracy depends on custom GPU drivers, and Snapdragon devices generally do better.

Conclusion: Only some very lightweight titles are reliably playable; the reviewer criticizes the “Vita” branding.

PSP experience: the highlight

• The reviewer recommends the device primarily for PSP, not Vita.
• Most PSP games run at 3x upscale (~720p), matching the screen resolution.
• Heavier PSP titles may require dropping to 2x upscale (still good).
• The reviewer claims this can be a better PSP experience than the original PS Vita, because the PS Vita didn’t upscale as effectively (original PS Vita PSP output described as “chunky and pixelated”).
• Summary: “Pretty good PSP… just not a very good PS Vita.”

Other systems (brief rundown)

• Game Boy / GBC: fine (wide bezels noted due to 16:9 screen).
• GBA (3:2 systems): notably better; described as one of the highlights due to reduced black bars.
• NES/SNES/Genesis (4:3): fine (black bars typical); reviewer suggests other devices may be better for 4:3.
• PS1: plays well via DuckStation at 3x, including widescreen hacks to 16:9; tested at 720p upscale.
• N64: RetroArch had stutters/compat issues; better results with standalone Mupen64 (Moopin 64 FC Pro) at 960p upscale; GoldenEye included and described as fine.
• Dreamcast: use Redream at 960p upscale; RetroArch core had slowdown in some games.
• Sega Saturn: generally not recommended; most tested games not full 60 FPS, with examples near ~56 FPS described as stuttery.
• PS2 / GameCube: strongly discouraged
  • AetherSX2 (PS2) and Dolphin (MMJR2 build).
  • Performance worse than expected; lowering resolution leads to fuzzy visuals.
  • Reviewer compares unfavorably to older devices (e.g., Retroid Pocket 3 Plus / RG405M), and says GameCube is even worse.
  • Takeaway: possible but not worth effort; better on another handheld.

PC streaming (Artemis)

• Decoding latency reported around 6 ms and 12–7 ms (suggesting low teens/mid single digits).
• Reviewer prefers ~4 ms or below; they could feel lag in games like Hades.
• Ghost touches were not just a screen artifact during streaming:
  • The streaming app interpreted ghost touches as mouse clicks, affecting gameplay.

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Pros / cons (consolidated)

Pros

• Strong PSP performance (mostly 3x upscale).
• Good ergonomics; comfortable for handheld use.
• Analog sticks feel good; adjustable sensitivity and anti-drift.
• Works well for many “retro” systems (GB/GBC/GBA/PS1/DC/N64 with the right apps).

Cons

• Not a true PS Vita replacement
  • Vita3K performance unreliable; crashes and inaccuracies
  • Emulator needs custom GPU drivers; chipset limits it
• Screen quality issues
  • muted/undersaturated colors
  • oversharpening halo/edge artifact issue
  • ghost touch behavior on the unit (and at least some reviewers report similar)
• Controls not Vita-like (rubber membrane vs clicky Vita dome switches).
• D-pad too sensitive for certain precision platformers.
• No USB-C video out.

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Pricing expectations / comparisons

• Reviewer’s expected retail price (if issues were fixed before retail): $80–$85
• Expectation for shipped-to-door: under $100
• If Anbernic prices higher than that, reviewer suggests competitors are better (example):
  • Miy/Mangmi AirX: 1080p display, “better processor,” $99 retail

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Overall verdict (concise recommendation)

• Do not buy it as a PS Vita replacement.
• Buy it mainly for PSP (and below) if the price is right, especially because the reviewer considers it a strong PSP device.
• Screen/software problems (undersaturation, oversharpening) and possible ghost touch are major drawbacks; these could be dealbreakers unless fixed in production.

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Speakers / viewpoints

• Russ (Metro Retro Gamecore): primary reviewer and source of testing, comparisons, and conclusions.
• Rod (Retro Tech Dad): mentioned as another reviewer who reported experiencing ghost touches as well.