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seraproto · 12 days ago

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RG Nano Review: The Only Device Worse Than Not Having One

It's been a while since I bought this device and even longer since Anbernic released the RG Nano. It's been about a year and a half since it came out so you can't really accuse me of being an early adopter. But I've been spending a lot of time with this device testing everything that I could and it's not great. I won't pretend there isn't anything good about it but I will tell you now that this device is near 100% novelty with 0% practicality.

The RG Nano for those that don't know if an emulation handheld made to play a myriad of emulators and their game files. In this regard the RG nano is actually very impressive capable of playing everything up to and including the PS1 with minimal to no issues. Which is beyond impressive for a device that is shorter than a cotton swab. But as is standard with Anbernic, and other companies producing these devices, they have long since given up on making the perfect device and have opted for making nearly perfect devices with several drawbacks. After all, if they sold you the perfect device what reason would you have to buy the one they release a month later? In the year since this device was made we've seen over 10 devices made from the same XX family of devices that all have the same internals with the only differences being the shell shape. I'm someone who has been a long time supporter of Anbernic but this past year and this device has made me change my mind. Enough about my growing discontent though, let's actually review it.

The Shape

There are several important factors that come in when designing a gaming device, especially a handheld. You need to account for screen size, portability, and comfort. The RG Nano is what happens when all of that is thrown out the window. The nano opted for the form factor of the DMG gameboy but with baxy buttons and two bumpers. The shell is metal with grooves for grip. The dpad is a single unit with sharp corners, the baxy buttons are incredibly small and hurt the thumb, the bumpers feel cheap and clicky similar to a 3d printed material, and I have no complaints about Start and Select. The top of the shell is a usb C out for power and data transfer, and it lights up when plugged in, very cool. The power button is small and sits almost flush with system in a receded pit in the device. This also functions as your menu. It's a single boot sd card slot, speaker on the bottom, and fake speaker lines on the bottom right of the device. No headphone jack but it came with a USB to headphone jack dongle.

Anbernic created this device during the peak of Mini emulator handhelds. The Funkey S had come out, a small clamshell emulator.

The q36 was a small game gear mini like device. Sega released its game gear minis, and the pocket sprite had released. All of these small devices did similar, they offered a wide suite of emulation tools made in the most portable form factors possible. Each one choosing a different shape. Technically the Funkey S was the smallest, followed by pocketsprite, rg nano, and then q36, and GKD Pixel. The main difference between each was mostly the shape and who was offering them.

When comparing the RG nano to its peers you can see one thing in common. All of them have better more comfortable shapes and bigger buttons. Playing on the nano is like repeatedly pressing on the end of a push pin. Sessions longer than 30 minutes will result in pain in your thumb and just a minute of play puts a tiny button indent in your thumb. Anbernic was concerned with going as small as possible and congrats, because there is 0 wasted space in its shell. This is the most cramped board I've ever seen and I worked in mobile device repair before becoming a YouTuber.

How this thing doesn't overheat is a mystery to me, I'm guessing the metal shell doubles as a heat sink. Anyway, since they opted for the smallest possible design they went with a square screen, and a vertical form factor. The q36 has the same screen size, but because it went vertical it's overall a much more comfortable shape. The buttons are bigger and every thumb has room to breathe and you have a better grip. Neither handheld is ideal for comfort but q36 is an example of Powkiddy doing the best with the assignment. Anbernic went with sacrificing comfort for novelty. Which is definitely an option. Don't worry though, give them a bit and I'm sure we'll get a nano H for horizontal.

Now about that screen, it's 1:1 square ratio. This square ratio can work great on larger devices like the RG Cube. Having a square screen means every system gets similar accommodations for it's shape. So everyone gets screwed over a little and results in a handheld that is horizontally smaller making it more portable. On smaller devices this means that anything with less than a square aspect ratio is going to be made even smaller. This means only Gameboy, Gameboy Color, NES, and SNES are going to fill out that screen nicely.

Meanwhile everything else is 4:3 or 3:2, leaving massive black bars at the top and bottom with the gameplay being shrunken even further than it's already miniscule monitor. You can choose to stretch the scaling but this will leave many characters look like they went through a taffy puller. 4:3 stretching isn't too bad, but 3:2 like the gameboy advance is horrendous. So despite being made for portability the GBA looks bad or just too small. You can optionally zoom with the shortcut select + right on d pad but this cuts off the edges. Other than that the screen is perfectly legible on emulators for handheld devices. But home systems had smaller sprites intended to be seen on TVs. So it's a big time squint fest. The brightness on the screen is great, maybe too high. The pictures I've shown have all been at 0% brightness but I wish it still went lower. I've been using this as a portable flashlight more than a gaming system because it's brighter than my phone.

The Firmware

Anbernic is as popular as it is because of how easy it is to set up out of the box. Most of the time these devices come loaded with thousands of games with emulators already set up. But these games are usually in Chinese, and they're numbered but not in alphabetical order making it impossible to find games on it. On this device that's pretty bad as in list view you can only see 4 game titles at a time. Have fun. But the firmware for this one is problematic. First issue is Anbernic used Funkey's open source operating system, fun key has said they're fine with that. But Anbernic didn't publicly release their version after which is scummy.

Anbernic has a long history of their OS' being outdone almost immediately after release by the community. This has led to anbernic getting lazy in recent years releasing devices with bad or buggy operating systems. In the Nano's case it boots to a clock first every time before booting into a launcher menu. This launcher menu looks like something you'd see on a nokia flip phone. Thankfully it has an alternate launcher you can get to by pressing power then going to "Set Launcher". Confirm with A then restart the device and you get something that looks more like their usual emulation station style launcher.

Now mine looks a little different, that's because I changed my OS to Funkey OS by Drum76. This is an OS that is much closer to Funkey's and is available for many mini devices. I don't normally switch my OS because before this Anbernic's Stock OS' have been fine. But on the Nano that annoying clock on every launch was annoying, but more annoying was my games wouldn't launch and sometimes my device wouldn't power on without multiple on/offs. I changed my OS to Drum's and everything works now. Sort of, now I get occasional flickering. Well, flickering is a step up from not turning on or launching. But now you can see where my title is starting to make a bit of sense. It gets worse though.

The Sound

Nothing major of note here, I'm not an audiophile but I'm not tone deaf. I prefer my music on vinyl, but at the same time I don't notice audio unless it's really bad. That said the speaker isn't the worst but there may be some latency on the sound. When playing Rhythm Tengoku Silver, a fan translation of the Rhythm Tengoku GBA. I'm pretty good at guitar hero, I can't play on expert but I can beat the majority of songs on hard. But on RTS I noticed my timing was worse than on my preferred device my Retroid Pocket 3+. On RP3 I was finishing Karate Man on first try, but on the nano I had to try multiple times. It wasn't until I plugged in my headphones that I was able to get almost a perfect. This could be blamed on the small buttons, the speaker, emulation, any number of things. Whatever it was, I wasn't playing my best. It was possibly the emulation as there is some pixelation when playing.

The Emulation

At first I thought this handheld was great. I tried the classic Yoshi's Island test and it worked fine despite the CPU being at 83% nearly the whole time. Double of what I was getting on PS1 emulation. But it ran fine, maybe it stutters aren't as noticeable on a small screen? What's the Yoshi's Island Test? This is a test Bob on Wulffden does. Yoshi's Island and some other select SNES games had a built in Super FX chip. This chip let Nintendo squeeze some extra power out of their SNES games. This let them do 3d. Yoshi's Island despite displaying minimal 3d absolutely makes the most of this chip. Maybe because so few games used it or maybe it really is that hard to emulate, either way many emulator handhelds can't run Yoshi's Island well. This is kind of common knowledge because many emulator handhelds that typically come with thousands of games seem to always forget Yoshi's Island. It was even able to run Goodboy Galaxy and that's a very recent GBA game made in 2023.

Anyway, it passed the YIT for me. So I decided to roll the dice and play random games. I got a game gear one, Sonic Chaos and started getting frequent slowdowns despite it being an 8 bit console. But everything runs pretty great or normally. Some ps1 games run at 30 fps but it's a consistent 30 and isn't as noticeable on the Squint Master.

The Game Feel

This is in it's own section because even devices that all run the same hardware and software can still handle games differently than others. The Retroid 2 is comparable to many devices but struggles with Dreamcast when others in it's price range don't for example. Probably because it's an Android device. But a lot of factors go into game feel, the hardware, firmware, the emulators, frame rate, the system size, buttons, individual taste, and yeah the RG nano may nail emulation for the most part but it is genuinely terrible to play on.

The screen is too small the majority of the systems it runs well play bad because of the added shrink from small aspect ratios. GBA suffering the most. Gameboy and GBC are great, perfect fits. But even the NES and SNES with their 10:9 screens are still terrible to play because their sprites are smaller. But they control poorly too as systems like PS1 and SNES have a lot of buttons. Yoshi's island runs but the sprites are so small and the buttons too. So it's hard to see but hard to platform too since the dpad is too small for previse movement. When playing Sonic Chaos I frequently had to try and jump to grab rings. One ring took me 5 jumps because I kept barely moving too much.

The machine is perfect for RPGs because they don't require precise controls and if they have a lot of buttons you at least have plenty of time to press it. Playing PS1 is nearly off limits as the nano lacks analog sticks, and L2 and R2 buttons. You can press Select + R to get R2. But say you're playing Chocobo's Dungeon 2, select is the map. So press R2 means opening your map first and then r2 not doing anything because you're on the map. Ps1 doesn't play too bad with a stretched resolution though.

There is only one use case I can think of that this is a good system. You really like Pokemon. It's turn based, clean text, doesn't require precise inputs, uses few buttons, it's a Pokemon machine. But anything else I played all had drawbacks.

Overall

The RG Nano is a perfect example of "Just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should." Anbernic didn't need to ask "Why don't people make systems this small?" Because the answer is obvious, it's a terrible way to play. Now what I meant by the title. Playing this device made me want to play the other systems I own. Every game I thought "This would be better on the rg28xx" or "I miss my RP3". If I had to play nothing but this, I'd choose to not play anything. I'm not even joking. I'll go outside over playing this.

Get Literally Anything Else

Even if you account for it being the most portable handheld it's still pretty terrible because of its other issues.

RG28XX above, RG35XX H below

I'd recommend getting an RG28xx it's $30 and goes on sale frequently, the New model has wifi so you can use Retro Achievements. The rg28xx is also only slightly bigger than a micro but still much smaller than a GBA. Better D Pad, bigger buttons, has an r2 and l2, no analog though. The RG35xx H is a better 28xx with analog sticks but and both have hdmi out. Make sure you get the ones that say "New" in their name as they have Wifi.

The Miyoo Mini Plus is recommended by so many people and it's just 50 bucks.

Retroid Pocket 3+, my emu handheld of choice. Android based OS, touchscreen, plays everything from the DS and PSP and earlier. I've even played some Wii and Gamecube on it. But if you want 3ds, Gamecube, Wii U, Wii, and PS2 get RP4 Pro or 5.

If you're willing to go expensive get a Retroid system, they run on Android and it has quickly replaced my phone. When checking social media I don't even reach for my phone anymore. It just needs a camera and a sim slot. If you have literally any other emulation handheld the RG Nano feels like some obscure torture method by comparison. I can confidently say, if the RG Nano is the only emu handheld you can get then maybe it's time for a new hobby. Pick up hiking, rollerblading, skateboarding, boardgames or tabletops.

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seraproto · 14 days ago

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The Wonderful Mr. Wonderswan

A little while ago I decided to finally fix my Game Gear. Previously I had no soldering skill but I'm one of those people who can do anything if I see someone else do it first. So I decided to teach myself to solder and do tech repair in general. I fixed my Genesis as a practice thing and then decided to see if I could find some cheap electronics to repair. Well if you know anything about the gaming market these days you know that retro gaming device prices are incredibly inflated right now and likely will never go down. Prices are so high here that people from other countries will sell their stuff on our auction sites because they know they'll get more.

I learned about a site while watching another YouTuber that lets you browse Japanese auction sites and place orders. Then they'll pick up the stuff and ship it to you. So I started browsing and found the Wonderswan. This was the perfect device for me to start with and I wanted to share with you this cool device. It's perfect for me because the Wonderswan is both plentiful and cheap, gameboys are certainly cheaper in Japan but other Americans can bid on them making them more expensive. So I chose the Wonderswan because it's Japan Exclusive.

Let's talk a bit about the history of this device since many of you likely haven't heard of it. On YouTube I talked about the Pokemon Mini and many didn't hear about that and that even released in the US. So:

What is the Bandai Wonderswan?

The story starts with the man who made the Gameboy, Gunpei Yokoi. After completing the gameboy and the massive success it was Gunpei moved on to make the Virtual Boy. Gunpei had said previously that once he reached 50 he was going to retire from game design and so he did. This didn't last long though as he and bandai entered a deal to make the Wonder Swan. He made and helped design the system and Bandai was going to produce it an bring it to market. But before the system could release Mr. Yokoi was struck by a car, cutting his life short. 2 years later the first Wonderswan hit the market.

At this point the Gameboy had gone through a few revisions and released in Color. But the Wonderswan's original system could only display in black, white, and 8 shades of gray. Just 42 short of the amount of grays we have today. It wasn't back lit either. But it had some very impressive features that made it stand out. For one the price made the Wonderswan very competitive costing only 5,000 yen at release, while the Gameboy Color was 12,800 yen. Making Wonderswan a budget console.

The Wonderswan also boasted 16 bit gaming despite being black and white and could run for 40 hours on a single AA battery. The system could also play games in vertical mode. That's why there are so many buttons on the left. Games like Gunpey (named after Gunpei Yokoi) play in vertical mode and use the top four buttons as the D pad. But being backed by Bandai also gave them some sweet benefits. Bandai even that far back had a lot of anime licenses and Japanese kids love anime. The Wonderswan was the go to system to play anime games on. Inuyasha, One Piece, Digimon, and even Square saw their potential in the midst of their falling out with Nintendo. At its peak the Wonderswan managed to carve out 8% of the gaming market in Japan and that's after being late to market.

The Wonderswan kept it light on revision consoles, a year after the first release they made the Wonderswan Color. For a while they focused primarily on getting games, making them, and offering bundles and console recolors themed after popular licenses like Gundam and Final Fantasy. But even after the release of the Color it was still cheaper than the gameboy color. Then the GBA came out. The GBA was offering massive gaming potential being a portable 32bit console. But the Wonderswan stayed 16 bit and offered one more revision, the SwanCrystal.

Each Swan revision had no backlight, and the crystal wasn't any different. But what's special about it is that its screen didn't really need one. I don't know how they did it but the screen was still very easy to see even in low light despite not having a backlight. This final version was also still dirt cheap costing only 8000 yen. Despite this the Wonderswan could no longer compete, the GBA was a powerhouse. Double the bits, double the power, much larger games, it was hard to compete. By the end of it's life cycle the Wonderswan was left with only 109 games.

Maybe things would have been different had Mr. Yokoi been alive still, and there is even a conspiracy that Mr. Yokoi was assassinated by hit men Nintendo hired. Many people I've mentioned this to were surprisingly willing to believe Nintendo would do that. But Nintendo had the international market and the Wonderswan stayed in Japan. I don't think Nintendo ever saw Mr. Yokoi or his wonderful device as a threat.

After all of this the Wonderswan has flooded Japanese auction sites. You can find tons of working Wonderswans selling for around $30, color for $50, and Swan Crystals for much more. You can find backlight modded versions in the $150 range, and junk originals for just under 10 dollars. This is why I'm buying them to work on the broken ones are very cheap. Even after shipping it'll only cost about $20 a device. But they're also easy repairs, like most Gameboys the broken ones mostly have easy fixes. Sellers will say stuff like "Leaking lcd" and in reality it's a polarizer that's adhesive is wearing away or the polarizer is burnt. After opening the repair is as easy as applying a screen protector. Corroded battery contacts are also common but an Alcohol bath fixes that.

Should I get a Wonderswan?

That really depends on your ability to speak and read Japanese. The vast majority of these titles are in Japanese with around only a fifth being able to be enjoyed without understanding it. If you're a collector I'd say go for it, even if you get a broken one they're easy to fix. If you're trying to flip them for a profit I don't see the American market being too great. Buying them can also be a pain as some resellers on Japanese auction sites want you to contact them immediately after winning. I don't know if it's xenophobia and they don't want to sell to westerners or if it's to prevent scams. Either way it's annoying. One reseller said in its description that if I don't have at least 10 purchases on my account that they'll cancel the sale and leave a bad review on my account. Don't know how I'm supposed to get more successful purchases if they won't accept mine. But what ever, if they don't want my money there are plenty of other sellers.

As for which model you should go for. If you're wanting to play games you should get at least a color with a flashcart. The color had exclusive games and a flashcart means you can play translations. Color games will say "Color" on the cart. But flashcarts for the Swan are very recent so the tech is expensive costing $120 on average. If you want the best screen possible and don't want to have to deal with a replacement or repair then you'll want a Swan Crystal but those are the most expensive and harder to get aside from IPS screen replacement models. If you can solder get a color and do an IPS replacement, it's easier to get a hold of than a Crystal. Don't bother getting an original unless you want it for collection's sake.

If you want to play the games but don't care about the system then get an emulator handheld like the RG28XX. They sell for around 30 on Anbernic's site and can handle Wonderswan emulation. Make sure whatever handheld you get though has at least 10 buttons because vertical games require the d pad plus 4 buttons.

What games should I try?

We'll save this for a part two as it requires a little more research, I'll also show some repair stuff in a future one. Once mine arrives. But I do know for sure that Gunpey is mostly in English.

#gaming #retro #retrocollection #retrocollector #retrogaming #wonderswan #nintendo #bandai #technology #tech #video games #games #history #wonderswan color

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