Anbernic RG Rotate

This seemed like it was just going to be another cheesy gimmick device: The screen rotates and a controller folds out. But it turns out it’s overpowered for the price point and can do all sorts of things, and the small size and good battery life play well with that.

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Overall: This is a mini-smartphone. Like, it’ll do most of the stuff I burn my battery on my phone for—when I’m in wi-fi I could be checking email or posting on Tumblr if I really wanted to. Alternately, though, it’s a massive source of entertainment that’s insanely carryable, unobtrusive, and doesn’t necessarily rely on the internet. I’m going to do my best to carry this and reach for it instead of doomscrolling.

Moving On Old Handhelds, Summer 2026

I’ve been making an effort to manage my handheld collection, keeping it down to devices I actually want to use rather than cluttering my house with things that will eventually become e-waste.

Four devices I actually moved on:
• The Anbernic RG35XX was absolutely a success story. I paid $55 for it, played 62 hours on it, then sold it to a friend for a net $42.
• The R46H Hand-held Console cost me $38, I fiddled with it for an hour or two, and then donated it to a charity auction. Honestly, I was never expecting that much from it but I figured it would be both cheap and decent enough I wouldn’t mind passing it on.
• The Miniloong Pocket 1 cost me $60 because I found it on sale on AliExpress. I also fiddled with it for a couple of hours, but it didn’t have a good place in my ecosystem. I turned around and sold it on eBay (in the original box and everything) for $60, which after fees meant I net $47. So I paid $13 to play with it for a couple of hours and get a sense of it, which isn’t super-efficient but isn’t bad.
• The Ampown MagicX Zero 40 cost me $93 when I bought it from the manufacturer, and it was worth it because I was really excited for the gimmick. I played about 16 hours on it, but the issue was really that it wasn’t quite pocketable enough (the fact it wasn’t a clamshell and was instead both wide and tall really hurt it) and that my eyes aren’t what they once were: Shrinking down DS games smaller than their original size made jrpgs uncomfortable to read. (And I’m certainly not traveling with reading glasses to play a handheld!) I sold it for $50 and net $38 after fees on eBay, which wasn’t the most cost-effective by a long shot, but I suppose it’s not much different from giving away a $40 handheld, and I did play and enjoy a bunch of hours on it.

And four more I haven’t yet:
• I waffled a lot on the Powkiddy V10, because it’s not super-comfortable without the grip and it’s not super-portable with it; and it’s only got one system it’s really good for (GBA), which basically every other handheld plays. But damn, it’s so good for GBA. The perfectly sized 2X screen is just beautiful. I only paid $55 for the system and the grip, and there doesn’t seem to be a used market for them. At least at the moment I’m holding onto it and playing GBA games for a while longer.
• I’m wondering if I should move on my Retroid Pocket 2+, because I don’t really use it and it doesn’t have a great place in the ecosystem. (It has similar performance to the RG35XX-H and the same screen size but a much larger body that isn’t pocketable and a UI that isn’t as convenient; and it runs Android but now I have the RG Rotate for Android on a small screen.) The problems are that there also isn’t really an aftermarket for them at this point, and I would need to factory reset it because it’s connected to my Play Store account.
• And I’m contemplating whether to move on my R36S and my Game Console Power Bank DY19. The R36S cost $42 and I’ve gotten 60 hours on it; and I have several other devices that fall into the “I don’t mind if this breaks” category and also the more-comfortable RG35XX-H plays all the same games on the same-size screen. Meanwhile, I’ve only had a handful of cases where I’ve used the Game Console Power Bank DY19, because I have a fast-charging power bank that holds 20,000 mAh and I’ve generally been willing to carry both that and a better handheld. (If I’m out long enough that I’m worried about charging, then I’m bringing a backpack.) As it was $30 and I doubt I’d find a buyer, I’m thinking I’ll bring that camping in a few weeks and then give it away.