ANBERNIC RG Slide The RG Slide is one of the most unique devices ANBERNIC has ever made, and it offers the right mix of nostalgic fun and solid performance to be a compelling choice for retro emulation.
While many people are nostalgic for flip phones, sliders are the way to go for me. Sure, I had a basic flip phone in the early 2000s, but I didn’t really get excited about phones until I got my first sliding phone with a full QWERTY keyboard in 2006. That satisfying THWOMP made me feel like I was a secret agent every time I texted my mom to pick up some more Mountain Dew and Cheetos.
But when the PSP Go and Xperia Play brought that form factor to gaming, I just didn’t get it. At that time, I didn’t want to overlap my gaming devices with my phone. I still don’t, but that’s the unfortunate world we now live in.
So when the ANBERNIC RG Slide was announced, I was skeptical. Clamshells like the Retroid Flip 2 had me hungry for more unique form factors in the retro gaming handheld world, but can this slider overcome my past prejudices?
After unboxing the device and sliding it open, that familiar THWOMP immediately had me hooked. The RG Slide might not be perfect, but it’s excited me about the future of handhelds in a way that few devices have in the past year.
Big slide energy
Nick Fernandez / Android Authority
Apart from the slick sliding mechanism, the first thing that stands out about the RG Slide is its size. It is incredibly chunky. The 4:3 aspect ratio, 4.7-inch screen, and rounded design make it look like a phone from two decades ago, but the thickness reminds me of even older handhelds from the 90s — the kind that ate through AA batteries like I went through Mountain Dew.
Once I got over the initial shock, I found that the size actually worked in its favor. Once I got used to the bulk, it was surprisingly comfortable to hold, and the thickness allows for inset capacitive sticks with a nice range of motion. The controls in general are fantastic, with a soft D-pad and quiet buttons. The triggers are very clicky, and the small power and volume buttons are discreetly tucked away on the side.
Nick Fernandez / Android Authority
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