I have come to learn that I am a total sucker for retro gaming handhelds. It started with the BittBoy, then they got me again with the PocketGo, and most recently I could not resist ordering Anbernic’s aluminum body handheld, the RG350M. When I found myself tempted to buy another Anbernic—the vertically oriented RG351V—I realized I have a problem.

I also realized that never posted a review of the RG350M. And I’ve waited so long, in fact, that Anbernic has already released multiple new models which basically render this one obsolete. So, uh, better late than never…? Here we go!

The Anbernic RG350M is horizontally oriented retro gaming handheld (image the original GBA) with a fully aluminum casing. And yes, in case you’re wondering, the “M” does indeed stand for METAL. (Raise the horns!) It features four face buttons (A, B, X, Y in the SNES-style), two thumbsticks (aligned parallel at the bottom), Start & Select buttons, and a very nice 3.5’’ ISP screen under glass.

The top of the device has four shoulder buttons, however, be aware that the layout is similar to the old Wii Classic controller. You have nice big L1 & R1 buttons on the corners, but then L2 & R2 are smaller buttons tucked farther toward the center of the device. This means your finger has to reach over R1 in order to press R2. This can be a bit awkward, especially if a game requires much of those second shoulder buttons, so it’s a compromise, for sure.

The RG350M has USBC charging and a standard headphone jack. It also comes equipped with a 16GB SDcard for rom storage, but will support cards up to 256GB.

Ok, so let’s sum up the RG350M in the same three areas as always: price, ease of setup, and quality of experience.

Price

The price I paid for the RG350M was $129, which felt a bit steep, even for a cool handheld. These days it looks like you could probably snag one for $115, or even less if you went with a RG350P—the same device with a plastic body instead.

I bought mine from RetroMimi, where it was advertised as being on sale from a regular price of $199. Funnily enough though, the price appeared to be right around $130 everywhere online and I couldn’t find it selling for a higher price on any site whatsoever. Considering the device does have a sturdy aluminum case, a higher price tag makes total sense, I just wish retailers wouldn’t mislead customers like this.

Ease of Setup

The Anbernic folks have provided a second SD card for you to load with roms and dive right in. For older consoles and handhelds, this process is pretty straightforward. But if you’re planning to play arcade games, be prepared for some potential headaches with MAME and FBA.

To save you some time, be advised that I found the FBA emulator here requires games from romset MAME 0.219, while the Mame4all emulator only seems to work with roms from set MAME 0.37b5.

FBA stuff

Uses romset MAME 0.219.
Press L + R + Select + Start while in a game to open the options menu. You can remap keys here, as well as exit out of the game.
The X & Y buttons are swapped in FBA’s menu for some reason. So apply the button you want for X to Y, and vice versa.

Mame4all stuff

Uses romset MAME 0.37b5 (won’t recognize the same roms as the FBA emulator)
Emulator always defaults to folder /mnt/mame4all looking for roms to load. This is a folder I can’t even access, stored on the primary sdcard with the operating system. Despite my best efforts, I still haven’t been able to get MAME to look at the correct folder on startup.
Seemingly zero options for adjusting emulator configurations.

Quality of Experience

The metal body and glass screen of the RG350M feel really sturdy and of an impressive quality. The backside has two rubber pads where your fingers rest, providing a nice grip to prevent accidental drops. Not that you’re likely to break this thing. I haven’t tested this, but I’m pretty sure you could throw this in a bag, drop it down the stairs, throw it at a stranger on the street, and nothing is likely to damage it. The fact that it’s metal and a bit weighty makes it feel like a potential weapon.

The D-pad and face buttons are a stiff plastic, feeling nice and clicky. While the D-pad seems quite good and generally responsive, I have had some difficulty using it to pull off special moves in Capcom fighting games. Hard to say whether it’s me or the crosskey who’s more at fault, but I don’t think it’s me.

The left thumbstick is appropriately placed below the D-pad, but it’s so low down on the device that I’m not sure how comfortable it would be for extended play sessions. The top of the thumbstick has a grippy rubber texture that’s actually quite nice, and reminds me of the Switch. Then there’s the second thumbstick on the right side that I’m not sure you’d use for anything, ever. (I’m honestly wondering if it’s purely decorative.)

In terms of the actual emulation, this device has no trouble at with any of the older, smaller stuff. Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, NES, Super Nintendo, Genesis/Megadrive, etc. will all play wonderfully. And the screen is really crisp and clear, generally pretty ideal for whatever you throw at it.

Shockingly, PlayStation 1 games also work great! In fact, it seems like when running on its default settings, this device plays PS1 games a little too fast; noticeably speeding up audio, and zipping through cinematics. You can switch to using the thumbstick if you like, and there’s even internal vibration for game support rumble for some reason. If you are looking for a handheld to play PS1 games on the go, this device is pretty amazing.

So while PS1 games play great, this does lead into my main complaint on the overall design: the shoulder button layout is compromised. You’ll have no problem using L1 & R1 all day long, but reaching for L2 & R2 very ofter can be a bit awkward. Personally, I just don’t care for the Wii Classic controller-style shoulder button layout. That said, this isn’t likely to affect your experience with very many games. (It just really annoys me with Street Fighter Alpha 3 on PS1.)

Speaking of Street Fighter, while I have found that CPS2 roms run extremely well on this device, CPS3 games do not fair as well. This means that X-Men Vs. Street Fighter will play perfectly, but 3rd Strike is basically unplayable. On the NeoGeo side, games like Metal Slug will do fine, but Garou: Mark of the Wolves just isn’t gonna work.

Wrapping Up…

Overall, I enjoy the Anbernic RG350M quite a bit. It’s a lot of fun and potentially worth your retro gaming dollars. However, it does still feel a bit pricey, and as I mentioned earlier, by the time I finally post this review, it is already outdated…a couple times over.

Do you want the exact same performance but don’t want a metal handheld? There’s the RG350P. Want a slightly more powerful device, with built-in wifi, that can maybe play N64 or Dreamcast games? There’s the RG351M. Want a combination of those last two options? There’s the RG351P. Or hey, maybe you prefer a vertical orientation to feel more like an original Game Boy? There’s the RG351V.

I’ve come to realize that the constant iteration of these retro handhelds—as amazing as they are—is the thing that truly fuels my buyer’s remorse. As soon as I decide to buy a retro handheld, I learn of its shiny new successor, and the compulsion to buy yet another, slightly improved handheld is renewed again. The drive to get one massive retro gaming library playable on a single MEGA GAME BOY haunts my dreams. I gotta catch’em all or the soul still burns….

And then, at the end of the day…I’m only going to play Dr. Mario on an old GBA SP anyway. So what’s the point of all this?