Anbernic has always impressed with its metal-shelled devices and the retro handheld manufacturer is bringing this craftsmanship once again to the market with the RG405M. Let’s take a closer look!

Packaging and content

On the official product page, the RG405M starts at $178 and comes with the following items:

• RG405M Game Console
• USB charging cable
• Screen protector
• User manual

 

Additional specs of the device can be found below:

 

Retro-like, yet premium hardware

Anbernic is among the only retro handheld manufacturers that issues devices with a metal shell; and it does this with expert craftsmanship. The latter is on display with the RG405M as it bears a relatively slim profile and a pocketable form factor while bearing a nice heft that adds some premium feel when holding the device in the palms.

In fact, Anbernic further perfected the metal shell design with the RG405M. Usually, those devices would feature plastic sides in order to prevent interference with the wireless communication. On the RG405M, even the sides are metal, endowing practically the whole chassis to be of aluminium. The trick that the company used to still enable wireless communication is that one of the rear rubber pads does not feature metal on its underside and thus enables communication without any effect on the aesthetics. It’s really a smart design that brings the whole-metal look and feel to another level.

 

As usual with Anbernic, the buttons rest on a membrane which gives each press a satisfying feedback. There’s the classic D-pad that adds that mandatory nostalgic touch as well as face buttons with a Nintendo-style layout. The shoulder buttons are still in-line and unfortunately not stacked as I would prefer but the L2/R2 keys are raised, which help to differentiate them and access each key individually.

Anbernic brings back the Hall-based sensors in the RG405M’s analogue stick which is a welcome addition to the traditional Switch joysticks. These new models do away with the notorious stick-drift and I personally prefer the swift, gliding-like feedback they deliver.

Interestingly, with the analogue sticks, Anbernic opted for an asymmetrical layout. This makes the RG405M the first to bear such a layout after the first RG350 model. I’m all in favour of this option as this device can emulate relatively newer systems such as Gamecube and PS2 whose games are better experienced with twin-stick controls. And on a handheld, I find an asymmetrical layout to be more ergonomic. This also somewhat forces you to use the superior Hall-based joysticks and it’s for the better.

Another new aspect to this handheld is its curved sides. I wasn't sure how I initially felt about this design but didn’t mind it while I started using the device. It does rest better in the hands than a more rectangular device but opinions might vary.

Retro gaming performance on the Anbernic RG405M’s T618 chip

Regarding performance, the Anbernic RG405M will fare similar to the previously-released RG505 as they both sport the Unisoc Tiger T618 chip. In fact, the RG405M can more accurately be described as an incremental upgrade over the RG505 with a new layout, a metal shell and no front-facing Anbernic logo.

However, unlike the RG505’s 4.95” OLED touch display, the RG405M has a 4” IPS one. This could be considered as a downgrade and I would myself prefer an OLED display. However, the RG405M’s 4:3 aspect ratio makes it appropriate for a wider range of systems while still offering decent screen real-estate for the systems it emulates.

As this device runs on Android 12, Android games like Deadcells and the Android port of Portal play decently. Like the other Android-based Anbernic systems, the RG405M also has the handy feature to map the device’s physical keys to touch controls. This is useful for Android games that don’t natively support controllers like Genshin Impact; and I’m personally in favour of playing games with actual hardware keys over a touchscreen.

Other additions on the Android side is the emulator frontend from Anbernic, pre-installed Play Store and a new boot animation. The frontend is serviceable and a welcome addition, although you might find better options on the Google Play Store. I was rather positively surprised to be welcome by a custom Anbernic boot animation as it indicated that the company might be favouring the Android route going further.

Regarding emulation, the Anbernic RG405M’s T618 chip can emulate up to Dreamcast games without much issues. It can still emulate PSP, Gamecube and PS2 games but the performance will be title-dependent and you might need to spend some time tweaking the settings. For instance, many Gamecube titles are definitely playable but you’ll want to use PAL ROMs. Similarly for PS2 emulation, you might need to adjust the underclock value and see if the performance is to your liking. 

For PS2 emulation at 1x resolution, Shadow of the Colossus would run at an average of 18fps while I could get Gamecube games to run at 2x resolution with  Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes running at around 50-60fps and Twilight Princess at a varying 20-35 fps. As for PSP at 2x resolution, Tekken 6 would run at a stable 60fps while God of War Ghost of Sparta’s performance would vary between 40-60 fps and crackling audio. But you can fiddle with settings such as frame skip and have a better experience.

 

While playing those more demanding systems, the RG405M’s 4500mAh battery gave me an average of 2-3 hours of play time. Less demanding games/systems will use up the battery slower and you can expect more battery life in those cases. It’s worth noting that the aluminium shell does occasionally warm up when pushing systems like Gamecube and PS2 on it over an extended period of time and cranking the resolution up. While it’s noticeable, it’s definitely not unbearable and I did not mind it one bit, but again opinions might vary.

Decent retro gaming experience on a premium handheld

Thus, with more demanding systems, performance will really depend on the game and how much time you’re willing to spend to tweak settings. For most games I tried, I’d say I had decent to bearable performance and I’d mostly be playing some Gamecube titles on the RG405M myself. Of course your preferences and needs might vary, and this device not being able to boot two different OSes like some other Anbernic devices might be a downer. 

However, as these retro handhelds get more powerful and can emulate newer systems, Android might be the way forward. I am personally in favour of Anbernic being more open to adopting Android as the Android ecosystem already has some compelling games, emulators and corresponding community support. With its characteristic attention to hardware quality, having a ready-made ecosystem like Android, Anbernic can cater to that market with a quality device and it’s on display with the RG405M. 

It’s an easy upgrade recommendation if your last device was the RG350 or RG351 as the RG405M emulates more powerful systems and also lets you access the Android play store (pre-installed). It’s still an incremental upgrade from the RG505 but the aluminium shell and overall hardware really delivers a premium retro gaming experience at a decent price:performance ratio. It’s a statement of the company’s craftsmanship and it’s on display here.

And as Anbernic seems to be going down the Android route, might I suggest it builds an actual gaming smartphone next? 

Official product link

If you’re considering getting an Anbernic RG405M of your own, you can head to the official, unsponsored AliExpress product link for more details here.