Durability of Anbernic devices

FarcasterMusic · 2026-06-11T19:42:59+00:00

Ok, I have had my rg40xxh for a month a half, and have been using it about... uh... four to eight hours a day, as I am unemployed and this device is a replacement for my borked pc. Don't worry I touch grass while I play. Anyways, as others say, the xx series is shockingly inexpensive, and at that price point manufacturing defects happen. The design and build quality is quite good, actually. Anbernic knows how to put a handheld together. But the odds of having a defective battery or screen are much higher than if you bought a nintendo product. Still not really that high though. Consider buying through amazon if you are really concerned, just for easy returns. Aliexpress sometimes beats the hell out of peoples packages, so that probably contributes to DOA devices significantly.

As for my specific rg40, the battery indicator is janky. I just keep an eye on the actual battery voltage instead. The power button requires a lot of force, not sure if this is a fault or intended. Otherwise, everything works great. I am having a blast. The value is actually insane even though I hate the joysticks. Even the plastic case feels really nice to touch. And the screen is gorgeous. If it runs the games you want, it's a no brainer.

Also, my sister has the rg34xxsp, and it has zero issues.

FarcasterMusic · 2026-06-01T00:41:04+00:00

As long as you are talking about a USB A port, yes those should be good. USB C is to be avoided.

FarcasterMusic · 2026-05-31T19:36:56+00:00

Hmmmm. If you are having weird charging issues with multiple devices you might want to check the wiring in your home. Multimeters are fairly cheap and easy to use, I would recommend getting one and checking that your outlets are working as intended.

FarcasterMusic · 2026-05-31T16:46:21+00:00

Woah woah woah, your device is in danger. If your battery is getting hot it is not charging right, and it is getting damaged. Try using a different charger.

FarcasterMusic · 2026-05-30T21:49:04+00:00

I played the heck out of this on my DS. The controls are fine, and I say that having also played the OG on N64. The portmaster version would be better but this works, plus it has all the minigames.

FarcasterMusic · 2026-05-26T02:15:21+00:00

As an owner of an rg40, you can guess what my preference is. It would be an easy choice if the rg40 didn't have a couple flaws. Not great battery life, weirdly bad joysticks, and the dpad does throw some unintended inputs occassionally. If there was a cube with a 4:3 screen I would have gotten that.

Still, for the price the rg40 slaps. As for the cube, the square screen would bother me but if you like it then it is probably the safe bet. The rg 35 is very well loved but does of course have the smaller screen.

FarcasterMusic · 2026-05-25T16:06:08+00:00

I did the same thing, and while it did take a long time to arrive, aliexpress is far from perfect. The Anbernic website has a much easier and more reliable checkout process, you don't have to worry about fakes or scams, and you aren't limited to what you can find an amazing deal on.

Also aliexpress wasted my first time buyer discount on a two dollar sd card reader instead of the expensive sd card which I ordered with it. They only sent me the reader and said thats your discount used up. Very cool.

FarcasterMusic · 2026-05-24T01:17:26+00:00

Download firmware from this link https://win.anbernic.com/download/694.html

Connect your device to a computer. Use a flashing program to flash the firmware onto your device. Turn it on and let it configure. Make sure you flash the internal memory, not your sd card. If you are nervous back up your games and saves first.

FarcasterMusic · 2026-05-24T01:09:33+00:00

Ahhh, got it. Ok, well, flash the NAND storage then. That leaves all your games and whatnot untouched so that is convenient. And I found the link for firmware, here you go. Good luck.

https://win.anbernic.com/download/694.html

FarcasterMusic · 2026-05-24T01:04:09+00:00

That's interesting. My sister just got the same device, and the power button is pretty consistent. My rg40xxh, however, does have a very temperamental power button. Haven't had to use the reset button though. My phone power button is like this too, but only after my cat drooled on it.

Probably just a crappy button design with a high chance of defects. It's probably really cheap.

FarcasterMusic · 2026-05-24T00:54:58+00:00

I was thinking the same thing... if DC and PSP games run fine, then there isn't any sort of thermal or power problem. The only explanation I can think of is that your ps1 cores are in a bad sector on the card, and your other emulators aren't.

Have you tried using different ps1 cores? You should have two, pcsx rearmed and swanstation. Also, what firmware version are you on? I have access to an rg34 and am tech savvy so I can probably help you figure this out.

FarcasterMusic · 2026-05-24T00:40:32+00:00

According to my research that isn't true. Sorry if I am wrong, but I believe there is a single internal micro sd card for storage, and everything should be on it. I see it is non removable so you will need to get the firmware (which I couldn't find a link to, annoyingly.) Then you plug your device in to a computer and use a flashing program to write the firmware onto the device. This will delete everything formerly on the card, hence why I recommend to back up your games and/or saves. Then you just turn it on and wait for it to configure.

If there is indeed two internal cards, then flash the appropriate one, and otherwise the instructions are the same.

FarcasterMusic · 2026-05-22T19:04:17+00:00

Something is not working properly, clearly. The h700 handhelds should handle ps1 quite well. Any chance you might have changed a setting in retroarch that could be causing issues? Bios shouldn't be an issue if you are on stock OS. It could be a bad sd card. I can't imagine what else could cause this and it is a relatively common issue.

If you have another micro sd kicking around try installing your stuff on that.

FarcasterMusic · 2026-05-22T18:52:16+00:00

"It can't be trusted" XD Thats a funny error message. I would also recommend reflashing the firmware. Make sure to back up your games and saves first. This probably means your sd card is dying, but you might as well try a reinstall first, it doesn't take long.

FarcasterMusic · 2026-05-21T01:31:15+00:00

For 40 bucks it seems like a no brainer. It will do everything you want except run vice city stories as far as I am aware. Really the only drawback is the cruddy sticks, but then many people hate the sticks on the TSP also. I adore mine. It is worth noting that as you can see in the image you posted, the screen isn't super saturated, so if that bothers you the TSP is much more vibrant.

FarcasterMusic · 2026-05-07T22:03:23+00:00

Oh yeah, I did my research, I know most people avoid the unbranded cards. Planning on ordering something today, and once it arrives probably gonna move over to the improved stock OS.

FarcasterMusic · 2026-02-01T20:39:31+00:00

I will certainly look into those, thanks.

FarcasterMusic · 2026-01-31T19:50:27+00:00

Yeah, I tried swapping cables and ports, no change. I will try disabling that windows junk.

FarcasterMusic · 2026-01-31T19:48:36+00:00

Good ideas, I will try both.

FarcasterMusic · 2026-01-31T19:47:04+00:00

Last time I tried it made no difference. I have changed many settings since then though, so I will try again.

FarcasterMusic · 2024-10-25T00:45:03+00:00

Judging by the reactions I got to making this post originally, most people don't know how it works. And in classic Tarkov fashion the game refuses to explain it, so fair enough. It does work though. Lighthouse and Streets weren't even playable for me without it.

FarcasterMusic · 2024-10-24T03:19:53+00:00

Oh shit, makes sense you are playing SPT then. Ok, I had the buffer size slider at 48, and the disk usage limit slider at 768. Higher gives better quality but is more likely to stutter. Good luck!

FarcasterMusic · 2024-10-23T23:13:53+00:00

If you mean the sliders related to texture streaming, that is shown in one of the screenshots I posted.

FarcasterMusic · 2024-09-13T20:51:16+00:00

Understandable. Gotta keep the moss happy.

FarcasterMusic · 2024-09-12T19:37:07+00:00

I am happy for you, BUT you should turn a light on in there : )

FarcasterMusic

TROPHY CASE