RG351MP

I’m still quite new to the whole retro scene. Last year after countless hours of Russ, Dweeb and comments on this sub, I bought the Anbernic RG 34XXSP as my first retro device. Booted everything up. Selected my games to play and then…. Nothing. I kept playing games on either my iPhone or Steam Deck. For some reason is disliked the presence of the analogue sticks playing games like Mario and Dragon Ball Adventure. Based on a few months playing like this. I decided to look into controllers for my iPhone. I got a MCON coming and was intrigued by the GameSir Pocket Taco. However I caught myself looking at the Miyo Flip Mini because I wanted something without the analogue sticks to play those games. I thought that just looked slicker and that the analogue sticks were the reason I wasn’t using my device. Then two things happened: 1) The holidays came and like most of us, we (binge) watched Stranger Things and the urge to play a D&D game on the go krept up. I already have Baldur’s Gate 3, but was looking for something more bite sized. Some Google and chatbot interactions later and Baldur’s Gate Dark Alliance (GBA) got recommended. 2) Then on the Retro Podcast it was mentioned that the 34XXSP is almost similar in size as the Taco, so why carry that around? So I dusted off the 34XXSP and booted up Baldur’s Gate Dark Alliance. And holy hell, it of course runs smooth, but using the analogue sticks instead of the D-Pad made me do a complete 180. The game is so much fun and plays so much easier with an analogue stick! I now feel bad/sad I wasted so much time looking at the new shiny thing, whilst it wasn’t needed. I guess what I wanted to say is to just try various types of games before deciding a new device is absolutely needed. Thank you reading my epiphany and enjoy the rest of your day 😅 — Device: Anbernic RG 34XXSP Game: Baldur’s Gate Dark Alliance (GBA)

I'm really happy to see that a lot of people enjoy [my Pixel Transparency shader](https://www.reddit.com/r/SBCGaming/comments/1q2vtpo/new_pixel_transparency_shader_for_gbc_no_more/) for Game Boy Color games. It mellows the whites and adds a subtle drop shadow (which you can disable in shader parameters if you prefer) to create an image closer to the original hardware. Just append it to your favorite grid shader or use one of the presets. # GLSL version Many of you requested a GLSL version to work on Linux-based devices like the Brick and Anbernic XX devices. I ported it over and updated some of the grid shaders it relies on for compatibility since the gl versions are less maintained. There are two ways you can get it: 1. [Download directly from the GitHub repo here.](https://github.com/mattakins/Pixel_Transparency/releases/tag/1.1) Choose glsl or slang - glsl for Linux-based devices or slang for devices that support the vulkan driver. Then you can simply copy over to your shader directory on your device or SD card. 2. In the next day or so, the glsl versions should get approved to be a part of the RetroArch glsl shader repo. So that means if your device has Internet, you can go to Main Menu > Online Updater > Update glsl shaders. The slang version is already part of the slang shader repo, so you can get it this way now. # New simpletex preset I added a new simpletex preset (shown in the images). simpletex offers a nice, white pixel grid. This was inspired by a comment on my original post. I really love how it looks. # More than just color correction Some people asked how Pixel Transparency is different than just color correction. The left images have color correction and a grid shader. The right images have color correction and a grid with Pixel Transparency. On the Game Boy Color, white pixels were transparent, and games were designed to take advantage of that. Pokemon, for example, was never meant to blind you with a bright white background. # Tip me I've put a lot of time and energy into this shader, and seeing it bring joy to people is really rewarding. I appreciate all the amazing comments on my last post. If this shader brings you joy, [feel free to leave me a tip](https://ko-fi.com/mattakins). # Update - Performance on Brick Some comments are reporting performance issues with the GLSL version on the Brick. I'll troubleshoot and post an update here with an optimized version. If anyone else has performance issues, please let me know in the comments and what specific device you are using. Thanks! # Update 2 - Brick fix and slowdown on low-end devices Thanks to u/scarwizard for bringing this to my attention. Two issues are causing this shader to not play nice with the Brick: 1. NextUI does not support GLSLP (GL preset files) by default which this shader depends on. However, you can download the RetroArch Pak from the Pak Store which has full shader support and load up the preset files. Another alternative is MuOS which supports GLSLP. 2. Performance and slowdown issues were likely caused by shadow blur. [On the GitHub repo](https://github.com/mattakins/Pixel_Transparency/releases/tag/1.1), I revised the GLSP version to default to a more performant shadow blur effect. I also added a performance package specifically with the Brick in mind which defaults to shadow blur off. Shadow blur is barely perceptible on most handheld screens anyway. Try these if your device was chugging with the first version. Pixel Transparency is now in the official glsl repo and can be downloaded via the online updater in RetroArch. i will be pushing this performance update there soon, but for now it's available on GitHub. Please continue to report any issues. Thanks for helping make this shader great on as many devices as possible!

I think I have an addiction. It all started back in December when I fell prey to an IG story selling a cheap vertical handheld. I really just wanted something to play Tetris. It arrived, and I played it for a few weeks before it failed completely. It wouldn't even turn on, just a cheap GB product clone which I WAY overpaid for. That pushed me down the rabbit hole of emulators. I bought an RG40XXH, then a Retroid Pocket 5. I got the RP5 for a decent deal off eBay, but then I discovered AliExpress and the [r/crownpuffdeals](https://www.reddit.com/r/crownpuffdeals/) deals. That is when the addiction got really bad. I started buying a new handheld almost every week. I realized I really enjoyed the tinkering aspect: setting them up with custom OS (MuOS, Knulli, Spruce, dArkOS, etc.) options, configuring frontends like ES-DE and Cocoon, and building curated ROM libraries. Eventually, I started buying them just to give away to friends. Here is my current collection. I plan on downsizing this and giving most of them away. **The Purchase In Order:** 1. RG40XXH 2. Retroid Pocket 5 3. Miyoo Flip 2 4. Ayn Thor Pro 5. RG35XXSP (grey) 6. Mangmi Air X 7. RG Rotate 8. RG35XXSP (blue) 9. RG40XXV 10. RGCubeXX **The Keep List:** My plan is to keep the Thor, one of the RG35XXSP units, the RG40XXV, and the RGCubeXX. I want to keep the blue SP because I love the color, but it only has 1GB of RAM compared to the grey's 2GB. I tried swapping the boards out, but it appears the blue SP has a different screen. (Most likely, I'll just keep both.) **The Giveaway Plan:** I plan on giving the rest to friends. Looking back at my AliExpress orders, I previously ordered another three RG40XXH units and three BatlEXP G350s, which I already set up and gifted. **Lessons from 6 Months in the Hobby:** * **You only really play one main device.** For me, that is the Thor. Sometimes I pick up another just for the fun of it, but the Thor is my daily driver. * **The Anbernic line handles plenty.** For the majority of the games I am playing, the Anbernic XX line can easily handle the gameplay. **The ROM Library Struggle:** Do not even get me started on ROM libraries. I have been driving myself crazy trying to get the perfect mix. I figured for my friends, largely due to memory card prices, I am sticking to 128GB cards. That fits pretty much all the lower-end systems, and I add a few PS1 games in for them too. I do warn them that not every single game will play perfectly on the XX line, but 95% will work just fine. **A HUGE Thank You:** Finally, I want to add a HUGE thank you to Russ [u/onionsaregross](https://www.reddit.com/user/onionsaregross/) from [Retro Game Corps](https://www.youtube.com/@RetroGameCorps), [Joey's Retro Handhelds,](https://www.youtube.com/@JoeysRetroHandhelds) and [u/TheTechDweeb](https://www.reddit.com/user/TheTechDweeb/) [TechDweeb](https://www.youtube.com/@TechDweeb). Their videos really helped with absolutely everything. I want to give a special shoutout to Russ [u/onionsaregross](https://www.reddit.com/user/onionsaregross/) for his written articles and video guides. I think I spent days poring over his Android setup guides! I also have to add a massive thank you to [r/crownpuffdeals](https://www.reddit.com/r/crownpuffdeals/) and [u/crownpuff](https://www.reddit.com/user/crownpuff/). His AliExpress buying guides have saved me so much money. Waking up on a Monday morning, the very first thing I do is check my phone to see what coupons I can use to order! UPDATE: Wow. I'm trying to respond to everyone who had questions.

Hey everyone, I’m honestly at the point where I was this close to throwing my Anbernic handheld in the trash, so Reddit is kind of my last hope here. I bought an Anbernic RG40XXV from China (AliExpress), and unfortunately it never really worked properly. The device simply does not turn on. Right now the behavior is very simple and very frustrating: • The device does not power on • The screen stays completely black • The only sign of life is the orange charging LED when it’s connected to power What I’ve already tried: • Left it charging for many hours • Held the power button for different lengths of time (short press, 10s, 20s, 30s) • Tried different button combinations • Booted with and without the SD card • Flashed a fresh, official firmware image • Even opened the device and reconnected the battery to the board None of that made any difference. No image, no backlight, no sound, nothing — just the orange LED when charging. At this point I’m assuming it’s a hardware issue, but before I completely give up, I wanted to ask the community: Does anyone here have one last idea or suggestion I could try? I really wanted to like this handheld and I know Anbernic has a lot of fans here, so I’d truly appreciate any help. Thanks in advance Edit 2: It worked. I managed to charge it with an old 5V charger and even open a game. Now I'm going to learn how to use this thing. Thank you very much to the users of this community. Edit: Update: As the lovely u/MissDNight pointed out, the SD card was in the wrong slot. The problem seemed to be user-caused. But as the product was shipped with the SD card in the wrong slot, and I really didn't think I should test it in the other one. Now I have a screen with an empty battery. I'm excited about the possibility of using the console, but I'm finding it strange that the console has been charging for a while and the status doesn't seem to change. I'm using a computer port to charge it; I think I've read something like that here before, right?

I made a post earlier this week highlighting WarioWare Inc on GBA. What are your top 3 hidden gems I should try next on my Anbernic RG34XX SP? Nothing from extremely popular franchises like Pokemon, Mario, etc.. I’m looking for obscure titles but very underrated and addictive games. Appreciate the help in advance!