Slide Into Retro Precision: Meet the Anbernic RG Slide
- P'Nick
- Jun 6
- 3 min read
Hey fam! 👋
Today I’m thrilled to introduce one of the most exciting retro handhelds to slide onto the scene—literally. Meet the Anbernic RG Slide! This is Anbernic’s first-ever sliding handheld, combining nostalgic charm with some seriously impressive screen and performance features.
Let’s take a deep dive into the device and what makes it stand out in a crowded field of retro handhelds. 🚀
🎮 Sliding Into Style: A Fresh Form Factor
The RG Slide brings back the classic slide-up design—a style we haven't seen in retro handhelds in ages. But this isn't just a throwback for the sake of it. The build quality looks premium, and the sliding mechanism hides a modern D-pad and buttons underneath while giving you a clean, pocket-friendly footprint when closed.
🖥 4.7” LTPS IPS Display: Retro Resolution, Modern Clarity
At the heart of the RG Slide is its custom 4.7” BOE panel with an LTPS IPS display and a 4:3 aspect ratio, which is absolutely ideal for classic retro content. Let’s break down what this means:
📌 What is LTPS?
LTPS (Low-Temperature Polysilicon) is a high-end display tech typically used in premium smartphones. Here's what it brings to the table:
✅ Sharper visuals due to higher pixel density
✅ Better power efficiency for longer battery life
✅ Smoother refresh rates thanks to faster response time
✅ Integrated display drivers on the glass for sleeker design
⚠️ More expensive to manufacture, which is why this screen is a big deal!
The RG Slide screen boasts:
🖼 1280 x 960 resolution
🔄 120Hz refresh rate
🌈 1200:1 contrast ratio
💡 500 nits brightness
👆 Multi-touch support
It’s one of the sharpest screens we’ve seen in a retro handheld—no joke.
📐 Perfect Scaling for Retro Gaming
Pixel-perfect rendering is where this device really shines. Anbernic calibrated the resolution to allow clean scaling for all your favorite systems:
✅ PS2, Wii, GameCube, Dreamcast (640x480): 2x pixel scale
✅ PS1, N64 (320x240): 4x pixel scale
✅ Sega Master System (256x192): 5x pixel scale
✅ Arcade games: Displayed with native scaling
That means no blurry upscaling or interpolation—just pure pixel-to-pixel clarity.
📏 How Big is the Viewable Area for 16:9 and 8:7 Games?
The RG Slide’s native 4:3 display is fantastic for retro, but what happens when you play a 16:9 game like a PSP title or an 8:7 SNES game?
Let’s run the numbers.
🔢 Screen Area of a 4.7” 4:3 Display
Aspect ratio: 4:3
Diagonal: 4.7 inches
Width: ~3.76 inches
Height: ~2.82 inches
Total screen area: ~10.6 square inches
📺 When Playing 16:9 Content (e.g. PSP)
To maintain correct aspect ratio, the image is letterboxed (black bars on top/bottom).
Usable height drops to ~2.12 inches
Width remains ~3.76 inches
Diagonal of 16:9 viewable area: ~4.3 inches
🎮 When Playing 8:7 Content (e.g. SNES)
8:7 is narrower than 4:3, so black bars appear on the sides.
Usable width drops to ~3.22 inches
Height remains ~2.82 inches
Diagonal of 8:7 viewable area: ~4.3 inches
That means even for “non-native” content, you’re still getting a bigger screen than many 3.5" devices out there!
🧠 What Else Do We Know So Far?
The OS hasn’t been confirmed yet, but Linux-based systems like ArkOS or JELOS seem likely
No specs yet on CPU, RAM, or emulation performance—but the form factor and screen alone make this device one to watch
🛍️ Coming Soon — Stay Tuned!
The Anbernic RG Slide is set to drop soon, and you can bet I’ll be first in line to unbox it for all of you. Keep an eye out for updates here on the blog or join the conversation in our Anbernic section:
Until then…
Stay pixel-perfect, fam!
🎮P’Nick ✨
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