First off, I absolutely love the thing.
The RG405M can play everything from PlayStation, Nintendo 64, Dreamcast, SNES, etc. without batting an eyelash. With a bit of tinkering, a good bit of PS2 & GameCube games can be played on the device as well.
The RG405M has a WiFi connection giving the ability to download directly onto the device if no computer is nearby. The handheld has 128GB of internal storage, and I purchased a Samsung 256GB MicroSD card for more space than I will ever need.
I did purchase the handheld, along with the 256GB MicroSD card full of games supplied by Anbernic. As advertised, the thing is full of retro games, and was a good place for me to start, until I figured out the process to download my own.
I transferred all of my ROMs onto the 256GB MicroSD card I purchased separately to have all my games backed up, and keep the device itself veritably uncluttered with redundant files.
Now, there are a few issues. Some small. One big.
First, the preloaded operating system. Updating the device to use GammaOS resolved the majority of issues, and is nearly essential for one to keep their sanity using the device. Everything is much more intuitive than the preloaded operating system, and the quality of life improvements are through the roof. GammaOS turns the RG405M into an easy to use, handheld powerhouse.
The next problem (not really a problem, more of a preference) to solve was with the awkwardly placed inline shoulder buttons. Luckily, there is an easy fix. There is an Etsy shop called “BetterButtons” that specializes in 3-D printing custom STACKED shoulder buttons for various handheld emulators. For around $30, I was able to easily remove the back plate of the RG405M to switch out the original shoulder buttons for a more traditional setup using stacked shoulder buttons. Their quality is so exceptional, anyone seeing the 3-D printed shoulder buttons would think they came stock on the original device.
I also changed the face buttons to match the U.S. SNES controller, but the only reason was for personal choice of aesthetics. The original buttons were fine overall in quality.
The biggest issue I am currently having is with a faulty D-Pad. The Left directional button on the D-Pad stopped working entirely. Everything else works fine. Luckily, I was able to force retro games to use the left analog stick, but things can be tricky on 2-D platformers or any game requiring precise movement inputs.
I am currently in communication with support at the moment for a possible solution. I have checked & reconnected the ribbon strip to no avail, and I do not know much about electronics to diagnose the problem further. The next step may involve reformatting the entire device to see if the issue may lie on a software error. Otherwise, I am hoping they will send me a replacement board with the D-Pad to install myself, rather than shipping the thing back halfway across the world for repairs.
With all of these issues aside, the RG405M is pretty amazing, and with a few improvements; it can be even better
I am still happy with my purchase overall, but with the D-Pad malfunctioning within 14 days of initial delivery is a little aggravating. Hopefully Anbernic is able to work with me to fix the problem. Their customer service has been helpful so far.
Also, I will give Anbernic the benefit of the doubt my case is an isolated incident. Everything else regarding my transaction direct from Anbernic has been absolutely stellar.
In the end, I am just happy I decided to purchase from Anbernic at the end of March to avoid the impending tariff fiasco.
If it was not for the faulty D-Pad, this would have been an easy 5* review.
Happy with my purchase overall.
