ANBERNIC RG405M

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.

The RG405 M is letting me rediscover loves from decades ago...

RG405M (grey) was my second purchase from Anbernic, I love it so much I ordered another one ;)

I can't say anything bad for a first time buy! I mean I can play so many games I would have to say my favorite would have to be the PSP! It just runs so smoothly I can't put it down! Would recommend to anyone that wants to have a gaming device to just pick up and go! One critique I would say about the device would be the start up how I would put the UI in Game Mode instead of an annual Android startup for the average user. Otherwise than that it is a blast to have!

The best handheld to play the classic 4:3 format consoles and computer systems.
The overall build quality is very good.
The face buttons, shoulder buttons, sticks and d-pad have a nice, tactile feel to them.
The screen delivers sufficient bright images with good colour saturation and contrast.
Sound reproduction over the built-in speakers is clean and relative powerful. Excellent sound over headphone.
I recommend using wired headphones because bluetooth sound tends to lag behind the image when playing games.
The battery is powerful enough to allow for several hours of uninterupted gaming, but it heavily depends on the system and game.
The device comes with Android 12 preinstalled including emulators for some systems. It works, but is not very polished in detail.
It is possible to use an alternative OS (GammaOS on Github) for a more polished experience, which I do.
Would buy this handheld anytime again. Best tech purchase of the year so far.

Its really good device almost open and play all games with some settings i hope your company gets much more bigger and have much more products....

This is perfect handheld device. I own quite a few Anbernic devices (RG351MP, RG281V, RG Nano) and they are all great but this is the perfect handheld for on-the-go. The 4:3 aspect ratio is great, and since it’s powered by Android it makes it far more than just a gaming device. I love premium feel of the RG405M. I found the one for me!

I have played around 20 different retro gaming handhelds since 2020. By far, this is the best of the lot of them. A great, great device that plays everything up to Dreamcast and beyond. Will recommend this to everyone I know.
Thank you Anbernic!

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So, my friend had one already. Library after library of my old favourite platforms...

My old NES and PSX, and GB were'nt already in the best shape, so I kept only those console relatesld stuff that were close to my heart and sold the rest to make space for my Anby. (I call it Anbledore 😁)

I love how easy it is to upload and manage games. The emulators are easy to use and have extensive info online sfrom setup to advanced use.

I love the metal casing, and the elegant design (I have black) goes well with my existing eletronics.

I have read that for a lot of people the TF card slot is not holding the SD card. Unfortunatelly same for me, but it's such a small nuissance I will just quickly repair myself.

Love it 120/100 😎✨
Thanks Anbernic

I had done a lot of research and I was eager to get this I found the anbernic had the best results and everybody seemed to love it. I decided to go for it and was really surprised with such great build quality and materials I was a little worried about a third party website but Anbernic's website was easy to use navigate and I got my system really fast.

Ths buttons can stick. I wish I could have the buttons from the 353m on this. I'd be happy to put them in myself. The screen protector came with marks on it. Other than that, I like it a lot.

My unit arrived quickly and with no hardware issues. The buttons all feel solid, and the d-pad is on par with or even better than the Game Boy. I've been happily playing all the handheld games from my childhood, which run beautifully and look great. The battery life is particularly impressive, I can play GBA for several hours and only run the battery down to 75%.
Looking forward to digging into many more classics, especially on PSX!

After watching tons a reviews on this handheld, made the purchase and I could not get enough of this new anbernic product. First it was the 35xx which it super awesome but if you want to play gc and nds series go with 405m plus I love my android..... best purchase ever bring me back to my childhood and late 20's. Dont forget to buy a case too works and fits great for both from anbernic #keepupthegreatworkanbernic

Great, sleek, and portable. Works well and after setup it's great. The only reason I didn't give 5 stars is because my device came with a thin blue line vertically across the screen near the middle. But I think it's still an awesome device you can bring with you to carry your older games.

Best gaming device ever! Would like to try the newest version but cannot afford it.

I like it, great finish with the CNC alloy-material and sturdy materials. It takes a lot of time to get everything setup for the first time, inlcuding placing all your roms and scraping covers manually. If you install GammaOS you can play PS2 games almost perfectly, wich is an awesome experience on this size. PSP games look gorgeous. I don't like the really clicky shoulder buttons, but you will get used to it. Plays fine and buttons are well made. Best replacement for a PSP go / PSP experience; the PSP go screen is almost excactly as big when playing on PPSSPP and increasing the vertical size by 5% / pixels. Black bars are visible tough. Performance is fine for most games but some heavy android games won't run or run very poorly. Still for the price the smallest, fastest PSP go replacement i could find that could play PSP at 2x resolution and even PS2.

Great device but will need deep dive to run ROMs and other things besides that budget friendly and durable

Not as powerful as some, but this fun lil' guy does all the stuff I need it to. Love those old RPGs.

Only needs a couple of things, li-po battery makes me nervous especially when it says it could explode on the back of the device.

Some of my buttons get stuck down for a bit till I wiggle them occasionally.

Besides that I love it. Love having the left joystick at top, didn't think I'd like the Android system and touch screen, but it makes everything easier.

One of the best devices I think anbernic has made. Awesome build quality metal feels good.

Leaves fingerprint marks which sucks though.

This was a wonderful addition for downtime during my vacation. Room for thousands of titles, good feeling controls, and the metal case just oozes quality. Perfect for emulating everything up to and including retro switch titles.