Anbernic Reveals Third Game Boy Advance SP Inspired Device

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Anbernic has today announced a revision to their RG34XX SP with a new name, the RG SP, which dials in the naming scheme used with recent devices, like the RG DS. The RG DS, made entirely to mimic the overall style and use case of the original Nintendo DS, leaves behind any of the company's naming techniques. It boasts no class to signify its chipset generation, nor does it mention its overall screen size.

The RG34XX SP was different in this regard. While the device lives as one of the closest handhelds released to capture the original Game Boy Advance SP footprint, it still contains the typical screen size followed by the XX to signify Anbernic's use of the H700 chipset.

Now, the company is preparing to release a device that goes directly to the source and copies the standard Game Boy Advance SP design more thoroughly.

The new RG SP lacks any analog sticks, a main complaint made by users of the original. While Anbernic has always prioritized the ability to use their handhelds for a variety of consoles, the inclusion of analog sticks on a device that draws its inspiration from one that lacks them sat wrong with some gamers. Moreover, the device also featured colors that seemed misguided in direction, but were still appreciated for their inclusion. The GameCube colorway, for example, is closely associated with Nintendo's home console, but the colorway was never seen on the SP itself. The black colorway, in a similar vein, features rainbow-colored action buttons, a difference from the original SP's slate-ish gray color with black buttons.

The RG SP looks to not only mark its territory as a premium offering for those looking to grab a device that is, in most use cases, a better SP, but it does so by drawing closely to its inspiration.

The device is said to have a 10% slimmer profile, 25% smaller top bezels to remove what many have called the "chin," despite it technically being a forehead, and the color options are directly inspired by colors seen on the actual Game Boy Advance SP. The original SP released in silver and deep blue, with the AGS-101 revision initially coming in pink and light blue, with a black variant following shortly thereafter. The RG SP will launch with silver, black, light pink, and light blue. While the pink, blue, and black colors do have some variation that makes them not as closely mirrored to the originals, the silver looks exactly like the Game Boy Advance SP as it launched in 2004.

The company also says the device will have an "aluminum finish," but judging by the marketing and wording used by the company for their blue metallic-finish RG34XX SP just a few months ago, I would still bank on the device being entirely plastic with design cues that simply harken to an aluminum shell.

Either way, we're excited to see what the future holds for Anbernic and what their next device iteration may be. But as it stands today, the RG SP may be the pinnacle of what gamers expect when it comes to a modernized Game Boy Advance SP.

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