From 9dde6e89d210f956f045cd1ca2398390000d2fa8 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Christine Dodrill Date: Sat, 4 Sep 2021 20:57:07 +0000 Subject: [PATCH] RG280M review Signed-off-by: Christine Dodrill --- blog/rg280m-review.markdown | 152 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 152 insertions(+) create mode 100644 blog/rg280m-review.markdown diff --git a/blog/rg280m-review.markdown b/blog/rg280m-review.markdown new file mode 100644 index 0000000..68e2533 --- /dev/null +++ b/blog/rg280m-review.markdown @@ -0,0 +1,152 @@ +--- +title: "Anbernic RG280M Review" +date: 2021-09-04 +tags: + - anbernic + - retrohandheld +author: Twi +--- + +When I started this blog a few years ago, I never thought I'd end up covering a +lot of the things that I currently cover. Today I'm covering something +completely different to my normal blog fare. I'm going to talk about a handheld +console that I got recently to get my retro game fix on the go, the Anbernic +RG280M. + +![A picture of the RG280M handheld](https://cdn.christine.website/file/christine-static/blog/E-d4eCMXoAgZUEz.jpeg) + +People don't really expect this out of me for some reason, but I am a gamer. I +play a lot of games old and new, and I've wanted to get into some older games; +but without having to tether myself to a PC in the basement. Enter the RG280M. +The RG280M is a pocket-size handheld that uses +[OpenDingux](https://opendingux.net) and [RetroArch](https://www.retroarch.com) +to emulate a wide array of systems, basically everything you could think of +right up to the original PlayStation. + +The big few games I wanted to get out of this were some SNES romhacks (Hyper +Metroid and some other Super Mario World hacks like Invictus), DOS games +(particularly Cosmo's Cosmic Adventure), Gameboy Advance games like Mario and +Luigi: Superstar Saga and a good Tetris round or two. When I was messing with +the RG280M, it knocked everything out of the park save DOS emulation (which +I was able to fix once I installed an optimized port of dosbox). + +This was also one of my first orders from AliExpress. AliExpress is a sort of +consumer focused view of Alibaba (kinda like the Amazon of the asian continent) +where you can buy single units of things instead of having to order in bulk. I +originally thought I was going to get an RG351M (and the case I got actually +shows the RG351M name), but through misunderstanding the post I ended up with +this RG280M instead. I don't understand why they put totally separate models of +gaming system in the _size/color_ selection area, but apparently they did and I +misread things so I have this console. I also got a car decal and a few +notebooks, and those have turned out to be pretty great (though the decal came +bent). + +[I wanted to get the RG351M for its wifi so I could have it on my Tailscale +network for the meme, but the RG280M is a fine system on its +own.](conversation://Cadey/enby) + +Something neat about OpenDingux is that it allows you to install additional +applications using opk files, which are a squashfs of an application binary and +any additional data files that the program needs. Through this I was able to +install things such as [Super Mario +64](https://retrogamecorps.com/2020/10/26/super-mario-64-port-for-rg350-devices/), +which lets me get a surprising amount of extra fun that way. The Super Mario 64 +port runs _flawlessly_ and the only complaints I have about it are complaints +that I had with the original N64 game. + +[If you are wanting to get into retro handheld devices, seriously check out the +RetroGameCorps YouTube +channel. It is phenomenal. It has both video and written writeups on how to do +simple and advanced things with retro emulation devices and is honestly the kind +of quality that we strive for on this blog.](conversation://Mara/happy) + +The stock firmware of the RG280M is functional, but it can be a bit odd to use. +It's very easy to modify that into a custom image though because of how the +RG280M stores data. It uses 2 MicroSD cards, one for your games and the other for the +OS and savedata. + +![A picture of the two TF/MicroSD +cards](https://cdn.christine.website/file/christine-static/blog/E-d4NpyWEAoEgz7.jpeg) + +[The "TF" acronym here means TransFlash, +which was the original name for MicroSD cards and is notably not under the same +kind of trademark protection that MicroSD is. As such, many retro emulation +devices like this will use TF as the acronym to avoid either licensing costs or +trademark infringement.](conversation://Mara/hacker) + +This means that you can flash a new firmware image to the system one and then go +from there. I personally use the [Adam +Image](https://github.com/eduardofilo/RG350_adam_image) on my system. It has +better RetroArch integration and includes a game of 2048 by default. + +One of my bigger grips with RetroArch is that I haven't found a way to +selectively do screensize scaling on a per-core basis (GameBoy roms kinda need +scaling but I really do not want scaling on SNES or GBA roms to avoid distorting +the image), however I'm pretty sure I'm missing something obvious in the giant +list of RetroArch settings. + +[If you know what I'm doing wrong here, please let me +know.](conversation://Cadey/coffee) + +Something really refreshing about this system is how darn easy it is to modify +it. I can just replace the OS it's running with custom firmware. If I want to +upgrade storage, I can pop in a bigger SD card. If I want to tweak things, I +can. I can even develop my own software for it and have an easy distribution +method for it in the form of OPK files. It's a very refreshing thing compared to +the difficulties that I have running things on my iPhone. The device comes with +a root shell out of the box and you can connect to it over SSH via a USB cable +(remember that this doesn't have a wifi card in it so you need to do networking +over USB). Software gets categorized and everything just works out for you with +little effort required. + +The game I've gotten the most playtime out of is [Hyper +Metroid](http://hyper.metroidconstruction.com), a sort of enhanced and remixed +hack of Super Metroid that does some really interesting experimental takes on +the Metroid ammo system (Missiles, Super Missiles and Power Bombs all pull from +the same ammo pool instead of having separate pools per weapon), and it runs +flawlessly on the RG280M. One of the tests I have for dpads on game controllers +is if you can do [wall jumps](https://youtu.be/FApDTSPN_dY) in Super Metroid, +and the 280M passes that test with flying colors. It's a 5 frame window of +having to do a complete reversal of the dpad, and some controllers (like the +Xbox 360 controller) simply do not give you enough precision to get it done +without extraneous inputs that would mess up the walljump timing. + +With the default configuration, there is an amazing level of gamefeel on +everything I've played. The system is snappy and responsive, so tight +platforming in Mario games works amazingly. There's no slowdown or lag when +playing anything I can throw at it. It Just Works. I'm able to play games from +my childhood on the go without too much configuration or effort. If you are +looking for something like this, you can't go wrong with the RG280M. It's about +CAD$100 after currency conversion is done (AliExpress wanted me to pay for it in +euros for some reason, so it was something like 86 euros in case you want to do +the conversion to your currency of choice). It's been well worth the money in my +book. + +The battery life gets me about 6 hours of playtime, which is more than enough +for my needs. It's nowhere near the legendary battery life of the GBA or DS +Lite, but it's more than sufficient for what it's doing. It's got better battery +life than the Switch, so that's probably good enough for longer road trips. + +It also gets a huge thumbs up from me for having USB-C to charge. This is +something that makes a lot of sense and it's kind of baffling that this cheapo +emulator console from China can do USB-C properly and Apple can't put USB-C on +an iPhone. It's one less cable I need to carry in my bag. + +Overall I'd rate this device at an 8/10. It's not perfect, there are some very +minor things that I bet could be improved on in future iterations (I'd love to +see a higher resolution screen and maybe DS emulation support); however it +delivers what it sets out to deliver and does it smiling. On-device wifi would +be an added bonus (it would be really damn convenient to SFTP games over my +Tailnet, or even write something that would listen for files over Taildrop and +automagically sort them into the right folders), but I can live without it. + +If you want to play DOS games on it, be sure to get [this dosbox +port](https://retrogamecorps.com/2020/09/05/rg350-home-computer-guide/#MSDOS) as +it is _a lot more_ performant than the one that comes out of the box. It will +turn 10-ish frame per second gameplay of Cosmo's Cosmic Adventure into a full +vsync fully playable experience. + +If you are in the market for this kind of device, you really can't go wrong with +the Anbernic RG280M. It is a solid little chonker and will do everything it says +it can on the box.