In a time just before the millennium bug hit and the world ended....wait... As it turns out, the millennium bug was just one of the first of many "world ending" events I've now survived. But, back in 1999, while the world prepared for impending doom, I was busy riding Epona back and forth across Hyrule Field, once again saving the world from Ganon's evil wishes. Now, this may not sound very important to some people. But for a gamer like me, I can almost measure the passage of my childhood in Ganon fights and Bowser fights. I've defeated these two villians so many times I'm almost starting to feel sorry for them. But, this particular quest to save Hyrule was special. It was the first time the Legend of Zelda had stepped into the 3D realm.
Ocarina of Time is a game that needs no introduction or explanation. It's a legend of a game, and in many gamer's minds it's the best Zelda ever made, if not one of the best video games period. I cannot recommend this game enough to people that haven't played it yet. It was a life-changing event for me when I was in middle school. And if you think that sounds overly dramatic or cliché, I remind you...I was 13 and this was my first big experience with 3D gaming. That all being said, the console that brought me into this amazing quest was the Nintendo 64. The N64 was a challenge right out of the box. I pulled the futuristic console out of its styrofoam cocoon, hooked it to my tv, then began to unwrap the controller....3 handles....3? I imagine I looked a lot like a caveman trying to figure out it's first stone tools. I plugged in Ocarina of Time and started the machine up. Very quickly I found out how to use the strange controller and began my quest through time.
Now that I'm older, going back to that controller feels like a trip back home. It feels natural in my hands just like my SNES and NES controllers do. I recently got that system back out and introduced my young son to Mario 64. I couldn't help but laugh as I watched the gears in his head grinding as he tried to figure out that same 3 handled controller. As he played, I quickly realized that my trusty old N64 was a little worse for wear. My controller sometimes lost communication with the console and my A/V cables had to be positioned just right.... It was time to bring my N64 memories into this new decade. I had recently received a new handheld device that I wanted to put up against my RG35XX. The RG353V has a very similar design to the "35XX", (both being Anbernic devices) but most notably, now included dual analog sticks below the D-Pad and ABXY buttons. These come in handy with the increase in power that the device has. I could now explore emulated N64 games. The 13 buttons plus 1 joystick on the N64 controller could be mapped to this impressive device, making for a pretty enjoyable experience. Obviously the RG353V can handle anything from the PS1 down, but the addition of N64 and some PSP games makes this a welcome step up from the RG35XX.
I found the controls to be superb. Anbernic knows what they're doing when it comes to rubber membrane D-pads and buttons. They feel so satisfying under the thumbs and bring back warm memories of 8 and 16-bit controls. The 3.5 inch screen is very sharp and has great color. But, the biggest change was still left for me to explore...There are two versions of the RG353 platform. The RG353V and the RG353VS. The 353V is a dual booting system (linux and android) and the 353VS is a single booting systen (linux only). Having a 353V, I run ArkOS on a 16gb mircro SD card, but removing that SD card from the system lets me boot into a very impressive Android operating system. The Android side lets me use the touchscreen capabilities of the device as well. I'm still tinkering with those features, but have noticed better performance on my higher-end games if I run them on stand alone emulators on the Android side. But I still prefer the simplicity of the ArkOS side a little more. If you don't want to fuss with setting up the standalone emulators, I'd say save the money and go with the RG353VS instead. It'll check all the same boxes, but won't be as customizable. Most importantly, the gaming experience will be amazing on either device. I've been enjoying being able to sit with my son while he plays Mario 64 on the TV, meanwhile fighting my way through Ocarina of Time once again on my RG353V.
If you are a 90's kid at heart and love those first brave steps Nintendo took into the 3D age, the RG353V might just be the perfect window into those nostalgic old glory days. The N64 has a great library and I couldn't be happier to be able to add those memories to all the others I've been able to enjoy thanks to Anbernic and their exceptional handhelds. So, grab your memory cards, get a good grip on your Z-triggers, get back out there and Game On!
Pros
The power is definitely there for a good variety of N64 and PSP titles.
The buttons and analog sticks are very satisfying and responsive.
There's great support from the online community.
3D printer cases, custom OS's, and help forums are everywhere online
The battery life got me a pretty solid 4 to 5 hours playing PS1, Dreamcast, or N64.
The screen looks great and is at an appropriate aspect ratio for most games.
2 SD card slots lets you store games on a second card.
This is so helpful if your OS ever encounters a problem. You can reset it without losing your game library.
Cons
Use a screen protector.
My screen got a small crack while knocking against my phone in my pocket.
The power is there for most high end games, but not all of them.
The trigger buttons stick out a little far, effecting the pocketability of the device.
The price. The RG353V ranges from $100 to $140 online.
I give the RG353V an 6 out of 10 The expanded capabilities are great, but the price still may not be justified
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