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The RG-280V is a 2.8 inch 4:3 Linux handheld that plays everything up to PS1 well, made by Anbernic. It came out in November 2020 at $70. Inside is the Ingenic JZ4770 with 512 MB of RAM.
Who it's for
Buy it if
- You want to play everything up to PS1.
- You want it in a jeans pocket: the front is 78 x 89 mm.
Skip it if
- You want N64 games: it scores only 20 out of 100.
- You want Wi-Fi for updates and cloud saves.
RG-280V videos
What it plays
Plays up to: PS1. Chip: Ingenic JZ4770.
Scores out of 100. 100 means the system runs at full speed with no known issues on this device. 80 or more plays well (green), 50 to 79 plays partly (yellow).
What owners say
“I still play my RG280V regularly, and because of its build quality, durability, and portability, it's the one handheld I take with me everywhere around town. Pretty much the only portable that I feel comfortable whipping out on long subway rides to pass the time by.”
“My RG280V is pocketable but uncomfortable for more than 20 mins but I don't have more than 20 mins to play at a time when outside anyway.”
“I have the RG280v which is my favorite device design wise but for gba, which is what I mainly play, the scaling is too blurry in full screen and too small in native.”
What the specs mean
4:3 screen
NES to PS2 era home consoles were 4:3, so they fill it. GBA and PSP games show bars above and below.
Based on: Display math: native screen shapes of each system
GBA at exactly 2x
240 x 160 times 2 is the screen's own 480 x 320, so GBA pixels stay perfectly even with no filter and no bars.
Based on: Display math: native resolution x whole-number scale = screen resolution
Small battery for its class
Only 31 of 117 Linux and other handhelds in our database have a smaller battery than this 2,100 mAh (the middle one has 3,000 mAh). The heavier the system you run, the sooner it runs out.
Based on: Our handheld database: battery of 117 Linux and other handhelds
Shoulder buttons in a row
L1 and L2 sit side by side along the top edge instead of stacked. PS2 games that need L1 and L2 together mean sliding one finger between them.
Based on: Layout data (shoulder button layout)
No analog sticks
N64 games and later PS1 games were made for a stick. Here they run on the d-pad, which works for some and ruins others.
Based on: Layout data; N64 and PS1 DualShock games use analog control
Rating
How we score: what it plays 30%, how many players own and recommend it 20%, screen 15%, price compared with handhelds that play as much 10%, controls 10%, size and weight 10%, battery size for its chip 5%.
Good
- Plays everything up to PS1 well
- Low price
Not so good
- No analog sticks
- N64 games can struggle
- No Wi-Fi
- No video out
Screen fit
Screen: 2.8 inch, IPS, 4:3, 320 x 480.
| System | Original | Sharpest scale | Screen filled |
|---|---|---|---|
| Game Boy | 160 x 144 | 2x (320 x 288) | 60% |
| GBA | 240 x 160 | 2x (480 x 320) | 100% |
| NES and SNES | 256 x 224 | 1x (256 x 224) | 37% |
| Genesis | 320 x 224 | 1x (320 x 224) | 47% |
| PS1 and N64 | 320 x 240 | 1x (320 x 240) | 50% |
Whole-number scales keep every pixel the same size. Bold rows fill the screen with a perfect fit. Screen 320 x 480.
Size
78 x 89 x 18 mm, 125 g. Fits a jeans pocket
- RG-280V (78 x 89 mm)
- iPhone 15 (71.6 x 147.6 mm)
True scale, front view. Jeans pocket = front no bigger than an iPhone 15 Pro Max in a case (160 x 82 mm).
Specs
| Performance | |
|---|---|
| Chip | Ingenic JZ4770 |
| CPU | XBurst |
| Cores | 2 |
| Clock speed | 1.0 GHz |
| GPU | Vivante GC860 |
| RAM | 512 MB DDR2 |
| Cooling | Yes |
| Screen | |
| Size | 2.8" |
| Type | IPS |
| Resolution | 320 x 480 |
| Refresh rate | 60 Hz |
| Pixel density | 206 ppi |
| Aspect ratio | 4:3 |
| Dual screen | No |
| Controls | |
| D-pad | Cross, Lower placement |
| Analog sticks | No |
| Stick layout | No Thumbsticks |
| Shoulder buttons | Side By Side |
| Rumble | Yes |
| Gyroscope | No |
| Connectivity | |
| Storage | Dual External MicroSD |
| SD card | Yes |
| Wi-Fi | No |
| Bluetooth | No |
| USB-C | Yes |
| Video out | No |
| Headphone jack | Yes |
| Build | |
| Form factor | Vertical |
| Dimensions | 78 x 89 x 18 mm |
| Weight | 125 g |
| Battery | 2100 mAh |
| Shell | Plastic |
| Speakers | Back |
| Software | |
| Operating system | Linux |
Questions
Can the RG-280V play PS2 games?
Not well. PS2 scores 0 out of 100. It plays everything up to PS1 well.
Is the RG-280V good for GBA?
Yes. GBA games scale to exactly 2x and fill the whole 320 x 480 screen.
Does it have a headphone jack?
Yes.
How big is the battery?
2,100 mAh. The middle Linux and other handheld in our database has 3,000 mAh.
Can it connect to a TV?
No, it has no video out.
How much does the RG-280V cost?
It launched at about $70 in Nov 2020. Prices on the used market change, so check current listings.
Price and newer models
$70 at launch $60 to $120
The newest in its line in our database, out since Nov 2020.
Compared with
Similar handhelds
Specs and emulation scores from the retrocatalog.com handheld database. The score out of 10 is our own.