TL;DR
- ANBERNIC has announced two new handhelds: The RG VITA and the RG VITA Pro.
- The design is heavily inspired by the Sony PS Vita, but with Nintendo buttons.
- This will likely compete with more traditional 16:9 handhelds from Retroid, AYN, and AYANEO.
ANBERNIC might have had a slower 2025, but the company has come into 2026 swinging with an announcement for two upcoming handhelds. Unlike the company’s recent releases, it loses the retro aspect ratio and targets a far more modern design.
The ANBERNIC RG VITA and RG VITA Pro are clearly inspired by Sony’s last true gaming handheld, the PS Vita. They have the same widescreen format, shoulder button cutout, and an all-glass front with connected control bubbles.
Unlike the PS Vita, ANBERNIC’s handhelds have true triggers, rather than relying on back touchpads. There are still rounded pads on the back to complete the look, but they’re likely only aesthetic. Additionally, the buttons stick to the company’s tried-and-true Nintendo ABXY labeling rather than Sony’s styling.
The RG VITA nails the look, but PS Vita emulation on Android is in a rough spot.
The video (shown above) only highlights the physical design of the RG VITA and VITA Pro, so it’s not yet clear what’s powering the two devices. However, the label on the back of the RG VITA is briefly shown with a 5,000mAh battery and 10W charging, indicating it’s likely not the company’s top-end Dimensity 8300 chipset, found in the RG 477M and RG 477V. Hopefully the Pro model has something a little more powerful.
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While the device mostly nails the look of the PS Vita, it will be difficult for it to play like one. PS Vita emulation on Android has stalled in recent years, and it lags well behind other systems. The most recent release of the Vita3K emulator on Android was in June 2024.
The RG VITA and RG VITA Pro are set to be among the very few widescreen devices in ANBERNIC’s catalog. The last 16:9 handheld from the company was the RG 577, but that was a much larger (and likely more powerful) device. The RG VITA will likely compete with more traditional releases from Retroid, AYN, and AYANEO.
Knowing the typical cadence of ANBERNIC handheld announcements, we should be learning more about these devices in the next few weeks. However, the Chinese New Year holiday is set to start next week, so it’s most likely going to launch sometime in March.
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