Anbernic RG Rotate handheld game console with flip-out display coming soon for $88 and up

Handheld devices with square displays that flip upward to reveal a keypad or gamepad are having a moment… again. Last month a company called FROG Technologies introduced a phone that gives strong Motorola Flipout vibes, while handheld game console maker Anbernic has been sharing teasers for an upcoming model called the Anbernic RG Rotate.

Now Anbernic has revealed more details about its new handheld, and despite the unusual design, it looks like it’ll be a fairly cheap device, with prices starting at around $88.

The Anbernic RG Rotate is expected to go on sale May 11 with a basic model featuring a black plastic body with a metal front selling for $88 and a silver model with an all-metal design going for $108. Specs for both models are identical.

Both have a 3.5 inch, 720 x 720 pixel IPS LCD display, 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, and a Unisoc T618 processor featuring two Arm Cortex-A75 CPU cores, six Cortex-A55 cores, and Mali-G52 graphics.

The handheld has a 2,000 mAh battery, stereo speakers, and a microSD card reader with support for cards up to 2TB, a USB Type-C port for charging, and support for WiFi 5 and Bluetooth 5.0. It ships with Android 12 pre-installed.

While the Anbernic RG Rotate isn’t exactly a speed demon, Anbernic says it should be powerful enough for PS2 and Nintendo Wii emulation. It’s worth noting that this thing is probably a better fit for titles built for older consoles anyway though, as it lacks the analog sticks used by many newer consoles. Instead the game controllers include a D-Pad, four action buttons, four flush-mounted folder buttons, and a 6-axis gyroscopic sensor and vibration motor.

It also come with a set of “high-profile” shoulder buttons that you can swap out if you prefer something a little more tactile.