ANBERNIC Nailed The Xperia Play Vibes So Hard That Fans Are Demanding An Actual Phone
TL;DR
- ANBERNIC revealed the full specs of the RG Slide, with a UNISOC Tiger T820 SoC.
- The design is heavily inspired by sliding devices like the Xperia Play and PSP Go.
- Many nostalgic fans comment that they wish the gaming handheld were an actual phone.
ANBERNIC seems to have struck a chord with its upcoming RG Slide, but maybe not the one it expected. In a promotional video earlier today, the company revealed the sliding device’s full specs, leaving nothing to the imagination.
We already knew the device would have a 120Hz 4.7-inch LTPS display with a 4:3 ratio, but the announcement confirms our suspicion that it will have a UNISOC Tiger T820 SoC. The company has used this chipset in many previous devices, and it’s powerful enough to emulate GameCube and PS2 reliably.
The specs sheet at the end of the video also lists a large 5,000mAh battery, 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM, and 128GB of UFS 2.2 storage. Interestingly, it will also feature the AI integration ANBERNIC recently pushed to the RG 557, which enables real-time translation and game strategy assistance.
While the specs aren’t terribly interesting, the sliding form factor is the clear draw. It pulls heavily from the PSP Go and Sony Xperia Play from more than a decade ago. In fact, the announcement has some fans clamoring for an actual phone.
Fans are begging for a new mobile phone with a sliding form factor.
“It’s a shame that you can’t make calls with it, it would have been the successor to the Xperia Play,” comments one user on the YouTube video. Another writes, “Need call functionalities & a SIM card slot. I’m dying for it.” On Reddit, another user nostalgic for sliding phones writes, “Since it’s not a cellphone, it’s a swing-and-miss for me.”
It’s unlikely that any retro gaming handheld makers will ever make a phone, but it does show some pent-up demand for sliding phones. Sony has been sitting on the patent for 15 years, but we may see a flood of new devices once the patent expires this month.
As for the ANBERNIC RG Slide, the only details we’re still missing are the price and a release date. Stay tuned for more info in the next few weeks.
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