Anbernic RG34XX vs. R36S: 3:2 GBA-Style Handheld vs. 4:3 Dual-Stick All-Rounder

Below, I break down the exact 3:2 versus 4:3 screen math, what losing both analog sticks means on 3D consoles, and how the preloaded game cards compare out of the box.

Anbernic RG34XX vs. R36S Specs: 3.4-Inch 3:2 Horizontal vs. 3.5-Inch 4:3 Vertical

Both handhelds pack 1GB RAM, a Mali-G31 MP2 GPU, and dual microSD slots, but the Anbernic RG34XX (Allwinner H700) trades analog sticks and 4:3 width for a GBA-style shell, while the 2Bluebox R36S ($79.99, RK3326) keeps both.

Anbernic built the RG34XX to feel like Nintendo's 2001 Game Boy Advance: a wide horizontal body (144.6 x 81.8 x 24.8 mm, 188 grams) with no analog sticks on the face, sold at launch in Black, Transparent Red, Transparent Green, and Indigo, according to the Retro Handhelds RG34XX review.

Our 2Bluebox R36S, covered in our R36S review, uses a vertical shell built around a 3.5-inch 640x480 (4:3) IPS panel and two analog thumbsticks. Both machines sit in the entry-level Linux tier, but their layouts point at very different habits:

• Close on paper, with a small edge to the H700: The RG34XX pairs a quad-core Allwinner H700 (Cortex-A53, 1.5GHz) with 1GB LPDDR4. The 2Bluebox R36S runs a Dual-RAM Rockchip RK3326 (Cortex-A35, 1.5GHz) with 1GB DDR3L on ArkOS 2.0. Both use a Mali-G31 MP2 GPU, and the H700's newer cores and faster memory give it a little more headroom in heavier systems.
• Extras vs. controls: The RG34XX adds Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2, mini-HDMI video out, and a 3500mAh battery, but its controls stop at a D-Pad, four face buttons, and four shoulder buttons. The R36S has no Wi-Fi or HDMI out, and uses that space for two clickable L3/R3 sticks below the D-Pad and face buttons.

Table 1 lines up the specs of our 2Bluebox R36S ($79.99) and the Anbernic RG34XX. The effective-screen rows are calculated from each maker's listed screen size and resolution. To see how both machines rank across the wider budget market, visit our guide to the best retro handheld consoles in 2026.

Table 1: 2Bluebox R36S ($79.99, 2bluebox.com) vs. Anbernic RG34XX Specs

"Tested on our unit" means we checked it on a device we own. "Manufacturer spec" means the maker states it and we haven't verified it ourselves. "Community reports" means players report it, and results can vary.

Diagonal size alone hides a geometric surprise: a 3.4-inch 3:2 screen has less total surface area than a 3.5-inch 4:3 screen, and the gap widens as soon as you launch a non-GBA game.

Anbernic RG34XX Screen Math: Why a 3:2 Panel Shrinks 4:3 Games

The RG34XX's 720x480 (3:2) screen scales Game Boy Advance (240x160) by an exact 3x, but every 4:3 home console and arcade game shrinks to an effective 3.1-inch window, while the R36S fills its full 3.5-inch panel.

Nintendo built the original Game Boy Advance around a 240x160 (3:2) LCD. Multiply both numbers by three and you get 720x480, the RG34XX's native resolution. Boot Pokemon Emerald, Metroid Fusion, or Advance Wars and every original GBA pixel maps to a clean 3x3 block across the whole 3.4-inch panel (2.83 x 1.89 inches, or 5.34 square inches).

The trade-off shows up as soon as you leave the GBA folder. NES, SNES, Sega Genesis, TurboGrafx-16, PlayStation 1, Nintendo 64, Dreamcast, and CPS1/CPS2/CPS3 arcade boards were all designed for 4:3 CRT televisions:

• What happens to 4:3 games on the RG34XX (720x480): Both screens are 480 pixels tall, so an unstretched 4:3 game on the RG34XX can only use the center 640x480 pixels, leaving a 40-pixel black bar on each side. That active window measures about 3.1 inches diagonal (4.74 square inches).
• What happens on the 2Bluebox R36S (640x480): Every 4:3 console and arcade game fills 100% of the 3.5-inch panel (2.80 x 2.10 inches, or 5.88 square inches) with no black bars, which gives you 24% more picture on PS1, SNES, and N64 than the RG34XX. A 3:2 GBA game renders at 640x427 (about 3.4 inches diagonal), within about 2% of the RG34XX's GBA picture by area. What you give up on the R36S is the exact 3x scale; the picture size is nearly identical.

A sharp-bilinear shader is the standard fix for the uneven pixel widths you get at a non-integer scale like 2.67x. It enlarges the image by a whole number first and smooths only the final step, so GBA text stays sharp without shimmer. Here's how to turn it on for every GBA game on the R36S:

1. Launch any Game Boy Advance game from the Game Boy Advance system in the ArkOS 2.0 menu (mGBA or gpSP core).
2. Press FN + X (or SELECT + X on some older mappings) to open the RetroArch Quick Menu.
3. Load the shader by going to Shaders > Load Preset > interpolation > sharp-bilinear-2x-prescale.glslp, so the 240x160 image scales evenly across the 640x427 window.
4. Keep it for every GBA game with Shaders > Save > Save Core Preset, then choose Resume to go back to your game.

A handheld that only fills its screen on one system leaves you with a 3.1-inch picture on PS1, SNES, and arcade games. If you'd rather have a 3.5-inch 4:3 IPS screen that fills the frame on those systems, still gives GBA about 3.4 inches, and ships with 15,768 preloaded files, here's our 2Bluebox R36S Handheld ($79.99):

No Analog Sticks on the RG34XX: What Happens When You Boot N64, PS1 & PSP?

The horizontal RG34XX has zero analog sticks, so N64, Dreamcast, PSP, and analog PS1 games fall back to the D-Pad. Anbernic's clamshell RG34XXSP adds two small sticks at the bottom, and the 2Bluebox R36S ($79.99) has two clickable sticks.

The Allwinner H700 inside the RG34XX has enough headroom for PS1, lighter N64 and Dreamcast games, 2D and light PSP titles, and PortMaster PC ports. The controls are the problem. Anbernic kept the RG34XX's face faithful to the stickless Game Boy Advance, so there are zero analog sticks to play those games with.

Anbernic's later folding RG34XXSP squeezes two small sticks into the bottom of the clamshell, and Time Extension's RG34XX SP review found them placed too low for comfortable two-stick play. On the horizontal RG34XX, every 3D game hits a control wall:

• No analog steering or walking speed: In Super Mario 64, Mario Kart 64, or Crazy Taxi (Dreamcast), a D-Pad only sends full-tilt inputs. Tip-toeing past a sleeping Piranha Plant or holding a smooth line through a turn needs an analog stick.
• No right stick for C-Buttons or camera: Many N64 games put camera control, items, or Ocarina of Time notes on the four yellow C-Buttons, and PS1 DualShock games like Ape Escape were built around two sticks. On the 2Bluebox R36S ($79.99), the left stick handles movement, the right stick can cover the C-Buttons or camera, and both click in for L3 and R3.
• One honest limit on the R36S: Its RK3326 runs PS1 well but only lighter N64, Dreamcast, and PSP games, so the sticks pay off most on the titles it can actually run.

If you're also cross-shopping Anbernic's stickless folding GBA SP-style model, check our Anbernic RG35XX SP vs. R36S clamshell comparison to see how the clamshell design stacks up for late-night play.

Two real thumbsticks turn PS1 DualShock games and the lighter N64 and Dreamcast library from button-remapping chores into pick-up-and-play sessions.

Preloaded Games and Where You Buy: Anbernic RG34XX vs. 2Bluebox R36S

What's on an Anbernic RG34XX card varies by seller and storage option, while the 2Bluebox R36S ($79.99, 2bluebox.com) ships with 15,768 files (12,805 unique games) you can search at /pages/r36s-games-list before buying, from a Denver, Colorado LLC.

Most people drawn to the RG34XX's Indigo shell want Nintendo's GBA classics back: Pokemon Emerald, Pokemon FireRed, Super Mario Advance 4, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap, and Metroid: Zero Mission. With an import handheld, what's actually on the card depends on the seller and the storage option you pick, so plan on reading the listing closely or loading your own game files from a computer.

Back when I used to pop open SNES shells to check the PCB and scrub the brass pins with 99% isopropyl alcohol and a Q-tip, I learned to trust the board over the label. A microSD card works the same way: the files on it matter more than the number printed on the box.

• A game list you can search first: Before you spend a dollar, open our 15,768-file R36S games list and search by title or system, including GBA, GBC, Game Boy, SNES, NES, Genesis, PS1, and arcade. We exported it straight from the R36S card, and it shows 12,805 unique games once duplicates and broken files are filtered out.
• Dual-RAM board instead of a K36 clone: The archived Handhelds Wiki R36S Buying Guide warns that some K36 clone variants ship with EmuELEC and can't run standard ArkOS. The R36S we sell uses the Dual-RAM RK3326 board (1GB DDR3L) on ArkOS 2.0 (documented on the ArkOS GitHub Wiki) with a removable 3200mAh battery, sold by 2Bluebox LLC (1500 N Grant St, STE N, Denver, CO 80203).

Table 2 compares where you buy on the four checks that matter most when a handheld shows up at your door.

Table 2: 2Bluebox (2bluebox.com) vs. Anbernic RG34XX Import vs. Unbranded R36S Listings

At home, I'm the one explaining to my seven-year-old daughter why 1990s games won't let you save anywhere you like, and that's exactly why save states matter on a handheld. On the R36S, FN + R1 saves your spot and FN + L1 loads it back.

Verdict: Should You Pick the Anbernic RG34XX or the 2Bluebox R36S?

Buy the Anbernic RG34XX if most of your playtime is Game Boy Advance and you're happy loading your own games. Choose the 2Bluebox R36S ($79.99) for a full 3.5-inch 4:3 screen, two analog sticks, and 15,768 preloaded files.

Use this checklist to match your money to the right setup on the first try:

• Choose the 2Bluebox R36S Handheld Console ($79.99) if: You want one pocket device for GBA (about 3.4 inches with sharp-bilinear) and every 4:3 classic system (full 3.5-inch screen, no black bars), two clickable L3/R3 sticks for PS1 DualShock games and lighter N64, Dreamcast, and PSP titles, and 15,768 files (12,805 unique games) ready to play, backed by our 30-Day Hardware & MicroSD Replacement Guarantee. Skip it if you need HDMI TV output or Wi-Fi.
• Choose the Anbernic RG34XX if: You want a horizontal GBA-style shell with exact 3x scaling for GBA, you rarely play 4:3 consoles or 3D games, and you're comfortable installing community firmware such as muOS or KNULLI and loading your own games from a computer. Skip it if you want analog sticks.
• Choose the 2Bluebox Retro Game Stick 4K Pro ($59.98) if: You eyed the RG34XX's mini-HDMI port hoping to play on your living-room TV. Instead of running a cable from a handheld and pairing extra controllers, plug our SEGAM-M8-V5.0 stick into the TV and play with two 2.4GHz wireless controllers across 14,755 unique games (/pages/all-games). Skip it if you want to play on a plane or need PS2-era 3D games.
• Choose the 2Bluebox Portable HDD Super Console 500GB ($64.99) if: PS2, GameCube, or Wii games are on your list. Neither handheld here runs them well, so this Batocera Linux drive boots a Windows PC over USB 3.0 and uses the PC's own CPU and GPU, with 110,686 games listed at /pages/hdd-super-console-game-list. Performance depends on your PC. Skip it if you only have an Apple Silicon Mac.

Whether you want a pocket handheld with two analog sticks or a two-player HDMI console for family game nights, both 2Bluebox packages include Free Tracked Shipping on orders from $50 to the US, UK, Canada, Australia & EU, plus our 30-Day Hardware & MicroSD Replacement Guarantee:

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Conclusion

The Anbernic RG34XX is a charming take on Nintendo's 2001 Game Boy Advance, and if most of your gaming starts and ends with GBA games you load yourself, its exact 3x 720x480 screen is the sharpest way to play them. Step outside the GBA folder into PS1, SNES, N64, Dreamcast, or arcade, though, and the 40-pixel side bars shrink every 4:3 game to about 3.1 inches, with no analog sticks for the 3D titles.

If you want GBA at about 3.4 inches and a full 3.5-inch 4:3 screen for everything else, two clickable L3/R3 thumbsticks, and 15,768 preloaded files ready the minute it arrives, the 2Bluebox R36S Handheld ($79.99) is the better all-around buy.

Check the game list, use a 5V USB-A charger, and Press Start.