Anbernic RG556 & RG Cube Setup Guide

Last updated: 24JUN2024 (see Changelog for details)

The Anbernic RG556 and RG Cube handhelds are great in many ways: they are super comfortable, and can emulate up to PS2 and GameCube for the most part. However, getting it set up can be a little daunting if you’re unfamiliar with Android-based handhelds, so this guide will help you get up and running.

Anbernic RG556: AliExpress // Anbernic.com // GoGameGeek
Anbernic RG Cube: AliExpress // Anbernic.com // GoGameGeek

Table of Contents

Get a good microSD card
Other accessories to consider
Remove Anbernic's Android jank
Get acquainted with Anbernic's interface
Check out the Retroid Pocket 4 guide
Update your apps with Obtainium
Custom 3DS layout for the RG Cube
Native Pico-8
Set up a frontend
Repurpose the RG button
Improve the analog sticks

Changelog

Choose a handheld

Both of these devices have the same Unisoc T820 processor, which means that the performance will be similar: you can play up to GameCube and PS2 with most games playing at upscaled resolutions.

When picking between one or the other, I would recommend watching the impressions and review videos above. When it comes down to it, these two handhelds have slightly different use cases: the RG Cube is excellent for retro gaming in particular, while the RG556 is a better fit for 16:9 systems like PSP and game streaming.

Here is a comparison chart from my RG Cube review, which shows the strengths of each handheld compared to other similar handhelds (either in terms of price of screen).

Get a good microSD card

For additional storage beyond the 128GB internal space, I recommend using a card from reputable brands like SanDisk or Samsung. The way I like to approach it is to use the internal storage for Android games, and then the external storage for all of my ROMs.

In general, I recommend the cards listed below, in order or preference. The prices fluctuate all the time, so keep an eye out for deals. A 128GB card will allow you to load EVERY 8-bit and 16-bit game out there, just about all of the arcade games that work, and quite a few PS1, Dreamcast, PSP, GameCube, PS2, and Sega CD games (those systems have the largest file sizes). A 256GB or 512GB card will allow you to store even more of those larger games. You can use a larger cards too!

128GB cards:
Samsung EVO Select
SanDisk Ultra

256GB cards:
Samsung EVO Select
SanDisk Ultra

512GB cards:
Samsung Evo Select
SanDisk Ultra

1TB cards:
SanDisk Extreme (fastest)
SanDisk Ultra
Lexar Play

When inserting the card for the first time, the device will detect the card like it would with any other Android tablet or phone. It may prompt you to specify the storage method, if that happens then choose “Portable Storage” so that you can remove the card and insert it into your computer for easy file transfer.

Other accessories to consider

If you don’t have a nice microSD to USB adapter, you might want to think about getting one. A nice adapter like this one from Anker will give you the fastest transfer speeds possible, and can be used with USB-A or USB-C ports. Additionally, the Anbernic RG556 can double as a pseudo home console, thanks to its 1080p video output via USB-C, so you could use one of these adapters too. Bear in mind that this device has issues connecting to many docks, and sadly seems to have trouble producing video out at the same time as charging. I have found that the Anker adapter above is the most consistent option to output the video signal to a TV or monitor.

The RG Cube outputs video in a 1:1 square aspect ratio, but you can set it to desktop mode to expand the view. Check out my RG Cube video above for a demonstration, but the process is simple: once connected, swipe down from the top and you should see the option within your notifications tray.

There are plenty of controller options out there, but I prefer to use something that’s somewhat retro-friendly. You could use a bluetooth controller like the 8BitDo SN30 Pro, for example.

Remove Anbernic’s Android jank

Anbernic uses a custom Android 13 build in the RG556, and some of the initial settings don’t really lend themselves to a good gaming experience. Here are the initial adjustments I recommend making when you first power on the device:

• Go into the Android Settings app and make the following changes:
  • Network > Internet > sign into your WiFi
  • Notifications > Do No Disturb > ON
  • Sound & Vibration > Vibration & Haptics > Touch Feedback > OFF (removes rumbling while typing)
  • Sound & Vibration > Touch sounds > OFF
  • Display > Screen Timeout > 30 Minutes
  • Wallpaper & Style > change it to whatever you’d like (although I like the RG Cube wallpaper)
  • Security > Screen Lock > change this to “None” if you don’t want to swipe to unlock every time
  • System > Gestures > System Navigation > Gesture navigation

Also, I recommend that you consider deleting all of the emulators apps that are pre-installed on the device. Many of them are pirated copies of paid apps, and very outdated and potentially dangerous, so it’s better to install the proper ones to get the best performance and to pay developers for their work. The nice thing about buying emulator apps on the Play Store is that they will forever be associated with your Google profile, so you do not need to re-purchase them on other devices using the same profile. If you are a new Android user and want the most seamless experience without messing with Android app settings, you can certainly just use the pre-installed apps.

The color balance on your RG556 may require some adjustment as well. I had two devices to test and review, and the color balance on each varied greatly. To adjust the color, go to Android Settings > Display > Colors & Contrast. Set the contrast to “Automatic contrast”, and then in the Color heading, change the color profile to whatever gives you the most balanced look.

Get acquainted with Anbernic’s interface

Anbernic’s Android interface has a few quirks, so let’s go over those:

• You can toggle on/off the LED lights around the analog sticks by swiping down from the top and tapping on the button labeled “Ambient Light”. Long-press on this app to bring up a quick menu, where you can adjust the brightness and enable other patterns.
• The device has two input modes: NS Mode and Xbox Mode. You can access these by swiping down from the top of the screen and looking for the corresponding button. NS Mode will make the button inputs correspond to the ABXY button pattern on the device, and Xbox mode will swap them so that the A button is on the bottom. It might seem counter-intuitive, but I recommend using Xbox mode because it will translate correctly in Android games and streaming apps. Xbox mode will also provide a full range of analog input for the trigger buttons.
  • On the RG Cube, it will also allow you to alternate between analog and digital trigger inputs. You can make the same adjustment on the RG556 if you long-press on the input mode option.
  • Important! If you use the Xbox control mode, every time you restart the device you will have to go into the top menu and then toggle OFF then ON the Xbox mode again. This is a known bug with the Anbernic software – it just reverts back to NS mode every boot cycle.
• There are performance toggles in the upper quick menu as well. They are Auto Mode and High Mode; as found on most other Anbernic handhelds, the “High Mode” doesn’t seem to provide any additional performance benefit.
• There are also fan controls in the same area, ranging from Stop > Auto > Cool > Strong. The device doesn’t ever really get that hot, so I leave mine on the “Auto” setting and the fan only really seems to kick in when playing certain PS2 and Switch games.
• When playing an Android game that doesn’t support controllers, you can press the Keymapp option in the top quick menu to bring up their keymapper function. This allows you to assign buttons to specific touch points on the screen.
• On the bottom-left of the device is a button with the Anbernic “RG” logo, if you press it, it will bring up their custom frontend. I don’t recommend using it for a variety of reasons — instead, a frontend like ES-DE (EmulationStation) or Daijisho will give you much more control. Instructions are found below.

Check out the Retroid Pocket 4 guide

This one might seem counter-intuitive because it’s a different device, but they are both based on Android and have very similar process, so I would recommend using this guide to set up the device with your emulators. You can skip the beginning parts about the initial setup, so you really can start around the 11-minute-mark of the video above. Additionally, here is the full written guide if that is more your speed.

Recommended emulators:

On Play Store:
Duckstation (free) -- PS1
Mupen64Plus FZ (Pro version available) -- N64
Yaba Sanshiro 2 (Pro version available) -- Saturn
Redream (free, in-app upgrade available) -- Dreamcast
DraStic (paid) -- Nintendo DS
PPSSPP (Gold version available) -- PSP
Yuzu (Early Access version available) -- Switch

Not on Play Store (free):
RetroArch (latest Aarch64 nightly build) -- classic systems
AetherSX2 (v1.5-4248 alpha build) -- PS2
AetherSX2 (v1.5-3668) -- PS2
NetherSX2 (see note below below) -- PS2
Dolphin (development build) -- GameCube & Wii
Dolphin forks -- GameCube & Wii
Citra Canary/Nightly (discontinued) or Lime3DS -- 3DS
Citra MMJ -- 3DS
Skyline -- Switch
Vita3k -- PS Vita
Yuzu -- Switch

Recommended streaming apps:

NVIDIA GeForce Now (PC cloud streaming)
Shadow (PC cloud streaming)
Moonlight (PC remote play)
AMD Link (PC remote play)
Steam Link (PC remote play)
Parsec (PC remote play)
PSPlay or Chiaki (PS4 & PS5 remote play)
Xbox or XBXPlay (Xbox One/Series remote play)
Xbox Game Pass (Xbox cloud streaming)

Apps that are not in the Play Store have to be downloaded manually and then side-loaded, which simply means you install them yourself. It’s an easy process. You can navigate to their guide on your device’s web browser, then tap on each link to go to the download page for that app. Once downloaded, find the app in your Downloads folder, tap on it, and it will install. For an even easier experience, check out the Obtainium section below to automate the process.

For PPSSPP on the RG556, you won’t be able to install the latest version and have it work with Anbernic’s version of Android due to file permission errors. Instead, download and install version 1.11.3 (link here, scroll down to the “Previous Releases” section) and sideload it yourself, then open it to grant it the necessary permissions. Now you can go into the Play Store and update the app to the latest version. The RG Cube can install the latest version without any workarounds.

For RetroArch, I recommend using the nightly build (directly linked above). Once you have installed the app, I strongly recommend going through my RetroArch Starter Guide to orient you to the platform itself. I consider this to be a necessary part of the process when it comes to mastering emulation on an Android device, particularly for retro games. It has a learning curve to it, but once you get the hang of it, you can use these skills for a variety of devices that use RetroArch. The RP4 starter guide video above will also show you the very basics to get started.

Regarding PS2 emulation, I recommend NetherSX2, following the guide above. NetherSX2 is a community project to bring some non-performance updates to the AetherSX2, now that AetherSX2 development has discontinued. There are two options: NetherSX2 “patch” (4248) and NetherSX2 “classic” (3668). The installation process for each is the same — just download the latest GitHub release to a Windows PC, and then run the batch file. It will download AetherSX2, patch it, and output a new AetherSX2 apk file. Note that performance between the 3668 and 4248 versions can vary — some games just run better on one over the other (for example, Sly Cooper runs better on 3668). Sadly, you can’t have both installed on the device at the same time, so you will have to swap between the two.

For the most consistent PS2 results, I have found that the 3668 version is best on the RG556. Use the Vulkan graphics backend and toggle the following settings in this order if it isn’t running at full speed by default:

• Graphics > Threaded Presentation > ON
• Graphics > Hardware Download Mode > Unsynchronized
• Graphics > EE Clock Rate / EE Cycle Skip > decrease values as needed

Update your apps with Obtainium

For apps that you installed via the Play Store, updating the app is as simple as going to the Play Store and then updating the apps under the “Manage Apps” function. For those you sideload, it’s often just a matter of going back to the website, downloading the latest APK, and then installing it — most apps will notice that you already have an older version installed, and will install the new one without messing with your settings or save data. Some apps may give you an error (“this app could not be installed” or “installation failed”), if that happens, you can uninstall the old app (be sure “not to delete your data files”keep app data” when prompted), then install the new one. You may have to reboot your device between installations if it doesn’t work the first time around.

An excellent way to help with your sideloaded apps is Obtainium. This app will check the app versions on your device, and notify you when a new version is available, and you can update that app directly within Obtainium too. This will work best with APKs that are hosted on GitHub.

There is also a handy update script that will auto pull the apps for you into Obtainium, thanks to dev RJNY. Once you have downloaded the json script onto your device (following the instructions on RJNY’s page), open Obtanium, tap on “import/export” then “Obtanium import” and find the json file you downloaded. It will auto-load all of the emulators for you.

You can also manually add each app through Obtanium, by pointing the app to the GitHub release page URL for that app. For Dolphin, set the URL to the Dolphin downloads page, and then within Obtainium be sure to turn ON the option that says “Sort by file names instead of full links”. For Retroarch, set the URL to the buildbot Android page, then under “Custom APK Link Filter” type in RetroArch_aarch64.apk.

Custom 3DS layout for the RG Cube

The 3DS emulator that ships with the RG Cube allows you to manually adjust the screen sizes in the app, and the default setup will also provide a nice 3DS-style overlay. But unfortunately, the performance on this app is somewhat stuttery, which I assume is because the emulator is an older version.

For the best performance and compatibility, I recommend using Lime3DS, a fork of the official Citra emulator. However, the default screen layout options aren’t a great fit for the RG Cube’s square screen, and the portrait orientation mode limits the top screen’s size. While there isn’t a built-in tool to adjust screen size like on the stock or Citra MMJ emulators, you can use a config file to force that layout instead.

Bear in mind that by using this custom screen layout, you’ll lose the ability to toggle the other screen layouts (like a single screen). Like with most things in life, sometimes decisions have consequences.

To start, download and install the latest Lime3DS release. The first time you open it up, it will ask you to specify where you want to place the User Folder. You can pick wherever you would like, but remember its location because we’ll need to access it in a moment.

To set this up, download this zip file (right-click and select “Save As…”, and unzip it. Inside should be a file named “config.ini”; transfer this to your device (for example, you can transfer it onto your device’s SD card). Now, using the RG Cube’s Files app, place this config.ini file in the 3DS config folder — its location will vary depending on where you specified when you installed Lime3DS. If you can’t remember, you can find the location listed in the Options section, under “Select User Folder”. If there is already a config.ini file inside, you can delete it.

Special thanks to discord users Shadow-Star and C0unt-Zer0 for figuring this out!

Native Pico-8

If you’d like to try out running native Pico-8 via the Winlator app (which creates a Windows container to launch the app), check out this written guide.

Set up a frontend

There are many options for frontend apps, which will bring the experience together into something that feels more like a handheld console than an Android tablet with controls slapped on it. I recommend ES-DE (EmulationStation) or Daijisho, and you can check out the setup videos above to get you up and running.

Repurpose the RG button

Once you have a nice third-party frontend installed, you can now repurpose the RG button to another function.

• Download and install Root Uninstaller. This app isn’t on the Play Store, but I recommend getting it from APKpure, a website that only hosts free apps. Beware that there are plenty of ads on this website, so you will need to find the green button that says “Download APK (55MB)”.
• Once installed, open it up and swipe through until you get to the main page. It may ask you things like “enabling Root”, just ignore the prompts. Once in the main page, find the RGLauncher app, and choose to disable it. This will “freeze” the app and you will get a notification that this is a trial version of the app and you will only be able to re-enable apps three times before paying. Since this is the only time we need to do this process, we should be good to go. You can now close out of this app, and you can verify that pressing on the RG button no longer does anything.
• On the Play Store, download and install Button Mapper. Open the app and approve any permissions requests. Tap on the “Add buttons” option, then press the “+” button on the bottom-right, and when prompted press the RG button, which should be detected as F10. Once added to the menu, tap on the F10 button on your screen, and enable “Customize”, and now you can assign whatever you’d like for tap, double-tap, and long press.
  • Note that this setup doesn’t play well with ES-DE if you have that set up as your default home launcher; no matter what you assign it to, it will change back to the Quickstep (default) home as your launcher every time you press it. A simple fix is to assign this button to the ES-DE app!

Improve the analog sticks

Let’s face it, the analog sticks on the RG556 are probably the biggest negative component of the whole device. Thankfully, you can replace them with these Hall-sensor sticks from Gulikit, which provide a more nuance range of motion (see the second image above, courtesy of Aish at Retro Handhelds). They are a drop-in replacement with the current sticks, no soldering or modding required (although I would recommend a nice toolkit to help the process, if you don’t have one already). They won’t fix some of the inherent kernel issues with the controller driver (like the cardinal snapping), but they do appear to improve the overall sensitivity of the sticks.

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Changelog

24JUN2024
– added RG Cube context to each section
– added custom 3DS layout section for RG Cube

21JUN2024
– updated PS2 section
– added context to SD card section
– added context re: paid pirated apps
– added analog/digital trigger toggle
– added native Pico-8 guide link
– added repurposing the RG button section

05MAR2024
– updated Yuzu and Citra links

24FEB2024
– published guide