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The Anbernic RG353V/S is a handheld game system with a 3.5 inch, 640 x 480 pixel display, a 1.8 GHz Rockchip RK3566 quad-core ARM Cortex-A55 processor, and support for dual-booting Android and Linux-based operating systems.

So while it’s made for gaming and has a Game Boy-inspired design, with game controllers below the screen, the handheld can also be repurposed as a handheld computer. Case in point: Redditor gthing has describes how they equipped the Anbernic RG353V with a keyboard and Ubuntu Linux to turn into a pocket terminal called the AnberDeck.

gthing’s AnberDeck

First launched in the fall of 2022, the Anbernic RG353V/S currently sells for around $74 and up at AliExpress or for $88 and up if you order one from the Anbernic website. The 126 x 83 x 21mm (5″ x 3.3″ x 0.8″) handheld comes with 1 to 2GB of LPDDR4 memory, up to 32GB of eMMC storage, a microSD card reader, a 3,200 mAh battery, and support for WiFi 5 and Bluetooth 4.2.

To turn the handheld game console into a pocket terminal, gthing replaced the default software with ArkOS, an Ubuntu 19.10-based operating system with an emphasis on gaming, modified a 3D printed case design for the RG353 to accommodate a keyboard, and then affixed a BlackBerry 9900 keyboard + case to the front.

Unfortunately, like the BBQ20KBD we wrote about last year, this is a wired keyboard. And since the USB port is on top of the keyboard, most USB cables will block a portion of the screen, although gthing notes that it might be possible to hook up with a low-profile USB cable that can run behind the keyboard. A Bluetooth keyboard might also work.

Overall this is a pretty nifty DIY project to repurpose a handheld game console as a pocket-sized Linux terminal. But it’s not necessarily the most elegant solution: the finished product ends up being very thick thanks to a case that covers the Anbernic RG353V/S controllers and a keyboard that sits on top of the case.

via Hackster.io

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  3. You know… Anbernic cranks out new devices like crazy, almost to the point where they’re competing against themselves as much as they are other companies.

    I wonder if they’d ever consider releasing a purpose-built like this–basically one of their vertical game handhelds but with an integrated Blackberry-style keyboard? That would be a spiffy little Linux terminal, or even good for some DOS emulation. And nobody else is making something similar, certainly not with Anbernic’s build quality.

    Reply

    1. Yeah, I reckon Anbernic could make a pretty compelling low cost Linux terminal. Either a “cyberdeck” (kind of like the hacked device in this article, a small clam-shell or a touchscreen-only tablet style device. If they could get a decent screen size and battery life and still keep a sharp price, then I would definitely be interested.

      Reply