2026-03-24

Price Revisions for Retroid and GPD Due to Rising Memory Costs, and the Launch of the New Anbernic "RG Vita"

From mid-to-late March 2026, the portable gaming PC and retro gaming console scene saw a series of price revisions and production terminations due to rising global component costs. Meanwhile, Anbernic has officially released a new device, and leaks of an unannounced device with a unique design have emerged. Here is a summary of the key developments from the last 10 days.

Launch of Anbernic "RG Vita / RG Vita Pro" and leak of an unannounced device with a rotating screen

On March 23, Anbernic released its new handhelds, the "RG Vita" and "RG Vita Pro".

The higher-end model, the "RG Vita Pro", features a 5.5-inch display (1920x1080 resolution) and uses the Rockchip RK3576 SoC. It is equipped with 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, and a 5000mAh battery, and is notable for supporting dual-booting Android 14 and Linux. The price is set at $139.99 for the model without a microSD card. Meanwhile, the standard "RG Vita" model features a 5.46-inch (1280x720) display, a Unisoc T618 processor, and 3GB of RAM, running on Android 12. This model starts at $99.99, targeting an affordable price point.

Separately from official announcements, a video of an unannounced device believed to be from Anbernic was leaked on the Reddit community (r/SBCGaming) around March 16. This device features a square touchscreen with a unique gimmick reminiscent of the 2010 smartphone "Motorola FlipOut": sliding and rotating the screen horizontally reveals a D-pad and ABXY buttons underneath. While this is currently just a leak and it is unconfirmed if it will actually be commercialized, it has garnered attention among fans as a new experiment by the company.

Hit by the "RAMpocalypse": Retroid and GPD announce consecutive price hikes and production ends

Global price surges in memory (RAM) and storage, triggered by demand from AI data centers, are having a serious impact on the product lineups of handheld gaming console manufacturers.

On March 17, Retroid announced the temporary production end of the "Retroid Pocket G2" and a $20 price increase for the vertical model "Pocket Classic" (new price $149). Earlier this month, the company also discontinued the 12GB RAM model of its flagship "Retroid Pocket 6" due to cost concerns, and raised the price of the 8GB model by $15 to $244. Some in the community are calling this situation the "RAMpocalypse," highlighting how manufacturers are struggling with fluctuating market conditions.

This wave has also reached more expensive portable gaming PCs. The latest flagship from GPD, the "GPD WIN 5" (equipped with an AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395), has seen a significant price increase of $600 on the official website compared to its launch late last year, citing rising component costs. Hardware that requires high-performance processors and large-capacity memory is forced to react sensitively to component price fluctuations, and it seems necessary to keep an eye on the price trends of devices from various companies for the time being.

AYANEO's support system reinforcement and updates on the "Pocket S Mini"

Based on its previously announced "2026 Service Improvement Plan," AYANEO is scheduled to begin rolling out localized after-sales support using overseas warehouses between March and April.

Previously, users were concerned that repairs and exchanges required communication with mainland China, which was time-consuming. With this reinforcement of the support system, local handling is expected to become available for popular models in sequence, which should shorten repair times and facilitate smoother communication.

Regarding product development, the "Pocket S Mini," a small 4:3 ratio model equipped with a Snapdragon G3x Gen 2, was previously teased for a March 2026 release. While a specific launch date is not yet confirmed, the community is awaiting an official announcement soon for this device, which packs high-end processing power into a compact chassis for retro gaming.