Anbernic RG DDS: AI Game Workshop and Dual-Screen Controls

Anbernic has set out exactly what its RG DDS dual-screen handheld will do with that dedicated AI button, and it is a lot more than a chatbot. A new post on the Anbernic blog walks through an AI Game Workshop that builds small games from a written prompt, voice control for the handheld itself, on-screen game help, live translation and a lower screen that doubles as a touchpad.

It follows a demo video Anbernic put out at the end of last week, which Retro Handhelds picked up on Friday, and it lands about a month before the first units ship.

What the AI button actually does

According to Anbernic, the headline features are:

AI Game Workshop: describe a game, its rules, controls and style, and cloud and on-device AI models build an HTML5 game that runs on the handheld. In Anbernic’s video it knocks up a top-down air hockey game.
AI Voice Companion: open games, change brightness and volume, switch performance modes or turn the lower screen off by talking to it.
Game help: the assistant can recognise what is on screen, search the web and pull up walkthroughs for the game you are stuck in.
Real-time translation: with layouts designed for the two screens, so you can follow Japanese text in an import without reaching for your phone.

The less flashy part may be the most useful. The Dual-Screen Control Center puts performance, cooling, brightness and volume on the bottom screen, and that screen also works as a touchpad with one and two-finger gestures for clicks, swipes and going back. A new Handheld Settings menu lets you remap both the AI and RG buttons, so if you never want to talk to your console, that button can do something else.

Three Anbernic RG DDS handhelds in black, blue and white, with the Control Center on the lower screen — The RG DDS in its three colours, with the Dual-Screen Control Center on the lower screen. (Picture: Anbernic)

The hardware

Underneath all that, the RG DDS is a proper bit of kit. From Anbernic’s product page:

Top screen	4.7-inch IPS, 1200 x 720, 5:3, 500 nits
Bottom screen	4-inch IPS, 960 x 720, 4:3, 500 nits
Chip	Qualcomm Snapdragon G2 Gen 2, Adreno A22 GPU
Memory	8GB + 128GB or 12GB + 256GB, microSD up to 2TB
System	Android 16
Battery	6000mAh, 27W charging
Extras	Fan and heat pipe, gyro, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.4, 1080p video out over USB-C, built-in stylus

It comes in Basalt Black, Glacier White and Phantom Blue, weighs 434g and closes like a 3DS XL, with a Hall sensor putting it to sleep when you shut the lid.

Price and release

The RG DDS is on pre-order on the Anbernic store now, with the 8GB model at $284.99 (down from $299.99). Anbernic says it ships gradually from 10 December 2026.

Our take

The AI button raised plenty of eyebrows when the RG DDS was first shown, and making games from a prompt will not be why most of us buy one. But a touchpad lower screen, remappable buttons and a translator for import games are genuinely handy, and the hardware looks like the strongest dual-screen Anbernic yet for DS and 3DS emulation. If you are weighing it up against the rest, our best retro gaming handhelds in 2026 guide is the place to start, and there is more from the maker in our Anbernic RG handhelds section.