I went into the RG Cube ready to dismiss it. A square screen in 2026? In practice, that 1:1 panel turned out to be the most versatile display I’ve used on a handheld, and the Cube is now the device I reach for when I want to play something that isn’t strictly 4:3.
The screen is the whole pitch
The square 720x720 panel handles Game Boy beautifully, gives vertical arcade shooters the full-height canvas they were born for, and makes DS games genuinely comfortable. Conventional widescreen handhelds can’t do all three without compromise.
Power and platform
This is an Android device, which means more horsepower than any RK3326 R-series unit and the headaches that come with Android: launchers to configure, occasional update friction, more setup before you’re playing. The payoff is real PS2 and DS performance.
Build and extras
Hall-effect sticks, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, USB-C video out, and a sturdy chassis. It feels like a small portable PC wearing a retro costume.
Who is it for?
- Buy it if you want range — 2D, vertical, DS, light PS2 — in one device and don’t mind Android.
- Skip it if you want the plug-and-play simplicity of a Linux R-series handheld.
The RG Cube is the answer to a question most people didn’t ask, and then can’t stop using once they have it.
It costs meaningfully more than an R38S, and it should — it’s a different class of device. But if the square screen intrigues you even slightly, trust the intrigue.