K-TEC Enhancements
We have used our expert knowledge to tune the configuration of your Anbernic handheld. If you discover other tips or configurations that enhance your experience, please use the contact form to let us know. Here’s a list of the changes we’ve made.
microSD cards
The microSD cards that Anbernic usually supplies with its handhelds are unbranded and we are not satisfied with their reliability. Therefore, we ship these devices with brand-name microSD cards.
We are so confident about the quality of these cards that we provide a lifetime guarantee.
It’s important to make a backup
Even with the lifetime guarantee we give our microSD cards, it is still recommended that you backup your card(s) as soon as you receive your device. See How to backup your retro handheld’s microSD card(s)
Firmware
We have replaced the stock firmware with the ArkOS custom firmware. In our testing, ArkOS provided excellent balance between ease of use and performance. We have further refined the configuration of the firmware with settings specific to the RG503.
N64
Use the Standalone-Rice emulator
Standalone-Rice performs better on this device than the default Parallel-N64 retroarch core.
To try a different emulator, see Hints -> Trying different cores/emulators in this guide.
Configure the button-mapping for use with Standalone-Rice
Without configuration, this emulator uses an incomplete and uncomfortable mapping for the inputs. We have configured the inputs to match the common layout used for N64 emulation (L1 used for L-targeting, right analogue-stick directions used for C-inputs).
Wide-screen
In the era of the Nintendo 64, wide-screen televisions were far from common-place. However, some game developers were forward-thinking and included a wide-screen option. We have included configurations for games which have this option to run with a wide-screen version of the Standalone-Rice emulator. If you’d prefer a game to run in a 4:3 aspect ratio, see Hints -> Trying different cores/emulators in this guide.
Please note that wide-screen is enabled using in-game settings. The following provides details about the wide-screen option in games where it’s supported:
| 007: The World Is Not Enough | – Go to Options from main menu and in the Graphics setting change Aspect Ratio to ‘Widescreen’.– This title does not auto load save data on start-up. This title saves option settings on a per save file basis and will automatically apply the 16:9 setting upon load. |
| Banjo-Tooie | – Go to Settings from the main menu then change Wide-Screen Mode to ON.– This title will auto load the game save data on start-up and widescreen will be automatically active. |
| Donkey Kong 64 | – Go to Options (the question mark) from the main menu, change Screen Size to Widescreen.– This title does not auto load save data on start-up. It also doesn’t save the widescreen setting to a save file, meaning you’ll have to set it to widescreen each time you start-up the game. |
| GoldenEye 007 | – Widescreen can only be activated from the start menu in game. Go to the fourth menu on the watch, set Ratio to 16:9. Screen should be on Full.– This title will load the game save data on start-up and widescreen will be automatically active. Only after completing the first level or quitting via the pause menu will a save be made. |
| Jet Force Gemini | – Go to Options from the main menu and select the bottom left icon (<-->) and change this to Widescreen.– This title will auto load the game save data on start-up and widescreen will be automatically active. |
| Mickey’s Speedway USA | – From main menu select Options then select Wide-Screen Settings and change to Wide-Screen [16:9].– This title will load the game save data on start-up and widescreen will be automatically active. |
| Mission: Impossible | – Widescreen can only be activated from the start menu in game. Go to Options and change Aspect Ratio to 16:9.– This title saves option settings on a per save file basis and will automatically apply the 16:9 setting upon load. This means each in game save file will need to be set to display 16:9 for it to automatically load that way. |
| Perfect Dark | – Widescreen can only be activated from the first terminal in the game. The one you are standing at immediately after creating an agent file. Go right to Options and select Video then change Ratio to 16:9. Screen Size should be Full and Hi-Rez unchecked.– This title saves option settings on a per save file basis and will automatically apply the 16:9 setting upon load. This means each in game save file will need to be set to display 16:9 for it to automatically load that way. |
| Starshot: Space Circus Fever | – Widescreen can only be activated from the start menu in game. Go to Options then select Video Settings and change to 16/9 Ratio.– This title will auto load the game save data on start-up and widescreen will be automatically active. |
| Turok 2 – Seeds of Evil | – Go to Options from the main menu or the pause menu and change Resolution to HI-REZ-LB– This title does not automatically load display settings even upon loading a save file. You will need to set HI-REZ-LB every time you start the game. |
| Turok 3 – Shadow of Oblivion | – Go to Options from the main menu or the pause menu and select Display then change Resolution to Letter Box.– This title does not automatically load display settings even upon loading a save file. You will need to set Letter Box every time you start the game. |
PSP
We have tuned the configurations for PSP game. The configuration files are stored in psp/ppsspp/PSP/SYSTEM/ on the second SD card. This device is powerful enough to run most PlayStation Portable games at double the original resolution.
You can show the menu used to alter these settings by pressing L3 + R3.
GameBoy
Set the screen colour to a light green, matching the original GameBoy display
If you would like to try a different colour palette, bring up the Retroarch Quick Menu while in-game (SELECT + X), then going to Options -> Internal Palette.
Save the changes by going back up a menu level (press B) until you see the Overrides item; then select Overrides -> Save Current Directory Overrides.
Dreamcast
We have set the core used for emulation to RETRORUN32 -> Flycast32_Rumble.
To try a different emulator, see Hints -> Trying different cores/emulators in this guide.
Wide-screen
Many Dreamcast games will run in wide-screen and take full advantage of the RG503‘s screen. This is accomplished using “cheat” files that we have configured for you.
All Retroarch cores
Shaders
We have configured shaders to improve the display of retro games on your RG503‘s high-resolution screen.
Set the aspect ratio to Core Provided
This tells Retroarch’s cores to conform to each device’s original screen shape, preventing games from appearing squashed.
Arcade games
A number of arcade games were designed for use with a portrait-format screen. These have been properly flipped to use vertical mode. We have also mapped the controls so that you can use the analogue stick and buttons that will be at the bottom of the device as you’re holding it.
Ports
Ports are games that have been ported to run natively on your device.
Vectrex
We have included colour overlays. This replicates the use of the physical screen overlays included with the original games.
The original Vectrex controle screen used a portrait format. We have configured Vectrex to use a vertical mode on your handheld. We have mapped the controls so that you use the analogue stick and buttons that will be at the bottom of the device as you’re holding it.
Hints
Hotkeys
Note
L3 is the button function (click it) of the left-hand analogue stick; R3 is the same for the right-hand stick.
| Action | Hotkey |
| Safe power-off | R3 + power button |
| Quit game | SELECT + START twice (once for some stand-alone emulators) |
| Sleep | Power button quick press; press again to wake up |
| Add favourite | Y when in game list |
| Remove favourite | Y when in favourites list |
| Retroarch quick menu | SELECT + X |
| Retroarch quick save | SELECT + R1 |
| Retroarch quick load | SELECT + L1 |
| Retroarch fast forward | SELECT + R2 (hold) |
| Retroarch rewind | SELECT + L2 (can undo a small fail) |
Turning off the device
Hotkey
Press R3 (the right-hand analogue stick) and the POWER button together.
Using the menu
Press START, then go down to Quit, and choose Shutdown System.
Hard shutdown or reset
If the device crashes and neither of the previous two methods work, you can perform a hard shutdown by holding the POWER button. Similarly, you can press the RESET button to perform a hard reset.
You should use these only as a last resort, as they risk data corruption.
Note
Your Anbernic device is a handheld computer and, as such, should be powered down in a safe manner. Otherwise, there is a risk of data corruption.
Quitting a game
When using a retroarch core
Most systems are emulated using Retroarch cores.
You can press SELECT + START on the device, twice in quick succession, to quit a game.
Standalone emulators and Ports
Some systems use stand-alone emulators. These include N64, PSP, Dreamcast, and Nintendo DS. Pressing SELECT + START once will quit most of these. Most Ports are quit using the same method.
Nintendo DS: The Nintendo DS emulator (Drastic) is quit by using its menu. You can display the menu by pressing L3. The text is tiny but the last menu option is the one you use to quit.
Quick mode (this is clever)
Note
This feature is only available on Anbernic RG503 devices bought from us during or after October 2023.
What is Quick mode?
Quick mode is a feature that allows you to quickly and easily switch off the device in the middle of playing a game and then continue the game from where you left off when you switch the device back on. This is accomplished using RetroArch auto save-states, so it will only work with games being run with a RetroArch core.
How to use Quick mode
To use Quick mode, press the R3 (press the right analogue-stick) and POWER buttons at the same time. When you switch the device back on, it will automatically go straight back into the game, starting right from where you left off.
Important note: It is important to power down the device safely using the hotkey, R3 + POWER. This will prevent any data loss or corruption.
Benefits of using Quick mode
There are several benefits to using Quick mode:
- It allows you to quickly and easily pause and resume your games.
- It allows you to switch off your device in the middle of a game without losing your progress.
- It is convenient for gamers who want to be able to play games on the go and then pick up where they left off later.
Sleep
You can put your Anbernic handheld into sleep mode with a short-press of the POWER button. If you press the power button again, the device will quickly return to the state it was in before entering sleep mode.
This mode drains the battery at a very slow rate. However, we don’t recommend leaving your device in sleep mode for days at a time. It will eventually run out of battery and the unsafe shutdown may result in data corruption.
Show the Retroarch menu
Select RETROARCH from the main menu and then either retroarch or retroarch32. These are 64-bit and 32-bit versions of the software, respectively. The available game systems are configured to use the 32-bit or 64-bit depending on which happens to work best for that system.
To bring up the Quick Menu, press SELECT + X while in-game.
Updating the firmware
Make sure to backup your microSD card before performing an update. This requires an internet connection. Connect to your WiFi router by using the Options -> WiFi menu entry (use the shoulder buttons to change focus between items on the screen).
To perform an update, use the Options -> Update menu entry and follow the instructions. You may need to use the shoulder buttons to navigate between items on the screen.
Important
Updating the installed firmware may provide improved performance or stability. However, it should also be noted that it’s possible an update could overwrite some of the refinements we’ve made to the device’s configuration.
Screen-saver
After several minutes of sitting idle, your handheld’s screen will go blank. This is the screen-saver. To exit the screen-saver, press one of the face buttons.
Trying different cores/emulators
To try a different emulator for a specific game, press SELECT on the game list screen, then choose Edit this game’s metadata -> Emulator.
Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS uses the stand-alone emulator, Drastic. Games that do not use touch-screen input are the most usable.
L2 swaps the two screens. R2 changes between single-screen and dual-screen display.
Display the Drastic emulator’s menu by pressing L3 (the left-hand analogue stick). You quit DS games, and the Drastic emulator, by using this menu. The menu text is tiny but the last entry is the one you use to quit.
Amstrad
We have configured Amstrad to use the crocods emulator for most games. If a game doesn’t run very well, try the cap32 emulator (see Hints -> Trying different cores/emulators in this guide).
When required, you can use the R1 button to bring up an on-screen keyboard.
If you’re not happy with the way a game’s controls are mapped, you can change this using the crocods menu. Press SELECT, then go to Keyboard -> Redefine Key. To save the changes, go to Media -> Save local settings from the top-level menu.
Glossary
- ArkOS
- This is the Operating System that runs on your Anbernic retro handheld device. It’s a version of Linux that’s been streamlined to run emulators most efficiently.
- Retroarch
- Retroarch provides most of the cores/emulators that run games. The Retroarch menu is used to configure its cores.
- Core
- A Core is an emulator that has been adapted to work with Retroarch.
- Emulator
- Using an emulator, your device pretends that it’s a different device. For instance, using the PPSSPP emulator, your Anbernic retro handheld pretends that it’s a PlayStation Portable. It can then run games designed for the PSP. Some devices are more difficult to emulate than others, such as the Nintendo 64 or Sega Dreamcast.