Anbernic continues to be a company that skirts the line of legality with its handhelds, but its new app might just break it.
Most fans know that they will be downloading ROMs for these devices, but try to be vague about where you should get them.
However, the company has tried making this process easier, which might cost them.
The company released a now-deleted video (via the SBC Gaming subreddit) that reveals a new app for their 34XX, 40XX, and 35XX devices.
It’s an app that allows for game downloads. Players can immediately download the ROMs they want for titles that might not be on the device. This is a very convenient way to get games on paper, but it’s a grey area because it’s not legal.
Granted, most people buying an Anbernic device won’t be getting these games legally anyway, so allowing them to download straight from the system is a novel idea.
Most people don’t want to tinker and use SD card readers to add more games to their fancy new Game Boy. But that’s still a huge legal grey area and is probably why the YouTube video was removed.
This app is a nice addition to the XX devices because not everyone will want to tinker with these machines. Adding this app makes these systems a lot more pick up and play, giving fans a quick way to get these ROMs.
Ultimately, customers will decide whether to support this new Anbernic app or play retro games through their old methods. Either way, playing these games was always going to be a legal grey area.
For more Anbernic news, check out how Ben Schwartz owns one. You can also read about classic Pokemon games that need to come to Switch.