As I reported just last week, cheap-yet-awesome retro handhelds are being marched to the guillotine in the name of Trump tariffs. One of the first companies to have its head on the block is also one of the most prolific. Handheld maker Anbernic told customers Sunday that it would stop all direct shipments to U.S. customers, at least until President Donny finally offers any clarity on how much people will pay in import duties for products from China.
Anbernic is known for its enormous library of handheld video game emulation hardware. These handhelds are able to use console emulators—essentially full video game consoles translated into software—to play new homebrew titles as well as digital copies of older games, known as ROMS. In a page describing the new shipping policy, Anbernic said “due to changes in U.S. tariff policies, we will be suspending all shipping from China to the United States starting today. We strongly recommend prioritizing products shipped from our U.S. warehouse.”
Until today Anbernic let customers ship products either directly from China or from it’s U.S. warehouse, where supplies were more limited but products would ship out faster. It’s unclear how long the current supply of consoles in the U.S. will last. I reached out to Anbernic for comment, but did not immediately hear back. The handheld maker said it would update customers when it received “confirmed updates regarding import duties.”
Fortunately there’s more than one way to get a console from Anbernic. You might still be able to find its products on Amazon, or AliExpress. The dropshipping site typically sells these handhelds for much cheaper than you could get elsewhere, too. The classic Anbernic RG35XX Plus Game Boy-like device goes for $48 on AliExpress, $50 on the Anbernic site, and a whopping $80 on Amazon. As American supplies dwindle we can assume those prices will increase.
While President Donald Trump has imposed a 145% tariff on China—a policy that will inevitably increase prices for U.S. consumers—Trump has also explicitly targeted the “de minimis” exemptions that allowed some China e-commerce companies like Temu and Shein to ship exceptionally cheap products to the U.S. Trump’s new trade policies emphasize extra duties on individual products coming from China. That will include a $75 cost paid by customers in May, but that increases to $150 in June. Last week, both Temu and Shein said in near-identical statements they would make “price adjustments” to their products starting April 25 due to “recent changes in global trade rules.”
So while cheap crap is going to get pricier for people in the U.S., the knock against gaming handhelds is felt especially hard. Anbernic has been around since 2017. It was known for launching a metric ton of handhelds every year, from the RG350 in 2020 and the RG351V in 2021 to this year’s Game Boy Advance clone, the RG34XX. The company announced its latest product, the RG557, earlier this month and says the device has a more-powerful processor and OLED display.
It’s a blow to the retro gaming community. Now we’ll have to see how other handheld makers like Miyoo, Ayaneo, TrimUI, and Retroid handle the tariff dilemma. Last week, Retroid told customers on its official Discord that “all shipping agencies will not accept U.S. bound packages from China starting April 25.” While the company’s new Retroid Pocket Classic was shipping to those who ordered in the U.S., the Teal, Kiwi, and Berry colorways were all scheduled to ship after April 28. Anybody who placed those orders in the U.S. needed to order another color. Retroid still hasn’t offered any word what it will do for future products, but considering the reaction from the rest of this niche industry, it’s not looking good.
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