I know the general view of the RG Nano is its gimmicky small, too small to be used for actual gameplay. But I’ve actually found it to be a useful addition to my collection.

Generally my daily carry has been my Miyoo Mini. But there are often times I stick it in my pocket but don’t actually have an opportunity to play it. And as its a rare, easily breakable device, this isn’t ideal.

The RG Nano is perfect for that. I’ve already dropped it a few times and it’s gotten wet, and it’s still chugging along. And as its so small, it has absolutely no profile in any pocket size, so it’s a great carry for any occasion.

Gaming-wise, yes there is a bit of hand discomfort, but I’ve only experienced that after close to an hour of gameplay. It’s easy to adjust your hands and hold it in different ways.

Which brings me to my next point. Game selection. It is not a good device for most games. It has no fast forward functionality, and it’s hard to use precision. Therefore I don’t have any platformers, action, or even Pokemon games on it because I can’t play Pokemon without fast forward.

The games I feel are perfect so far are Harvest Moon FOMT and The Tower SP on GBA and Civilization 2 on PS1. Note that the device only has one set of L and R, so PS1 games have to not rely on those buttons.

What I really love about it is it boots up very quickly, shuts down quickly and saves your state on exit so when you boot back up you’re right back in your game.

So ultimately, if you’re someone who wants to use your phone less while out and about and enjoy the idea of being able to quickly log a few minutes of gameplay without overcommiting a pocket to a larger device, I’d say the RG Nano is an excellent device to consider.

I’m also using the drUm78 CFW which I feel improved the device a bit.