Tapwave
Tapwave Zodiac
- Price
- $299
- OS
- Palm OS
- Released
- Jan 2003
- Up to
- Genesis
- Screen
- 3.8 inch TFT
- Weight
- 180 grams
No reviews yet
1 collector
Device comparison
Tapwave Zodiac vs. Anbernic RG552
Compare specs, emulation support, community reviews, ownership, and play history.
Compare
With
Shown to scale from each device’s real-world dimensions.
Quick verdict
- Best value
- RG552
- Better screen
- RG552
- More portable
- Tapwave Zodiac
- Newer model
- RG552
Main differences
- Anbernic RG552 has stronger listed emulation coverage.
- Anbernic RG552 is about $99 cheaper based on catalog pricing.
- Tapwave Zodiac is roughly 34% smaller and 50% lighter.
- Anbernic RG552 has a 60 Hz IPS screen, versus 60 Hz TFT on Tapwave Zodiac.
- Anbernic RG552 runs Android 11; Tapwave Zodiac runs Palm OS.
- Anbernic RG552 is highlighted for DS, N64, PS1, Genesis; Tapwave Zodiac is highlighted for Game Boy, NES.
Details
Anbernic
RG552
- Price
- $200
- OS
- Android 11
- Released
- Dec 2021
- Up to
- Dreamcast
- Screen
- 5.36 inch IPS
- Weight
- 362 grams
No reviews yet
1 collector
Specs
BetterWorse
| Spec | Tapwave Zodiac | RG552 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $299 | $200 |
| OS | Palm OS | Android 11 |
| Screen | 3.8 inch | 5.36 inch |
| Aspect ratio | 3:2 | 5:3 |
| Resolution | 480 x 320 | 1920 x 1152 |
| Refresh rate | 60 Hz | 60 Hz |
| Panel | TFT | IPS |
| Chipset | Motorola i.MX-1 | RockChip RK3399 |
| CPU | ARM920T | Cortex-A72 / Cortex-A53 |
| GPU | ATI Imageon W4200 | Mali-T860 MP4 |
| RAM | 10 MB SDRAM | 4 GB LPDDR4 |
| Storage | 32 MB (Zodiac 1) | Internal 64 GB eMMC, Dual External MicroSD |
| Battery | 1540 mAh | 6400 mAh |
| Weight | 180 grams | 362 grams |
| Dimensions | 142 mm x 79 mm x 14 mm | 198.1 mm x 85.6 mm x 20 mm |
| Video out | No | Yes |
| Bluetooth | Yes | No |
| Hall effect sticks | No | No |
| Analog triggers | No | No |
| Touch screen | Yes | Yes |
Emulation
Excellent › Good › Playable › Limited › Unsupported
| System | Tapwave Zodiac | RG552 |
|---|---|---|
| Classic systems | ||
| Game Boy | ||
| NES | ||
| Genesis | ||
| GBA | ||
| SNES | ||
| PS1 | ||
| Mid-generation systems | ||
| DS | ||
| N64 | ||
| Dreamcast | ||
| PSP | ||
| Saturn | ||
| Sixth-generation systems | ||
| GameCube | ||
| Wii | ||
| PS2 | ||
| Modern systems | ||
| 3DS | ||
| Switch | ||
| Wii U | ||
| PS3 | ||
Emulation source notes
- Tapwave Zodiac DS: Nintendo DS: Either cannot run any games at all or games are unplayably slow
- RG552 DS: Nintendo DS: Almost all games playable at full speed without frameskip
- Tapwave Zodiac 3DS: Nintendo 3DS: Either cannot run any games at all or games are unplayably slow
- RG552 3DS: Nintendo 3DS: Either cannot run any games at all or games are unplayably slow
- Tapwave Zodiac GBA: Nintendo Game Boy Advance: Most games playable at full speed, a few games have lower frame rates but still mostly playable with frameskip
- RG552 GBA: Nintendo Game Boy Advance: Almost all games playable at full speed without frameskip
- Tapwave Zodiac N64: Nintendo 64: Either cannot run any games at all or games are unplayably slow
- RG552 N64: Nintendo 64: Almost all games playable at full speed without frameskip
- Tapwave Zodiac NES: Nintendo Entertainment System: Almost all games playable at full speed without frameskip
- RG552 NES: Nintendo Entertainment System: Almost all games playable at full speed without frameskip
- Tapwave Zodiac PS1: Sony Playstation: Only the easiest to emulate games are barely playable
- RG552 PS1: Sony Playstation: Almost all games playable at full speed without frameskip
- Tapwave Zodiac PS2: Sony Playstation 2: Either cannot run any games at all or games are unplayably slow
- RG552 PS2: Sony Playstation 2: Only the easiest to emulate games are barely playable Gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcnzFvZ4lZE
- Tapwave Zodiac PS3: Sony Playstation 3: Either cannot run any games at all or games are unplayably slow
- RG552 PS3: Sony Playstation 3: Either cannot run any games at all or games are unplayably slow
- Tapwave Zodiac PSP: Sony Playstation Portable: Either cannot run any games at all or games are unplayably slow
- RG552 PSP: Sony Playstation Portable: Most games playable at full speed, a few games have lower frame rates but still mostly playable with frameskip God of War Chains of Olympus (at 2x resolution), running around 22-30 FPS: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/838733031716028416/911979991623929917/QQ_605bc4f347e3bebdea22415b8a13776b1637493713.mp4
- Tapwave Zodiac Wii: Nintendo Wii: Either cannot run any games at all or games are unplayably slow
- RG552 Wii: Nintendo Wii: Only the easiest to emulate games are barely playable
- Tapwave Zodiac SNES: Super Nintendo Entertainment System: Most games playable at full speed, a few games have lower frame rates but still mostly playable with frameskip
- RG552 SNES: Super Nintendo Entertainment System: Almost all games playable at full speed without frameskip
- Tapwave Zodiac Wii U: Nintendo Wii U: Either cannot run any games at all or games are unplayably slow
- RG552 Wii U: Nintendo Wii U: Either cannot run any games at all or games are unplayably slow
- Tapwave Zodiac Saturn: Sega Saturn: Either cannot run any games at all or games are unplayably slow
- RG552 Saturn: Sega Saturn: Most games playable but mostly with frameskip, struggles with harder to emulate games
- Tapwave Zodiac Switch: Nintendo Switch: Either cannot run any games at all or games are unplayably slow
- RG552 Switch: Nintendo Switch: Either cannot run any games at all or games are unplayably slow
- Tapwave Zodiac Genesis: Sega Genesis / Mega Drive: Most games playable at full speed, a few games have lower frame rates but still mostly playable with frameskip
- RG552 Genesis: Sega Genesis / Mega Drive: Almost all games playable at full speed without frameskip
- Tapwave Zodiac Game Boy: Game Boy / Game Boy Color: Almost all games playable at full speed without frameskip
- RG552 Game Boy: Game Boy / Game Boy Color: Almost all games playable at full speed without frameskip
- Tapwave Zodiac GameCube: Nintendo GameCube: Either cannot run any games at all or games are unplayably slow
- RG552 GameCube: Nintendo GameCube: Only the easiest to emulate games are barely playable
- Tapwave Zodiac Dreamcast: Sega Dreamcast: Either cannot run any games at all or games are unplayably slow
- RG552 Dreamcast: Sega Dreamcast: Most games playable at full speed, a few games have lower frame rates but still mostly playable with frameskip
Frequently asked
- What's the difference between the Tapwave Zodiac and the Anbernic RG552?
- Anbernic RG552 has stronger listed emulation coverage. Anbernic RG552 is about $99 cheaper based on catalog pricing. Tapwave Zodiac is roughly 34% smaller and 50% lighter. Anbernic RG552 has a 60 Hz IPS screen, versus 60 Hz TFT on Tapwave Zodiac. Anbernic RG552 runs Android 11; Tapwave Zodiac runs Palm OS. Anbernic RG552 is highlighted for DS, N64, PS1, Genesis; Tapwave Zodiac is highlighted for Game Boy, NES.
- Which is cheaper, the Tapwave Zodiac or the Anbernic RG552?
- The Anbernic RG552 is the cheaper of the two at around $200, roughly $99 less than the Tapwave Zodiac based on catalog pricing.
- Which is newer, the Tapwave Zodiac or the Anbernic RG552?
- The Anbernic RG552 is the newer model, released in 2021.
- Which is more popular on retroshelf, the Tapwave Zodiac or the Anbernic RG552?
- The Tapwave Zodiac is in more collections on retroshelf right now, with 1 collector tracking it.
