Despite the new Retroid Pocket 6 packing some great specs, its design has garnered substantial backlash on social media. Symmetrical joysticks and too many buttons below the screen are just some of the issues that potential customers have with Retroid's upcoming device. The reception has surprised the company so much that the Pocket 6 has disappeared from the website. However, it appears that Retroid is already addressing the complaints, and a solution may be on the horizon.
In a post on the social media site X, Retroid has acknowledged fans' displeasure with the new design. "Ok ok, we heard you. You're not happy with the current RP6 design. So, we ask you to vote on which design you would like. There are two polls in this tweet. Make sure you vote on both!" Here, fans can decide between two designs: the original or a refined one that moves the buttons below the screen to the back and a couple below the face buttons.
The second poll asks users if they want to see the D-pad on top or the left stick on top. Suffice to say, both polls are leaning towards the latter. It's a strange move by Retroid, admittedly, seeing as the Pocket 5, a top pick from our guide to the best retro handhelds, features symmetrical joysticks with no changes made to them. But it seems like it wants to be seen to be listening to fans even more at this early stage, almost involving them in the final design of the Pocket 6.
At the time of writing, both polls are closing later today (October 29), so it's likely we'll see a new render of Retroid's newest gaming handheld soon, with the left joystick and D-pad swapped around and the buttons underneath the screen removed. Although it seems unprecedented for a company to respond this quickly to fan displeasure, it's welcome to see that Retroid is willing to change the design of its handhelds to please its fans.
With specs including a powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 CPU and a huge 6,000 mAh battery, perfect for playing some of the best Android games for long periods, the Pocket 6 could be a new budget rival for the entries in our guide to the best handheld consoles once it launches. It all depends on whether the company wants to improve the design further if fan feedback persists over the coming days.
While we wait for the results of Retroid's rather public product research testing, be sure to check out our guides to the best gaming phones and the best gaming tablets while you're here, and follow us on Google News for all the latest in the world of handheld gaming hardware.