"Retroid Offered Very Limited Refunds for Its Unsolved Handheld Console."
Retroid will only accept 200 international returns.
Wes Davis serves as a weekend editor, covering the latest news in technology and entertainment. Since 2020, he has written news articles, reviews, and various pieces as a technology-focused journalist.
Recently, the Retroid Pocket Mini has presented an irreversible issue affecting certain graphical effects in emulated games, which are not functioning correctly. The China-based company Retroid, the manufacturer of the Pocket Mini, has communicated via Discord that it will accept returns of the device, but only during a limited period, from March 8 to 14, and with a cap of 200 returns for those owners residing outside of China, as reported by RetroHandhelds.
Earlier this week, the same source reported that Retroid admitted it cannot resolve the problem, which affects how the screen displays scanline shading and pixel grid effects, techniques used to replicate the appearance of emulated games as if they were being played on the CRT screens for which they were designed. These effects may manifest as "misaligned scanlines, uneven pixels, or a slightly distorted image."
In a message sent this morning, Retroid mentioned that conducting this return campaign represents a "large and costly effort," and that it anticipates "many return requests unrelated to screen issues." Additionally, the company requested that customers cover the shipping costs for the returns, although it promises to reimburse those costs. Finally, Retroid assured that it will offer all Pocket Mini owners a "stackable $10 coupon" for two of its upcoming handheld devices.
Russ, from the YouTube channel Retro Game Corps, commented in a Reddit post seeking recommendations to help the company manage the situation. He noted that Retroid is in a complicated position as a small company now facing high shipping costs due to returns. However, that does not change the fact that many gamers, who purchased the handheld device for $199 specifically to play retro games, are now dealing with a device that, despite having an impressively good screen, fails to run some of the older tricks in the realm of emulation correctly.