What you need to know
- Retroid has announced the Pocket G2 and the Pocket 6.
- The Pocket G2 is already available for purchase, and is on sale for the next two weeks.
- After initially announcing the Pocket 6, Retroid reversed course due to community feedback.
Surprisingly enough, it’s been about a year since the Retroid Pocket 5 and Pocket Mini were announced by Retroid. Both handhelds were powered by the Snapdragon 865, marking them as the two most powerful gaming handhelds to come from the company. And earlier this week, two new devices were introduced, as the Pocket G2 and Pocket 6 are slated to be the next Retroid flagships.
Starting with the Pocket G2, this is essentially just the Retroid Pocket 5, but with a fresh coat of paint and some upgraded internals. Namely, the Snapdragon 865 is being replaced by the Snapdragon G2 Gen 2, which was announced at GDC 2025 alongside the G3 Gen 3, and G1 Gen 2. In terms of performance, it seems that the the G2 Gen 2 falls between the Snapdragon 865 and the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2.
However, in true Retroid fashion, not everyone was happy with the Pocket 6, and it had nothing to do with the spec sheet. Especially considering that the 8GB/128GB model was priced at 9 with a 12GB/256GB variant coming in at 9. Instead, this time around, it was all about the design.
It was pretty immediately apparent that Retroid was trying to do something a bit different, while also trying to appeal to as broad of an audience as possible. To some, myself included, Retroid nailed it, as the design was reminscent of a modern PSP or PS Vita, just with better ergonomics and a unique set of buttons below the screen.
Sadly, the community did not agree. It reached a tipping point, as the polls were posted to both the Retroid Discord and X accounts, in an attempt to figure out what the community wanted. In the poll, renders of the original Pocket 6 were shared, alongside what a potential redesign would look like.
With almost 10,000 votes just on the X Poll, almost 70% voted in favor of the redesign. As such, this redesign removed the buttons from below the screen, placing two of them below the left and right joysticks, and the other two on the back.
The potential problem here is that ultimately, the Retroid Pocket 6 looks pretty similar to both the AYN Odin 3 and Retroid Pocket 5. So instead of getting a handheld that stands out from the pack, the community decided to opt for more of a cookie-cutter design.
While disappointing, this entire saga did result in Retroid doing something it hasn’t done before. Once pre-orders re-open for the Pocket 6, in addition to the redesign, Retroid is also letting you choose the layout for the left D-Pad and joystick. This is a first for the company, and is actually a pretty great idea when you think about it.
It’s also already been confirmed that customer service will reach out to those who pre-ordered based on the original design, while some have already been refunded. And as luck would have it, just as we were getting ready to publish this piece, the Pocket 6 landing page has returned and the banner across the top of the Retroid website has been updated with a countdown.
Pre-orders for the Pocket 6 will re-open on Monday, November 3, at 9 PM ET.
