After being reported on by RetroGameCorps and TechDweeb, Retroid is addressing a major performance issue with its new Dual Screen Add-on external display. Launch units suffered from a delay of roughly three frames, something that the company knew about at the time of launch, but notably didn’t feel compelled to share in the lead-up to release.
Retroid launched the device believing that the delay was a consequence of unfixable hardware. Now, with a fix on the horizon, they laud the “incredible work” of the same team that shipped it this way to begin with.
Luckily, Retroid are great at fixing issues once the community gets mad enough. Retroid’s engineers developed a fix that will be available in a firmware update for the screen, and via an over-the-air (OTA) update for the Retroid Pocket 5 and Pocket Mini V2. This will reduce the latency to nearly zero, appeasing the righteous anger of early adopters.
To manage the rollout they will hold pending orders to update their firmware before shipping, which they say will only delay delivery by about three days. For early adopters who have already received their device, Retroid will send each user a firmware update cable at no charge (sound familiar?)
While it’s good Retroid are making things right, I’m of the opinion that proactive transparency is better than reactive damage control.
See Retroid’s full statement below:
“We’re excited to share an important update about the RDS! The device originally had a 3-frame latency that was believed to be unfixable, but thanks to the incredible work of the Retroid team, this has now been reduced to nearly zero. This improvement requires a firmware update for the RDS and an OTA update for the console.
To ensure all units benefit from this breakthrough, shipping will be delayed by about 3 days. Customers whose orders have already shipped will receive a special cable, free of charge, to update their firmware. All future orders will come pre-updated.
We would like to thank TechDweeb and RetroGameCorps for their detailed reporting on this issue. And we would like to especially thank you, our dedicated customers for supporting us always! “
Source: Retroid Discord