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RAM Shortage Forces Handheld Price Hike
10 Jul
Summary
- New orders get 12GB RAM upgrade for free.
- Orders placed after July 14 will cost $10 more.
- RAM costs are rising due to AI demand.
Retroid is implementing a change for recent purchasers of its Retroid Pocket 5 and Flip 2 handhelds. Customers with unfulfilled orders for these entry-level models, which previously came with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, will now receive an upgrade to 12GB of RAM without any additional cost. This enhancement aims to improve emulation performance for consoles like the Gamecube or PlayStation 2, powered by the devices' Snapdragon 865 chip.
However, this RAM upgrade is accompanied by a price adjustment. After July 14, both the Pocket 5 and Flip 2 will see their prices increase by $10, starting at $209 and $219, respectively. Retroid has not officially cited the reason for this change, but it is widely speculated to be a response to the escalating costs and availability issues of RAM, a trend impacting the entire technology sector due to surging demand from AI companies.
This situation draws parallels with other companies like Framework, which also face component cost fluctuations. For smaller companies like Retroid, absorbing these increased costs or negotiating better deals on components like RAM may be challenging. Consequently, eliminating lower-cost tiers appears to be a strategic business decision to manage expenses and maintain product viability in the current market.
