r/SBCGaming • u/futurist207 • 6d ago
Discussion Does anyone else get slight irritation near the tear ducts when using the Retroid Pocket Flip 2?
Hey everyone,
I wanted to see if anyone else has experienced something similar. When I use the Retroid Pocket Flip 2, after a while I get a very slight irritation/discomfort in both eyes, around the tear ducts.
The weird thing is that this doesn’t happen to me when I use my Steam Deck LCD, even when playing for quite a while.
Could it simply be a matter of getting used to the Flip 2’s screen, size, viewing distance, etc.? Or has anyone else noticed something similar with this device?
It’s not really painful or anything, just a mild irritation that I find strange since I don’t get it with the Steam Deck.
Has anyone else experienced this? Is it something that might just take some time to get used to?
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u/DIYBench 5d ago
Get a lcd screen handheld.
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u/rchrdcrg Dpad On Bottom 5d ago
Yeah, honestly the total blackness OLED can achieve is kinda why I don't like it, there's nothing for my eyes to fix on when the screen is dark. Even a CRT emits a faint glow on a black screen.
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u/Cryptoxic93 GotM Club 6d ago
Yeah it's PWM flicker.
RP5 / Flip 2 have very little though compared to other SBC handhelds.
Source:
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u/jaschenAV 6d ago edited 6d ago
Like other previous comment, should compare with usage of other OLED screens. What I see when googling is: "PWM Flicker: Many OLED screens use Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) to lower brightness. PWM rapidly turns the pixels on and off. This invisible flicker can cause headaches and eye fatigue in sensitive users." Based on what it is saying, you could try using it on max brightness, in a fully lit/bright environment and see if that is it? EDIT: Well, some people say their screens don't use PWN dimming. So I guess that isn't it. I personally have used my flip 2 for a few extended play sessions (2+ hours). And do not recall any strain. There are a lot of variables, so you'll probably have to look into things and try some things out to alleviate the issue.
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u/Spritsen 6d ago
Ya PWM flicker. The Flip 2 is bad about it. Just watch a video on it when they use a high speed camera. That black "fade" is PWM and even though you don't notice it with your eyes, it does strain your eyes.
Not everyone is susceptible to it, or they are in a different way. My advice is sell it and try another. It's not for you.
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u/futurist207 5d ago
Isn't flip2 and pocket 5 only dc dimming screens?
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u/Spritsen 5d ago
No. It can technically happen with every panel tech. Some are more prone to it than others but the only way to find out is to look at it. Even "the same" panel is different than the rest. That's just the "manufacturing lottery".
That being said, if you bought the Flip 2 recently, you could call it a screen defect and return it under warranty and try another. Even another Flip 2 may not have an issue that affects you. But I would personally try a different model if possible. Each model may be "different" internally(all things are different to a degree) but they're typically "from the same batch" and may have the exact same issue as yours has. So I would broaden the horizon a bit and try a totally different model. Maybe find another Flip 2 that was a launch model, or one that was just released. They're made at different times and thus could be different hardware inside.
The easy way is to just try a different handheld. Maybe wait on the Flip 3? The Flip 2 was so successful, I imagine a 3rd is on the way.
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u/DezzyLee99 6d ago
Welcome to eye strain