Roku has made a name for itself selling affordable, yet capable media streamers. Now it's experimenting by switching to a rechargeable battery to power the remote.
Remotes, be they for TVs, Blu-ray players, or media streamers, have typically always relied on AA or AAA batteries that need replacing every few months. However, as Reddit user Kingtut206 revealed, Roku has a new remote called the Roku Voice Remote Pro which ships with a rechargeable battery instead.
It's only an experiment for now as Roku is offering the Voice Remote Pro as part of its Early Access Program for $29.99 and only 2,000 are available. The remote also offers more familiar Roku features including hands-free voice input, private listening via headphones, personal shortcuts, and a lost remote finder (via voice command "Hey Roku, find my remote").
Later in the Reddit thread a user named Gnascher states they have been testing this new remote since Christmas and the "Charge lasts for weeks, and recharges quickly. You can even still use the remote while it's plugged in." However, there's also some bad news for anyone who already appreciates how much better USB-C charging is. It's also confirmed on Reddit that Roku's remote uses a Micro-USB port for charging.
Hopefully, feedback from this small run of 2,000 units helps Roku realize that upgrading to a USB-C port, even if it increases the price of the Voice Remote Pro slightly, will be appreciated by Roku users. Of course, the other question to ask is: does anyone really want or need a remote that recharges?