Roku could be working on a rechargeable Voice Remote Pro

Roku's remote hardly changed over the years: It's got the same color scheme and button, and you still have to supply your own batteries. While not much is changing on the former, Roku does finally appear to be working on a rechargeable remote. 

As spotted by Reddit, Zatz Not Funny and The Streamable, Roku is in the process of testing a new Voice Remote Pro. Although not yet widely offered, the new remote has been made available to some Roku users for $30 as part of its Early Access Program. Per the Reddit thread, it charges via micro-USB but it is possible that will change to USB-C before a wide release given the new connectors prominence in 2021. A separate Redditor in the thread noted that the company is only doing a limited production run of 2,000 remotes in this trial program. 

According to the leaked screenshot of the order page, other features of the Voice Remote Pro include hands-free voice control, a headphone jack for private listening as well as the "1" and "2" personal shortcut buttons previously seen on the Roku Ultra's remote that allows you to set your own custom shortcut from a voice command (such as opening an app that doesn't have a dedicated shortcut button). 

Also present is a lost remote finder, a useful feature that appears to be triggered by saying "Hey Roku, find my remote." 

It is unclear when or if the Voice Remote Pro will be expanded beyond the Early Access Program. In a statement provided to CNET, a Roku spokeswoman said the company is "always working on bringing new products and features to Roku users, and part of that process is publicly testing new ideas with a small set of our customers."