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Pandora Open Source Handheld Game System: A GP2X Killer?
Add another platform, Pandora, to the growing list of open source portable gaming platforms. Personally, as part of my handheld arsenal, I'm an owner of a GP2X F-200 and have mixed feelings about what is presently the most popular open source multimedia handheld (along with its sibling, the F-100). On the one hand it's very versatile and does well with a wide variety of emulators, while on the other hand it's a battery hog and the end user is left to his own devices to pretty much do anything (like install programs). "Pandora", while presently tracking to be double the price (around $320 US versus the F-200's $170), looks to have a tremendous all-in-one design with helpful features like an onboard keyboard and multiple controls, superficially making it seem like a superior option for running emulators overall. Still, it all comes down to developer support, which the GP2X handhelds have in spades. If Pandora works as advertised, no doubt support will ramp up quickly and we may very well have a new "alternative handheld" leader. I know I'd eventually be onboard if it was a little easier on the end user side to install and run software, not to mention if it featured intelligent battery life management. We'll be keeping an eye on this one...
Comments
Hmmm
Not sure, April 1st will be an absolute blast of a shipping date. We'll see.
PS3: MarkVergeer | Xbox 360: Lactobacillus P | Wii: 8151 3435 8469 3138
Armchair arcade Editor | Pixellator | Mark's Tube
What is your best guess to
What is your best guess to shipping, Mark? It sounds like we might get them some time in April, right?
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Bill Loguidice, Managing Director
Armchair Arcade, Inc.
German needed to comprehend - comprehensive interview
PS3: MarkVergeer | Xbox 360: Lactobacillus P | Wii: 8151 3435 8469 3138
Armchair arcade Editor | Pixellator | Mark's Tube
Phantom Pandora Forever
Seeing is believing. This project was almost too big of a project to handle by a 'laymen'-group. I will probably not invest in such a project again but perhaps I will.... The pandora just felt like an incredible machine and I really wanted to be part of it. But then there's the software part - what will actually appear on the Pandora? The Device needs software and with a mere 3000 users good quality software may be scarce. :(
That's the key, my friend. If it has a nice, stable Linux build with fully functional Firefox, and solid MAME, C-64, Atari 8-bit, MSX, Amiga, NES, SNES and Genesis emulators, that would probably be sufficient for me to personally call it a success, and then anything on top of that would be gravy (additional systems emulated).
I agree about the scope of the project being too big. After all, their goal was to essentially create a new class of product, sort of like a super mini-netbook that was geared towards emulation. I think some of us (me in particular) was "romanced" by the wow factor of what was promised rather than taking it for "too good to be true" and being a bit skeptical. Hopefully our patience is rewarded soon.
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Bill Loguidice, Managing Director
Armchair Arcade, Inc.
And then there are always my impressions
I have been taking all the delays in like sweet crap, happily wagging my tail at each hiccup and never faltering in my faith. LOL
Seeing is believing. This project was almost too big of a project to handle by a 'laymen'-group. I will probably not invest in such a project again but perhaps I will.... The pandora just felt like an incredible machine and I really wanted to be part of it. But then there's the software part - what will actually appear on the Pandora? The Device needs software and with a mere 3000 users good quality software may be scarce. :(
PS3: MarkVergeer | Xbox 360: Lactobacillus P | Wii: 8151 3435 8469 3138
Armchair arcade Editor | Pixellator | www.markvergeer.nl
Well, I do obviously expect
Well, I do obviously expect to get the Pandora and I've already stated what my review will consist of on Facebook, so there's no real mystery. I will accurately portray the events leading up to the device's release and interject my own opinions - which are decidedly negative - in that portion. As for the device itself, I will judge that separately and fairly, without any bias or influence from the negative events leading up to my actually getting it. So while I certainly won't let the developers off the hook in regards to their unprofessional actions (any associated factors beyond their control notwithstanding), I will not allow that to affect my enjoyment or lack thereof of the device itself.
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Bill Loguidice, Managing Director
Armchair Arcade, Inc.
What if you actually get the Pandora?
If the Pandora does get released and delivered soon, will the hard feelings over all the delays sour your opinion of the device when you do get it, Bill? Since I have no money invested in the project, what I've seen looks really cool, and if one dropped in my lap now, I'd probably think it was the coolest device ever! But I haven't been waiting and been given the runaround for close to two years, so that might make a difference. In your case, I'm not sure how actually getting the device wouldn't be anticlimactic, if not disappointing.
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A new, new, new, new, new date for the Pandora
So, let's see, based on this blog post: http://pandora.dcemu.co.uk/pandora-blog-news-our-own-personal-babelfish-... , assuming that I'm reading it correctly, and assuming no more black cats, broken mirrors, voodoo curses, hexes or any other ill befalls them, they should be shipping by the end of February of THIS year. Is that an accurate interpretation? We've only been waiting since the end of 2008 so I suppose that's reasonable, assuming again, no other material (or translational) tragedy befalls them.
I'm honestly still looking forward to it and I'm hoping against hope that all this extra, extra, extra time means that more of the software and emulators will be more polished and ready for primetime on day one when we actually get the thing, but I'm obviously in no way confident more bad luck (manufactured or otherwise) will not befall all of this.
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Bill Loguidice, Managing Director
Armchair Arcade, Inc.
I hear you...
Books!
Bill Loguidice, Managing Director | Armchair Arcade, Inc.
[About Me]
I hear you. For me it is easier to digest to ' believe ' the following - they were overly optimistic at first and have been for quite some time and even now they make that same mistake. I guess they just can't help it, it is stressfull and of course there's pressure of all those waiting people. If you have a shred of ' people pleasing tendencies ' you tend to buckle under the stress and tend to promise things you can't deliver at that time. As this happened again and again it must be something that is part of the team's make-up. Not very professional but not ill-willed or malign in my opinion.
And sure they could have handled it more professionally but they did their best.
PS3: MarkVergeer | Xbox 360: Lactobacillus P | Wii: 8151 3435 8469 3138
Armchair arcade Editor | Pixellator | www.markvergeer.nl
I understand it's not a pro
I understand it's not a pro company, Mark, and I'm not faulting them for a delay, but there's no denying this was all built around a lie. Like I said, my feelings would be much different if they were just honest up front that it could take a year or more to get ready, but that's not what they were saying. Anyway, that's neither here nor there. I just think that the latest delay now with the triggers is comical - and I stand by that word. It seems like it's always something. Couldn't they have identified some of these issues that have been cropping up earlier, "pro" company or not?
Books!
Bill Loguidice, Managing Director | Armchair Arcade, Inc.
[About Me]
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