Member
(05-21-2010, 11:52 PM)
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Pandora |OT| Actually real, really shipping.
#1
What's all this then? This is the Pandora, a pocket-sized gaming computer. It's a console, UMPC, PMP, MID, BFG and any number of TLAs, some of which haven't been invented yet. It began life as a community project of sorts, headed by several prominent members of the GP32X.com community and funded by 4,000 pre-orderers. It's the spiritual successor to open handhelds such as the GP32 and GP2X, designed with community input to answer all the complaints of the systems that came before. Read all the specs on the official Pandora website. Wasn't it coming out over a year ago? Why is it so late? Shut up! That's why! This little device has survived production delays, bank meltdowns, angry mobs, natural disasters, vapourware trolls, other detractors who may have had valid points in hindsight but not today ok, and much more. Perhaps the biggest time factor though, was that it was designed and built from the ground up by a bunch of guys who'd never done it before. Turns out it's pretty difficult to build something like this with no experience, no corporate backing and no millions. Who'da thunk? But it's finally real, and it's shipping out to patient pre-orderers right now. How do they expect to compete with Nintendo and Sony? They don't. The Pandora is a niche device aimed at retro gamers, homebrew lovers, and anyone who likes open devices. It's expected to sell in the thousands, not millions. Not that they'll say no if a million people want one. What's "open" about it? Put simply, "open" means you can do what you want with it. Developers can write or port software and release it how they like (free, open source if they want, commercial is cool too). Users bask in the glory of all this, installing what they want without restrictions, without DRM, without tiresome rules or terms of service. It runs a completely open source operating system, which you're also free to hack, slash or just replace. And that's just the software. Want to tether to your phone or use a DualShock pad via Bluetooth? Go for it. Fancy plugging in a USB broadband modem, or HDD, or MIDI controller? Do it. Got a use for UART? It's at the rear expansion port. Want to add more buttons and lights? There are spare solder pads inside, go nuts. I'm a gamer, not a hacker! That's cool baby. A large portion of Pandora buyers are more interested in mashing buttons than making and modding things. It's a gaming handheld for gamers! It just so happens that you're allowed to hack it, if that's what blows your skirt up. What about the Linux thing though? I don't know how to Linux. That's ok, you don't need to! Countless hours have been spent customising the Pandora operating system (based on Ångström Linux) to make it as seamless and user friendly as possible. You can switch between several different GUIs, from a mobile-style icon grid to a fully fledged desktop environment which is as easy to use as Windows. The finger-friendly Ubuntu Netbook Launcher is even in there. Managing your installed software is extremely simple too, thanks to the specially developed "pnd" system. All apps are downloaded as a single .pnd file. Save it to your SD card and installation is complete - it automatically appears in your menu and it's ready to run. To uninstall, just delete the .pnd file. Linux isn't supposed to be this simple! It's a disgrace! Yeah well, it's big and ugly. Be fair now, it's not that big. It's only a touch bigger than the NDS Lite. As for looks, well, 4,000 people saw fit to throw their money down in advance, so it must be bringing sexy back for someone, right? (Yes!). If you're not quite seeing it, just think of that plain kid in high school who you never really noticed until you found out they had every kind of console and the keys to the liquor cabinet. Pretty enough now? Giggity. Wait, $330? I can buy a PS3 for that! Yes, you can. But when you buy a big brand console, you're only covering part of the manufacturing cost. These companies typically sell high volumes of hardware at a loss, and rely on software revenues to turn a profit. Open Pandora Ltd is a low volume manufacturer, and each sale needs to cover the cost of the hardware. Once you buy, the deal is done; they are not relying on you to buy software to make more money. This is good news for developers too - no SDK costs or licensing fees, just make your software and release it at your leisure. Does the name have anything to do with the radio service, or the jewellery, or the PSP battery haxx, or those blue people, or the Greek mythology? No, no, no, no, and yes. Show me some things then. K, here are some videos. They're not promo vids, just bits and pieces of development progress filmed for the benefit of pre-orderers. The first group of videos were made on pre-production Pandoras in the last few months: A platter of Pandoras | Office apps, OS tweaks | Theme changes | Adjusting nub settings | LCD gamma manager | Switching GUIs, installing apps and a bit of Atari ST | DOSBox frontend + Warcraft | Amiga | D-pad workout with Picodrive | Commodore 64 | Developing on the Pandora with PyGame The next group of videos are older, and were made on a range of old prototypes and dev boards. They do not represent the current state of software (or hardware, obviously!): Wolf3D | Doom | Quake 1 | Quake 2 | Quake 3 (using dual nubs) | Descent | Descent 2 | Marathon | Heroes of Might & Magic 2 | SNES | PSX | MAME Many more videos can be found in the (community maintained) Pandora Video Vault. Can I buy one now? Yes! You can now secure a second batch preorder from the official site. First batch Pandoras are still being assembled and shipped, and it's expected to take until October to get them all out. The production line will then keep rolling into the second batch. Be aware before ordering that this is a small project and delivery times can be "loose". It's possible that not every second batch order will make it out by Christmas. More links and information: Official site: http://www.open-pandora.org Community blog (unofficial): http://pandorapress.net GP32X forums: http://www.gp32x.com/board/index.php?showforum=61 Pandora Wiki/FAQ: http://pandorawiki.org/FAQ Pandora Wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pandora_%28console%29 Thanks to Lafazar and Crasherball, whose many words and links I drew upon to create this thread. Last edited by Sew : 07-16-2010 at 03:42 AM. |
Member
(05-21-2010, 11:53 PM)
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#2
== GAF-FAQ ==
It looks uncomfortable. Obviously words on a page can only go so far towards convincing you otherwise, but everyone who has used it says it feels much more natural in your hands than the brick it appears to be. Even, nay especially, the nubs. Check out the hands-on reviews below. Can I install another distro? Yes. Debian, Ubuntu, Neuvoo (embedded Gentoo), Maemo, and Android are just some of the options. You may have to get your hands a little dirty, but if you're asking this question you're probably ok with that. Can it emulate PS2, Xbox or other newer systems? No. Mupen64plus (N64) is really pushing the hardware, and NullDCe (Dreamcast) is where it hits the wall. Both of these emus should see a release, but there are no performance guarantees for either. [more FAQ to come] == HANDS-ON REVIEWS == Pre-production units: [1] [2] [3] [4] *[4] is in German, and includes some very cool photos of EvilDragon's retro collection. Shipped mass production units (user reviews): First customer impressions in post #45 of this thread. More user reviews: Coder Tim_T | Bosbeetle | MDave | 7zark7 | mindlord | rook Also: GP32X Pandora Youtube thread Tech press reviews: Electricpig.co.uk 16 July 2010 Last edited by Sew : 07-16-2010 at 12:16 PM. |
Member
(05-21-2010, 11:56 PM)
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#3
Originally Posted by Sew:
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Member
(05-22-2010, 12:17 AM)
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#7
Originally Posted by B.K.:
This video may or may not be helpful: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsclXxxjxVg (Just disregard the ancient prototype case with the flappy hinge, if you can :D ) Last edited by Sew : 05-22-2010 at 12:57 AM. Reason: sp |
Member
(05-22-2010, 01:09 AM)
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#14
this thing is really cool, I've been following it on or off for ages now. Not really interested in buying one but I just wanted to see how the project would go. I have to say, these guys really have done well to continue with such high spirits whilst all the trolling and boo-hooing was going on all over the forums.
Look forward to seeing final builds in the wild and seeing what people can do with them. |
Banned
(05-22-2010, 06:14 AM)
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#17
Wow:
Q3A Descent Descent 2 On the go? YES, PLZ. How much is this? Can I run Debian on it instead of the Pandora customized Linux if I want? I really kinda wish there was a demo hardware around in brick and mortars (yes, yes, wild dreams and all that) so I could see/feel the size of it. Sounds impressive for what it's trying to do, but I gotta know if it's comfortable for my hands before I totally commit to it. :( Last edited by TheSeks : 05-24-2010 at 03:37 AM. |
Member
(05-22-2010, 05:56 PM)
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#18
Glad to see that there is finally a finished product, I'd love to hear some impressions from those who were in the first batch of preorders. I would love to know how it handles older games running under DOSBox. I've always dreamed of having a portable DOS machine.
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Member
(05-23-2010, 12:09 AM)
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#21
First pics in the wild. This one belongs to GP32X forum mod X68000, who dropped in to help them for the day and took his unit home.
Originally Posted by TheSeks:
Installing other distros: Yes. I don't know if anyone is working on a "Pandorified" Debian just yet, but there has been some community interest in it. We've already seen Ubuntu, Maemo is a cheeky possibility, and there is a team working on an embedded version of Gentoo called Neuvoo. PND support (see "I don't know how to Linux" section in OP) can be added to any distro. If you're keen to road test before buying, you could post in the GP32X forums to ask if there are any devs or customers near you who would be willing to meet up. Pandora people seem unusually keen to do this. :D Last edited by Sew : 05-27-2010 at 02:19 AM. |
Member
(05-23-2010, 04:44 PM)
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#31
Congratulations to the team. This is a monumental achievement for the Open Hardware movement. For those wondering about the tech specs:
* Texas Instruments OMAP3530 processor at 600MHz (officially) * 256MB DDR-333 SDRAM * 512MB NAND FLASH memory * IVA2+ audio and video processor using TI's DaVinci™ technology (430MHz C64x DSP) * ARM® Cortex™-A8 superscalar microprocessor core * PowerVR SGX530 (110MHz officially) OpenGL ES 2.0 compliant 3D hardware * integrated Wifi 802.11b/g (up to 18dBm output) * integrated Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR (3Mbps) (Class 2, + 4dBm) * 800x480 resolution LTPS LCD with resistive touch screen, 4.3" widescreen, 16.7 million colors (300 cd/m2 brightness, 450:1 contrast ratio) * Dual analog controllers * Full gamepad controls plus shoulder buttons * Dual SDHC card slots (up to 64GB of storage currently) * headphone output up to 150mW/channel into 16 ohms, 99dB SNR (up to 24 bit/48KHz) * TV output (composite and S-Video) * Internal microphone plus ability to connect external microphone through headset * Stereo line level inputs and outputs * 43 button QWERTY and numeric keypad * USB 2.0 OTG port (1.5/12/480Mbps) with capability to charge device * USB 2.0 HOST port (480Mbps) capable of providing the full 500mA to attached devices (examples include USB memory, keyboard, mouse, 3G modem, GPS) * up to two externally accessible UARTs and/or four PWM signals for hardware hacking, robot control, debugging, etc. * un-brickable design with integrated boot loader for safe code experimentation * Power and hold switch useful for "instant on" and key lockout to aid in media player applications on the go * Runs on the Linux operating system (2.6.x) * Dimensions: 140x83.4x27.5mm * Weight: 335g (with 4000mAh battery) |
Jew Gamer
(05-23-2010, 04:45 PM)
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#32
This looks kind of interesting but having never even really paid attention to these homebrew devices do they ever get any really interesting games or does it basically remain an emulation station for people?
Its what I am worried about these days... with things like the iPhone appeasing smaller devs I can't see some great games being made for a device like this :/ |
ὁ αἴσχιστος παῖς εἶ
(05-23-2010, 05:27 PM)
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#35
Un-brickable eh? That sounds like a challenge...
Originally Posted by lsslave:
Well if they ever get the Android build working great then you'll have all those apps (provided either they get Google's OK for the Market or someone pulls what some Archos owners did and hack it on.) |
Member
(05-24-2010, 02:34 AM)
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#37
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he's Virgin Tight™
(05-24-2010, 02:54 AM)
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#38
Hah, interesting. I was in a project like this like 2 years ago. The team lacked Electronics Engineers so they decided to call it quits, but at the moment I found it very promising. Was similar to this.
Pretty cool stuff. I may buy one of these just to support these guys. |
Member
(05-26-2010, 12:30 PM)
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#45
Time for some customer impressions then. Lucky buggers!
LAURENS:
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** He means the default lock angle, which is 170 degrees (10 more than the DS Lite).
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STUCKIE:
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PUPPYDEE:
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PARAG0N: More pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/4086512...7624133009940/ TYKE's little tike: STEVE M: Steve compiled and released Fuse (Speccy emulator) the moment his Pandora arrived. And just as I was writing this up, he posted this review:
Quote:
The first boot isn't going perfectly for everyone, a few day 0 bugs being discovered etc, and the help forum is starting to see some action. It's awesome to see the guys who built this thing directly helping people in the forums - not just the core team members like craigix etc, but the code gurus like Notaz, DJWillis, and Skeezix who have devoted their every spare moment to this thing for the last two years. Such a fantastic community. |
Member
(05-28-2010, 12:32 PM)
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#48
Some unboxing and first impressions videos. :-)
astewardson: Open Pandora Unboxing astewardson: Open Pandora First Power Up astewardson: Open Pandora Hinge astewardson: Open Pandora Day 1 mjlink: OpenPandora Unboxing sparkymarksaker: VIDEO0006 theworkingmanager: Snes and quake 2 running on MP Pandora Techmoan: Open Pandora - Hands on. In HD. Exciting times, but it's a little painful watching the lucky first owners play with theirs! |
Member
(05-28-2010, 12:50 PM)
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#49
I am very interrested in this, but the price seems way, way out of whack now.
They took so long to come out the GP2X Wiz and Dingoo came out at 1/2 and 1/4 the price in the meantime. If it's functional as a netbook(in terms of web browsing), then that changes things a little bit maybe. |
Junior Member
(06-05-2010, 09:25 AM)
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#50
It looks very interesting, but I really have to think about the price, especially with the 3DS coming in the near future. The main aspect for me would be emulation, but a lot of the emulators I'd use already run on the DS and I expect even better ones for the 3DS (no, actually I'm hoping/praying). Anyways, congrats on the awesome work the people have put into this piece of hardware.
Btw. here's an interview with Michael "EvilDragon" Mrozek from German tech website golem.de http://www.golem.de/1006/75564.html One thing I'd love to do is to play Quake on it versus other players, but then again...none of my friends could be convinced to buy the thing. |