The last time we checked in on Pandora it was just being shown in dev unit form. Embedded above is a video of the first case prototype. It doesn’t have any components yet, but it definitely looks like a good formfactor with a lot of potential. The Pandora is a Linux based portable game console with an 800×480 touchscreen.
[via Gizmodo]
Nope, it is Qwerty and Number keys (0-9), I think it doubles as the F keys with the function key.
(How can you have too many keys in something that will have a C64 emulator, an Atari emulator, and likely an Amiga and Apple //e emulator? Not to mention that Dosbox already works, and it is running Angstrom :P )
Posted at 7:25 pm on Jan 28th, 2009 by nubie
Does this look like too many keys now?
http://www.gp32x.de/sneak3.jpg
Via: http://openpandora.org/blog.php
Posted at 7:27 pm on Jan 28th, 2009 by nubie
Uhm, forget emulators, this is a *COMPUTER*. All those keys are useful for typing emails, posting to livejournal, commenting on hackaday…
Posted at 8:58 pm on Jan 28th, 2009 by sparr
couldnt think of anything a bit more… original? not saying its garbage, but it reminds me of the ds… just saying.
Posted at 9:39 pm on Jan 28th, 2009 by matt
I’t not like the ds at all–it only has one screen, it has no touchpad, it has a keyboard, etc. OK, it’s “like” the ds in the same way it’s “like” a laptop–it folds shut.
Posted at 11:03 pm on Jan 28th, 2009 by John E. Jones
It’s been a roller coaster ever since my friend pre-ordered his unit.
Ordered in Oct, Pandora’s bank refunded his order. Pandora has tried American Express, Goggle checkout, PayPal, and other online payment systems without success) Currently only way to pay is with Bank Transfer\Check.
I hope he gets his soon (it’s been delayed a few times) so that I can decide to order one myself.
Posted at 11:39 pm on Jan 28th, 2009 by chippy
UPDATE: video of working unit assembled on site blog
http://openpandora.org/blog.php
STOKED
Posted at 11:49 pm on Jan 28th, 2009 by alex
it _has_ a touchscreen…
Posted at 11:54 pm on Jan 28th, 2009 by stealthmonkey
I think we all have forgotten the gp2x, personally.
Posted at 7:01 am on Jan 29th, 2009 by sean
Dude, where’d your shirt go?
Posted at 7:44 am on Jan 29th, 2009 by AbsoluteZero
I’m with herbicide, this looks AMAZING! The combination of so many good things, I can’t wait.
Posted at 8:43 am on Jan 29th, 2009 by stephan
@sean
You young whippersnappers with your GP2X-es and your Pandoras. In MY day, we had a GP32 and liked it! And we had to add the frontlight ourselves! Uphill! Both ways!
Posted at 8:55 am on Jan 29th, 2009 by EdZ
You can never have too many buttons on a portable – especially a game portable. Maybe that’s why I feel iphones are silly for 90% of traditional games.
Is it very likely we will see any commercial games?
I love to have emulators on a portable, but it would be cool to see some original games, or maybe some quality games ported(besides quake).
Posted at 9:36 am on Jan 29th, 2009 by jjrh
It has a Texas Instruments OMAP 3530 in it. That’s the same processor in the Palm Pre, the BeagleBoard, the OMAPZoom, etc. It’ll run Android, Poky, Ubuntu for ARM… you name it.
Posted at 10:42 am on Jan 29th, 2009 by Chris Pearson
@jjrh, yes, someone is for example porting a commercial dreamcast game (http://www.gp32x.com/board/index.php?showtopic=45257)
caster will also probably be ported (http://openpandora.wordpress.com/2009/01/30/caster-the-game-headed-for-pandora/)
and here is a list of other closed source and/or commercial games that possibly will be ported:
http://www.gp32x.com/board/index.php?showtopic=43659
I’m not sure what this thing is trying to be.
The 800×480 is silly for a portable games console of that size. Such a high resolution isn’t needed on such a small screen, and just means you end up doing a lot more processing to create the image.
The “fit more on the screen” argument doesn’t fly as the screen is too small to read 8×8 pixel text comfortably.
I’m not sure about all the buttons either. It’s not a PDA and already has a touchscreen, so it seems to have far more than any game would require.
The Pandora hasn’t too many pixels.
You can run your game/app at 400×240 and let the screens hardware ‘pixel double’ it, at no performance loss.
800×480 and touch screen is good for browsing. I wouldn’t browse on something less…
Posted at 4:54 am on Feb 6th, 2009 by COwai
meh, if you don’t like it, don’t get one.
i, on the other-hand, am awaiting mine with great excitement and anticipation!
i also think it will make a great portable media player that does not suffer from being tied to a single/few file type(s). the price of 16GB SD cards is just silly now.
*squeeeeeee*
Posted at 3:19 pm on Feb 8th, 2009 by aefaradien
cough nintendo ds cough
Posted at 10:26 am on May 16th, 2009 by bob
http://community.coastalliving.com/showthread.php?p=3012#post3012 and this is right way to discussed payment systems like this one
Posted at 9:29 am on Jun 5th, 2009 by Hinta
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I can see the top row of keys could be extremely helpful in RPG games, but all together there might be too many keys on there than necessary.
Posted at 7:18 pm on Jan 28th, 2009 by MikeFez