Aesthetic Criticism of the Pandora (split from What would you like to see thread)


Looks are less important than functionality and I am sure ED will make functionality his priority. I have mentioned it before, and I am mentioning it again: don't use colors for the game buttons. It will look less toyish then.  
Well, that depends.  I like a beautiful girl, but I like an ugly Pyra but full of functionalities ;)

In other words, I agree with you :)
 
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Functionality over Aesthetics is great and all. But take a look at the nvidia shield. It is one of the most powerful android handheld gaming devices on the market right now. But it is ugly as sin. Care about the inner hardware all you want, but this is a device you're gonna be carrying everywhere. You want it to look good. Aesthetics shouldn't just be brushed under the rug just because it's unimportant.

OKN9rr0.png


Anyone complaining about the lid "ridge" doesn't understand what it is for.
I already know why it's there, doesn't stop it from looking ugly. And like the other guy said, it gets in the way of the stylus.
 
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I guess we should only smooth out the ridge as much as possible. A smooth curve is still a ridge, yet not a wall either.

We just have to find the right balance between beautiful and practical.

We all agree that we don't want to sacrifice capability over looks, but still want it to look good.

Our best shot is a look at laptop computers. They do everything they can to make it look less ugly than it actually is.

Still, I don't really want a bland black case.

Silver maybe, but I definitely want one in blood red. This color is perfect for the Pyra (as it isn't blue) and it's way cool. ;)
 
But take a look at the nvidia shield. It is one of the most powerful android handheld gaming devices on the market right now
There's a world of differences between a Pandora and a Shield, and the Shield is hardly a handheld device as it does not fit in one's pockets.

Picking up on the Pandora is fun, but it was designed in like 2008 and at the time it was not that bad looking.

The Pyra should look better in most aspects, but it won't win a beauty contest either, but at least it's made to be great to use. The D-pad on the DS is crap, if you play with it for hours your thumbs will heard and you'd wished you did not play with it. It may look cute but it's fairly obvious a full circle is easier on your flesh than a cross with 4 individual pressure points.
 
But really, the only reason I created this account is to suggest my main gripe with the Pyra design, and that's the D-Pad. I just love the +D-Pad.
As I played the heck out the "worst nightmares of my childhood" like games from the NES with the Pandoras D-PAD, I can just say: if you did not use it yet, I won't consider any evaluation from your side as usefull. As I destroyed my Pandora, I'm forced to play on the computer again, using a xbox one controller, and there is a huge difference between both - same goes for Nintendos take on it on the 3DS-XL.
If there was some way to have two seperate versions of the Pyra, one with a circular d-pad, and another with a +dpad.
The Pyras design files will be open, so why not go ahead and (as soon as it is available) alter that so you can print the top case part and a dpad yourself ?
 
Functionality over Aesthetics is great and all. But take a look at the nvidia shield. It is one of the most powerful android handheld gaming devices on the market right now. But it is ugly as sin. Care about the inner hardware all you want, but this is a device you're gonna be carrying everywhere. You want it to look good. Aesthetics shouldn't just be brushed under the rug just because it's unimportant.

OKN9rr0.png
Eye of the beholder dude, I would not mind being seen with that at all. And no I don't think its particularity stylish, but it looks very functional.


Except for the color scheme looks toy-ish I do like the NDS look aesthetically.
 
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We all agree that we don't want to sacrifice capability over looks, but still want it to look good.
The problem is we all have different opinions of "good".  I prefer utilitarian looks over sleek, fashionable stuff.

The D-pad on the DS is crap, if you play with it for hours your thumbs will heard and you'd wished you did not play with it.
I don't remember right now if they actually are, but (some of?) the DS line's D-pads feel very small.
 
I swear I'm the only one who loves the looks of the Pandora and the feel of it. Granted plastic quality leaves much to be desired, but so does my 3Ds xl seriously compare the plastic from that to a GBC... things are different. When the aluminum case comes out I'm gonna buy a few... Seriously only let down is case quality. As for the ridge.. that thing stops carp from getting into the unit.., seriously pocket your DS into a dusty bag, or a laptop. You'll get crud and dust built up around the edges. Last the ingrained lettering I enjoy. Realistically I disagree with everything you've said except for the speakers.. they look a bit off but the Pyra fixes that with a bigger screen
 
Wouldn't miss the rings/swirls around the game controls but would prefer some smoothed edges at the sides near the keyboard. 
 
I swear I'm the only one who loves the looks of the Pandora and the feel of it.
 You're not. I'm on your side. I really like the look and feel of the Pandora. I'm also a 'Utilitarianist'. The Pandora works as a gaming thing and as a computer. It fits in your pocket. Doesn't look like a toy for kids. You can take it to work with you because it looks sort of "professional" as opposed to looking like a gaming thing school kids would play with.
 
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As for the ridge.. that thing stops carp from getting into the unit..
You're right of course, but round our way things like Tench and Roach - being much smaller than Carp - often get in and they're a real pain to get rid of.

D.
Times I really detest autocorrect...
What were you trying to say? 

-Glyph Reader
Glyph, I think what Dr. Hax was trying to say was that certain species of fish might be too large to fit inside a Pandora. Guppies maybe... but not carp :)

Giant Carp: http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB124992848711620175?ref=SB124991924916619783
 
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As for the ridge.. that thing stops carp from getting into the unit..
You're right of course, but round our way things like Tench and Roach - being much smaller than Carp - often get in and they're a real pain to get rid of.

D.
Times I really detest autocorrect...
What were you trying to say?

-Glyph Reader
The word I inputted was crap.. but if you're having carp issues please inform us to how you're scuba diving with the Pandora!
 
Aesthetics over function?  Naw - it's not an Apple product after all.

The goofy aesthetics of the Pandora are, frankly, part of it's charm.

The inner lip of the screen section that makes a 'hood' around the edge serves several functions.  It keeps the lid up and off of the keyboard & game controls.  It allows those controls to stand UP from the base instead of having to be recessed - which would be a usability nightmare.  That lip also gives just a little bit of shade needed in bright environments to cut down on screen glare.  

The lip on the screen also allows (in theory) for the lid to truly close tight to the base.  The reality is that there really is a fitment issue such that it only touches the bottom case plastic in the front-middle and gaps a bit on the right and a lot on the left.  I suspect this is part of the Pandora's mold history and how many times it had to be 'tweaked' has resulted in what is more or less a hand-carved mold set.  I fully expect it's successor to have a lid that closes flat to the base.

Having the ABXY game keys engraved instead of printing means that the letters will never wear off.  Could they have been printed and gel capped instead of individual plastic pieces - maybe, but the feel would be all wrong.  Again, use/function trumps aesthetics.

Exposed speaker grills aren't a detriment - they're a bonus.  It enables the speakers to be (relative to size) louder and more clear than they would be tucked behind a slit.

The glossy caps on the buttons...  I could live with normal keys IF they're pretty much impervious to wear.  I don't know how many desktop keyboards I've worn the print off of.  Those gel glossy caps on the Pandora though, they're very durable AND have a just-slightly-grip-rubbery feel to them.  That sounds bad, but in the end it's good - as that slightly gripping dome can be thumb-typed on somewhat off-center and still give a positive feel from the key presses AND makes it easy to 'count keys' passing under the thumbs to the point of essentially touch-thumb-typing.  Could this be done better?  We're about to find out on the Pyra.  Can it be prettier?  Maybe - but I don't think I care much about that.  Just keep the usability standard VERY high.

I also prefer the circular D pad.  It allows easier access to the diagonals - up&right for example.

I don't mind giving a nod to aesthetics, but I'm not going to give up one ounce of function to it.  It isn't a DS - and never should be.
 
Aesthetics over function? Naw - it's not an Apple product after all.


The goofy aesthetics of the Pandora are, frankly, part of it's charm.


The inner lip of the screen section that makes a 'hood' around the edge serves several functions. It keeps the lid up and off of the keyboard & game controls. It allows those controls to stand UP from the base instead of having to be recessed - which would be a usability nightmare. That lip also gives just a little bit of shade needed in bright environments to cut down on screen glare.


The lip on the screen also allows (in theory) for the lid to truly close tight to the base. The reality is that there really is a fitment issue such that it only touches the bottom case plastic in the front-middle and gaps a bit on the right and a lot on the left. I suspect this is part of the Pandora's mold history and how many times it had to be 'tweaked' has resulted in what is more or less a hand-carved mold set. I fully expect it's successor to have a lid that closes flat to the base.


Having the ABXY game keys engraved instead of printing means that the letters will never wear off. Could they have been printed and gel capped instead of individual plastic pieces - maybe, but the feel would be all wrong. Again, use/function trumps aesthetics.


Exposed speaker grills aren't a detriment - they're a bonus. It enables the speakers to be (relative to size) louder and more clear than they would be tucked behind a slit.


The glossy caps on the buttons... I could live with normal keys IF they're pretty much impervious to wear. I don't know how many desktop keyboards I've worn the print off of. Those gel glossy caps on the Pandora though, they're very durable AND have a just-slightly-grip-rubbery feel to them. That sounds bad, but in the end it's good - as that slightly gripping dome can be thumb-typed on somewhat off-center and still give a positive feel from the key presses AND makes it easy to 'count keys' passing under the thumbs to the point of essentially touch-thumb-typing. Could this be done better? We're about to find out on the Pyra. Can it be prettier? Maybe - but I don't think I care much about that. Just keep the usability standard VERY high.


I also prefer the circular D pad. It allows easier access to the diagonals - up&right for example.


I don't mind giving a nod to aesthetics, but I'm not going to give up one ounce of function to it. It isn't a DS - and never should be.
Bravo! Bravo! *Claps*
 
Function>form that's my viewpoint, all of my stuff ends up looking like it comes from the Fallout universe after I've had it for a while anyway. :)
 
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