Why The Pandora?

[Morpheus384]

Hi all,

I apologize if this seems abrupt, but I just realized something. From 2006-2010 I was here absolutely every day. Addicted..could not stop! Insightful help, and erudite commentary flew so quickly it felt like IM. I was so in love with the GP2X original, and the amazing ways Squidge created the mmu hack, the adoption of final burn, Sega CD,, TG-16 CD, all on a 200 MHz processor with a severely inhibited mmu core; You know how we all twisted that unit to form.

I'm not a coder, but I was an active member in testing the latest builds and even turned my hand to helping the newbies in getting things running on GP2X torrents as a ranking member. I stayed up all night at the release of the Pandora..."Oh that that first night". With my then fiance's credit card in hand to finally order. It felt like a partnership how she manned the keyboard all night to order when I finally slept. She knew how important it was to me. Even after the server crashed several times. Then the remission of the MasterCard, then Paypal , and the immediate reordering with an American Express, all the while in constant conversation with Jackie. I so wanted to be with you all to see the Pandora become the premiere gaming/emulation open source handheld! Even when my Ex-Fiance's new boyfriend bought his unit outright as a "Premium" unit, and got his a month before I did.

Regardless to say, two years later, I no longer had a fiance, but the joyous package came!!! I was overjoyed at the expanded capabilities, The new emulators worked great! But the new emulators failed to be polished for a long time. Functional but not pretty, or "showoffable"...Is that a werd? The great hope died a little. The programs and emulators never upgraded their GUIs, and it felt like my beloved handheld had died slowly, while waiting months for updates. Then the casing started to crack at the hinges (actually this happened within two weeks). I upgraded to an android phone then an android tablet(which did incidentally make leaps and strides over the Pandora specs in a very short time) Then when recently checking the forums (as I often do) I saw word of an upgrading program to support new pre-orders with better boards? Hello! Fragmentation much? It made me sad.

The emulators on Android are polished and touchscreen oriented, or Bluetooth available for 6 axis or Wii controllers. PSX or before they all run flawlessly; with slick Bluetooth enabled GUIs. With a quick HDMI connection, I can game on a huge HD screen with upscaled resolutions. In essence life is relatively good. On occasion I've fondled my dearly bought Pandora and wondered if the killer app to rule them all has come? Meanwhile, I get bemused, and saddened by checking at OpenPandora and GP2X.com, The two seem diametrically opposed, each disdaining the other? So my question is--- what can I do with my beloved Pandora? That I cannnot do with my wonderful android tablet? Please bring me back! I miss you guys! I love the Pandora, and want to see it succeed in the worst way! Tell me what I'm missing?

Please don't feel the need to be gentle....I really need to know!

 

[sebt3]

Hi,

you know about the other boards, right ? The community still exist over there, that's the real value of the pandora. If you see your pandora as just an emulation machine then may be your tablet is better. For me the pandora is a computer that fit in my hands, it does everything my desktop does but in my pocket

 

[yoshi41dragon]

I have a number of handhelds and tablets. But the Pandora is still my favorite gaming handheld, because it has...

- the best arcade emulators, FBA (plays the most recent FBA set at a good performance) and PanMAME
- built-in digital and analog pad
- built-in keyboard (great for home computer emulation)
- 10 hours battery life

Sure, Android is catching up, but arcade emulation is still behind the Pandora.

 

[BAFelton]

+1 with my friends here.

Simply the best of all available open source consoles.

I just regret the internet navigation, not as smooth as I want it.

 

[WizardStan]

Even when my Ex-Fiance's new boyfriend bought his unit outright as a "Premium" unit, and got his a month before I did.

Ouch. That is one of the saddest personally relateable things I've ever heard.

 

[Klumpen]

Why the Pandora?

- great homebrew-collection
- good arcade-emulation
- good PSX-emulation
- REAL pocket-PC with long battery life and therefore mobility
- no big company with unethical structures
- it's open
- good support
- very good controls

That's enough for me.
I only buy OPEN Handhelds and have no interest in cracking the ones from companys, that do not want them to be hacked,
but maybe get most of the money because of functions, that they are trying to prohibit.

I'm off to http://boards.openpandora.org/

 

[dontspam2]

it´s like comparing apples to peas, but:

Pandora
pros:
+ integrated keyboard for retro computer emulation
+ integrated gaming controls
+ overall good for emulation

cons:
- outdated specs (yes, you feel the difference even while surfing the web!)
- much less games available compared to android
- small developer base
- size (clumsy, yes, a 7" tablet fits better in my pockets)
- price

imho.

 

[Prometheus]

If it doesn't suit you, it doesn't suit you, and that is no problem whatsoever - different things suit different people. You shouldn't have to feel obliged for people to have to convince you otherwise.

I've not heard anything about anyone disdaining others, though.

 

[Morpheus384]

Hi Everyone,

Thank you all for chiming in and sharing your views on the strengths of the pandora! They echoed so many of the reasons that brought me to preorder in the first place. Like I said I love my pandora, and I'm glad to have been a part of seeing it come about. I haven't had the chance to check out PanMame yet, and got excited when I heard that Final Burn had arrived. Final burn was one of the final emulators that was indispensable on the GP2X and was sadly missed on the pandora when I first got it. Looking forward to trying both! One of the things that has been gratifying while learning about android was seeing so many of the talented coders from the GP2X days efforts cited as the basis for many of the better emulators for the android platform. Again and again, I saw so many names I knew from the forums here.

I love the controls on the pandora; That has the definite edge for me in a stand alone unit on the go. Bluetooth controller's on android are nice and all, but I'm not going to carry a Playstation 3 controller with me on the go or. DaveC did a masterful job in coming up with the layout, but then his attention to detail on controls was usually spot on. I remember being a part of the original discussions of what we wanted in a handheld to come after the GP2X, and the Pandora exceeded the wants of the community at that time on every count.

Just to clarify, I'm not here to troll in any way. It sounds like I've got some catching up to do. I was just feeling nostalgic for the amazing momentum that I felt when I got my GP2X as an early adopter. Everyone was under one roof here at GP32x, and every day seemed filled with amazing possibilities. It was an amazing time, one that I will always remember fondly The community was what drove the GP2X. I managed to snag my friend a mint MK2, and while we were setting it up, he listened with rapt attention to the story of the GP2X. The coders who created the software, crafted the games, the snags, the hacks, and eventual breakthroughs, that stretched the unit to its limits. He's still in shock at what that little unit can do. It was a testament to the community that grew around it.

So it sounds like my pandora needs some new love. I'll check out the other boards as well. I was aware of them, as I did mention them in my original post. I just haven't spent much time there. @ Prometheus I did not mean that there was any disdain now. I was alluding to when the Boards at OpenPandora first opened up before the first units rolled out, and some had animosity about community being split. It was a dated perception. Like much of my post it stretched over many years.

Thanks again to everyone who posted!