YINLIPS G18


Try playing Smash Bros 64 without an actual C button. A touchscreen would be horrible for this.

So for some consoles there just isn't going to be a silver bullet configuration and you're going to have to fall back on per-game. Maybe a good alternative is to have shoulder + face activate C, although I don't know if the emulator allows these kinds of configurations. If it doesn't that could be a goal for a different version.


Are the two bottom buttons programmable?


Anyway... I'm still really curious what the dpad is like. If the dpad is good, or at least "good enough" this looks like a really killer handheld. If the dpad sucks then it's not really worth an awful lot as a gaming device, although it'd still beat the pants off of an iPod Touch in a lot of metrics. I'd like to say the videos provide some indication of what the dpad's like but I'm seeing a lot of finger lifting in them. I don't know if this is how they normally do it or if it's non-ideal because they're filming it, but this usage obscures whether or not the dpad is conjoined and how it responds to rocking motions.
IMHO, it could become a real (huge) competition for Pandora.

What are the button mapping configurations like for Mario64?
 
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If the controls suck it's just going to be another ODROID. I'd say it also has to have decent availability but it's not awfully hard to top Pandora's.
 
ODROID, lol.

Do you get my point? ODROID was a handheld with better specs than Pandora, ran Android, had a touchscreen (capacitive at that, kind of important for Android apps), had HDMI out and the usual motion controls, and was released several months before Pandora. The only real differentiator vs YDP-G18 as we know it is that it had a much lower resolution screen vs Pandora. But ultimately no one took it seriously because the controls sucked.


Granted, the price is a lot lower this time around and the Android market is a lot more mature. But I don't think that'll be enough to make it a hit if the controls suck. Then again I could be wrong, GP2X F100 did pretty well.


Anyway. You'll probably see the usual sentiments vs Pandora that devices like say, Caanoo get - no keyboard, no desktop-like OS, smaller battery, different market segment and not comparable. Then Pandora 2 will roll by which will hopefully have far better specs than this, and hopefully won't be upstaged by the Chinese handheld two or three generations newer due to being really late to market. It'll also probably still cost 5x as much.
 
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Hm, doesn't seem much more powerful than the Pandora, which was to be expected taking a look at the specs.


N64 runs a bit faster, OoT still has sound stuttering (so I guess Super Smash Brothers will also be pretty slow).


Some more games run fullspeed than on the Pandora currently, so emulationwise, it can't do much more than the Pandora except for a bit faster N64.


Still a nice device though. It's just too bad that it's a PSP Vita ripoff, this means it will never really be available outside of China (except for if you import it yourself).


Why do Chinese always produce clones? Couldn't they just use a different case? And NOT include pirated emulators but follow the GPL?


Oh well.


I don't see it as a Pandora killer. The Pandora is more than emulation, it's a Mini PC that ALSO allows to emulate and play games.


And emulationwise, it's not better, except for N64.


And thanks to the fact it doesn't have multitouch, most native Android games won't run properly.


So the Yinlips basically only is an emulation device with a good CPU and some ripped emulators. And I will not support the latter one.


To be honest, if I would have an Android smartphone already, I'd get an iControlPad instead of the Yinlips.


All games working with the Yinlips should work with the iCP as well, as the Yinlips setup the buttons to simulate a keyboard as well.
 
This is competition to the pandora as much as the xperia play is/was... I know a bunch of people (non-retro enthusiasts, only a rom or two here and there) that went that route. The one obvious minus for the xperia play was the buttons weren't as comfortable and satisfying to press.


how do the buttons feel on this guy? Is the clicky clack sound as bad as it sounds in the videos? How is the button travel etc?


The price is right... but so was the odroid and those controls were real garbage.
 
@ BAFelton :


Looks like you've got yourself a cracking device there, it's mind boggling to me that you can buy such a thing for less than €100.


If you could find the time to answer a few questions about it then I'd be most grateful.


1) What was the cost of the device delivered? i.e. total cost including postage & import duty.


2) What is the battery life like? (compared to Pandora)


3) How good are the controls? (compared to Pandora)


4) How good is the screen for gaming / watching video? (compared to Pandora)


5) Can it really output video at 1080P via the HDMI out? i.e. without stuttering / playback / audio syncing problems


6) Can it be overclocked?
 
Why do Chinese always produce clones? Couldn't they just use a different case? And NOT include pirated emulators but follow the GPL?
The more interesting question is, how the hell do they produce these Devices so fast? Pandora took years to make, including working Software etc... Chinese Devices pop out like mushrooms after the rain. I mean, even if it is a clone and copied Design, someone have to build it and programm it etc... I also doubt they used our Pandora Case Company, otherwise this device would not look that clean. :D


Sometimes I think that the chinese Pirate Companies are more professional than the legal Chinese Companies. :wacko:
 
I'll answer as a newcomer with Android ;)

@ BAFelton :


Looks like you've got yourself a cracking device there, it's mind boggling to me that you can buy such a thing for less than €100.


If you could find the time to answer a few questions about it then I'd be most grateful.


1) What was the cost of the device delivered? i.e. total cost including postage & import duty.


2) What is the battery life like? (compared to Pandora)


3) How good are the controls? (compared to Pandora)


4) How good is the screen for gaming / watching video? (compared to Pandora)


5) Can it really output video at 1080P via the HDMI out? i.e. without stuttering / playback / audio syncing problems


6) Can it be overclocked?


1) What was the cost of the device delivered? i.e. total cost including postage & import duty.


I bought it by https://buyfromtaobao.com/


The console costs 98 $ + 10 $ fee + 10 $ shipping to china = 118 $


Then 46 $ of shipping to France via EMS. No import duty, no tax.


But now some shops sell them more easily, directly to France or wherever you live : http://www.isharegif...mp4-p-1573.html


2 ) What is the battery life like? (compared to Pandora)


Not a good point : about 3 hours of gaming.


3) How good are the controls? (compared to Pandora)


It's hard to compare because the Pandora has a keyboard + nubs + Dpad +ABXY.


I prefer the D-pad of the Pandora because the Yinlips pad is :





The diagonals are not really comfortable.


The analog stick doesn't seem to work as an analogue stick. It 'copies' the movement of the D-pad.


But I quote this from darth_llamah (dingoonity) :

-analogue stick seems to be a real analogue (CONFIG_ADC_KEYPADS_AM=y, ADC- Analogue to Digital Converter/Conversion), how system and apps handle this kind of input is a different thing

Personnaly it feels me like the stick of the PSP, I don't quite like it.


In many of the emulators, you can assign the controls to the D-pad, triggers... And for missing controls, you can add the virtual keys on the screen.


You can also save profiles for the mapping of the controls. For example I play Mario64 with A mapping (defined by me), then I play Zelda with B mapping (defined by me) ...


4) How good is the screen for gaming / watching video? (compared to Pandora)


I think the Pandora screen is more 'accurate' (finer or more precise : not sure of the english word) cause smaller than the G18.


BUT for gaming and videos it's really beautiful and colorful, like a PSP Vita one (tried it).


5) Can it really output video at 1080P via the HDMI out? i.e. without stuttering / playback / audio syncing problems


You made me try it :D


And yes it does ! No problem with the video nor the sounds.


6) Can it be overclocked?


It seems you can. I installed SetCpu, but I'm not sure which settings I have to modify. Waiting for other users to help me for this.

7) Can IceCream Sandwhich be installed.

I'll quote again from here http://boards.dingoo...ced-the-rg/165/ :

Some info I got from kernel config:
-hadrware is most likey based on rev B Amlogic reference board (machine is MACH_MESON_8726M_REFB602)


-analogue stick seems to be a real analogue (CONFIG_ADC_KEYPADS_AM=y, ADC- Analogue to Digital Converter/Conversion), how system and apps handle this kind of input is a different thing


-kernel has Bluetooth support enabled (CONFIG_BT=y), which doesn't mean that BT hardware is enabled


-there is TV-in enabled (CONFIG_TVIN_BT656IN=y)- this may camera interface (since # CONFIG_AMLOGIC_CAMERA_ENABLE is not set)


Except for the keys there shouldn't be any serious problem with creating a custom kernel, all other drivers are provided in Amlogic sources or are commonly used
smiley.gif



That means making a custom kernel (read: updated sources, updated drivers, bugs fixed etc) and rom shouldn't be too hard.


As for ICS- comparing to Gingerbread there are some major changes in system (mostly graphics and camera) and I don't know if there are proper drivers avaiable- Gingerbread ones require some hacking to make them work in ICS




With this new one, we go further in the capabilities of the consoles, and I'm really pleased with it.


The screen is bigger than the Caanoo, it has implemented Wifi, we have access to an almost limitless amount of applications / games.


It's the first of a new generation of handhelds in my opinion.


Controls can be improved for the N64, BUT for retro-gamers like I am, it's almost perfect for the price.


So yeah, if someone would ask me "should I buy it", I'd say "don't hesitate".


I won't compare with the Pandora cause they are completely different and I love my panda too.
 
Why do Chinese always produce clones? Couldn't they just use a different case? And NOT include pirated emulators but follow the GPL?
The more interesting question is, how the hell do they produce these Devices so fast? Pandora took years to make, including working Software etc... Chinese Devices pop out like mushrooms after the rain. I mean, even if it is a clone and copied Design, someone have to build it and programm it etc... I also doubt they used our Pandora Case Company, otherwise this device would not look that clean. :D


Sometimes I think that the chinese Pirate Companies are more professional than the legal Chinese Companies. :wacko:

the development of the device probably won't have been solely down to yinlips. in china it's common for the chip manufacturer to supply the software port along with the chip. so yinlips may well have bought the whole bundle and pretty much only had to develop the case. this is probably the reason that a lot of chinese devices aren't supported by the manufacturer in software updates, because in some instances the factory putting the unit together either a) don't have access to the source code or B) simply don't have the skills necessary to improve upon the firmware they were given as part of the bundle.


rockchip definitely work in this way, supplying android ports with their socs... it wouldn't surprise me if others worked in the same way.
 
I'll answer as a newcomer with Android ;)

@ BAFelton :


Looks like you've got yourself a cracking device there, it's mind boggling to me that you can buy such a thing for less than €100.


If you could find the time to answer a few questions about it then I'd be most grateful.


1) What was the cost of the device delivered? i.e. total cost including postage & import duty.


2) What is the battery life like? (compared to Pandora)


3) How good are the controls? (compared to Pandora)


4) How good is the screen for gaming / watching video? (compared to Pandora)


5) Can it really output video at 1080P via the HDMI out? i.e. without stuttering / playback / audio syncing problems


6) Can it be overclocked?


1) What was the cost of the device delivered? i.e. total cost including postage & import duty.


I bought it by https://buyfromtaobao.com/


The console costs 98 $ + 10 $ fee + 10 $ shipping to china = 118 $


Then 46 $ of shipping to France via EMS. No import duty, no tax.


But now some shops sell them more easily, directly to France or wherever you live : http://www.isharegif...mp4-p-1573.html


2 ) What is the battery life like? (compared to Pandora)


Not a good point : about 3 hours of gaming.


3) How good are the controls? (compared to Pandora)


It's hard to compare because the Pandora has a keyboard + nubs + Dpad +ABXY.


I prefer the D-pad of the Pandora because the Yinlips pad is :





The diagonals are not really comfortable.


The analog stick doesn't seem to work as an analogue stick. It 'copies' the movement of the D-pad.


But I quote this from darth_llamah (dingoonity) :

-analogue stick seems to be a real analogue (CONFIG_ADC_KEYPADS_AM=y, ADC- Analogue to Digital Converter/Conversion), how system and apps handle this kind of input is a different thing

Personnaly it feels me like the stick of the PSP, I don't quite like it.


In many of the emulators, you can assign the controls to the D-pad, triggers... And for missing controls, you can add the virtual keys on the screen.


You can also save profiles for the mapping of the controls. For example I play Mario64 with A mapping (defined by me), then I play Zelda with B mapping (defined by me) ...


4) How good is the screen for gaming / watching video? (compared to Pandora)


I think the Pandora screen is more 'accurate' (finer or more precise : not sure of the english word) cause smaller than the G18.


BUT for gaming and videos it's really beautiful and colorful, like a PSP Vita one (tried it).


5) Can it really output video at 1080P via the HDMI out? i.e. without stuttering / playback / audio syncing problems


You made me try it :D


And yes it does ! No problem with the video nor the sounds.


6) Can it be overclocked?


It seems you can. I installed SetCpu, but I'm not sure which settings I have to modify. Waiting for other users to help me for this.

7) Can IceCream Sandwhich be installed.

I'll quote again from here http://boards.dingoo...ced-the-rg/165/ :

Some info I got from kernel config:
-hadrware is most likey based on rev B Amlogic reference board (machine is MACH_MESON_8726M_REFB602)


-analogue stick seems to be a real analogue (CONFIG_ADC_KEYPADS_AM=y, ADC- Analogue to Digital Converter/Conversion), how system and apps handle this kind of input is a different thing


-kernel has Bluetooth support enabled (CONFIG_BT=y), which doesn't mean that BT hardware is enabled


-there is TV-in enabled (CONFIG_TVIN_BT656IN=y)- this may camera interface (since # CONFIG_AMLOGIC_CAMERA_ENABLE is not set)


Except for the keys there shouldn't be any serious problem with creating a custom kernel, all other drivers are provided in Amlogic sources or are commonly used
smiley.gif



That means making a custom kernel (read: updated sources, updated drivers, bugs fixed etc) and rom shouldn't be too hard.


As for ICS- comparing to Gingerbread there are some major changes in system (mostly graphics and camera) and I don't know if there are proper drivers avaiable- Gingerbread ones require some hacking to make them work in ICS




With this new one, we go further in the capabilities of the consoles, and I'm really pleased with it.


The screen is bigger than the Caanoo, it has implemented Wifi, we have access to an almost limitless amount of applications / games.


It's the first of a new generation of handhelds in my opinion.


Controls can be improved for the N64, BUT for retro-gamers like I am, it's almost perfect for the price.


So yeah, if someone would ask me "should I buy it", I'd say "don't hesitate".


I won't compare with the Pandora cause they are completely different and I love my panda too.
Thank you. :)


YOU ARE AWESOME!!! :D
 
Many thanks for your review BAFelton, looks like the next few years could be exciting times for retro gamers with devices like this becoming available.
 
If it plays minecraft and angry birds; what more do you want? :lol:
 
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