Pandora pre-orders go live

We still don't really believe it, but the Pandora pre-order page is now live and accepting orders for the open-source gaming handheld. Only 3,000 units are being delivered this time around, so you'd better act fast -- $329 is all it takes to be a part of history, kids.

[atomicthumbs @ Sep 30th 2008 11:35AM]

I ordered a Pandora and a TV-out cable 5 minutes after it went live around 7 AM Pacific. I didn't have money left for a case or dev fund donation, sadly.

As a dedicated Pandora fanboy and future developer, I would like to say a few words:

"WHEEEEEEEEE HA HA HAAAAA"

[Flashpoint @ Sep 30th 2008 12:10PM]

Shit, I might buy one.

This is either the coolest device ever, or the sexiest paperweight ever...

[Frogboy @ Sep 30th 2008 12:34PM]

Ditto, although i was in such a hurry to get it preordered that I didn't even realize that there were extra accessories. What was the case? Did it have their logo on it or anything? Totally missed the Dev fund option. Oops.

[BigD145 @ Sep 30th 2008 11:38AM]

In other words, the price is too high for a portable and they want to drum up fast sales by having a limited release, thus guaranteeing a complete sellout.

[BigD145 @ Sep 30th 2008 11:41AM]

Yes, I do know there's a call for this item. If I can get a GP2X F200 for $170, then I should be able to get Pandora for around $200.

[Magnulus @ Sep 30th 2008 11:45AM]

Orrrrr, they have to keep the first run limited because they're an entirely new company with no outside financial backing and as such could only afford to start off with 3000 units initially. These guys are enthusiasts who decided to give the open-source handheld market (not a very large one) a PROPER product. Whether it holds that promise remains to be seen, but there's very little speculation going on here.

[Lippy @ Sep 30th 2008 11:48AM]

No, actually they're having a limited release because of funding, Craigix is basically funding it all himself, so he does not have enough money to have a larger initial release. Plus the fact that the next batch can be revised, if any bugs get through the testing into this batch.

[bigtruck @ Sep 30th 2008 11:51AM]

Wat.

Perhaps you could explain your logic, because that seems to make approximately zero sense. Since an Xbox 360 costs about $200, should I therefore be able to get a PS3 for ~$250? Perhaps more expensive maufacturing costs due to more expensive and better (more powerful and/or energy efficient) components would cause sale price to be higher? Nah, that's crazy talk.

The Wiz is a more direct successor to the GP2X than the Pandora. While their target demographic may be similar, the Pandora is a much more capable machine. If you just want to play homebrew games and emulators, if you really liked the GP2X, you'd probably like the Wiz. The Pandora is more powerful and versatile, so I don't see why the price is seen as so outrageous.

[atomicthumbs @ Sep 30th 2008 11:53AM]

" If I can get a GP2X F200 for $170, then I should be able to get Pandora for around $200."

I can get an MSI Wind for $400, so I ought to be able to get a Macbook Pro for $600.

Seriously, you're comparing an admirable, yet underpowered and discontinued console against the Pandora and saying the Pandora could cost less. They would have a huge loss on each; the parts would cost more than the selling price.

[thedesolate1 @ Sep 30th 2008 1:20PM]

Its akin to a sharp Zaurus but for gaming. That says ALOT because a Zaurus is almost double the price but with somewhat inferior hardware. So quit your bitchin and moaning.

[wootman @ Sep 30th 2008 5:52PM]

It is 3000 because that is the lowest possible number you can get a manufacturer to make.

[Jeremy K. @ Sep 30th 2008 11:38AM]

That has got to be the ugliest portable gaming handheld I've ever seen. It also seems insanely impractical to use.

[atomicthumbs @ Sep 30th 2008 11:54AM]

1. That picture is not the final design.
2. That picture does not show the unclunkiness of the Pandora. The final case (injection molding costs too much to make small batches) will be smooth and streamlined; the console is slightly smaller than an original DS.

Here's an actual photo of the developer case:

http://openpandora.org/FDMphotos/9.jpg

[Frankenstein Black @ Sep 30th 2008 11:58AM]

Come on now Tuko, you know what its like to be referred to as “ugly” ;^). So, just ignore the “squareness” for a second. If you look at the layout, it’s actually quite well done. Nothing is missing from an ergonomics perspective. The only thing I would change is (1) a bigger screen and (2) a more rounded, organic looking design. Oh yea, and some coloreware pizzazz - http://www.colorwarepc.com/...

[maveric101 @ Sep 30th 2008 11:39AM]

if they come up with an N64 emulator i would consider it.

[atomicthumbs @ Sep 30th 2008 11:55AM]

"They" is the entire developer community, I take it?

ZodTTD was going to work on an N64 emulator, but he's put it on hold for now.

[konshuss @ Sep 30th 2008 11:42AM]

i'm really tempted by those specs, but alas i have no practical use for this.

[Hellaphunt @ Sep 30th 2008 11:49AM]

Nice. That thing is so pwned!

[wootman @ Sep 30th 2008 5:43PM]

wat?

[Hellaphunt @ Oct 1st 2008 1:36PM]

xkcd

[bigtruck @ Sep 30th 2008 12:06PM]

Whenever an article about the Pandora appears on a tech news site, there's always at least a couple, usually more, comments borne of ignorance about the target demographic and goals of the Pandora. The Pandora is not aiming to take on Sony or Nintendo. An average PSP or DS user who just wants to play games would probably have little interest in the Pandora. While a typical consumer could use and might even enjoy the Pandora, it tends to appeal more to the geek crowd, which as a whole tends to be more interested in function than form (one common criticism).

The second criticism of the Pandora is about the price. If you're buying a Pandora just to play a few SNES games or something like that, you're making a mistake. Go read the Pandora's specs at openpandora.ca. They are significantly better than the PSP's or the DS's. Articles on new pocket-sized MIDs appear on the front page of Engadget all the time. The Pandora is certainly capable of most, if not all, things those devices are. Look at the price of those MIDs. Still think the Pandora costs too much? The Pandora is essentially one of those combined with a gaming handheld.

[deyanimay @ Sep 30th 2008 12:16PM]

Of course its specs are better than the psp and ds take a look at the difference in release dates.

[fischju @ Sep 30th 2008 2:02PM]

And with the same proc as the Archos 5 and 7, it should be capable of playing the same (and more) formats

[Christian Walters @ Sep 30th 2008 12:07PM]

"so you'd better act fast -- $329 is all it takes to be a part of history, kids.", yah, the part of history when you send off your hard earned green for something that aint real. Dont worry, the Phantom and Gizmondo investors will stand by your side!

[Ben @ Sep 30th 2008 1:03PM]

I'm sorry, but what proof do you have exactly suggesting this isn't real?
Just haven't heard of the company before?
Dear oh dear...

[KilgoreTrout @ Sep 30th 2008 12:11PM]

If anyone is interested I have developed a very nice app to transorm your new Pandora in a turn by turn GPS device using google maps.
Voice recognition requires modding a mic in it but I'm working on that too.

[atomicthumbs @ Sep 30th 2008 12:37PM]

The Pandora already has a microphone; it doesn't have GPS or an accelerometer though, so how are you doing this (other than with an addon GPS)?

[KilgoreTrout @ Sep 30th 2008 1:18PM]

Exactly as you said . With a GPS add-on.
Speech recog. (if you want to use one of the well tried prog. protocols) requires a better mic.
Unless the final commercial device will sport a stereo mic.

[Phawx @ Sep 30th 2008 12:11PM]

Yea, I just secured my pre-order. This is actually what I wanted from a MID, but most MIDs didn't plan on having gaming controls included.

This is the MID for the gamer.

Bought.

[Morgan Boyle @ Sep 30th 2008 12:29PM]

i am not gonna even read all the comments but i see a lot of people bitching about price.

its called economies of scale. they are running a limited release to make sure they really have a market for this product and its gonna cost more since they are not trying to produce 30,000 or 3,000,000 units. if they were making that many the price would surely be less.

I'm gonna wait for round two, and hope that any kinks that pop up in this first version get worked out with a lower price.

but, i hope this product gets a lot of support since this is that kind of thing that keeps companies competitive.

[atomicthumbs @ Sep 30th 2008 12:36PM]

They're running a limited release because they don't have the funds to run a less limited one. It's not intended to be a huge commercial success (although that would be nice); their goal is to serve the community (and make some money on the side).

[chefgon_ign @ Sep 30th 2008 12:33PM]

If I hadn't just sunk $300 on a G1 preorder, I'd be all over this thing. Sadly my gadget budget just can't afford it right now. Damn shame, too, I've been waiting for this thing for quite a while.

[Matthew @ Sep 30th 2008 12:48PM]

I'll stick to my iPod Touch and PSP. What's the point of being portable if this thing isn't portable?

[cb88 @ Sep 30th 2008 12:58PM]

It is portable and most of the size is due to the huge battery relatively speaking with 10+ hour avg battery life and 8 or so minimum. remember this thing is slightly smaller than the original DS

[therealmorris @ Sep 30th 2008 1:01PM]

isn't portable? It's slightly smaller than an original DS I believe. It is 140x83x27mm
http://www.sizeasy.com/page/size_comparison/16292-Sony-PSP-vs-Nintendo-DS-vs-Pandora

[Frogboy @ Sep 30th 2008 1:08PM]

If a PSP is portable then Pandora is as well. Not sure where you are going with this.

[Rob Conway @ Sep 30th 2008 7:05PM]

the picture on this page makes it look enormous! they should have included an everyday item for perspective. that's why people don't realize it's DS sized. that and they're too stubborn to read like the first 5 comments.

[blackfeathers @ Sep 30th 2008 12:51PM]

i think the specs are awesome for its size and what it's intended for -gaming. however, it would also be nice to have a front-face camera on that thing. imagine skype or other software developed for this platform. gps as well. i see potential there for much more, but sounds like a great start.

[cb88 @ Sep 30th 2008 12:53PM]

im certainly no ubuntu fanboy (I like debian itself better ) but it has been ported to the device and the video is on youtube with xfce and gimp running at quite respectable speeds

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOPNurKei0I

[bigtruck @ Sep 30th 2008 1:00PM]

How exactly is it not portable?
PSP Slim and Lite's dimensions: 170mm x 71mm x 19mm
Pandora's dimensions: 140mm x 83mm x 27mm

http://openpandora.ca/images/pand09050_logo3a.JPG

[bigtruck @ Sep 30th 2008 1:01PM]

Whoops, that post failed. Didn't reply to correct post AND the wrong picture URL.

http://openpandora.org/images/comparison.jpg

[TareX @ Sep 30th 2008 1:02PM]

I know it's a private basement project, I know it's poorly funded, I know it emulates many machines (except what matters; the psp)... but sorry 329 is way too much. I can have a slim PSP with a memory stick loaded with PSP iso games (and MAME, and GBA, and SNES...) on ebay for less than $200....

I hope it sells well, though.

[cb88 @ Sep 30th 2008 1:08PM]

the pandora can clock up to 900mhz and has a pretty beefy GPU similar to the one in the dreamcast only a later iteration of it
the PSP clocks up to 333mhz isn't that right? so even at its defaults the pandora has a 200mhz edge

of course mhz isn't everything but don't forget that the arm cortex-a8 in the pandora is considerably faster than even ARM11's clocked at teh same speed

[cb88 @ Sep 30th 2008 1:10PM]

PSP = 333mhz and 64mb ram at the max
Pandora = 500-600mhz defualt and up to 900mhz easy with 128mb ram

you do the math pandora will win

[TareX @ Sep 30th 2008 1:31PM]

alright, Pandora has more power. But it STILL can't emulate PSP isos.

It's moments like these when you don't ask yourself what the Pandora's potential is. You ask what it can actually DO. It's an excellent emulator for everything other than the PSP. The thing is, the PSP can do all the other handhelds + has a huge library for itself.... and a higher build quality, slimmer package...etc...AND is a lot cheaper.

I was very excited about Pandora but given its price AND how low a used slim PSP with isos and emulators costs, I don't think it will be winning me over.

[Frogboy @ Sep 30th 2008 1:57PM]

The PSP is cheaper because they make money off the games as I'm sure you are already aware. Most of us don't want to bother with hacking and potentially bricking our PSPs to run the software that we want on it. Sony doesn't want us doing that either, obviously, which is why they continue to fight against it with firmware upgrades. That was fine when we didn't really have a choice but now we do. I'd prefer to support the companies that are making open systems since that is what I am interested in and I'd like them to continue to make them. You can't compare the price point though. They have to make money off of the hardware. There's no way around that. If you are cool with your PSP then that's perfectly fine. I'm just throwing in my two cents.

Plus for $64 shipped, I can throw 32 GB worth of storage into this thing. Let's see your PSP do that? :)))

[TareX @ Sep 30th 2008 2:04PM]

Alright, but again, what about the most important thing, THE GAMES?

With the PSP you have the entire ISO library of PSP games (some even better than the PS2 in quality) and MAME,GBA,SNES...etc
Whereas the Pandora will emulate the latter group in addition to PSone games that don't compare to those of the PSP in terms of quality, besides the fact they weren't made for handheld.

Pandora is "open", it's "free", it can do anything and everything... only I'm sorry but if it could do PSP then I wouldn't be debating with you. But it can't. And guess what, the PSP can do all the other systems as well.

Add this entire debate to the fact next-gen handheld gaming is just around the corner.

[cb88 @ Sep 30th 2008 2:24PM]

can a PSP emulate a PSP...hmm?

the pandora is likely to have a huge open source game collection quake 3 and maybe even doom 4 when it is released opensource right after rage goes on sale according to id

also the screen is of far higher quality than that of the PSP

[Frogboy @ Sep 30th 2008 3:31PM]

* Add this entire debate to the fact next-gen handheld gaming is just around the corner. *

I wouldn't count on this one happening too quickly. The PSP just got going a year ago, maybe two. I don't see Sony, especially in the shape they are in right now, going back to square one and putting out a brand new, insanely overspeced handheld gaming system for a while. It'll be 3 - 5 years at least. They might update the PSP a couple more times with some minor revisions but it was way too far a head of it's time when it came out to make it worth making another one just yet. Ninty might come out with another handheld but theirs are always terribly underspeced and will be lucky to be as powerful as the current PSP. You'll be waiting longer than you think. Handheld gaming systems don't advance as fast as their console counterparts.


* ...only I'm sorry but if it could do PSP then... *

If all you want is a gaming handheld and don't mind hacking the firmware to do MAME, NES etc then the PSP is probably the way to go. You'll probably get most of the desired emulators and have PSP games to boot. Browsing the internet on the PSP is not pleasent and you're not going to be able to do OpenOffice type stuff, not sure about PDF viewing, music composition and whatever else we use computers for. If you can, the applications probably aren't very polished or are difficult to use. My point is that it can be used for more than just playing games. I personally think that is a nice bonus and worth the extra cost (for me).

[milkshake @ Sep 30th 2008 3:51PM]

Hi TareX,

I would just like to say that although the pandora does not emulate the PSP yet, that does not mean that it will not.

I hope u relise that it took people like DaX (major player in custom psp firmware) and many others in the psp scene that made the emulators and homebrew games / apps years to make the psp as good as it is today.

If you look at this list it gives you a good idea at the current emulating possibilities and abilities of the pandora as it stands now, and this is before the device is to be shipped.

http://www.gp32x.com/board/index.php?showtopic=41897

If you look at this list someone is actually going to attempt to make a dreamcast emu for pandora! Somthing that would never happen on the psp, its just not got the power needed.

also does the psp have a built in keybord? not yet and its been years and still nothing official about one, also the browser isn't perticurlarly amazing, but the pandora should be able to run firefox which is a much better browser.

And im not saying all this because I hate the psp cos i dont! i own 2 the original black one witch has a undiluted platinum mod chip in it, and a slim and light white one, both with the latest released DaX custom firmware.

I just think that the pandora has so much more to offer than my psps, i.e. bluetooth (this could be used with a bluetooth gps device), large resolution touch screen, built in keyboard, dual anolog controllers (which the psp soooo should have had) and the best for me has got to be the built in USB 2.0 host which means I can plug my own usb devices into the pandora e.g. my own keyboard and mouse along with any other usb 2.0 device as long as there are drivers for it (mmmmm :) external usb hardrive, mmmmm :) usb psx pad adaptor cable for my psx pad).

I have mine pre-ordered and i just cant wait.

anyone else as excited as me?

eeeeeeeee :D