Video: Pandora hardware prototype demoed
By Laura June 
posted Jan 29th 2009 12:29PM
posted Jan 29th 2009 12:29PM
We've seen Pandora (in various build states) doing a few things on video in the past but we have never -- and we mean never -- seen it playing a Sonic the Hedgehog game. Actually, what we're looking at is a nearly complete prototype of the hardware, and though the unit is still admittedly in rough-around-the-edges prototype form, it's good to know the project is progressing (and should be welcome news for all those people that pre-ordered way back in October). Near the end of the video there's an epic struggle between the pint-sized console and the hands that would seek to enslave it. Trust us: you don't want to miss this one, guys.
It's an FDM case. So this is still a prototype. Supposedly they are created a CNC case for the final prototype. It should start shipping late March/Early April
Even though I like the dual analog sticks and I think the Pandora has a better design than the PSP...I doubt those analog sticks will be neccessary unless this thing actually has the power to run games as sophisticated as N64, PS or PS2 - cause you know its not up there with PSP yet.
If this thing just ran 16 bit games and 8 bit games it would still be worth buying - especially if it had a web browser with that pretty keyboard.
It has the Cortex A8 and SGX530 inside this beast. It should be able to run Doom 3 when it goes open source after Id Tech 5 comes out. (If John Carmack releases the source like he usually does whenever a new tech release comes out.)
I should stress that the Pandora may well be 4 times more powerful than the PSP. Obviously it's an open source platform so commercial games will be few, but there is confirmation that one of the devs from Bizarre Creations is porting one of his Dreamcast games to the Pandora.
The Pandora is a beast.
Don't feed the trolls.
"unless this thing actually has the power to run games as sophisticated as N64, PS"
It does.
Wasn't running a sonic game one of the first things that was shown on it? -1 to me if you're infact being sarcastic.
I'm looking forward to the final design. This could be big. But it also could be a flop.
That will depend on personal opinion. It’s a niche product for the moment so definitely don’t expect sales like the DS or PSP. I think that they’ll sell a lot more than they originally anticipated though. I mean, come on…who wouldn’t want a fully functional Linux computer with built in gaming controls in their pocket at all times? :)
To those saying this will be a flop. The Pandora team are not expecting world domination and during the pre-order period for the first batch sold out within a few days.
that quake demo was running insanely fast!
iirc, its a framerate test, so there will be no limit on speed of playback.
basically, its playing as fast as the hardware can render each frame.
and remember, on the video its all software rendering.
still, Q2 is a somewhat aged engine, if they are running the original ID code. now if they where using one of the later open source variants...
http://www.gp32x.de/sneak3.jpg
This is what the Pandora will look like when finished.
Doesn't look bulky as I thought it'd be.
But ... still can't beat PSP and DS.
It needs something more unique.
its a umpc with full emulation of ps games(duel joy-nubs), pmp(~100hr batt. life), netbook(psp is watered down, ds is a joke), pda. with a high chance of n64 and dreamcast emulation in the future.
a lot of features and software ideas that we see on the psp came from the homebrew community, here we have a console custom made by a community. how much more unique can it get?
if thats not unique enough for you heres a list of some more uniqueness and kick-assery http://pandorawiki.org/Pandora
looks powerful. please make use of oled screens though
no it isn't OLED but it is still an excellent screen by all accounts same as in the archos 605 iirc
and please use a Core I7 processor so that it will be compatible with windopws
I want the hell out of that.
Don't you mean hellollo?
No way man! I want the hell INTO that.
If you want to bash it without watching it here are some facts to consider:
It is FDM, so it doesn't look very good. The final one will be smooth and shiny.
There is no battery in it, so when he digs in to press buttons the battery door creaks (because it's FDM)
The keypad doesn't have the final coating so they aren't raised, so he has to press harder for them to work
All the controls work, but the PSX emulator build doesn't support them at the moment. This will be fixed before release.
(other things)
Which part of this was the epic struggle?
The buttons are really loud.
That's the FDM case creaking because there's no battery in the compartment
Whoa I want one of these. Even in it's present incarnation I just hope it doesn't turn into a paradox for them before release, showing emulators and backups...
If the final version comes with the Now Loading screen, I'm sold.
Great device!
We are arriving to the end of the begin!
Keep up the good work!
My sarcasm meter is not calibrated properly, but:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njgAQhwqJZg&feature=channel_page
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HhIt8A-d34&feature=channel_page
I think they mean that they haven't seen anyone play anything on it with its own controls. That's a first in this video. Major milestone.
Pandoras website is butt ugly ugh.
Move along, nothing to see here.
Haha, good one.
Guess it's a good thing that these are the same guys are working on the iControlpad then?
But no, the iPhone does not blow this out of the water in the job that the Pandora is intended for. For dedicated emulation, this thing has a visibly higher frame rate and better sound timing that the iPhone. I'm not saying that that's due to hardware limitations on the iPhone, but it's much easier to do it on this, not to mention the bountiful tactile controls. I've played Sonic 3D Blast on my iPhone, and it sure as hell wasn't near as smooth as that
Pandora also has better specs, and is completely open. No jail breaking BS required.
whats so new, cool, or different about this thing, it looks like a piece of crap, or like a home made gameboy, like those portable NES or something like that.
What's with the hate? The hardware within it is no hacked up old console, it's custom stuff made for homebrew enthusiasts who wanted something they wouldn't have to fight to use and had everything they wanted. The fact that they've gone from concept to working prototype on a limited budget is awe-inspiring alone.
iPhone made companies rethink mobile phones. I don't think this will make any company rethink portable game machines, but I hope it inspires others to build their own kick-ass hardware.
oh my god,after watching that utube vid im gonna go n ebay my dslite n psp for $20 each right away.,NOT!!!!!!!!!!!THIS THING WILL TANK HARD HERE IN THE USA,GUARANTEED,no more room for another portable gaming device.,welcome to the new world,global depression.Pandora u better off getting those developers/testers off your payroll, asap,your wasting time n money. unless im wrong,which i seriously doubt. does anyone believe this way kill ds or psp.,??
Don't feed the trolls. Especially the ones that know how to copy/paste.
Yes Shugg. It's going to kill DS and PSP, as well as replace Obama's Blackberry. Don't get left behind. If you have any questions, post them twice.
It looks good i hope this will become popular because im willing to sell my nintendo DS for this but i think is easyer to hack a nintendo DS or DSi to do what pandora does.
This is gonna be awesome and I don't want to be a downer but it won't be as awesome as it sounded about a year ago. It would have been HUGE if it had come out when I first heard of it. It may be a little bit late now and it will only be slightly ahead of the current generation of current commercial handhelds, not to mention far more expensive. It will be the best out there for a while, I think, but it will be way too expensive and by the time it starts to come down in price a new PSP, iPhone, or DS will be out that will blow us out of this world with every aspect of it being better than this thing. Don't get me wrong I think this is awesome that Craig is making this thing and that this is going to come to fruition but it is going to be very very difficult to compete with the commercial handhelds. Fortunately that is not the main goal of this handheld, although many people think it is, so hopefully this will still have a good amount of success.
I seriously doubt there'll be an open source DS, PSP or iPhone any time soon. Or one with dual analog sticks and full hardware querty keyboard.
I should add that despite never technologies coming along, the FOSS nature of the Pandora will be what keeps it alive and still doing impressive things in 5 or 6 years. Dreamcast emulation?
It's not that expensive, it's a portable game console, pda,media player with a lot (100+?) hours of playback, and full linux device (ssh/remote desktop, etc...). Plus all the emulated stuff.
But currently it's mostly for the tech enthousiasts, it will be more user friendly with the future batches. Can't wait till mine get's delivered though.
It's not that expensive, it's a portable game console, pda,media player with a lot (100+?) hours of playback, and full linux device (ssh/remote desktop, etc...). Plus all the emulated stuff.
But currently it's mostly for the tech enthousiasts, it will be more user friendly with the future batches. Can't wait till mine get's delivered though.
Keep in mind, this isn't meant to compete or "kill" (whatever that means?) the PSP or DS.
people fear what they don't understand. Pandora doesn't have a Sony or Nintendo logo on it, so naturally people feel confused and threatened by this thing.
Personally, I can't wait to get my hands on one!