Android-based ODROID handheld gaming concept debuts, hurts our eyes
By Joseph L. Flatley 
posted Sep 1st 2009 12:23PM
posted Sep 1st 2009 12:23PM
The gadget underground has been buzzin' with clandestine chatter relating to Android MIDs lately, and now a company called Hardkernel is concocting a handheld game platform and media player based on the open source OS and the same processor as the iPhone 3GS. And you know what? This is a pretty cool idea for a device, even if the company's website leaves us frightened and confused. ODROID is a 3.5-inch (320 x 480 capacitive touchscreen) concept that sports a 600MHz Samsung S5PC100 ARM Cortex A8 CPU, HDMI output (720p), composite video output, microSD and SD card slots, and WiFi b/g. We're not entirely sure when (or if) this thing will see the light of day, or for how much, but you'll know as soon as we do. Promise.
[Via SlashGear]
[Via SlashGear]
looks like a wonderswan...
IMMEDIATELY thought the same exact thing. Wonderswan Crystal. But Androided?
Sign me the hell up.
First thing I thought of.
Damn, you got there before me.
Androswan fail
Looks like an iPhone with a skin.
@BigD145 Your face looks like an iPhone with a skin.
They could at least do a render of a device instead of photoshoping the wonderswan. Seeing this makes me want to bust out my Final Fantasy Edition Wonderswan Color and play some Japanese version FF.
Somebody loves the D-pad.
Somebody doesn't know how to use a d-pad properly on a game system.
Seriously, why is it so hard for these handheld makers to come up with decent button layouts? Rapid prototyping is cheap now! Test the crap out of them before putting them to market. Surely not all the great button layouts are patented by the big boys...
The OpenPandora team got it right and their device is supposed to be shipping in October.
I really hope they did. I'll reserve my judgment till after I use one, but after your post I went back to their site and did some research on how far along they got with it. Looks like the hardware's matured a lot, like a UMPC. Looks like I know where my money will be going in December! :D
Are you kidding? This isn't that bad. Works in both portrait and landscape.
I wonder if tegra is hard to work with? From what I've seen it looks like great hardware so I'm wondering why more companies aren't picking it up. (Not to mention I would love to shoot some virtual reality zombies)
Probably waiting to see how the Zune HD does with it. Makes sense: let Microsoft do the R&D and take the risks and then swoop in with your own device.
All of MSFT's R&D is meaningless to other companies if they keep it to themselves. All the Zune HD will show is that "hey you can make products with it" without the "and this is how you integrate it into your software system."
Looks like the Tapwave Zodiac, only even more ugly.
FrankenDroid!
The design is the way it is so that the device can be played both vertically and horizontally and still have physical buttons, the WonderSwan had the same design, I think it's versatile and would give some unique gaming possibilities. The Nintendo 64 controller follows a similar sort of way of thinking, with the 3 pronged design, so that the user can hold the controller in different ways for different kinds of games, although, most games used the center/right prongs (I still think the 64 controller was the best ever for console FPS's) because that worked best for 3d games.
It's good to see something a bit different here. I'm surprised nobody noticed the WonderSwan look yet, I guess Engadget doesn't have much of a long term memory.
It IS nice to see something a bit different here.
as in not a progressive model of a phone, netbook, or DSLR.
I HIGHLY AGREE
Looks like bandai's Wonder Swan handhelds gaming device released in japan.
Heres a link to Bandais Wonder Swan http://www.theoldcomputer.com/Libarary%27s/Emulation/bandai_wonderswan/wonderswan.jpg
WONDER SWAM POWERS, ACTIVATE!
TURN INTO PORTABLE MACHINE
TRANSFORM INTO ANDROID!
Needs more D-Pad
lol...I'VE GOT A FEVAH!
doomed. to. fail.
trust me, id love a new portable to play games on, but the PSP and mostly the DS are gonna be hard to beat.
Wow, hands down one of the worst looking devices yet--thought it was a "Keepin' it real fake..." piece.
No, God no!
What is that?
isn't 320x480 a bit too small for 3.5 inches?
Seems to be fine on the iPhone/iPod Touch...
The hardware and website designs are stuck in the 90s.
You have a problem with the 90s? NO SOUP FOR YOU! COME BACK ONE YEAR!
That's a pretty smart looking control scheme layout
M.A.M.E. or die.
everyone knows that the Model 2 games were the best of the best
What hurts my eyes is the absolutely horrible font rendering on their website. If they want to be taken seriously they have to look more professional than that.
Ya, they have some serious aliasing problems.
thats the default Asian/Western font. The same font you see on KIRFs and most other direct from asia devices (That don't have an MNC backing them). It's an offical ISO bitmap font (similar to MS Mincho) so it always looks like crap. If they simply used a "nice" western font for white papers/webpages like helvetica there company would instantly get more credibility. Hopefully some company eventually catches on.
How about, PSPhone running Android....? Recent collaborations between Sony and Google makes me hope (e-reader, sony laptops running chrome, xperia x3, etc...). Someday :\
The 80s called. They want their handheld control designs back.
sup dog, we heard you like d-pads...
Wow that thing really is hella ugly... it kind of reminds me of the old N-gage, which incidently, was pretty poor. Its name seems to sum it up.. OD.
http://www.myfreegadget.co.uk/
This is what happens when you let Wonderswan fanboys design their own portable.