Odroid handheld game console due early March sportin' Android 2.1
By Joseph L. Flatley 
posted March 12th 2010 11:59PM
posted March 12th 2010 11:59PM
We know you've been champing at the bit for some Odroid news... wait, you forgot already? You know, the Android-powered handheld game system that the manufacturer, Hardkernel, bills "the developer-focused portable game device"? To be honest, we'd hope that the company would focus on game players, but that's really beside the point: the thing finally has a release date: "early March." And for those of you lucky enough to get in on the ground floor, they've gone and upgraded the thing to Android 2.1. Peep it in action after the break.
Lol.
MAN that thing is ugly.
@uhhmoney whats the difference, it already looks better than the psp GO and the ds... as long as it has a decent bang for your buck and some advertising, this thing could go a loooong way.
Finally someone with balls to use buttons... too bad they had to copy them off the WonderSwan
shave off 2-3 inches of each of the hand-held and we have a nice pocketdroid.
i love the video, especially the part with the great games.
@shizzledmg
I think the reason they didnt show it playing games is because it cant play games that well!
@shizzledmg
+1
Lol, oh dear
Screens to small (rthey could at least added a second or made it widescreen), and to many buttons
DS, PSP, iPOD Touch/iPhone FTW
@OCEAN CLAK
The screen is exactly the same size as the iphone screen.
@New Reformation
Then this thing has a very large bezel as there wasted space around the screen (the whole black border surrounding it)
it was a woman demoing it...thats why it was a bad demo....
but in all seriousness, that thing lagged on the lockscreen! my tp2 with a ported version of android running on an sd card over windows mobile runs smoother than that thing. nice try hardkernel.
If you're going to get something like this, might as well wait for the Pandora, which is shipping any day now... supposedly.. still.
truly horrible performance...
No way ... Not for me !!
I feel sorry for all investors involved in this project.
too much buttons...
@RidEtHeLiGhTNiNg better than too few or none at all
This has been available for a little while already. Not sure if this is just the "public" release or something?
Anyway. Despite the usual cries of "lol, fail, ugly" from the mainstream commenters, this is actually quite an interesting device for developers (you know, the guys who write the apps you use on your shiny HTCs) and it's a nice cheap entry point. There's a really good first impressions thread on GP32X:
http://www.gp32x.com/board/index.php?/topic/52270-first-impressions-odroid/
Looks like a modern day nokia
It's the iPod touch of Android.
3 oddly placed D-pads? What the shit is this?
@Prevacator
so it can also be used in portrait mode. as well as landscape mode
@Prevacator 2 analog nubs or GTFO
Early March? They've got about 2 days before it officially becomes the middle of March. They better be getting it out soon if they hope to make the release date they set today.
that is some pretty bad jpop
Wow those are some killer games shown off! Going to runout and get this one and replace my DSi! Ok in all seriousness it would be cool, but it has too many buttons and odd shape to it.
@motang It has the same number of buttons as your DSi.
Wow that really reminds me of my old GameGear I had back in 1994...
@DerekUGA
You really took it back with the Gamegear. Actually it's a Wonderswan. A nice little system that got no love....till now that is. Still useless though.
@NYCertified lol Yeah, if I was a programmer I would be working in Unix...lmao
Well, I suppose getting Android 2.1 on it was so much of a challenge, they forgot to have some games to demo . . .
"Let's go Potty?"
Eh EH Eh EH EH EHE EH 2 N E 1.
Lol. If you listen to K-Pop, you'll probably laugh at this post.
Hmm... This might be cool if it ran iPhone os, web os, or something else that, you know, has games. Note: I like android, my next phone will probably run that, so android fans don't jump on me!
Why are there multi-coloured pot leaves floating around?
If it's supposed to be a gaming console, then show some games. What's the point of this if it can only do things that any other Android devices can (play music and browse the internet)?
FINALLY! Something to replace my Nokia NGage!
Chomping at the bit! Not champing. Look it up!! You do this about once a week.
not a very good demo of what it can do...start off with some annoying J-Pop (almost the worst of all genres) then showed some extremely basic functions that the droid and N1 do better....and never once started a game to SHOW OFF THE CONTROL PAD!!!
Wow. Feels like deja vu...anyone else remember the Tapwave Zodiac? I do! Because it's actually sitting behind on my floor with a whole bunch of other crap. I seem to remember it was supposed to be the Palm OS-based amazing game system...pretty sure they don't exist anymore.
I can't wait to spend my money on another device trying to fill a niche that doesn't really exist using a popular mobile operating system!
This device is a FAIL.
If the developers of this device would have read our comments, and put our concerns into consideration - meaning change that UGLY design - then maybe just MAYBE I'd buy this.
With all the android tablets coming out, I don't need this for development. The MSI's harmony will most likely be better with it's tegra chipset.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xngLaQtlKPg
According to above video, Quake-3 and GBA games are running well.
But, the control is still weird.
The Shoulder buttons are capacitive touch sensors (really sensitive), not physical buttons. REALLY ANNOYING!!
fail