Craig Rothwell
Latest
OpenPandora begins 'private' sales, fast-track your open-source gaming handheld for an extra $150
What with all the excitement about Sony's quad-core handheld and Nintendo's autostereoscopic screen, we have to say, we nearly forgot about the open-source Pandora handheld slowly but assuredly shipping from the UK. Well, we've got some bittersweet news to share, and here it goes: you can now purchase a Pandora for $500, and have it ship within a week. What's bitter about that? Because normally you pay $350 and get put on the pre-order waiting list. That extra $150 sounds like quite the surcharge, but it's an option if you simply can't wait for your number to come up, and OpenPandora chief Craig Rothwell tweets that some portion of those monies will help support the project. Still, those extra units have to come from somewhere, and if you've been standing in line for months, we imagine you won't happy to hear that some rich kid can just swoop in and buy your Pandora out from under you without a care in the world.
iControlPad going into production (again), 3000 units in first run
After a few fits and false starts, the image above shows the iControlPad in what's purported to be its final production form, according to inventor Craig Rothwell's Twitter account. Pricing hasn't been announced yet, and sales are supposed to start sometime in September, but Rothwell says the unit above is the first off the line, and there will be a production run of just 3000 to start. The unit has two sidebar pieces that wrap around the iPhone or iPod touch, and in addition to the extra control buttons on the bottom, the 'pad also has a battery that "doubles the iPhone battery life for gaming." There are shoulder buttons on the back as well. Rothwell says he doesn't ever expect to get Apple's support on the project, but by just switching out the two side pieces, the pad could be adapted for any number of phones, so if the concept takes off, you can probably expect to see an Android version as well. We'll keep an eye out for pricing and other information. It's been a long (long) time coming, but for iPhone gamers who could use a few more buttons in their games, looks like the wait might almost be over. [via Engadget]
GP2x sells 30,000 units
GameSpot reports that the GP2X has sold 30,000 units since its European launch earlier this year. Craig Rothwell, Director of GP32/2x Distribution, expects the Linux handheld sales to total 50,000 by the end of the year.Is 50,000 a lot? We think it's a reasonable amount and could sustain a well-run business. According to gamesindustry.biz, the ill-fated Gizmondo sold less than 5,000 units in its first three months. (Both devices were launched in the United Kingdom.) While the GP2X has had three times as long to reach 30,000, over its life-span, the GP2X has sold twice as well as the Gizmondo.The European Nintendo DS launch dwarfed both systems, totaling 87,000 units in two days. Comparing the GP2X and DS is like comparing an office softball team with the Yankees, but that doesn't mean that both can't coexist. (And yes, the DS Phat was caught juicing, which is why the Lite is so scrawny.)Read: Q&A: GP2X chief Craig RothwellRead: GP2X handheld expected to reach 50,000 sales by Xmas[Thanks, JamesO]
