Alternatives to the pyra?


ethereal

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Oct 26, 2003
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So I just read about the JXD 7800 today.  Apparently it's been out for over a year.


It basically has everything the Pyra will have, except the full keyboard.


Android 4.2 RK3188 Quad Core 1.6GHz 7 inch IPS Screen 2GB RAM 8GB ROM Bluetooth 4.0 Cameras










Anyone know of any other device similar to what the pyra will be, but is available to purchase now?
 
JXD is a regular topic around here, since they are selling new versions on a practically monthly basis (even more by now).


Regarding the other one: https://boards.openpandora.org/search/?type=all&q=archos+gamepad


All I've seen about this stuff is "bad quality", "stealing/selling apps without asking", "bad battery life", etc... so the usual China crap.


I like the idea of a tablet with inbuilt gaming controls, but haven't seen anything of proper quality by now.


PSX runs better on a classic Pandora and N64 runs better on a 1Ghz Pandora.


Besides: Pyra/OpenPandora are not Android dependend and come with a real Linux distribution with a big repository.
 
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An android device with game controls is not that rare nowadays (even nvidia is doing something like that IIRC. Also, is ouya still a thing?).


A pocketable device with a proper keyboard is pretty rare.


And if you want a pockatable device with a proper keyboard and game controls, well, Pandora/Pyra is the only non-cancelled option I'm aware of.
 
Those JXD gaming tablet sound OK on paper but they are not reliable and as mentioned they tend to bundle software which is not theirs to do so. I seem to remember my brother's having a ROM downloader, for example.


This seemed promising: http://www.willgoo.com/presell-gpd-xd-pocket-gaming-tablet-rk3288-quadcore-5-ips-p-637.html


Of course, the main problem with all of these is that you are locked in to android and also that you have no physical keyboard. It's probably fine if you just want to run console emulators, but if you also wanted to do some constructive things or play emulators like Amiga, then not so much.
 
Basically the pandora/pyra has the best layout of any pocket gaming device I've ever seen, but I don't want to carry around a phone AND a gaming console, so I would like to merge the two into one.


If I had to settle, I would say the gaming nubs+cellphone capability would be all that I need.  


What do you guys think of this?


http://www.antelife.com/snail-much.html
 
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The pyra has 3G/4G support, so as soon as someone writes a phone/SMS program for it, you will be able to use it as phone.


If you want to make calls, you'll then have the option between looking incredible stupid and using a headset.
 
I don't see any Pyra alternatives here. Just Generic Android devices with game controls. 
 
The pyra has 3G/4G support, so as soon as someone writes a phone/SMS program for it, you will be able to use it as phone.


If you want to make calls, you'll then have the option between looking incredible stupid and using a headset.

I'm actually fine with taco talking.  If I have to yell into a this clam at some weird angle I'll be fine with that.  


The big problem for me is that fact that there may not be phone support programmed into it.  


Anyways I'm shopping around online and found this http://mobile.snail.com/en/w3d.html


I'll may pick this up when it finally becomes available.  
 
If you want a real pocket PC with full keyboard, all the gaming controls, 4 shoulder buttons, cellfunctionality that can be switched off (as in power cut off the chip, not like  screen-goes-dark-and-you-don't-know-what-it-is-dong), usable as full desktop (including USB, Sata and hdmi), no then there is no alternative. BTW: aren't the phone programs in debian already??
 
Also Nikolaus has several other phone projects, I'm sure there is phone software that can be ported.
 
I now want that bacon button. I don't know what it does, but I'd press it.
 
I now want that bacon button. I don't know what it does, but I'd press it.


push-button-receive-bacon2.png



here is the description
 
One of the pictures show an overlay with at least some of the button icons on it.  I guess you drag those to the screen element you wish to control, and thus their action is defined.
 
This type of topic keeps resurfacing - why Pandora/Pyra when this other device does the 40% of what a Pandora/Pyra does for 30% of the costs?


I think it all starts from a mistaken impression that the Pyra is strictly a game console.  It isn't.  Frankly it needs to be as at home in a conference room throwing a presentation through the projection or TV system via HDMI as it does playing emulators on the train as it does exchanging text messaging and email using a physical keyboard as it does watching a movie as it does moving files from card to card as it does operating 3 USB devices at once as it does charging from a dedicated charging port as it does auto-switching to determine what wiring system your headphones use and throwing the port into that mode - and giving you a wheel to control the volume while it lets you talk 'on the phone' via a Bluetooth headset or simply speakerphone mode with the clam shell open while it's battery lasts 10+ hours of real continuous use - and is still user swapable.  I'm sure I missed a lot.


The point is, though, that there are lots of devices that can do some portion of what the Pyra is slated to.  Nothing else on the market does it all - potentially even all at the same time.
 
This type of topic keeps resurfacing - why Pandora/Pyra when this other device does the 40% of what a Pandora/Pyra does for 30% of the costs?


I think it all starts from a mistaken impression that the Pyra is strictly a game console.  It isn't.  Frankly it needs to be as at home in a conference room throwing a presentation through the projection or TV system via HDMI as it does playing emulators on the train as it does exchanging text messaging and email using a physical keyboard as it does watching a movie as it does moving files from card to card as it does operating 3 USB devices at once as it does charging from a dedicated charging port as it does auto-switching to determine what wiring system your headphones use and throwing the port into that mode - and giving you a wheel to control the volume while it lets you talk 'on the phone' via a Bluetooth headset or simply speakerphone mode with the clam shell open while it's battery lasts 10+ hours of real continuous use - and is still user swapable.  I'm sure I missed a lot.


The point is, though, that there are lots of devices that can do some portion of what the Pyra is slated to.  Nothing else on the market does it all - potentially even all at the same time.

In fact, people are realizing a phone is not a PC.


2 Years ago, at the Toulouse Game Show, we had many remark like "My Android phone is 4 times more powerfull that this Pandora", "I can do more things with my phone that is cheaper" and so one.


This year, I got nothing like that. Not a single person trying to compare the Pandora with a phone. Comparison with a RPi yes, and many asking if the Pandora was something new, that can be bought or still experiemental !
 
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