a MUCH better Pandora (think TF2 and Minecraft!)


3_bit

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Nov 29, 2012
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All the Pandora REALLY needs is a better CPU (even if It's ARM) and a better GPU (The current one was released in 2006(!!!!!!!!!)) like the SGX545, which would make TF2 playable (maybe 10-25 FPS on one of my dream units) since the SGX545 DOES support DirectX. It may even make Minecraft Playable at pretty nice settings. (since my Atom netbook with an N450 and a GMA 3150 gets 10 FPS on tiny render) At the VERY LEAST, Team Fortress Classic will run at ~30 FPS, along with HL1 and other games using it's engine!
 
The pandora is good, but It needs far more than a better soc.


There are plenty of other problems, and as you say, technology has progressed since the P1 was designed. The minimal improvements to satisfy these forums (much of the userbase) would be:

  • physicallly bigger screen - probably higher resolution
  • better keyboard - less squishy
  • faster soc - omap5 looks good
  • better (reliable) wifi
  • SDXC4.0
  • BT4.0
  • USB3.0


There are many other potential improvements that have been suggested (and sometimes described as compulsory by Cragix) such as:

  • 'fullHD' screen
  • capacitive touchscreen with an active stylus
  • second pair of shoulder buttons
  • keyboard back lighting
  • swap miniUSB for microUSB
  • Ship all units with android (linux is for nerds)
  • make the case partly out of aluminium
  • use a smaller battery
  • use a bigger battery
  • replaeable processor
  • multiple smaller batteries
  • HDMI out


ED and the forum population want one thing, Craig and normal people want another


There have been many flamewars over the above
 
3 bit keep in mind that you are forgeting that both these games wont run that easily on pandora 2 as there needs to be a lot of costumisation (at least in those 2 games) to make it playable on pandora 2. By the way I wanna make a question it is off topic but is there any engine suport like cocoa Doom but for team fortress or counter strike in for linux?
 
If it supports windows, WINE can run it nicely (sometimes)
 
TF2 for instance is in x86 code; its not like Valve is going to open source it any time soon..


So you either need to run an x86 CPU (not ARM) and thus have greatly reduced batter life, higher heat, etc .. (well, Atom are pttty slick, but not slick as ARM in these regards), or a translator/JIT/etc to 'recompile' it to ARM as needed, which isn't happening any time soon for somethign like TF2 (ie: modern games.)


jeff
 
Please, enough about SGX545. It's a relatively and old obsolete GPU. "Supports DirectX" doesn't mean anything about performance! The only SoCs I'm aware of that even use it are Intel's Cedar Trail and Clover Trail.


In addition to better CPU and GPU one of the areas in which Pandora has been left far behind is video decode (and encode if you'd like). H.264 full profile 1080p has been standard for a while, even on relatively low end SoCs.
 
The pandora is good, but It needs far more than a better soc.


There are plenty of other problems, and as you say, technology has progressed since the P1 was designed. The minimal improvements to satisfy these forums (much of the userbase) would be:

  • physicallly bigger screen - probably higher resolution
  • better keyboard - less squishy
  • faster soc - omap5 looks good
  • better (reliable) wifi
  • SDXC4.0
  • BT4.0
  • USB3.0


There are many other potential improvements that have been suggested (and sometimes described as compulsory by Cragix) such as:

  • 'fullHD' screen
  • capacitive touchscreen with an active stylus
  • second pair of shoulder buttons
  • keyboard back lighting
  • swap miniUSB for microUSB
  • Ship all units with android (linux is for nerds)
  • make the case partly out of aluminium
  • use a smaller battery
  • use a bigger battery
  • replaeable processor
  • multiple smaller batteries
  • HDMI out


ED and the forum population want one thing, Craig and normal people want another


There have been many flamewars over the above

You just described a 800 usd $ P2 . Beyond that I DO not want Android unless its in a dual boot WITH Linux . Why ? It would be obsolete within a month when I could be buying Chinese devices left , right and center for half that within a month of its release . What made me buy a pandora is there are no cheap Linux mini pcs ( ok Peng Pad ) just floating around with people like Exophase , You , EvilDragon , Craig ( but I always feel nervous bugging him ;) ) and countless others I'm to lazy to type , in their communities or companies IF they even have online communities .


Off Topic 1 : Hey I'm 2bit and theyres somebody named 3 _ Bit ?


Off topic 2 : Linux is not just for nerds . It's for governments and Oregonians ( I live here so does Linus Torvalds no not in the same house that be weird ... ) .
 
Hold you're horses! I have no particular personal enthusiasm for the things in the second list.


I was just summarising a few arguments.


Personally, I'd like an OS similar to the current angstrom, but with better support for non-pnd packages


I'd like twin SDXC, miniUSB and a 3Ah battery (with space for either another 3Ah battery or a extension IO board)


I have no use for active styli, 440ppi screens or android.


Others do...


I might start another thread (do not read 'flamewar') describing a minimal and geeky P2
 
Hold you're horses! I have no particular personal enthusiasm for the things in the second list.


I was just summarising a few arguments.


Personally, I'd like an OS similar to the current angstrom, but with better support for non-pnd packages


I'd like twin SDXC, miniUSB and a 3Ah battery (with space for either another 3Ah battery or a extension IO board)


I have no use for active styli, 440ppi screens or android.


Others do...


I might start another thread (do not read 'flamewar') describing a minimal and geeky P2
Oh , in that case I misunderstood . I would find your idea to be very nice . I thought you meant to get rid of Linux .
 
Off Topic 1 : Hey I'm 2bit and theyres somebody named 3 _ Bit ?
I use that name for everything.

Not only that, but my Minecraft name 3_bit was registered before July 1st, which means that if you haven't used 2bit somewhere else first, I'm the one with the more original name.
 
All the Pandora REALLY needs is a better CPU (even if It's ARM) and a better GPU (The current one was released in 2006(!!!!!!!!!)) like the SGX545, which would make TF2 playable (maybe 10-25 FPS on one of my dream units) since the SGX545 DOES support DirectX. It may even make Minecraft Playable at pretty nice settings. (since my Atom netbook with an N450 and a GMA 3150 gets 10 FPS on tiny render) At the VERY LEAST, Team Fortress Classic will run at ~30 FPS, along with HL1 and other games using it's engine!
Do finally understand, please, now and forever, that P2 will not be a Windows gaming machine. Thank you.
 
Not only that, but my Minecraft name 3_bit was registered before July 1st, which means that if you haven't used 2bit somewhere else first, I'm the one with the more original name.

Nobody cares?

I was addressing 2bit's OT. That statement wasn't very kind.

All the Pandora REALLY needs is a better CPU (even if It's ARM) and a better GPU (The current one was released in 2006(!!!!!!!!!)) like the SGX545, which would make TF2 playable (maybe 10-25 FPS on one of my dream units) since the SGX545 DOES support DirectX. It may even make Minecraft Playable at pretty nice settings. (since my Atom netbook with an N450 and a GMA 3150 gets 10 FPS on tiny render) At the VERY LEAST, Team Fortress Classic will run at ~30 FPS, along with HL1 and other games using it's engine!
Do finally understand, please, now and forever, that P2 will not be a Windows ™ gaming machine. Thank you.

I don't want it to be a Windows gaming machine. What I really want is to get games like L4D to run on the OP. with Steam for Linux in closed beta, an x86_64 processor could run modern games like it provided we have a good GPU (OK I know L4D isn't that modern, but it is still great). This would make the OP2 not only an amazing portable ,open source, versatile Linux device, but also a Steam Handheld.
 
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I don't want it to be a Windows gaming machine. What I really want is to get games like L4D to run on the OP. with Steam for Linux in closed beta, an x86_64 processor could run modern games like it provided we have a good GPU (OK I know L4D isn't that modern, but it is still great). This would make the OP2 not only an amazing portable ,open source, versatile Linux device, but also a Steam Handheld.
Ahh, I didn't know about Steam for Linux at all - thanks.


But aren't these games designed for desktop GPUs? Android games are already tailored for portable hardware. Desktop games (frequently) require an order of magnitude more power.


And what kind of developer support can we expect for steam for linux? Linux's desktop market share is below two percent. Android's handheld market share is over 75 percent. Which is going to offer few titles and which will have many?


So your justification to design the P2 around x86 is to capture a fraction of desktop linux steam games (those which are runnable on a handheld cpu/gpu) which are selected from a steam pool consisting of just a tiny fraction of all games made for x86 -- forgoeing the alternative ARM solution offering the vast library of Android apps?


Does that make sense? If so, I need more education.
 
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steam linux is for x86 and I doubt that we will ever see an ARM port of steam so deal with it
 
@LuSimon: I think my arguments against x86/steam on P2 have not been refuted, so I -have- dealt with it.
 
Well Valve still needs to release the Linux Steam client..


As for using an X86 based processor, A bunch of us stated the big negatives.. I guess some people like a handheld console that has a battery life of less than 2 hours when actively being used..., if I'm tied to an AC outlet I may as well just use my Laptop.
 
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Off Topic 1 : Hey I'm 2bit and theyres somebody named 3 _ Bit ?
I use that name for everything.


Not only that, but my Minecraft name 3_bit was registered before July 1st, which means that if you haven't used 2bit somewhere else first, I'm the one with the more original name.
I THINK I was here before that but I'm not sure
 
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