Another new machine...

[dreamer]

I was unable to order since the demand was so high.

I think batch 2 still has a significant number of spots left, so you must be misinformed.


Also, I think dealextreme got the scoop on your "Gamebox".


So from what I see from your website is: it's not a console, but a backup-system for savegames.


You already have clients out for windows, linux and mac.


And why do you need more money exactly? Just to do more crappy promotional videos?

 

[The Gamer33]

I was unable to order since the demand was so high.

I think batch 2 still has a significant number of spots left, so you must be misinformed.


Also, I think dealextreme got the scoop on your "Gamebox".


So from what I see from your website is: it's not a console, but a backup-system for savegames.


You already have clients out for windows, linux and mac.


And why do you need more money exactly? Just to do more crappy promotional videos?

The software you referring to is the GameBox back-up software that will also be part of the console. The back-up software is separate from the console at this time. The console will most likely be named EVO GameBox to get the branding carry over from the old system.

 

[The Gamer33]

I was unable to order since the demand was so high.

I think batch 2 still has a significant number of spots left, so you must be misinformed.


Also, I think dealextreme got the scoop on your "Gamebox".


So from what I see from your website is: it's not a console, but a backup-system for savegames.


You already have clients out for windows, linux and mac.


And why do you need more money exactly? Just to do more crappy promotional videos?

The software you referring to is the GameBox back-up software that will also be part of the console. The back-up software is separate from the console at this time. The console will most likely be named EVO GameBox to get the branding carry over from the old system.

The dealextreme system isn't us. Our websites are www.envizionsinc.com and the release candidate site for the storage is www.gameboxit.com.

 

[Dude]

I see a potential problem, as it is "open", there is no proprietary reason not to install the system on any old system.


If there is any "proprietary" features, making is uninstallable to other computers, is that still "open"?


The selling points might be easy portability(so you can take it to the lan party easily)...as a mobile pandora unit... a unique and user friendly user interface... Controllers... User connection/ upgrades/ updates.... Connectivity... facebook,twitter,your local library, etc...


Multimedia? If you have multiple devices in the area... It should also function as a network storage or the like for streaming movies, music, etc..


Would it be able to utilize and solid state drive? How about raid? Game data, backup to internal flash? Easy Storage capacity upgrade? Is is going to be made for only techies or will the average user be able to just set it up? (Although everyone on this board would have little problem setting up a pandora, I know many gamers who would not even try to learn something as simple as a drag and drop on the sd card.)~~


I will have to start a design of my own. ( not technical... just the list of features..) I wanted to build a retro arcade, but now I'm thinking.....maybe....

 

[The Gamer33]

I see a potential problem, as it is "open", there is no proprietary reason not to install the system on any old system.


If there is any "proprietary" features, making is uninstallable to other computers, is that still "open"?


The selling points might be easy portability(so you can take it to the lan party easily)...as a mobile pandora unit... a unique and user friendly user interface... Controllers... User connection/ upgrades/ updates.... Connectivity... facebook,twitter,your local library, etc...


Multimedia? If you have multiple devices in the area... It should also function as a network storage or the like for streaming movies, music, etc..


Would it be able to utilize and solid state drive? How about raid? Game data, backup to internal flash? Easy Storage capacity upgrade? Is is going to be made for only techies or will the average user be able to just set it up? (Although everyone on this board would have little problem setting up a pandora, I know many gamers who would not even try to learn something as simple as a drag and drop on the sd card.)~~


I will have to start a design of my own. ( not technical... just the list of features..) I wanted to build a retro arcade, but now I'm thinking.....maybe....

Our system will be compact in size ,back-up console saved data, function as a network storage, stream movies, games etc. From your GameBox client account. This system would be user friendly for anyone to operate. We have spent all last year developing the back-up software for the system.

 

[dreamer]

Appart from the few posts I see in this topic there seems nothing of information put out there.


Maybe you should actually put something on your websites, like preliminary specifications or whatever.


And like the previous poster said exactly: what is your definition of open?

 

[wardred]

This sounds like an Android tablet without the screen and either with custom controllers, or an interface for hooking up controllers. Hopefully with HDMI out in addition to your typical S-VIDEO.


It's not a bad idea, but how is it different than an Android tablet with bluetooth for controllers and an HDMI base / charging station?


The Pandora is unique in a few respects. First, it's a hand held, with controls, a screen, and a keyboard designed to those goals, and with Linux tailored to a hand held's needs - i.e. the ability to plug in an SD card and have the game just work. It builds off of the existing gp2x community.


Your console looks like it'll play games off of the Android Market, and maybe games installed directly to it or to the cloud. What are its specs?


It's going to be a challenge having respectable specs for a stationary console and retain a reasonable price.


I might purchase a Pandora Box because it'll be compatible with my Pandora system. What is compelling / different / better about your system compared to other consoles or Android devices that would prompt me to purchase it? The only console manufacturer to make money off of their latest gen consoles from the get go was Nintendo. At $300 this is about what other consoles cost. What, specifically, does it offer that the other consoles don't? Does it come with a hard drive, or the ability to add a hard drive? Do you have prototype boards already finished?


It'll record live TV? Is that live over the air digital TV? Does it have more than just a digital tuner, i.e. a "t.v. guide" like Tivo, or will I have to program in the times to record like a VCR? Does it require an external tuner? I'm guessing it will NOT record cable as that's typically encrypted. What formats does it support out of the box? MKV, for instance? If so, is that licensed, or is it more like the way Ubuntu supports it in that we'll have to download the codecs separately? How far along is the software? Who's developing for it?


You mentioned gesture based gaming. So does it have a wand ala the Wii? Do you have drivers for the MS Kinect working? Do you have developers lined up for the console, or is it going to rely on community and Android games? Android Games tend to be good for on the go quick sessions of gaming, but not so tailored for hours of play as console games tend to be. Android offers a pre-built environment for developers, but it's relatively heavy. Will your system have beefy enough specs to do decent 3D gaming while running Android?


Most of us who pre-ordered the Pandora knew what we were getting hardware wise. We knew it would be an OMAP based system, and the keyboard and control layout. The software might've been a little rough, but it'd benefit off of the existing gp2x community. This sounds like it'll need a community of developers grown around it - a difficult thing to accomplish.


Quite a few "open" stationary consoles running Linux have come and gone. What is it about yours that makes us believe it'll be around a year or two down the road after we've invested? Up to about the $500 mark you're looking at a "pre-order" customer. Much above that and you're actually moving into the realm of small-time investors. At $5000+, almost 1/10th of what you're looking to raise, I'd definitely be wanting shares or a return on investment. That's more money than I'd be willing to "gift" to a company.


It sounds interesting, but not compelling enough for me to do anything with it yet.


The Pandora generated a lot of interest because the hardware is unique, and it built off of the existing GP2X community.


You're trying to compete in a market saturated with "plug it into your TV" devices. Heck, I could plug the Pandora into my TV and with a little work probably get the Android market working on it. Or go with almost any upcoming device that has Android, HDMI, and bluetooth. You need to have something you can show to the community that works, and has a clear development roadmap to generate excitement.


Edit: And the Pandora's hardware was believed to be ready when pre-orders were taken. Things, like the nubs, proved that they needed to be modified, but the basic layout of the system hasn't changed since pre-orders. Your system appears like it may still be in the design / prototype stages...a very iffy proposition for people looking to plunk money down. Do you have the board built and final designs for the product's case, or are you still finalizing the design of your console?

 

[Jourdy288]

http://www.gp32x.de/board/index.php?showtopic=38155


Just incase you're wondering about the title of the thread

 

[wardred]

Jourdy,


It sounds like a potentially interesting device, but he seems to be going about it backwards. OpenPandora and Craig certainly got community feedback for what their device should be, but the only upfront money they asked for was the pre-orders once the design was ready to be prototyped. We certainly knew what the board was and what the Pandora was.


This looks like he's going about it backwards. Asking for money while the thing is still in a design phase, maybe not even ready for prototypes. If it's out of the design phase, then we need to know, clearly, what this console is. How is it more than just a stationary Android Tablet or a Panda-board with a case? What are the hardware specs? How does one get something other than Android Market apps onto it? What, exactly, is the cloud experience he's selling, and now is it any different than XBOX Live and/or Steam?


Edit: If the backup / streaming are big aspects of the device, then some videos of that in action are certainly in order.

 

[Prometheus]

^ And can we actually do what we want with it? I mean, I know a lot of folks (myself included) gravitated toward the Pandora precisely because of the "You can do <whatever>" approach (which I feel it fulfills, and then some), which the notion of "the cloud" isn't *really* bringing to mind for me, personally.

 

[wardred]

^ And can we actually do what we want with it?

Aye, definitely. The Pandora was the first hand held or console with decent 3d acceleration that encouraged the home brew / emulator crowd, with the controls to go with it.


Dreamer asked for this guy's definition of open, which definitely warrants an answer.


There just isn't enough information about this system, and what the money I'd be gifting would be used on, for me to feel comfortable with it.


Edit: your comment about the cloud bit, in particular, is relevant. While the cloud is often handy - ala Steam - it's rarely open.

 

[Caine]

Appart from the few posts I see in this topic there seems nothing of information put out there.


Maybe you should actually put something on your websites, like preliminary specifications or whatever.


And like the previous poster said exactly: what is your definition of open?

I have to agree with this. What can it do that my Linux pcs cannot?


Give some details and reasons to why we should care.

 

[The Gamer33]

Thanks for the great feedback and I will try to answer most of your concerns about our system. But let me say this up-front…we do have proprietary hardware that we want to keep under wraps. I don’t want to compare GameBox to the Pandora system since both system’s have different purpose and benefits. First take a peek at our press release about the system http://www.envizionsinc.com/press.html.


This is what makes GameBox different. 1) It will have the ability to back-up data from your PC and game saves from two of three current consoles. We only tested on two of the three. 2.) Yes, it will support the Android Market Place and users will be able to get certified games from our GameBox store. Games from our store will load correctly and be more organize 3.) Users will be able to stream data, games, media and photos directly from their GameBox storage account to the GameBox console. 4.) It will be portable for gamers that want to use it for Lan Parties. 5.) The GameBox system will initial support the best casual Android game apps and in the future we plan to stream more Triple A games. 6.) Our system will be geared as a more intelligent system that will have great benefits on the gaming side and the everyday user side of operation. (I’m sorry if this description is so vague but we still have features that we can’t discuss at this time.) 7.) It will support HDMI, Wi-Fi, Nvidia graphics, five USB ports, small hard drive, and at this time no disc drive 8.) Sync with other Android devices. 9.) No controller for the gesturing software just your body. Like the Xbox but with a few new layers.


Again, I had to leave off two features because these are still under development. But I do see a need to add an update on the specs we do know to our Indie GoGo site. I was going to make this announcement next week but the system will retail for $249 and not $299. To pre-order a system is only $15 maybe this is not clear in our messaging on the website.


We do have a prototype board but we still need to do more test. Yes, the system will have custom controllers. Yes, it will support 3D and will have gesturing software that we feel is different from the current offering. We hope to have NetFlix for the unit once NetFlix release their app for Android.


The perks we offer are just a simply gesture to say thanks for the support. The perk’s system is nothing we created, but we really added similar perks every other inventor or entrepreneur institute on IndieGoGo.com. This product isn’t for everyone. With our system the community will vote on the design of the hardware, the packaging, the color etc. We will provide the options and let the community vote on the feel and look of the system.


Most of the products on KickStarter and Indie GoGo are general ideas that require funding. This will be our second system and we think this one will exceed what we did with the first system. So we felt the crowd funding would be great to allow gamers to get a great product but also involved with the development road map.


Again, I appreciate the feedback and I do see a few things we need to correct to make sure our supporters understand our goals. The part of the Indie GoGo is for our supporters to enjoy the updates and news on the project they fund. We are not trying to say this system will solve hunger but we want to provide a great gaming experience for users.


In a nutshell our system is a cloud PC, media storage device and gaming device.


I hope this information was helpful and I'm sorry we can't meet each person need. I thank the Open Pandora project and will continue to watch it's growth. Please feel free to reach me by email with any other questions or feedback.Thanks guys!

 

[maplesugarlover]

You press release link is broken

 

[Prometheus]

I'm really sorry, but I can't see any answers to several questions that have been asked. Just the same previously-published things being repeated.


How open is it? Can we do as we wish with it as is possible with the Pandora hardware? I may not speak for everyone on the latter, but I would imagine that for a great many of us on this forum, this latter part is quite important, as it's a defining point of the Pandora, and since you're here on the Pandora's forum, it's certainly something I'd like to know, please.


Also, I'm sorry to say this, but I couldn't help but notice a mention of "casual games" in there. The trouble is, there's no such thing as "casual" games.

 

[Jourdy288]

Yeah, we would like to know how open it is, that's the whole reason we're all here.

 

[wardred]

Streaming games sounds even more proprietary than cloud based storage / social media hooks, and requires an excellent Internet connection to function properly. For LAN gaming, in particular, what happens when 3+ consoles are streaming at the same time? It also requires something on the way of a backend. If it's running from our PCs / consoles, that's one thing. If it's running from YOUR systems, that's a heck of a lot of horsepower you'll have to have...plus potential $$$ monthly to keep the servers running.


This definitely sounds like there's still development happening. NOT something I want to jump into blindly, especially as any amount over the minimum amount to get a console once you're producing them is a gift. I think you'd be better off looking for angel investors. You can have them sign NDAs, structure the company in such a way that they don't get decision making abilities, or only limited abilities, and they get something for the investment. Or a partner with $$$. Asking people to gift you money when we don't even know what the system will be???

 

[chris_c]

I'd also like to know how this system is "OPEN" or are you just using the "open" buzz to cynically sell your wares...

 

[mahousaru]

Problem with streaming games on a open system is that they have to compete against RemoteFX...*edit* opps I meant OnLive

 

[tsh]

Where's the popcorn icon? Thats all this thread is good for. This guy can't even work out how to pre-order a pandora!