Considering A Wiz And Have A Few Questions And Concerns,

[crookedmouth]

Hi everyone, noob here.

I am strongly considering the purchase of a WIZ but have some questions and concerns. I have owned a Nintendo DS for two years and enjoyed emulators and homebrew for it. I really want to upgrade and think the logical choice is a WIZ or a PSP. I know that for a few hundred more I could wait for the Pandora but I'm afraid that is a bit too pricey for me. I would like someone to talk me out of the PSP, I understand how to allow custom firmware on it but am disillusioned by Sony.

My concerns are this:

1. With the Pandora coming will most coders move away from the WIZ?

2. What are the chances of most of the GP2X emulators being ported to the WIZ? I am a huge fan of old computer emulation.

3. I really want to upgrade to a hand-held that can play Commodore 64 and Amiga games at close to full speed. Any chance of this?

4. Do these computer emulators utilize the touchscreen for keyboard input? This is one of the coolest parts of DS emulators.

5. Do you think that an adapter will be released to plug into a wall plug and are spare batteries available?

6. Finally what is your opinion on the best and safest place to purchase a WIZ if I live in the US?

Sorry for the annoying questions with most based in conjecture but hey, I am pretty excited about the possibility of owning a WIZ of my own.

 

[u9i]

1. who knows... personally i don't think so
2. i guess it is likely
3. dunno
4. dunno
5. you just need a general purpose usb charger. There should be plenty available. I would be very surprised if a battery could not be bought, but you need to unscrew a few screws to change it
6. dunno

ok, reading through my reply i am starting to wonder why i replied at all

Anyways, the pandora is a bit too pricey for many people (and still not released), i guess they will be getting a wiz instead.

 

[DaveC]

Hi everyone, noob here.

I am strongly considering the purchase of a WIZ but have some questions and concerns. I have owned a Nintendo DS for two years and enjoyed emulators and homebrew for it. I really want to upgrade and think the logical choice is a WIZ or a PSP. I know that for a few hundred more I could wait for the Pandora but I'm afraid that is a bit too pricey for me. I would like someone to talk me out of the PSP, I understand how to allow custom firmware on it but am disillusioned by Sony.

My concerns are this:

1. With the Pandora coming will most coders move away from the WIZ?

2. What are the chances of most of the GP2X emulators being ported to the WIZ? I am a huge fan of old computer emulation.

3. I really want to upgrade to a hand-held that can play Commodore 64 and Amiga games at close to full speed. Any chance of this?

4. Do these computer emulators utilize the touchscreen for keyboard input? This is one of the coolest parts of DS emulators.

5. Do you think that an adapter will be released to plug into a wall plug and are spare batteries available?

6. Finally what is your opinion on the best and safest place to purchase a WIZ if I live in the US?

Sorry for the annoying questions with most based in conjecture but hey, I am pretty excited about the possibility of owning a WIZ of my own.

No one can predict the future
1. Hard to predict but since they both use ARM CPUs it isn't too hard to compile for both. They are pretty different especially size and cost.

2. Many already have, who knows how far it will go.

3. already have C64 and Amiga. C64 is near fullspeed, Amiga is still slow on some stuff.

4. none do yet.

5. any USB that can be plugged in will work.

6. Probably GP2X store.

 

[WarmFluffyUK]

1. I personally think the Wiz and Pandora will both get a lot of continual development.

2. From what we have seen so far, emulators are being ported as we speak. I'm pretty sure whetever was available on the 2X will eventually arrive on the Wiz.

3. Same answer as Q. 2 I think.

4. Possibly yes, but you may end up with reduced screen real estate if you have keyboard and gameplay on at the same time. Obviously the DS doesn't suffer from this as it has 2 screens.

5. You can use a Samsung E810 mobile phone charger to charge the Wiz, I picked one up for £10

6. Sorry can't help there as I'm in the UK, but how about Play Asia?

 

[benjymous]

I certainly plan on supporting both the Wiz and Pandora with stuff I release (assuming it makes sense to)

I have a build of Lerp running at 320x240 for example - When cash allows I'll try and get hold of a Wiz and try and get it ported over.

 

[DaveC]

I certainly plan on supporting both the Wiz and Pandora with stuff I release (assuming it makes sense to)

I have a build of Lerp running at 320x240 for example - When cash allows I'll try and get hold of a Wiz and try and get it ported over.

That looks cool, I like physics based games like this Spout, Gravity lander games and that crayon physics one. Do you think the Wiz is powerful enough to run Lerp? It looks a bit CPU intensive.

 

[crookedmouth]

Thank you everyone for the quick answers.This board seems very friendly and accommodating.

Now I just need someone with both a PSP and a WIZ to tell me to go with the WIZ.

 

[WarmFluffyUK]

I have both a PSP and a Wiz, reasons to go for a Wiz are:

1. The Wiz is smaller and lighter and therefore more portable.

2. The Wiz has an AMOLED screen that can be seen perfectly in daylight, I have problems playing my PSP unless it's indoors or on a dark(ish) day.

3. 99.9% of the software for the Wiz is free.

4. You don't have to hack the Wiz to run all home brew games and apps.

5. If you buy a Wiz you will be joining our huge friendly community, and not the petty PSP flaming community, just compare the PSP forums to this and you will see what I mean.

6. If you're still not sure, go back to 1 and read it all again

Bare in mind one thing, the Wiz is still very new, and we really haven't seen its full potential, it's kinda exciting

 

[DaveC]

Just to be fair though, if you don't feel like waiting the PSP has pretty much all emus finished already, with the Wiz you will have to wait. Nothing is guaranteed either, there may be many more obscure emus like Lynx and Atari 800 computer that may never be ported to the Wiz. Wiz development has been suprisingly slow lately too, especially considering all of those GP2X emus with source just sitting there waiting. If it weren't for a couple of guys namely Notaz, Pickle and Exophase there would be almost nothing.

 

[torpor]

Wiz development is a bit painful right now unless you have a serial cable. Thats just a plain, uncomfortable fact.

But with Orkie's recent acquisition of the kernel sources this may well change soon. If we get gadget_ether working, development for the Wiz will finally be on par with that of GP2X and we may see a surge ..

 

[benjymous]

That looks cool, I like physics based games like this Spout, Gravity lander games and that crayon physics one. Do you think the Wiz is powerful enough to run Lerp? It looks a bit CPU intensive.

Hopefully... I've been working on the principle that the Box2D physics engine has a DS port that runs nicely, and the Wiz is far faster than that. Likewise there's lots of Box2D stuff on the iPhone, so the Wiz should be able to manage well enough.

 

[crookedmouth]

I have both a PSP and a Wiz, reasons to go for a Wiz are:

1. The Wiz is smaller and lighter and therefore more portable.

2. The Wiz has an AMOLED screen that can be seen perfectly in daylight, I have problems playing my PSP unless it's indoors or on a dark(ish) day.

3. 99.9% of the software for the Wiz is free.

4. You don't have to hack the Wiz to run all home brew games and apps.

5. If you buy a Wiz you will be joining our huge friendly community, and not the petty PSP flaming community, just compare the PSP forums to this and you will see what I mean.

6. If you're still not sure, go back to 1 and read it all again

Bare in mind one thing, the Wiz is still very new, and we really haven't seen its full potential, it's kinda exciting

Thank you WarmFluffyUK, those are all excellent reasons.

I know what you mean about the PSP community, while doing some research I came across a lot of posts that seem ungrateful or even hateful.

There's no denying though that there is an incredible amount of emulators available for the PSP.

I have read reports that the emulation on the GP2X was "better" then on the PSP by some accounts. Is there truth to these claims?

What is your feeling on the comparison of battery life between the WIZ and the PSP? I've heard conflicting reports about the WIZ, anywhere from 4 hours to 7.

Just to be fair though, if you don't feel like waiting the PSP has pretty much all emus finished already, with the Wiz you will have to wait. Nothing is guaranteed either, there may be many more obscure emus like Lynx and Atari 800 computer that may never be ported to the Wiz. Wiz development has been suprisingly slow lately too, especially considering all of those GP2X emus with source just sitting there waiting. If it weren't for a couple of guys namely Notaz, Pickle and Exophase there would be almost nothing.

Thanks DaveC, for the more somber view. Why do you think that some of the more obscure GP2X emulators wouldn't get ported? Lack of interest?

That would be a shame the Atari 800 is a great machine.

 

[u9i]

5. If you buy a Wiz you will be joining our huge friendly community, and not the petty PSP flaming community, just compare the PSP forums to this and you will see what I mean.

I know what you mean about the PSP community, while doing some research I came across a lot of posts that seem ungrateful or even hateful.

oh boy... I am afraid you are going to be in for a big surprise. Look at warmFluffyUK's profile. She is the kindest, nicest, most helpful person here, yet she has a reputation of -40. Ah, the love flying around these woods... To be honest (and probably get flamed doing it) i think it is the pandora part of the forum that has a lot of thorns, so maybe we are safe here in the wiz sections.

What is your feeling on the comparison of battery life between the WIZ and the PSP? I've heard conflicting reports about the WIZ, anywhere from 4 hours to 7.

As i understand it (from what people say), the battery has to be conditioned, so battery life will increase after the first couple of charges. Maybe that is why some are only getting 4 hours. It will always depend on what you use the device for. I am sure warmFluffy has a better answer

 

[DaveC]

Thanks DaveC, for the more somber view. Why do you think that some of the more obscure GP2X emulators wouldn't get ported? Lack of interest?

That would be a shame the Atari 800 is a great machine.

Lack of developers and the ones that are left seem to have a lack of time.

It just seems very slow I really don't know exactly. One thing is that the scene is fragmented. There is the PSP, DS, Pandora, GP2X, Wiz, and a hoard of el-cheapo Chinese MP4/game players that have seemed to have taken over and have everyone going mental.

It just isn't like the old days where most devs were behind one system. So it may happen it may not. If it does I would guess it would take a long time for these emus to be ported.

I have the Wiz and a PSP. I tend to like the Wiz but that is just because I am just not really into the PSP scene. As far as what is good for you that is tough only you will know what is most important.

 

[mhadf]

I'd say that the lack of porting except by Pickle,exophase,notaz is down to just how annoying it is to try and get decent toolchain setup.

I'm sure that when an easier to use toolchain/SDK comes along that the amount of ports and original content will go up.

 

[Nintendo]

Get Wiz, because PSP is always being updated with useless updates.

 

[christo930]

That looks cool, I like physics based games like this Spout, Gravity lander games and that crayon physics one. Do you think the Wiz is powerful enough to run Lerp? It looks a bit CPU intensive.

Hopefully... I've been working on the principle that the Box2D physics engine has a DS port that runs nicely, and the Wiz is far faster than that. Likewise there's lots of Box2D stuff on the iPhone, so the Wiz should be able to manage well enough.

How about a gp2x version? The gp2x is no slouch either and I should think it's processor is faster than the DS (though obviously not the graphics chip).

chris

 

[b1ueskycomp1ex]

1. With the Pandora coming will most coders move away from the WIZ?
The wiz right now is a little tough to develop for, but considering that the wiz is almost entirely different from the pandora, and considering that the pandora's been delayed almost as much as duke nukem forever (oh wait, that'll never come out =x) the wiz is still doing decently. When wiz development gets easier, more devs will develop for the platform.

2. What are the chances of most of the GP2X emulators being ported to the WIZ? I am a huge fan of old computer emulation.
Again, porting to the wiz is a little tough at the moment, but it's entirely possible a lot of the GP2X emulators will be ported to the wiz. At the moment, the emulators you would expect are up and running.

3. I really want to upgrade to a hand-held that can play Commodore 64 and Amiga games at close to full speed. Any chance of this?
From what I can tell, the C64 and Amiga have emulators on the wiz, while amiga might be a tad slow, from my understanding. But there's always slight overclocking to polish out any bumps.

4. Do these computer emulators utilize the touchscreen for keyboard input? This is one of the coolest parts of DS emulators.
While I haven't used one yet, I'm sure overlaying a transparent keyboard over a game wouldn't be impossible to do, but I'm not sure if this functionality exists yet.

5. Do you think that an adapter will be released to plug into a wall plug and are spare batteries available?
A generic USB wall adapter should work, and as far as I know the batteries aren't being sold seperately, though this might happen, not sure.

6. Finally what is your opinion on the best and safest place to purchase a WIZ if I live in the US?
I got my wiz from gp2xstore.com, and my unit is perfectly fine, not one issue, totally rock solid.


- I have read reports that the emulation on the GP2X was "better" then on the PSP by some accounts. Is there truth to these claims?
Well, the PSP's TFT screen is blurry at times, and has an odd refresh rate. It's a wide resolution, so the entire thing isn't utilized. If you take a look at the wiz's screen, being an OLED screen, it's incredibly clear, crisp, and clean. Black is black, period. As for overall emulation speed, I think the consoles are pretty close to each other.

- What is your feeling on the comparison of battery life between the WIZ and the PSP? I've heard conflicting reports about the WIZ, anywhere from 4 hours to 7."
Depending on the clock speed of the wiz, it CAN get anywhere from 4 to 7 hours of battery life. If you're underclocked to 120Mhz, playing music with the screen off, you could probably pull 10 hours out of the machine, and clocked up to 750Mhz or so, you could get around 5 - 7 hours, yeah, with the screen on the lowest brightness. I think the wiz's battery life is great, I've spent hours playing Fire emblem on the GBA emulator on the wiz, and it's lasted a long time, in my experience.

- Thanks DaveC, for the more somber view. Why do you think that some of the more obscure GP2X emulators wouldn't get ported? Lack of interest?
It's possible there might be lack of interest, but the issue with porting and such right now, and the reason the development on the wiz is slow, is that the development environment and general state of development on the wiz is painful. If it improves, it's entirely possible those emulators will be ported.


So far, I've been really pleased with my wiz (lol, I just love what this thing is called. ) SNES, GBA, NES, Genesis, MAME. I'm pretty happy with the performance of all the emulators I've used so far, and with the release of the GMU player, my wiz is back at the top of my stack of devices. =P

Also, memory cards for the wiz would be cheaper than cards for the PSP, and the wiz supports up to 32GB SDHC cards. Also, my PSP just generally fell apart on me, the stick flew off and rolled into a crack somewhere, making most games unplayable, my screen got scratched, I ended up with dead pixels... etc. I've dropped my wiz twice, from chest-level (trying to put it in my shirt pocket >.>; onto CEMENT. my SD card popped out and flew somewhere and I had to track it down, but I'll let you know that the screen being set in a little meant it didn't scratch, and not only that, but the wiz didn't even reboot, or freeze, or anything. The console is rock solid, even though when you originally pick it up you might not think so, because it's so light.

was it worth the money I paid for it? I'm starting to think so, yeah.

 

[crookedmouth]

Wow thank you so much b1ueskycomp1ex for that very thorough reply. I think I'll go with the Wiz, it seems to match my needs and I like that it is built to be open-source. The battery life sounds good but I would like to be able to purchase a back-up battery.

How long should I allot for delivery from gp2xstore. My Birthday is August 23 and I would like to get it around then.

Thanks agian.

 

[geise69]

I bought my Wiz from the GP2XStore last Thursday and got it on Tuesday this week. Very fast shipping! It was also being sent from coast to coast since I live in Wilmington, NC and it's being shipped from CA. They sent me multiple emails showing confirmation, and a fedex ground tracking link. Very reputable.