Early Vs Late Adopters

[nubie]

BTW - I was a non-adopter for the GP2X/GP32. I was going to be an semi-early adopter for the GP2X - back in the time when the GP2X's cost was between the DS and the PSP. Since I waited for both the PSP and the GP2X to go down in price - and since the Gp2X never did... I'm glad I waited. The GP2X does very little that my PSP can't do. And my PSP cost less, and plays, you know, PSP games, as well as all the emulators. No touchscreen - but I have a DS Lite and a N800, (well, I had a N800 until I traded it for an Eee PC, which I hope shows up today.) Plus, I'll be getting a Pandora - so, in the sense that the Pandora is similiar (but WAY better!) to the GP2X/GP32 (people on here have called it the "Spiritual Successor" to both products) - that's the best example I can give for waiting. The Pandora kicks the crap out of either of those things - in everything they were designed for, and so SO much more!

You have got it a little wrong there.

I bought my last 4 GP2X's for around $100 on ebay, and sold them for that as well.

The real problem with the GP2X was that the wacky people building it were too stupid to understand the concept of a D-Pad, or the need for one. Second major problem was that they cannot understand at all the point of making a good OS/Firmware, notice the 4.x.x debacle currently going on, you would think they were microsoft with Vista or something.

I sure hope that when the Pandora comes out the GP2X will die, not that it is all bad, but it is bad enough to be useless.

I had a PSP, and the same problem with the PSP as the GP2X, crap controls and no file managers. It is all well and good to have an emulator or fancy program on your handheld, but it is useless without a txt file viewer/editor and file manager. Worse still that the GP2X "has USB", but the keyboard support is less than useful. No Shift key means you can't navigate a Bash environment with it.

I see that the Pandora is going to fix pretty much all these problems in one fell swoop, It HAS a keyboard, it HAS USB from the beginning, the devs are going to be working on the firmware, which shouldn't be crap and shrouded in mysterious binary lumps of code tied into the lousy menu system. The Firmware shouldn't flash as a whole into bad blocks, rendering units useless. Wifi and BT onboard for connectivity. A Real 128MB of RAM, instead of only 32MB a handicapped upper 32MB, A useful DSP that we might actually get a compiler for!!

600mhz standard, 900mhz overclock (this is ridiculous BTW).

Oh yeah, no battery problems, it will come with a charger and li-ion.

I don't know, if I had the choice I would wait until I heard reports, saw videos and screen caps, and/or their were some applications out there. If I had the $350 (for SD card and shipping) to spare I would probably just get it, it can't be all useless, and I could likely resell it for nearly the same price. I would really like to see the software, if it could play movies(standard xvid/avi/divx fare) and StrongBad emails and surf the net sufficiently (IE better than my Crap PSP did), I would probably just buy it, after all it does have Wifi, USB and S-Video from the start and would be a sweet media player, probably could even get a BT remote to interface to it for control.

Playing media and surfing the net on it from anywhere with Wifi is the most important, and if there is a full-speed PSX emu on it as well, who am I to complain?

 

[chad78]

You have got it a little wrong there.

I bought my last 4 GP2X's for around $100 on ebay, and sold them for that as well.

Used prices don't mean anything. The price of a product is the price you pay at a store. Otherwise you could say a couch cost $25 since I bought one for that at a yard sale. No, couches cost anywhere from $300 - $3000, since that's the cost of them new in the store.

And the price (as in the retail, brand new, from a store) price for a GP2X is more than that of a DS Lite, or a PSP Slim, (and their older fatter siblings). And, yes, $169 is *more* than a PSP Slim, since for a PSP I don't have to pay shipping.

GP2X $179.99
GP2X $169.90
GP2X $169.99
GP2X $199.00 (and it's not even the touchscreen model)

QUOTE
I had a PSP, and the same problem with the PSP as the GP2X, crap controls and no file managers. It is all well and good to have an emulator or fancy program on your handheld, but it is useless without a txt file viewer/editor and file manager. Worse still that the GP2X "has USB", but the keyboard support is less than useful. No Shift key means you can't navigate a Bash environment with it.


WTF? You want a text editor on a device that has no keyboard, no USB, no BlueTooth, and no touchscreen? How the hell would you type? I use the PSP browser from time to time, and their fucked up bastardization of the shit-to-use-to-start-with Cell Phone layout is garbage. Why in the world would you want a text editor in that environment?

 

[Kayday]

I'm an early adopter of many consoles and handhelds but the only one I regretted is the Zodiac. Had much potential but stilled failed. My favorite console is the Dreamcast and favorite handheld is the NGPC(for now, will be overthroned by the Pandora).

I've known about the GP32 ever sinced it came out but never bought one. Then came the FLU and BLU units and was about to purchase until I heard about the Zodiac. I bought that instead. Big mistake as the BLU GP32 would've lasted me longer. Then came the first edition GP2X which I got. Not disappointed with it except the controls. Tried all types of modification but you can't fix something that's not fixable. I also bought the GP2X F200 but again, controls suck. Not a true Dpad.

So, I'm hoping the Pandora fixes the control issue and probably has since DaveC is overlooking that part. As much as I'm looking forward to emulators on the Pandora, I'm more excited about the homebrew apps and games.

 

[chad78]

I also bought the GP2X F200 but again, controls suck. Not a true Dpad.

Having never owned, or seen in real life, a GP2X - what's the deal with the D-Pad? Why does everyone complain about that? How is it "not a true D-Pad"? I mean, what does a fake D-Pad look like? I seriously don't get it.

I mean is the D-Pad painted on, or what?

 

[Kyo]

The wii was the only thing for me. Hells, I just managed to beat super mario bros. 3 for the first time last week. (I like playing them, but I'm terrible at games)

Generally I agree with the first posters points, but I too will be an early adopter (well, end of august I will wish for one for my birthday, if they have them again by then). Because if you're there from the beginning on, you don't miss out on anything, and you'll be able to optimize your device!

 

[TaG]

...I too will be an early adopter ... Because if you're there from the beginning on, you don't miss out on anything, and you'll be able to optimize your device!

Amen.

 

[Chip]

Having never owned, or seen in real life, a GP2X - what's the deal with the D-Pad? Why does everyone complain about that? How is it "not a true D-Pad"? I mean, what does a fake D-Pad look like? I seriously don't get it.

The GP32 and original GP2X had thumbsticks instead of dpads. I never upgraded to the GP2X, but I can definitely say that the GP32 stick had serious issues. It had an obnoxiously large dead zone, so in order to to actually hit one of the microswitches, you had to move the stick quite far. There were problems with the dimensions of the stick and the opening in the case as well. If you pushed the stick too far down onto the pivot, the shaft would hit the opening in the case before it moved far enough to trigger one of the microswitches. This was very annoying, but also easily solved by shoving a wadded up piece of paper or something into the opening on the shaft to keep it from pushing too far down onto the pivot. The stick was so awful that DaveC designed his own and sold them. Though I didn't buy one myself, I hear he did pretty well.

After 5 years of complaints about the thumbsticks, GPH decided the best thing to do was replace it with probably the only controller that is actually worse: The pseudo-dpad. The problem with the F200 pad is that it's not actually a pad - it's a collection of four separate buttons. The action on the four buttons is so disliked that many F200 owners have taken drastic measures to try to fix it.

Go read through some of the GP32 and GP2X forums. You'll see that one of the nearly universal complaints is the thumbstick / pseudo-pad. They really are that bad.

 

[trooper]

The early adopters are really the devs. You're a middle adopter if you buy one of the 3000.

That`s not technically true, As usually with hardware or even software development for that matter, The initial stage before launch is the beta test stage. So in theory, The software developers of the first batch are really beta-testing the hardware as well as creating a software base for the 3000 proper early adopters.

The thing is, We are privileged to be part of the development stage of such a unique project, Usually such a privilege is not possible with companies such as Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft etc, And as such, Would not be graced with the info and feedback we have been provided, Let alone actually be part of it.

We are after all, The consumers.

Trooper

 

[waffles]

the only thing i have really been a early adopter of is the DS, which i think payed off.
personally im planning on waiting a month (already waited a year, so whats a month more) and seeing what comes out, such as n64 emulation.

 

[javaJake]

I was an early adopter of the Atari Jaguar.

'nuff said.

'fraid not.

The wii was the only thing for me. Hells, I just managed to beat super mario bros. 3 for the first time last week. (I like playing them, but I'm terrible at games)

Don't feel bad. I haven't beaten that game yet. I've only just gotten to the last castle, and this is after, oh, three years of off-and-on playing. That is one of the hardest Mario games I've ever played.

the only thing i have really been a early adopter of is the DS, which i think payed off.

I agree. If I had a choice, I'd definitely go with the old-style Nintendo DS, especially if I could do the ol' PicoChat test to make sure it has hackable firmware.

 

[Kayday]

I also bought the GP2X F200 but again, controls suck. Not a true Dpad.

Having never owned, or seen in real life, a GP2X - what's the deal with the D-Pad? Why does everyone complain about that? How is it "not a true D-Pad"? I mean, what does a fake D-Pad look like? I seriously don't get it.

I mean is the D-Pad painted on, or what?


What Chip said. Basically, it's 4 buttons in the up/down/right/left positions.

 

[Esn]

I don't think I've ever been an early adopter of anything. In fact, I got many of my systems at the end (or after the end) of their lifetimes. I got my Dreamcast at the time when they were all on sale because Sega had just announced that they were discontinuing it. I bought a Sega Nomad off ebay many years after the last one was made (Game Gear too). I bought an SNES for the first time in the 21st century.

I followed the GP32 from the very first time that it was announced as the GBA-killer (with games like Kisi & Kimi). I waited about two years before actually buying one, but I did buy the FLU (front-lit unit) version when it came out. The system still had a few years of life left, though, and that was pretty exciting. Though in retrospect, I also wasted a lot of time playing WIP programs.

Overall, I'd say that early adoption of this type of system is for those who get a high out of hope. Because you'll be hoping for quite a while that that emulator of X system has X speed and X features. It can be a bit addictive, really.

Of course, you could also just ignore all of that and stick to using the Pandora for only those things that will be available right off the bat (while they may be considerable, they'll only be a small percentage of what will be available eventually). It takes some discipline, though.

Me, I'll probably be waiting a while, though maybe not. My direct incentive for getting a Pandora is replacing my much-used GP32, since it is getting a little buggy in places (though it could be just my SMC becoming corrupted) and the stick no longer does any diagonals.

 

[MisterBrisby]

There were only two times, where I was an early adopter.
1) When I bought my iBook G4 933Mhz in 2004. It is one of the first iBooks with a G4 PPC, had a new design etc.
The display died one year later and I have a crack in the display frame. Other than that, no big problems.

2) I thought (no, I was SURE) that the Dreamcast would become a smashing success (PS2 got delayed back then, it was very expensive, launch titles looked rather lame and it was a ugly brick). It had awesome graphics, fantastic games and quite some innovative features (VMU was a cool idea). Well...

BUT I will definitively be an early adopter when Pandora will come out. I will just take the risk that comes with it. I am optimistic.

 

[Shirohagen]

I was a reasonably early adopter of the GP32, and while I didn't regret it, I did end up buying newer ones later, so eventually ended up with the BLU unit which did leave me a little disappointed that I'd bought the previous ones. I loved it though...

When it came to the GP2X I bought it straightaway and regretted it. The unit was awful and didn't even come properly assembled! It broke within 2 weeks and I got a replacement. That also failed before I had had it very long but my replacement for that was a Mk2 which was much better. I have steered clear of the F200 as I'm waiting for the Pandora and overall was quite disappointed by the GP2X, especially the stick and the battery life.

I'll buy the Pandora straightaway (money permitting) but I'll be really annoyed if it is upgraded in the first year or two. Apart from me not wanting to end up with a second best edition, multiple versions aren't good for the community, there was a lot of confusion around editions of the GP32 and GP2X, BLU, BLU+ etc etc - and the moment software incompatibilities creep in then it all gets messy. We can cope by reading the forums, but its very off-putting for Joe Public.

Great machines always mature really well and despite their specs slipping relative to newer technology, the developers always get better and better results from the platform as they get to grips with it. Some of the C64 stuff from the 90s was amazing.

I'll buy the Pandora early but I'd like to see the guys stick with the hardware for as long as possible rather than release creeping upgrades. The hardware has been really well thought out, so let's all develop the software performance from there and enjoy it...

®

 

[flatmush]

I've never really been an early adopter of anything, but the reason for being an early adopter for the pandora is obvious.
If you join a developer scene late then you have to waste time catching up with all the quirks of the system you are developing for and also all the fun projects will already be done if you wait too long.
I regret waiting as long as I did to get a PSP, so I don't plan on waiting long for a pandora.

 

[Null]

I'm never usually an early adopter of stuff because I like to wait till things come down in price (yes I am a cheap arse ), however I'll be making an exception for the Pandora because I want to get my hands on it as soon as possible.

 

[mindlord]

In the case of the Pandora - I'll be (Lord willing) an early adopter. The reasons are actually quite similar to way I was with the MacBook. This is something I've been reading about and anticipating for months. This is something I don't want to be without for any longer than I have to be. I want to be able to show this off to people before many of them know that it exists. When it hits the big time, (and I really think it will), I want to be able to say "I had one of the first batch!"

You know what would be nice, if the first 3000 had a lot # engraved on it somwhere, or the signatures of Craig & Co silkscreened on the motherboard or something. I mean, truly, if a piece of electronics could be a work of art. The Pandora would be a Mona Lisa.

 

[Shirohagen]

Something to mark this batch out would be great. That way if another batch follows which is better in some albeit minor way (ie overclocks better or has a minor fault resolved) then the early adopters will still have the model with the extra touch. This would help keep resale value high for the original batch and help the early adopters feel proud of their machines in the face of revised model...

®

 

[AireTamStorm]

I will purchase an Open Pandora from among the first batch released for sale. This will be the first time I've ever been an early adopter for any electronic device. Consider:
- I bought my first 486 PC (DX2\66) from Gateway around Christmas, 1993. In fact, I got my first and only manual labor job to pay for it, and quit not long thereafter.
- Our house had its first CD player in 1991 and first DVD player in 1997.
- First standard definition TV with a remote control - 1989.
- My GP2X F100 MK2 - May, 2006, upon successful completion of my graduate degree.

Being a late adopter minimizes costs and risks. However, has anyone else been an early adopter, and has it usually paid off for you?

I early adopted the PS3, and the GP2X. PS3, hell yeah. Choice of screen name, good games and constantly impressed by the firmware updates.

GP2X, not so much. The headphone jack went on the unit,a bug that early boards suffered. I got a replacement and have been reasonably happy, but not as happy as I'll be with the Pandora. If I can get them, I'll probably pick up a couple units for some friends that are eagerly awaiting its release. Its cool having bleeding edge technology, but it can be frustrating at times.

Overall, a mixed experience.

 

[StriderNo9]

I pretty much always been an early adopters. DC, GBA, iPhone, 360, PSP, DS Lite, and only waited a few months for a Wii and 6 months for a PS3.

I will try and get the Pandora asap also.