GPD Win (x86 Computer / Palmtop)

[SNESFAN]

I doubt they are using indigogo as a means to finance their project. They did the exact same thing with the XD, (they used a Chinese version of Kickstarter IIRC) they make several devices already, I'm sure they have the capital to fund it regardless of the projects success or failure. It's a easy and relatively more creditable form of preordering than hosting all of it themselves. From my knowledge they don't have their own e commerce portion of their website, and they redirect you to alibaba for purchase.

It all sounds legit to me, except that MSRP. $300 is likely the real price, or close to it if you wait till October for resellers. The timeline seems real too, again compared to the XD, it's following almost an identical release cycle.

 

[vcoleiro1]

For what it's worth, they are also planning a GPD XD2. The current plan is for it to have a 6" screen that rotates 360 degrees so that it also allows you to play touch games more easily. ie it will be like the current GPD XD clamshell , just with a bigger screen that rotates around.

 

[rygD]

It means that they can keep the full payment, even if it doesn't get funded... but AFAIK, they don't have to deliver in that case.

Not something I'm a fan of (though I should do the same ))

You really need to live up to your name or people will begin to think you aren't really evil.

 

[Xcl4m4t10n]

WTF, why they need a Indiegogo campaign?

 

[FaeMinx]

You really need to live up to your name or people will begin to think you aren't really evil.

Wannabe and 'Try Hard' evil folk make a great song and dance, and generally put on an elaborate 'show' to 'prove' they are what they claim. They crave recognition... which actually masks a deep seated personal insecurity. They are terrified of this being exposed... you can tell a wannabe by their tendency to overcompensate, along with a string of reckless 'impatient' 'mistakes' they try to 'cover over', or more often than not - blame shift... denying responsibility, even to themselves.

Masters of evil on the other hand...
Well, you never hear about them... and you wont recognize them.
They will be super nice, and generally very helpful, wise and understanding.
Not only are they great listeners, they emit an air of humble self assurance that endears them to others, and makes people want to support them...
After spending time with a Master, you will walk away thinking 'What a great guy..."

Just sayin...

 

[rygD]

You seem pretty confused about what the common definition of evil is. It isn't just being nice and helping people, as you describe, even if those are tools they use.

 

[FBnil]

what the common definition of evil is.

Each 2 months... I read these posts, with nice pictures and some text. I throw money at the screen (no coins, just bills, or the screen gets dented).... nothing happens
each 2 months I hear that it will take 2 more months... then, I wait 2 more months...

now THAT is EVIL!




on a more serious note: Yes, evil people with charisma, that is able to fool the normal people.. those are eviler. Imagine a virus. If it kills in 10 minutes, it will not be able to propagate... however, make it silently dormant.... and then activate... this virus is more effective at spreading, thus a bigger circle of influence.
You can see that with Hitler. Even if you didnt know german, you get sweeped up by the rethoric. (cant find the fact to back this up at the moment, but it has been documented to be so).
Dont confuse it with a front puppet of an evil corporation. In that case, the frontman is made to be likeable, while the actions of the corporation are evil... (lots of examples for that...)

Here... have these warm mantels...
Here... have a crack smoke for free...
Here.. have this loan....
I'll take care of you....

These all start friendly before turning into a nightmare

...with fleas with deadly decease. Now get off my (usurped) land.
... no, you need to pay for the next one. business is business.
... ah, now you need to pay rent. Ill have some boys pick it up later.
... now go make me money...

 

[ElPoco]

I nearly pre-ordered, and then I realized that by the time my Pandora backlog is empty (if it ever gets there), there'll be better or less expensive hardware.

 

[ThinkPad]

The keyboard also looks impractical for an adult man sized thumb to hit any of those keys properly.

The dimensions of the keyboard are around the same size as my Note 3,(sometimes I use my phone as a wireless keyboard) so it will work perfectly for me.
And the layout is far more closely to a real qwery than Pyra.

 

[TrashyMG]

The dimensions of the keyboard are around the same size as my Note 3,(sometimes I use my phone as a wireless keyboard) so it will work perfectly for me.
And the layout is far more closely to a real qwery than Pyra.

If you say so, just looks to me it would require contorting your thumbs to press the keys with thumb nails to accurately press any of the keys. The Pyra's design is intended for comfortable use with thumbs.

 

[Faust]

If you say so, just looks to me it would require contorting your thumbs to press the keys with thumb nails to accurately press any of the keys. The Pyra's design is intended for comfortable use with thumbs.

Moreover ED combined gamepad's buttons with keyboard's one, so we will be able to change the bounded key to the one that are on the gamepad.

On the GPD for games that don't support gamepad, the users will be obliged to use the gamepad in mouse mod (one nub with two triggers only) and the keyboard at the same time, not really easy.

 

[EvilDragon]

As the final dimensions have been posted on the IndieGogo page, I checked them... they seem huge to me.
I'll make a comparison pic with the Pandora.

I also have the concern about reaching the middle of the keyboard and the gaming controls comfortably - but we'll see.

 

[fusion_power]

It's much thinner than the Pandora/Pyra-"bricks" so the bigger width/length of the GPD WIN should not matter much. And it looks much better in profile imho.

 

[EvilDragon]

It's much thinner than the Pandora/Pyra-"bricks" so the bigger width/length of the GPD WIN sould not matter much. And it looks much better in profile imho.

It does matter, in my opinion. I can't reach the middle keys or DPad / Buttons when I hold the device in my hand.
The thickness doesn't have anything to do with it.

I'll make some mockups later.

 

[fusion_power]

OK, it's 15mm wider than the Pandora but I can even reach the right nub with my left thumb when holding the Pandora so I see no problem there. For small hands the keyboard indeed can be an issue but I already see various solutions to solve that little problem. They could have some gap in the middle of the Keyboard area so it's "split" more to the outsides to reach every button comfortably.

Again, the thickness of such an device is more important (for me) and the rounded bottom makes it even more comfortable to hold I can imagine. Pandora was never really comfortable there and because of the thickness it cut into the palms (besides the shape of te corners of course).

 

[Alperoot]

I feel like they've used the word "extraordinary" a lot.

Edit :
(From the QA section of indiegogo)
Q:What kind of games can you play?

A: All of PC games and other kind of games that you can play with Windows 10 system,You can even use VMware Workstion install the Windows 98 or Windows XP play the retro game

Does that mean it can handle VM's? Or just old OS's on VM's?

 

[Grench]

That keyboard is a hideous train wreck. That said, Windows users won't likely care.
The expansion options are very limited, though with a current uSD card it could hit 264GB, which isn't sneeze worthy.
The SoC they're using is, frankly, awesome.
Getting Windows 10 Atom gumsticks and tablets to boot Linux hasn't gone so hot which is sad.
I didn't see anything mentioned about 4G capabilities, so it isn't remotely a phone replacement.

Like it or not, this is a direct competitor to the Pyra. The Pyra is the clear winner on several functional capability fronts. The GPD, though, might out-sell the Pyra simply due to X86+Windows and the perception that a claim like that can carry. Being able to run VM sessions is a big deal to some of us.

The Pyra can 'win' though - if it is built and performs to a higher standard. Sometimes I wish the Pyra's OMAP5+DDR3 were a Z3770+LPDDR3 (Bay Trail) with a direct upgrade path to Z8700 (Cherry Trail) and beyond. It would make many things easier. BIOS and Linux drivers are apparently difficult though. Too late to change that now though.

Still, unless the GPD changes a lot, the Pyra is going to have a far superior human-machine interface, more expansion capabilities, data nearly anywhere, storage beyond reason, etc... The Pyra could truly be the superior device. Overcoming that X86 vs ARM perception difference, though, could be difficult.

 

[fusion_power]

One is Linux, one is Windows, I doubt these 2 devices will overlap much even if they are similar. Endless Linux/Windows and x86/ARM discussions here in the forums made that pretty clear I guess.
The tasty (start) price of the GPD WIN is of course a strong argument. It also has an interesting SoC but the Pyra still has the option to also use this SoC in the future thanks to it's modular design.

 

[EvilDragon]

Okay, here is the concern I've got with the keyboard / controls of the GPD:

First, here is a size comparison of the Pandora and the GPD Win (according to the Indiegogo specs):

I placed the left edge of the Pandora to the left rounded edge of the GPD, as that is where you hold the device in your hand.
You can clearly see how much further away from the bottom the DPad / Buttons and nubs are.
And seeing the width of the device, you can also see that the middle buttons will probably be harder to reach.

Then I took a Pandora in my hand and tested where my thumbs can reach comfortably.
With comfortably I mean: Holding the device in the palm of my hands, without stretching my fingers too much.

If you got your own Pandora, you can check this for yourself. The buttons and DPad are easily reachable for me, for the middle buttons, and the top keys I actually need to lift my palms a bit otherwise I can't easily reach them.

I think I've got pretty normal thumbs, not very long but also not very short. Probably average.

Now, translating that onto the GPD Win would be like this:

Again, I've taken the rounded edges of the device into account.
I think 7, I, J and M will be a bit uncomfy to reach.
However, the bigger issue might be the controls: To reach the DPad, Sticks or buttons properly, I cannot hold the device in the palm of my hands. My thumbs won't reach there. I would actually need to hold it somewhere at the sides.
I think some people actually always do that, but I usually hold a handheld at the edges (and reading how many Pandora users complained about the corners, I guess any others do that as well).

The thickness of the device doesn't matter much here - the edge rests in the palm of the hand, regardless of the thickness.

I won't say this will be an issue (I've never held one in my hand, so I can't tell for sure), but I fear that might be the case.

Does someone want to make a cardboard printout and test it?

Here is a last comparison picture:

 

[Exophase]

I think some people actually always do that, but I usually hold a handheld at the edges (and reading how many Pandora users complained about the corners, I guess any others do that as well).

I agree, this seems like a problem or at least not in line with how I would hold it.

I have to do some tests to assess this but I remember really hating the way the Wiz felt in my hands because it felt like I had to grip it from the side and pinch at the buttons. And I have very tiny hands.

The keyboard is riddled with obvious problems, I kind of wonder if it was influenced by another device that was never meant for this size or form factor. There are way too many keys. Like the direction keys and multiple alt/ctrl/shift are just the most obvious examples..