Gph: The Wiz - Official Announcement

[Uukrul]

The only way GPH will change this before launch is if we tell them it's ridiculous, and they are half listening to this, they just need the final push now.

You are a distributor so tell them that if they don't change the dual pad you won't buy it...

 

[Franxis]

Thanks Orkie and Eclipse for the very useful information !!!

Also this forum thread is very interesting:
http://www.gp32x.de/board/index.php?showtopic=43757&hl=
I don't know why it has been closed :blink:

I didn't realize the Wiz was so small... perfect to have it in the pocket. And the buttons are labelled in the same way as in the GP2X.

Nice :rolleyes: .

 

[ashdjones]

The fact FPS figures are not being given is starting to worry me and customers, this thing has no 2D acceleration right? Is that an issue? SDL is 100% software on this? Give us distributors some more facts!

Funny, but I think this is similar to how half the Pandora followers are feeling!

 

[Eclipse]

Seems decent, but like everyone else, I do have doubts on the D-pad-shaped buttons. Pressing three (or four) buttons at the same time, as well as buttons at opposite sides, might be troublesome.

You seriously need to press all four buttons in any game or even three? there's no game at all were you need such a thing, because would be really a nonsense and a bad game design decision to do that... i think it will feel better under the toe having no falls between the buttons so i don't think that dpad will be such a problem!

Thanks Orkie and Eclipse for the very useful information !!!

Also this forum thread is very interesting:
http://www.gp32x.de/board/index.php?showtopic=43757&hl=
I don't know why it has been closed :blink:

I didn't realize the Wiz was so small... perfect to have it in the pocket. And the buttons are labelled in the same way as in the GP2X.

Nice :rolleyes: .



Thanks to you Franxis! i think squidge closed my thread only because there's already that one, so nothing serious, i've posted the informations i collected here too...
Glad to hear you will be on the scene, some distributor should really send you a Wiz made of gold

 

[craigix]

The fact FPS figures are not being given is starting to worry me and customers, this thing has no 2D acceleration right? Is that an issue? SDL is 100% software on this? Give us distributors some more facts!

Funny, but I think this is similar to how half the Pandora followers are feeling!


FPS were some of the first things we posted (and we continue to post performance stats), but GPH are taking orders for the WIZ now, ie money, so these answers are needed now.

Seems decent, but like everyone else, I do have doubts on the D-pad-shaped buttons. Pressing three (or four) buttons at the same time, as well as buttons at opposite sides, might be troublesome.

You seriously need to press all four buttons in any game or even three? there's no game at all were you need such a thing, because would be really a nonsense and a bad game design decision to do that... i think it will feel better under the toe having no falls between the buttons so i don't think that dpad will be such a problem!




There are plenty of games which require pressing 3 at once, many special moves, loads of Megadrive games, loads of games where you will have to move between 4 buttons and this design will lead to trouble there. The sonic level select!

Stop trying to defend this bad design, GPH are thinking about changing this right now and they will if enough people tell them to they will. Or else yet again we are left with an open handheld with a major design flaw to be laughed at. This little device could be such a perfect mini GP2X if they fix this.

 

[Eclipse]

Still, I'll be going with Pandora. I'm very enticed by the idea of an OLED Upgraded GP2X, but not so much that I'd give up a handheld that fits in my pocket and does everything an eeePC can do

See you teaching your pandora to play Diablo 2


?

Don't really get what you mean lol, I never really played the Diablo games either



He means that Pandora CAN'T do what an EEE pc can do, because the EEE PC is x86 based, not arm, so you can run x86 linux and windows xp on it, and you can play commercial PC titles and use emulators with years and years of development like Project64 (n64), the "original" mame, dosbox, epsxe and so on... finally, it also have directx support.
Basically the EEE PC is a real PC, will not be able to run Crysis, but it's able to emulate every stuff you normally emulate on a pc plus it can play pc commercial games such Diablo 2, Warcraft 3 and so on.

So no, the pandora is not like an EEE PC, it has only almost the same price (if not higher than a Eee PC 4G Surf 701). still the pandora is an handheld, and the eee pc is a mini laptop, not such portable

 

[ashdjones]

FPS were some of the first things we posted (and we continue to post performance stats), but GPH are taking orders for the WIZ now, ie money, so these answers are needed now.

Yes of course, i've seen all the video's the FPS were very impressive.

I was making a general comparison though - you're taking money for the Pandora in two weeks or so, but there's not nearly enough shown and people are starting to worry/feel left in the dark.

 

[Chip]

I was making a general comparison though - you're taking money for the Pandora in two weeks or so, but there's not nearly enough shown and people are starting to worry/feel left in the dark.

About what? There really isn't any part of the Pandora development process that's been hidden, except some technical details covered by NDAs with part manufacturers. What you've seen so far is what there is to show.

I'm sure Orkie isn't "hiding" the SNES FPS numbers, he probably just hasn't had time to make a good test. When he has some numbers to share, I trust he'll do so. The same goes for the Pandora. If there's something you havn't seen yet, it's probably because it isn't finished. When it's finished, you'll see it.

 

[craigix]

FPS were some of the first things we posted (and we continue to post performance stats), but GPH are taking orders for the WIZ now, ie money, so these answers are needed now.

Yes of course, i've seen all the video's the FPS were very impressive.

I was making a general comparison though - you're taking money for the Pandora in two weeks or so, but there's not nearly enough shown and people are starting to worry/feel left in the dark.


As much as we are totally in the dark about this Wiz console? Some videos would go a long way with the customers, I'm just saying the Wiz has not really met any of the requirements which are expected of the Pandora prior to preordering yet we distributors are having to take orders for the Wiz anyway.

Orkie can you just make some videos to put customers at ease?

 

[fusion_power]

It does diagonals for me. I have been given permission to post some photos of my prototype too .

http://x11.gp2x.de/tempfiles/gp2x-new/IMG_1110.JPG
http://x11.gp2x.de/tempfiles/gp2x-new/IMG_1122.JPG
http://x11.gp2x.de/tempfiles/gp2x-new/IMG_1129.JPG

EDIT: And one to prove it has shoulder buttons for the unbeliever(s) .

http://x11.gp2x.de/tempfiles/gp2x-new/IMG_1119.JPG



Uh... h34r: maybe some 56K Modem friendly Pix please? ^^""""

People should stop defending the dual Dpad, if that design was good it would be on all console controllers - it isn't because it won't work. You could not even enter the level select in sonic with it (ABC+Start) without some weird setup using the shoulder buttons.

Maybe this D-Pad has no Pivot Point? So you could push even 4 Buttons at the same Time? And IF it has a pivot point I could imagine to use a Dremel or whatever to just remove the Pivot.

 

[Orkie]

Also, Orkie, SNES FPS? The fact FPS figures are not being given is starting to worry me and customers, this thing has no 2D acceleration right? Is that an issue? SDL is 100% software on this? Give us distributors some more facts!

It does have 2D acceleration (2 layers of RGB with per pixel or entire surface alpha, plus the YUV layer), not that SDL is using it. I have not had time to even turn on my Wiz the past few days, hence no numbers.

 

[craigix]

Are there any videos you could post? Could you make one with your camera? Maybe GP2X & Wiz together?

 

[ashdjones]

I'm sure Orkie isn't "hiding" the SNES FPS numbers

Huh? I don't remember directing anything at them, sorry if it seemed like I was.

When it's finished, you'll see it.

Fair enough. A little comment like 'You will see screenshots and videos (of the firmware and built-in apps and some linux applications running) before pre-ordering begins' would be nice, you know.

I'm really not slagging the Pandora off, i'm just reminding Craig of the comments he just made about GPH - that if you don't communicate with your customers they'll start worrying! I think it's key with a cool, scrappy little team like they have, especially as they've committed to it being an open development.

 

[sbock]

People should stop defending the dual Dpad, if that design was good it would be on all console controllers - it isn't because it won't work. You could not even enter the level select in sonic with it (ABC+Start) without some weird setup using the shoulder buttons.

The only way GPH will change this before launch is if we tell them it's ridiculous, and they are half listening to this, they just need the final push now.

Free speech? Different tastes? I like the concept GPH shows a lot more than the Pandora. I also like the dual Dpad design. So what now? Ban me?
If you don't want to distribute the Wiz and don't like it- that's OK for me. But don't tell the others here what to do.

 

[tmcnair]

FPS were some of the first things we posted (and we continue to post performance stats), but GPH are taking orders for the WIZ now, ie money, so these answers are needed now.

Yes of course, i've seen all the video's the FPS were very impressive.

I was making a general comparison though - you're taking money for the Pandora in two weeks or so, but there's not nearly enough shown and people are starting to worry/feel left in the dark.


As much as we are totally in the dark about this Wiz console? Some videos would go a long way with the customers, I'm just saying the Wiz has not really met any of the requirements which are expected of the Pandora prior to preordering yet we distributors are having to take orders for the Wiz anyway.

Orkie can you just make some videos to put customers at ease?


They have provided working, fully assembled prototypes to people independent from the company. There are high-res, close-up photos of it. Now that people have prototypes we will start to see reviews. GPH also have a track record of actually releasing a product. To say we are "in the dark" or try and compare it to what is going on with Pandora is completely disingenuous shit-stirring.

 

[ashdjones]

I also like the dual Dpad design.

Yeah but it would even better with dual analogue nubs, that would be great for 3D games especially. I don't think any handhelds on the market have this feature yet, maybe if GPH aren't interested we could develop our own handheld with these sorts of features?

<dry British sense of humour OFF>

 

[x68000]

This could potentially be a great device, but i totally agree with Craig that the action buttons, configured into a D-Pad is a huge, huge mistake.

 

[tkeely4777]

People should stop defending the dual Dpad, if that design was good it would be on all console controllers - it isn't because it won't work. You could not even enter the level select in sonic with it (ABC+Start) without some weird setup using the shoulder buttons.

The only way GPH will change this before launch is if we tell them it's ridiculous, and they are half listening to this, they just need the final push now.

Free speech? Different tastes? I like the concept GPH shows a lot more than the Pandora. I also like the dual Dpad design. So what now? Ban me?
If you don't want to distribute the Wiz and don't like it- that's OK for me. But don't tell the others here what to do.


Craigix is running business, and approaching the situation from the mindset of a businessperson. Put yourself in his shoes, just for a moment: If you couldn't get any good solid facts to about a product you're about to market out to your investors and/or potential customers, right before ordering begins, it would be a fair assumption that you'd be nervous and pulling at your hair, too, especially when you yourself and not fully confident in the product.

I do agree that Craig is being a bit, shall we say harsh, but I understand where that harshness is coming from. He's just got himself a little worked up.

 

[sam fisher]

Stop trying to defend this bad design, GPH are thinking about changing this right now and they will if enough people tell them to they will. Or else yet again we are left with an open handheld with a major design flaw to be laughed at. This little device could be such a perfect mini GP2X if they fix this.

Plenty of people have told them to change the design.

 

[Eclipse]

Also, Orkie, SNES FPS? The fact FPS figures are not being given is starting to worry me and customers, this thing has no 2D acceleration right? Is that an issue? SDL is 100% software on this? Give us distributors some more facts!

It does have 2D acceleration (2 layers of RGB with per pixel or entire surface alpha, plus the YUV layer), not that SDL is using it. I have not had time to even turn on my Wiz the past few days, hence no numbers.



Orkie, please can you check if you can press all the buttons or there's a pivot that block doing that on the second Dpad?

Because if you can press all the buttons just like in the f200 dpad there's no problem at all, and it's even better than four diamond placed separated buttons. Thanks in advance