Well since I like taunting people, I figure I'd better weigh in on this and say that I've just received my premium Pandora in the mail today!
This thing is pretty damn satisfying. Even though the shoulder were a [CENSORED] to fix, I still had fun setting it most of the way up. Then Spyro got in the way for a few hours.
There wee no problems with anything other than the shoulder buttons here. It really is a killer device and if anyone reading this is considering cancelling, DON'T. This is truly a one-of-a-kind device, and you absolutely will not regret getting it.
That being said, there are obviously some things that could use some improving. I know the hardware itself is great (and it will get even better with better support from a new kernel), but the case quality is pretty... shoddy, I guess would be the best word for it. Around the right nub there's a little bit of damage. You know when you're trying to pry open an electronic device with a screwdriver and you end up leaving a tiny little nick in the plastic where the two pieces met? It's a little like that. It's definitely nothing serious at all, though. It's just something worth noting.
There is another issue with the case though that is a little more detracting than that, though: one edge of the casing looks like it was cut by a box opener, as if someone dragged a razor edge along the corner of one side of the case. Otherwise it seems pretty durable. Everything else seems fine, or are only non-critical software bugs.
Anyways, the dpad is fantastic. If it weren't for the detailing on it (the cross, or plus sign) it would feel like you're running your thumb over a disc of plastic suspended on a ball bearing; when you change the tilt of the dpad with your thumb, the feeling of another button being depressed is almost unnoticeable except for when moving your thumb directly across the disc. It feels very fluid, unlike typical dpad controls of today like the Xbox and PlayStation 3's controls.
The nubs are quite interesting: to further help avoid the thumb slipping out of place; OPT have included three raised concentric circles radiating from the center of the nub. Nintendo tried to do a similar thing with their Nintendo 64 controllers, I believe. I'm not sure about you guys, but I had more than a few blisters caused by that thing, and I feel that those concentric circles were to blame. OPT's solution to this problem is on I've never seen before, and couldn't have imagined being implemented on a handheld console. Their solution: make the nub follow your thumb. There is no friction at any time being placed on your thumb. This is because the top of the nub seems to be on a swivel. The nub 'spins' along with the rotation of your thumb, so the surface of the nub and the skin on your thumb never rub against each other. I've never seen anything like this before, and if it's OPT's original idea, it's revolutionary. And yet it's so simple that it's a wonder why it wasn't a feature of the first analogue sticks made.
I believe the only issue with the Pandora as it stands is very-slightly-sub-par case quality. That and weight. It could always be lighter, but with the kind of power this device is capable of, if would only make sense that it's a little heftier than similarly sized devices.
To summarize, the Pandora is akin to how Leonardo Da Vinci would have painted the Mona Lisa if he had only twenty dollars worth of paint at his disposal: beautiful, revolutionary, remarkable, but it could use some small renovations.
I plan on writing my review after a few days or weeks of use.
