Is Anyone Else Here Interested In Windows Gaming?

[salasq]

...why?

 

[Corican]

Most of those games play best with a mouse, so no, I wouldn't buy an x86 handheld just to play them.

I think Kramy summed it up best here.

And as for the battery life, yes, it's very important.

10 hour plane journey? No problem!
10 hour community service? No problem!
10 hour gaming session? No problem!

5 hour batteries are only half as good as 10 hour ones. <_<

 

[___]

[sarcasm]OMGZ! I've got a great idea for a few changes... why don't we put an x86 cpu in the pandora? And while we're at it, maybe a Dvorak keyboard... don't criticize my suggestions now because I am the uber-nerd and everyone else who doesn't want Windows gaming in the palm of their hand is a stupid fanboi and obviously has no idea what they are talking about... blablabla yadda yadda yadda... I am so experienced with linux on arm and I am telling all of you other professional hardware/software devs how horrible my Zaurus was six years ago.[/sarcasm]

Please just stop trolling and accept the fact that we do not want x86 in our machine. Also win32 gaming is not the ultimate goal of this project. In fact, it is quite the opposite of what the project is all about: Hacking, homebrew development, retro gaming and mobility. No, the pandora is not meant to be the ultimate gaming machine of all times. It is meant to be an affordable, open, modifyable, ultra mobile (non-PC) linux wonder. It's all about efficiency and portability, so fuck x86. It is not aiming for a commercial audience either... this is for the geeks to fiddle with and some enthusiasts who want to get in on a little hacking fun. Nobody wants this thing to outsell the psp or even the eee-pc (while that would be cool ). If you can't cope with a community that isn't interested in your suggestions then make your own handheld or go to some other forum where you can troll...

Now go ahead and call us fanbois like all the whiners who cannot accept the fact that there is other opinions on hardware design out there.

 

[Mutilator]

if the pandora was x86 what is the diference between that and the atom etc. other than it has gaming controls. It just wouldnt intrest me at all im buying the pandora because it runs what i want it to run if you want windows gaming get a atom or some small laptop and a gamepad

 

[Zeno Arrow]

Now, if you want to make something happen in the Windows Gaming space, you migh try to see if you can get the older titles going in something akin to Darwine (which would use QEMU in a useful way instead of emulating a whole machine...)

Didn't know about Darwine, definitely something to watch out in the future, thanks for the tip Svartalf. For those too lazy to Google...
CODE
http://darwine.sourceforge.net/

CODE
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darwine

RISC is good.

Indeed. RISC architecture is gonna change everything.

Hexen

Heretic II

Heretic II might not be possible just yet, but you might want to check out these links:
CODE
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/hexen-and-heretic

CODE
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hexen_II#Source_code_release

 

[darkblu]

Indeed. RISC architecture is gonna change everything.

technically, risc changed the world of computing eons ago. it is just until now there were way too many blinders for users in the personal computing sector (particularly, on the pc desktop) to realize that. the two deadly sins of the x86 related to that are:

* it tries to emulate a risc-predating archtiecture, with all the drawbacks coming from that - unnecessary boilerplate decoders/frontends, effectively serving as roadblocks for compilers in doing their job, etc. ia64 was a step in the right direction, alas it still carries x86s bad-gene heritage.

* power efficiency is a relatively new trend for intel - they realised it mattered only circa p4 - the cadillac of cpus - 5 gallons per mile. yyyyhaaaa, cowboy!

the p4 market fiasco was a wakeup slap in the face for intel, though, forcing them to realise they needed to mend their ways. so now they are trying to address their first deadly sin - them ignoring power efficiency in the personal computing sector. their second deadly sin - their assumption that people who care more about running decades-old code, rather than having their todays software run optimally (basically, people like the thread starter), are the majority in the personal computing domain (an assumtion which is plain wrong) still pulls them down, though.

the funny thing is that, even disregarding any oss communities where software portability/migratability has never been much of an issue, purely consumer-oriented personal-computing companies like Be inc and Apple have been proving time and again that having a well-maintained, modern code-base for their products is _way_ more important for the end user satisfaction, than keeping binary compatibilty ad infinitum.

of course, all of the above intels sins - collectively-called "wintel deadlock" - were actually a golden egg for the chip maker, and they actively sought preserving that status quo for a long time (why not - it was bringing them profit while allowing them to stand still). unfortunately for them, though, times change. people today expect from their hardware things that are fundamentally-incompatible with wintels golden-egg philosophy. thus, enter the current situation where intel are desperately playing a catch-up game with the rest of the cpu world in the most "personal" of the computing segments - handhelds/pocketables; do not be fooled about the size of this market - it includes _way_ more than geek gadgets - these are also (smart)phones, pocket consoles, PDAs - all multi-billion dollar markets. unfortunately, intel still have not renounced from their second deadly sin, and that may cost them dearly.

 

[skeezix]

You forgot a few options, and present a bias.

"I would definately buy...".

I might consider. (Well, I already have a x86 umpc to prove it).

x86 doesn't just suggest battery life, they tend to be larger too. (See the Wibrain for a smallish device though, but also lacking gaming controls.)

And by x86 you also have to suggest if its Windows or not, officially; getting the MS Windows logo requires certification costs, and requires the device to meet certain criterion (Windows key on the keyboard, minimum performance and operational specs, and so on.)

So being _x86_ is one thing, but being officially running Windows is another...

x86 with linux is pretty fun times though, so while I really like ARM, I'd also like a Pandora-like device with x86. If it were specced right (sensible battery, but otherwise identical to PAndora) I'd probably take it.

But in the end, I've run some pretty great stuff with Dosbox on the Pandora already.. the Pandora's chip performsn freakishly good.

jeff

Note that the original post is about _Windows_ gaming; ie: listing titles that require Windows in order to run, not DOS.. so really, we're talking about a device that can run Windows, not a Linux device. (Wine might handle some of them mind you.. I've never tried Wine on a UMPC, might be interesting there actually.) So my comments about getting Windows certified hold.. they had to cost, and make the device form factor suckier.

 

[geise69]

Yes! I love Windows gaming. Solitaire is so much fun!

 

[skeezix]

Master of Magic works, but I somehow remember it being more awesome. Doh

jeff

 

[skeezix]

I find your sig ironic. It asks if you ever want to code, come to you for ideas.

Why don't you learn to code?

jeff

 

[PoisonedV]

I find your sig ironic. It asks if you ever want to code, come to you for ideas.

Why don't you learn to code?

jeff

how is that ironic

 

[CCmachined]

anybody want to attempt porting wine to use OpenGL ES? why is everybody treating an x86 CPU as a magical solution to this problem? native linux games have the same issue.

Besides, battery life will be closer to 3 hours, cost of the device will shoot up, and become much bigger and clunky in the process.

No.