is it worth it

[CubeFreak]

so i really want to get a pandora, but paying 500 bucks isnt exactly easy for me as i am still and school and dont have a ton of money, i have 120 and i have a few photography jobs coming up to get some more cash and will do long term saving up


so is it really worth 500 dollars? it looks amazing and i have always wanted a mobile device that can basically do a ton of stuff including gaming so this fits the bill perfectly (no pun intended)


how often do you guys use your pandoras and are they fun and easy to use day to day?


thanks, -kj4pvf

 

[mcobit]

Yes!


Edit: Well, if you like retrogaming and homebrew, also if you can work with linux, it is the best thing you'll ever can get.


If you want to play the latest games for other consoles like NDS PSP etc. You'r e out of luck with the Pandora.


But you get a real computer with a lot of functionality.

 

[juliano]

Yes! I think it was the best U$500 I spent in my whole life!

 

[edgex004]

Some days I spend a few hours playing games. Some days I don't. Other days I spend many hours on end tailoring the look and accessibility of my device or teaching myself to code and compile.


There are many reasons why I love my device. Playing games is only one of them.


I'm currently working on setting up a base around my tv where I can easily hook up a mouse, keyboard, and multiple controllers. I'm super ready to get a tv-out cable built.

 

[TrashyMG]

Some days I spend a few hours playing games. Some days I don't. Other days I spend many hours on end tailoring the look and accessibility of my device or teaching myself to code and compile.


There are many reasons why I love my device. Playing games is only one of them.


I'm currently working on setting up a base around my tv where I can easily hook up a mouse, keyboard, and multiple controllers. I'm super ready to get a tv-out cable built.

I finally got the time to build my own TV out cable, man it's pretty nice. I was surprised the video maintained the widescreen properly. played a few games with a keyboard and mouse.. dosbox was still a bit wonky with a regular mouse the config must of been tweaked for the touch screen / nub use.


Have to thank Wizardstan again for the making the connectors available and Peca for the TinyBoBs because without those I would rage destroyed my electronics workbench trying to solder those wires on those tiny pins..

 

[FaeMinx]

I regard the Pandora as a *must have* device. It isn't a question of if it's worth $500 or not... It's a question of when are you going to start living your life the way you were always meant to?


It will start out it's relationship with you as merely impressive, but as you invest time configuring it and getting it to achieve pretty much whatever you wish... it will grow into being pure awesome™ and you'll wonder how you ever lived without it.


*true story*

 

[CubeFreak]

man! this just gets me so worked up on saving for one! :lol: i am a HUGE linux fan, and love open source and coding and running terminal so this sounds right up my alley!!

 

[ckblackm]

You might want to check and see if there's a pandora owner that lives near by where you could go check it out. I don't know where you're going to school,


but from your QTH, I'm about 5 hours south of you.


Christopher.

 

[Kaepora Gaebora]

To me, it's very worth the price because there are the upfront costs and not much else. You aren't buying the console, then paying $40 per game or paying $80 per piece of software. You are buying the console, and that's pretty much it.

 

[CubeFreak]

cool, time to save up! another quick question, i live in america but pandora is made overseas, can the charger for the pandora work with american outlets?

 

[moz]

Yes, it is shipped with a US charger in all countries that aren't in the EU.

 

[JeFF]

Absolutely worth it.

 

[Bosbeetle]

short answer : yes

 

[Jumpman]

Well, I got mine for the original preorder price of 330, but I would have gladly paid 500+, and would have never looked back.


I personally only use it for classic gaming, but having proper controls along with a nice sized screen is really all it takes to keep me interested.


I own a ipod touch, DS XL, 3DS, PSP, and I use all these devices less than my Pandora. I agree with what was mentioned up top. Once you buy the Pandora, your investment is done. Nothing to buy after the initial purchase really, unless you want a nice case or cool headphones.


The main thing to do is browse the forums and make sure you know what it is all about. If it doesn't deliver what you want, then it won't be worth 5 cents, let alone 500 dollars.


Chris

 

[Prometheus]

Well, I got mine for the original preorder price of 330, but I would have gladly paid 500+, and would have never looked back.

This. Muchly.


There's just nothing else out there like it - there wasn't back then, and even after all this time, to the best of my knowledge there still isn't. For the record, I use mine not just for games, but also for writing (I'm writing a novel exclusively on it), and occasionally as a colour-matching tool for geekly sewing projects (it's not like I can drag my laptop to a craft store, after all!). It's indispensable.


Sure, there are other devices that do some of these things, but nothing that delivers a complete general-computing and gaming experience in this form factor. For me, a mobile telephone (to cite a common example that we often hear suggested as an "alternative" around here) does not fulfill my requirements as the Pandora does, though it appears from some comments I've seen over the years that telephones more than suffice for some folks.


Also, Jumpman's advice about doing your research and getting a feel for things first is sage and well worth following. There have unfortunately been a number of folks who've bought Pandoras in haste and expected them to be something that they aren't, usually with negative results, so it's definitely a good idea to know what you're getting into. (Especially since you'll be stuck with all of us lot, at that point. )

 

[CubeFreak]

yeah, ive done a good bit of research, for a month or two now...


ive never really had a good multi purpose piece of hardware like an ipod touch or one of those fancy phones, plus im not a huge fan of the iphone and things that incorperate all of those things in a phone.


so a couple months ago i was looking for a multi purpose piece of hardware that wasnt a phone, yet had the capability to run a desktop and common applications to write documents, play games, and surf the web/IM and Email, at the same time having the capability to do gaming!!!


plus im i photographer so using thins for photo sharing and simple editing would be fun


to me its the ideal device for my needs, and then some... :wub:

 

[andmaz]

Nothing comes close at the moment to even matching what it can and does do.


The gaming controls immediately set it apart - the only thing that comes close is a Samsumg SG2 with the icontrolpad and the new clamping system - but then you get no keyboard or USB connection etc.


Nearly 3 years late iro completing batch 1 and it still is the best (hard to believe and I was doubting it myself until that fateful delivery date came and WOW) - if it had come out Dec 2008 then it would have made OPT a fortune literally as it is I believe that a Pandora 2 could be were alot of money is made - hopefully Pandora 1 will make a profit but the obstacles put in the way have been major but yet it continues ED and Craig inparticular deserve significant rewaards from this project.


Its definately worth $499 and that is what the price should have been from day 1 but Craig did price it right for initial orders otherwise not enough would have preordered.


N64 and MAME/NEOGEO are my favs at the moment but Pandelite is also great - just get saving!

 

[CubeFreak]

so, where can you get applications for use while using the desktop? is there a "formal" site where you can download all of the available apps?

 

[Prometheus]

so, where can you get applications for use while using the desktop? is there a "formal" site where you can download all of the available apps?

Well, for starters, there is the repo. If you're just getting into the swing of things, I would recommend browsing here first (before diving into the other locations, which are listed below), as it's nice and easy to get around.


After that, there's also the the app-store, as well as the fantastic lists maintained by the wiki volunteers.


Occasionally you'll also find that a developer will release something that's not yet ready for any of those places. On those occasions, you're most likely to find those here and/or here. I'm sure you're aware that software from the Beta Testing sections is not necessarily always ready for public consumption.


I hope these point you in the right direction!

 

[CubeFreak]

thanks Prometheus, man this community is on TOP of things