Is it worth to buy a Pandora?

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SmityWerbenJaggermanJensen

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Hello,

i'm new here and i'm a little interessed in the Pandora. A friend told me about it(3 Weeks ago) and it's seems to be really nice.

But the Price...

It's a little bit too expenisve. The 1Ghz seems to be the newest. So i want it but it's too expensive. how come?

300 € would be ok but 500€ ? Dafuq! I have to decide between a 3DS, a PS Vita and the Pandora.

And i have millions of question but let me ask these :

1. If i'm no dev can i easily use the Pandora? I don't like to set up things. I just want to play

2. Is there music program where i can do my own electro/techno music?

And it seems that the Community is full of Fans of Old games and system/consoles i never heard or played.

Is there a place for 1996 Kid which first console was the N64. My Brother had a SNES but it doesn't count, 'cause i was a Baby.

I don't want to sound rude but the price is the biggest Problem here. The 3DS and the Vita are a lot cheaper.

Thanks and thanks
 
Hmmm.

I hate to say it, but I think you should probably investigate the Shield.

The Pandora is a great device and far exceeds just a gaming handheld. It's more like an ultra-tiny Linux computer in your pocket. You can do pretty much whatever you set your mind to with it. 

But, if you don't like setting things up (which is half the joy of owning a Pandora), and just want to play... Check out the Shield. I would recommend that over a 3DS or Vita.
 
I'm a n00b and seldom had problems setting anything up on my Pandoras (first classic, then Ghz).

Shield has very limited storage and some disadvantages, but if you want brute power and very good build quality at a reasonable price, then it may be the best,

although there might be a successor next year already.

The biggest advantages of the shield besides modern commercial games may be youtube and the like, but hopefully this will be fixed soon.

Batterylife seems to be great on both devices.

Classic and Rebirth-Pandoras do suffice and are not that expensive anymore.

Overclocking is extremely easy and quite safe if you need it and you get most of the games and apps for free

and for me browsing goes well and the physical keyboard is a good thing.

We have got many apps for music:

http://repo.openpandora.org/?page=all&cat=Audio&s=new

Regarding retrogaming:

It depends on your taste.

I grew up with C64, SNES and N64 but have gotten into NES and Playstation1 anyway because of certain games.

I have got a 3DS-XL too, but I use my Pandora way more often.
 
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The Pandora has a long history of development issues. Keep in mind, this is not a Nintendo or Sony device with a team of engineers with expected sales in the millions, the Pandora was designed by 4 guys hoping to sell a few thousand, maybe a few tens of thousands.

Because they can't manufacture large quantities they lose out on discounts that other companies would get. Also because they are new without a history they didn't get a lot of preferential treatment. Finally there were some major manufacturing delays which pushed costs beyond what was originally expected: old debts have forced the current price to be higher.

The important thing to know is that the Pandora has a lot of features you won't find in a 3DS or Vita. If you're solely interested in playing games then the Pandora probably isn't for you: get a 3DS or Vita, or even an old school PSP, or one of the multitude of Android game devices coming out. They'll play games for half (or less) the cost.

The physical keyboard, the clamshell, the comfortable game controls, and the full desktop style operating system (or the compact mini-menu, if you prefer) are all important features that you won't find in any other single product. If these are things that appeal to you then it's worth the cost.

For more modern gaming, there's a lot of recent ports. Anything open source is possible, including a number of older commercial titles: Jedi Knight 3, Quake 1-3, and Return To Castle Wolfenstein, to name a few. Check out the games section of the repo for a complete list.

In terms of more recent emulation, the Pandora can handle PlayStation, PSP, DS (classic, not 3DS), and N64. N64 is still hit or miss, some games work great and others are very slow, but it's getting a lot of attention recently so hopefully will become much more playable in the coming months.

Ultimately though, if you're really that worried about the price then the key features (most notably the keyboard) aren't high enough in your mind to justify and you probably wouldn't be happy with it: get an Android game system, it's easy and there are mixing programs available on the play store. There are people, like myself, for whom the Pandora has no equal and was well worth the price.
 
Hello,

...
Thanks and thanks
The Pandora is a computer which can be made to look and act like a dumb console.

Success in this varies depending on what programs you use: step out of those programs and you are forced to learn about computers and technology in general. You can view this as good or bad depending on where you come from.

Basically, if you only ever install some console emulators, download some ROMs and play them, then it's a console for you.

I don't think the music making applications you find in the repo are anywhere near as "out of box" as something like the Korg DS-10 for Nintendo DS. But that thing doesn't really achieve much on it's own. So when you first install any of the musicmaking stuff you definitely step out of the consolebox experience.

The upper side of this bargain is that in theory the music stuff available for the Pandora is far more powerful and in theory it is even of practical value while making music, not just a cute gimmick.

I have done quick tests with some of the music making software available for the Pandora on my 600 MHz unit and CPU and screen estate are an issue for me in most everything I've tried, but I haven't examined in detail yet. I'm pretty much hellbent on getting something workable out of that area as it was also one of the uses I envisioned from the start :).

Check out LMMS for starters, then ask for user experiences from 1GHz people here, if you like what you see. It's basically very FruityLoops like.

I'm more into notation these days myself and thus concentrating currently on Musescore, but that is not relevant for you if you want to make modern electronica.

I have never had any interest towards consoles, but if I understand correctly N64 emulation is good but not perfect on 1GHz. Any bigger/later consoles are apparently not going to happen on this platform. So if it's nostalgia from your childhood you want, the Pandora is not for you, you need both a higher specced machine and likely emulators that are still somewhat in their infancy.

3DS and Vita are pure consoles that can never be used as a computer. You know what you're getting when you buy and it's basically all you'll ever get. But then you realize this already or you wouldn't be here!

All this might sound like a recommendation to get the DS or Vita so far, but no-one your age is ever going to get such a recommendation from me... here's the other aspect:

When I was your age a pure console would have had maybe a year, max two before it would have started gathering dust at my parents' attic. I know it was a different age and time but really back then I had zero interest and time for any of the games available for any console device...

I occasionally gamed with my PC, yes, but that was pretty rare too, mostly becaue I had so much other stuff to do, partially because back in those days the built in screens were... something totally different than today, so gaming was not really practical or fun except for some choice titles.

I have fond memories of saying my laptop had an "LSD screen", because playing Doom on it looked like a bad trip and that was the "doublespeed" of the time :).

Yet the Pandora would have definitely followed me far longer through my university years and I have had some small PDA type device practically always with me since forever...

Get something you actually get use out of... whether that is a Pandora or something else depends on what it really is you're after.

Example: If it's music making you really want, why not get a good old QY-100 or a Monotribe? No CPU issues, still money left for getting a bit better smartphone for browsing and I guarantee you both of them will long outlast any 3DSes or Vitas you might get. I still got synths bought in the 90's sitting around me right now, I'm typing this in the middle of them!

And at least they force you (screaming and kicking) to actually make something of your own instead of just consuming stuff made by others. Also, they are a one off expense, whereas the Sonys and Nintendos are just endless moneyholes.

(OK, end of rant... I can't understand why I always end up sounding like the old fart I'm not ;-)
 
And i have millions of question but let me ask these :

1. If i'm no dev can i easily use the Pandora? I don't like to set up things. I just want to play

2. Is there music program where i can do my own electro/techno music?

And it seems that the Community is full of Fans of Old games and system/consoles i never heard or played.

Is there a place for 1996 Kid which first console was the N64. My Brother had a SNES but it doesn't count, 'cause i was a Baby.

I don't want to sound rude but the price is the biggest Problem here. The 3DS and the Vita are a lot cheaper.

Thanks and thanks
Heh. This is a many-times-asked quastion :)

Is it worth it? Yes, if the pandora is what you want, then it is worth it. This might be obvious, but it is easy to overlook:

* The Pandora is more than a 3DS or a Vita

  - It is a small computer, with a full keyboard and a full linux distro. That means you have access to all the computery stuff - Office programs, PDF readers, music and video players, webb browsers...

  - It is open, in almost all senses of the word. Do you want to run another OS? Do so (there are several to choose from). Do you want to install apps from anywhere? Go ahead - Nobody decides what you can and cannot put on the machine. Do you want to write your own programs? Go ahead - use any of a multitude of tools and languages.

  - This is a special case of the above: This machine can successfully emulate most anything up to PS1/N64 level, just abouts (the N64 is on the edge). This means not only the obvious stuff - NES and Genesis and so on - but also the rather obscure. Wanna revive the memories of your uncles BBC model B? The hp 48gx calculator? Run the original "ZORK" on a 70s-era CP/M system? Well, go ahead. Not only do you not have to wrestle to get the emulators onto the machine, but once they are there, all the necessary stuff - Keyboard keys, mouse input, touch screen - is there.

  - It is weird. Nobody around you will have the same thing :)

* The Pandora is less than a 3DS or a Vita:

  - A 3DS or Vita is a modern gaming machine, with a lot of horsepower where it counts, gamingwise. There are some very nice games in the Pandora library, but it is after all a design that was begun in 2008. It has been updated a bit since then, but it cannot reasonably be expected to have the same oomph.

  - If a game on the Pandora is made by a big team, then there might be three or even (gasp!) four people that are working on it, in their spare time. A big-name game on a Vita or 3DS has hundreds of people working fulltime for months on it. Even if we count the likes of Exophase, Notaz, or any other of our very capable devs as being worth ten normal salarycoders :) , there is still a vast difference in available manpower. 

  - It is weird. Nobody around you will have the same thing :(

(these lists could of course be a lot longer. It's late, OK? :) )

So: If the things on the top list makes you go "YES, that is what I want!", then there really isn't much around that hits the same spot. Then, it is worth it. If the things on the second list makes you go "Butbutbut...I can't live with that?", then it most certainly isn't. As for the price thing: The reason the likes of Nintendo or Sony can sell their stuff at the prices they do, is because they pull in their profits not only from the sold consoles, but also from a percentage on the games sold for the consoles. They can afford to even sell the hardware at a loss, since they know that every buyer will eventually buy games or downloads or whatever that will make up for it. And, of course, they are big enough to make sure that that hardware in itself is as cheap as possible, since they're making them in such massive numbers. It's just like buying loo paper - Buying an 18-roll family pack might end up at, like, half the price per roll compared to buying a single. Except here we're talking about electronic components. Eh. Yes. Did I mention it is late? :)

As for the specific questions: 

Yes, you can use it even if you're no developer. Installing a program is as easy as copying that program bundle (a pnd, in pandoraspeak) to an SD card, or even running a program like PNDmanager directly on your pandora to search for and download whatever you want to use (check out http://repo.openpandora.org/ for what's available). The program will automatically appear in your menus or on your desktop (or in the proper tabs, if you're running the minimenu launcher that hides away all the computery stuff). If you want to tinker, you can tinker to your hearts content, but if you don't want to, you don't have to. 

This doesn't mean it is as seamless an experience as using a 3DS or Vita - this also falls under the limitations of how many thousands of developer hours one has to dedicate on UI and standardisation measures - but I can guarantee you that we have members on these boards with far less in the way of computer savvy than you have, who still manage to use their pandoras :)

Are there programs for making electro/techno? Well, I'm no expert (sadly), but these might be interesting:

http://repo.openpandora.org/?page=detail&app=synthv1

http://repo.openpandora.org/?page=detail&app=lmms

http://repo.openpandora.org/?page=detail&app=SunVox

...and there are more which might be useful, depending on what you want to do.

Is there room for a N64 kid? :D Well, yes, certainly! And even though the N64 emulation struggles a bit, still, the Playstation emulator (from the same console generation)is more or less flawless, so you can be as nostalgic as you want :) On the other hand, you could see this as a massive opportunity - Look, there are all these famous games that I never have played, since I was too young. Now I can!!! :D I know I have done that, a lot. Going through something like Racketboys lists of "the hidden gems on the Genesis" or whatever, and trying out all these amazing weird things you never knew even existed...

Anyways, where was I? Is it worth it? Yes, if this is the sort of thing you want, then it most certainly is.
 
I think it really depends on the user. I haven't used mine much because it arrived too late to accompany me to China. But, I will be taking it with me to South America and I might wind up leaving my laptop at home. It isn't a complete replacement for a laptop, but if you're mostly using your computer for emails and light text editing, the Pandora does that just fine. Rigth now I take it with me because it's an easy way of listening to Spanish while I read the transcript. Which greatly improves my ability to study on the go.

If you're not spending much time on the road, the Pandora is much less useful. Which is a large part of why I haven't been using mine much, most of the time I have my computer with me.

As far as usability, it's pretty much idiot proof. There may be the occasional problem, but they're pretty easily maintained and if not, the folks here are generally pretty good about helping people get theirs fixed.
 
As far as usability, it's pretty much idiot proof.
You need to read what is on screen and try to understand what is on screen.

If the Pandora is idiot proof, then comparatively the Vita and 3DS are bordering lobotomy patient proof... :rolleyes:
 
As far as usability, it's pretty much idiot proof.
You need to read what is on screen and try to understand what is on screen.

If the Pandora is idiot proof, then comparatively the Vita and 3DS are bordering lobotomy patient proof... :rolleyes:
Yes. We need more info on the Original Poster to determine their capability before we can make an honest recommendation.

The Pandora certainly isn't idiot proof... a certain hakmanplayer comes to mind, who, in spite of endless and patient help from the community, still managed to confound himself over relatively simple matters most of us take for granted and assume is by now - common knowledge.

I have no doubt the Pandora would enrich the Original Posters life and knowledge base if he were to invest himself and not just his money into it.

But does he want to do that?

The impression I got was "I just want to plug and play, I don't even want to mess with any config files".
 
TBH the Pandora's PND (our filetype for any app, game or emulator) system in combination with the PND manager is so easy to handle that anybody who can install an app on his smartphone can do the same on Pandora. Finding out about the right folder to put ROMs or ISOs in is a one-time investment of a few minutes. Everything that is beyond will require a bit more reading and tinkering, but is potentially very rewarding.

It's a device that hasn't been made to satisfy "basic" needs only, i.e. play a new game. It has been made to grow with the users' needs and interests and to have as much potential and usage scenarios as possible.
 
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Wow! Ok.

My Head...

The Pandora seems to be a very good console. Actually.

The Most of your said that it depends on the user. So let me tell you a  little bit about me.

I'm 17 and i played Video Games as i was born. No Joke. My Bro had a N64 with Mario 64 and a SNES.

I ended up being a Gaming Freak. I'm not very rich, so these are the consoles i have. In Order.

SNES, N64, Gameboy Colour, Game Boy Advance SP, Gamecube, PSP, PS2 and Wii.

But my Parents sell the SNES, my sister broke my Gameboy Colour and i broke my Advance SP.

But i don't mind, cause i play the Games on my PC

My God. I am talking to much!

If you don't mind, i'll ask you another question.

If PS1 emulates great, can i play Metal Gear Solid without Problems?
 
Look at it this way:

Nothing is worth it and nothing is not worth it.  The 3DS and Vita are useless if you can't find a use for them like comradekingu.  Same thing with the Pandora, if you can't find a use for it then it will be useless.  It was kind of useless for me the first 3-4 months I own it because I've never used Linux before and it was kind of frustrated.  But notaz and Pandora team have made the Pandora OS so easy for dummies like me.  Zaxxon is awesome!  PND system is awesome!  Retro on Pandora is awesome!  Music on Pandora is awesome!  Work on Pandora on the go with Libre Office is awesome!  Internal wifi is kinda suck but you can buy a nano wifi dongle for a few butcks and then wifi will be close to awesome (I've downloaded Gigabit files in like 15-20 minutes which is awesome!).  D-pad is awesome!  Gaming buttons are awesome!  Keyboard is close to awesome!  You can use it as a bluetooth control for your PC which is double awesome!  In short, this thing is AWESOME! I recommend you buy the GHz version.

Even Nvidia Shield struggles with N64 emulation so don't expect Pandora to emulate N64 perfectly since the Pandora hardware is light years before the Shield.  But I must say even that, N64 emulation with ptitSeb and Sebt3 Mupen port is impressive and run pretty well and in many many cases on par with the Shield.

Yeah!  It's worth it!  And MGS runs perfectly on PCSX-ReArmed on pandora.
 
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thx. :)

That really helped and thx too all who awnsered.

I don't mind that the N64 emulator is not perferct. I like how the progress will be going.

And i'm happy that MGS works. :D

My only Problem now is the price. :/
I know, i know...You can't change that, but i really want that thing now. The GHz of course.

I wait until Chrismas.

And i try to sell my PSP.
 
My only Problem now is the price. :/
Just a buy a CC unit for 270€ (around 330$). It is slower (600 Mhz instead of 1 Ghz) and has less RAM, but for most stuff it is perfect. Playstation works fine, N64 has some problems but should work most times. I have a rebirth pandora (which is between the ghz and the CC unit) and I can play N64 very good and playstation is full speed.

Edit: You should consider this as a small laptop with build in gamepad and emulators on it. You can also play games like Quake3, Jedi Knight 2, Jedi Academy etc on it. Or use it for typing in the bus with libre office, which can handle microsoft word stuff or power point presentations.
 
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Yes, I have a CC unit and it is very capable.

I can overclock mine to 1Ghz for the most part if I have to.

And if I need more ram, i just enable a swap file.

The reason I haven't upgraded to either the rebirth or the 1Ghz model is that for the price, I don't see that much of a difference to what I can already do.

If money is an issue for you, then by all means get the CC unit.

However, if you have your heart set on the 1ghz.... saving up for something, and the anticipation alone can make finally getting something very special.

Can someone please remind me what a 1Ghz model can do that an overclocked CC with swap enabled can't?  ... I forget.
 
Can someone please remind me what a 1Ghz model can do that an overclocked CC with swap enabled can't?  ... I forget.
Nothing that really a CC "cannot do", but a 1Ghz is much better for DraStic, PPSSPP, and all recent ports (Jedi Knight, Return to Castle Wolfenstein). One big Plus of the 1Ghz is Android gaming. I doubt you can do much of that with a CC because of the lack of RAM.  
 
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