Keyboard Limitation

[Gruntfuggly]

I'm sure I read that the keyboard would only be able to detect three simultaneous keys being pressed at the same time. Is this a software or a hardware limitation? I doubt it would affect more than 0.1% of games, but I can think of at least one game (Revs on the BBC micro) which I might want to play using the keys, that could involve pressing more than three keys at the same time...

 

[God Ginrai]

The Keyboard is probably not something you would use in such a way that you can press more than 3 keys at a time. (Because of its size) I would suggest just using a USB keyboard.

-God Ginrai

 

[TitanUranus]

Who needs more than 3 simultaneous keypresses? Ctrl+Alt+Del is the pinacle of multiple key pressing. Besides, dont know how that BBC Revs game works, but IIRC joypad buttons were not included in the max keypresses limitation of the keyboard so could you not just map a few keys to A,B,X,Y to get round the problem?

EDIT: Man alive, I'm spelling like a dyslexic epileptic during a fit these days.

 

[WizardStan]

The keyboard is limited by the hardware (I think it may actually be two keys at once), however each of the game buttons is it's own GPIO line. You can simultaneously press two (or maybe it was three) keyboard keys at once, and all 8 (+2 if you've modded in L2 and R2) game buttons at once.

 

[taylor-madeak]

You know, unless you shell out a lot of money for a very expensive gaming keyboard that specifically states that it uses "anti-ghosting technology" (like the Razer Lycosa or Tarantula), even your computer's keyboard cannot recognize more than 3 simultaneous keystrokes. This is well known, and just about every game in existence is designed so that you don't need to press more than 3 keys at a time because of it. Besides...you only have two thumbs, right?

 

[Trevsweb]

games might be a problem where you have to hold keys.. lets say quake where your strafing foreward shooting and jumping... just it should be mapped by the nubs but in the off chance they werent what would someone do? tbh i doubt it would happen enough that would bother the majory of the people using the device.

 

[lulzfish]

games might be a problem where you have to hold keys.. lets say quake where your strafing foreward shooting and jumping... just it should be mapped by the nubs but in the off chance they werent what would someone do? tbh i doubt it would happen enough that would bother the majory of the people using the device.

Bind it to D-pad and action buttons?
As Red FF1 guy said, you could press Up, Right, B, and Right Trigger all at once to strafe forward, jump, and shoot.

 

[Lanonov]

... (Revs on the BBC micro) ...

you're that age
i have 2 BBC's model B in storage and i am 55 8=)

my use for the Panda will be Elite (BBC game) and as a terminal to connect to whatever i wish

i ordered it 1-10-2008, then i paid and now i wait

you know, when you are older time goes faster, but stil you have more time

there was a band in 1973 and they made a beautifull song (Time) and this is it;

Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day
You fritter and waste the hours in an offhand way
Kicking around on a piece of ground in your home town
Waiting for someone or something to show you the way

Tired of lying in the sunshine
Staying home to watch the rain
And you are young and life is long
And there is time to kill today
And then one day you find
Ten years have got behind you
No one told you when to run
You missed the starting gun

And you run, and you run to catch up with the sun, but it's sinking
Racing around to come up behind you again
The sun is the same in a relative way, but you're older
Shorter of breath and one day closer to death

Every year is getting shorter
Never seem to find the time
Plans that either come to nought
Or half a page of scribbled lines
Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way
The time is gone
The song is over
Thought I'd something more to say

Home, home again
I like to be here when I can
when I come home cold and tired
it's good to warm my bones beside the fire
far away across the field
the tolling of the iron bell
calls the faithful to their knees
to hear the softly spoken magic spells

from - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_%28Pink_Floyd_song%29

 

[mindlord]

Don't forget that alt and ctrl are on the middle 3 buttons, and they don't count toward the 2 key maximum.

 

[bce23w]

Bind it to D-pad and action buttons?

Yeah, this. I definitely run into problems with a normal keyboard when I want to, say, run right and high jump, while shoot diagonally down-right, but the nubs and other buttons make this an extremely unlikely problem for the Pandora.

 

[TitanUranus]

Don't forget that alt and ctrl are on the middle 3 buttons, and they don't count toward the 2 key maximum.

What? This intrigues me, but I don't understand what you mean, explain please.

 

[mindlord]

Don't forget that alt and ctrl are on the middle 3 buttons, and they don't count toward the 2 key maximum.

What? This intrigues me, but I don't understand what you mean, explain please.

The alt ctrl and menu buttons (three buttons between the nubs), dpad, L & R, and action buttons have their own gpio lines and aren't on the "grid" that the rest of the keys are on. The numbers, keys, and other symbols are on a grid that because of hardware limitations can only recognize two key presses simultaneously.

 

[DutchMojo]

PINK FLOYD FTW!

 

[TitanUranus]

Ah right, pandora specific answer - than you. I've just spent a half hour reading wikipedia about the history of ctrl-alt-del. Pandora wasn't mentioned in it, but it was very interesting none the less

 

[b1llygo4t]

woo! pink floyd!

i play alot of worms Armageddon, which requires alot of quick key presses. i havnt owned a keyboard that ever had the 3 button max issue since like 2006. i go through about 2 keyboards a year, destroyed from beer booze or alcohol fueled rage. their all basic cheapo KBs or hand me downs. im a tad surprised that the pandoras has this issue, but i seriously cant see anyone ever having an issue with this. game controls people.