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[CapcomSuicide]

On the other hand, Craig is right about that they can't really cook up a fix for a problem that they don't see:

"Why haven't you fixed this! It is a problem!"
"Well, we didn't see it..."
"Of course you didn't! You should have fixed it anyway!"



In order to be able to find out the extent of the problem and determine the cause, they would need to see and physically examine units with the problem.

What's funny to me is the small number of returns we have had and the way it appears opposite on the boards (especially gp32spain), I was in the returns room yesterday, almost all the returned units are there, and I wanted to take a photo, it's such a small pile of units. I went in there expecting there to be more of them after the hoohah on here. It's a bit depressing really that this opinion has formed, I think we have done a really good job with the QC so far, but some people just keep pushing that it's terrible.

It seems to me that time & time again Trolls try to paint a bad picture of what the team does, no matter what. Try not to let them get you down, and instead look at the threads of all the new software coming out, the fantastic way the devs are helping each other and producing brilliant software. Seems to me that there are more of those threads, rather than ones about RMA's.

Anyway I appreciate the updates on production, if you manage to get up to 350 a week for the remaining 3000, Batch1 should be duested before the end of October. Then Batch2 can begin before the end of the year.

I think once Batch 1 is out of the way and Batch 2 starts a lot of the Nay Sayers will find better places to Troll.

 

[quartercast]

(My opinion is that I agree that you've done a great job with tightening up the QC - I can see massive, massive improvements in my new unit.)

When did you get your unit? I received mine last month, and it's pretty much useless for playing games. I just use it to charge my iPhone and chat on IRC.

 

[Prometheus]

@quartercast - August 5th - it's one of the new 100 (it was a replacement for a previous unit).

 

[SomeGuy99]

It seems to me that time & time again Trolls try to paint a bad picture of what the team does, no matter what. Try not to let them get you down, and instead look at the threads of all the new software coming out, the fantastic way the devs are helping each other and producing brilliant software. Seems to me that there are more of those threads, rather than ones about RMA's.

Anyway I appreciate the updates on production, if you manage to get up to 350 a week for the remaining 3000, Batch1 should be duested before the end of October. Then Batch2 can begin before the end of the year.

I think once Batch 1 is out of the way and Batch 2 starts a lot of the Nay Sayers will find better places to Troll.

How can QC be good if people have multiple failed Pandoras? I'm in that club btw.

 

[WizardStan]

How can QC be good if people have multiple failed Pandoras? I'm in that club btw.

Roll a 20 sided die enough and sooner or later the same number will come up two or three times. It doesn't mean the die is flawed, it just means that sometimes statistics are not in your favour.

 

[craigix]

(My opinion is that I agree that you've done a great job with tightening up the QC - I can see massive, massive improvements in my new unit.)

When did you get your unit? I received mine last month, and it's pretty much useless for playing games. I just use it to charge my iPhone and chat on IRC.

Oh do explain to us how it's useless for playing games?

 

[Bosbeetle]

^ You realize that some simply don't return their units because of certain reasons even if they encounter defects, don't you?

If this is true I think its silly, me experience is that craig shop handles your returns very well, they are always willing to explain stuff, and they are quick.

 

[Caine]

When did you get your unit? I received mine last month, and it's pretty much useless for playing games. I just use it to charge my iPhone and chat on IRC.

Oh do explain to us how it's useless for playing games?

Yes indeed, please do. I have heard (and said) quite some negative things already, but this is the strongest yet.

 

[Bosbeetle]

When did you get your unit? I received mine last month, and it's pretty much useless for playing games. I just use it to charge my iPhone and chat on IRC.

Oh do explain to us how it's useless for playing games?

Yes indeed, please do. I have heard (and said) quite some negative things already, but this is the strongest yet.

Indeed I had one with a borked nub and it still was quite 'usefull' for playing games

 

[Prometheus]

How can QC be good if people have multiple failed Pandoras? I'm in that club btw.

I've got to say this...

To compare it to my experiences of a former large manufacturer, it's very, very good, as is the fact that things are quite clearly being addressed.

My experience with the Pandora isn't anything like what I experienced with, for example, the Sega Game Gear (I had three units that all developed faults that made them unusable during the warranty period, which the company failed to fix - later, when I turned twelve I cobbled together a working one out of two broken ones in a fraction of the two months per unit that they repeatedly failed to fix things in), and the Sega Dreamcast (three units again, all failed due to the overheating/melting problem that plagued a number of PAL units - never got a working one, but the system ultimately had no software of interest to me anyway, so it didn't bother me *quite* as much).

The above problems were never really addressed during the lifetimes of those products, as far as I'm aware.

EDIT: Ooh, I must go and see which Game Gear and Master System cartridges I still have, and load up Dega.

 

[SomeGuy99]

How can QC be good if people have multiple failed Pandoras? I'm in that club btw.

I've got to say this...

To compare it to my experiences of a former large manufacturer, it's very, very good, as is the fact that things are quite clearly being addressed.

My experience with the Pandora isn't anything like what I experienced with, for example, the Sega Game Gear (I had three units that all developed faults that made them unusable during the warranty period, which the company failed to fix - later, when I turned twelve I cobbled together a working one out of two broken ones in a fraction of the two months per unit that they repeatedly failed to fix things in), and the Sega Dreamcast (three units again, all failed due to the overheating/melting problem that plagued a number of PAL units - never got a working one, but the system ultimately had no software of interest to me anyway, so it didn't bother me *quite* as much).

The above problems were never really addressed during the lifetimes of those products, as far as I'm aware.

EDIT: Ooh, I must go and see which Game Gear and Master System cartridges I still have, and load up Dega.

I had a Gamegear with a faulty power socket (would reset the machine if you looked at it wrong), so yeah they were shoddily built. But that was ages ago - people expect a better standard of production quality now.

Dreamcast - yeah, I had that problem too. But it was only one flaw... while a shit flaw, it wasn't a multitude of problems like the Pandora has.

Everything else I've bought in the last decade has been reliable as hell. My DS and PSP for example are fine. My Ipod Touch Home button broke, but that was again... one hardware problem. It pissed me off though (happened just outside of warranty).

We have no idea what problems will occur with our Pandoras down the line, after the warranty expires. For example, I'm reading about Wiz screens dying at the moment due to contamination... not good.

This is my personal perception, but five years down the line:

I have little faith the nubs will still be fully functional.

The paint will have most certainly come off quite a lot. There'll basically be patches of paint left in places my hand doesn't go to often.

The paint on the keyboard buttons will wear off (I'm already seeing this heavily on my replacement unit).

 

[Prometheus]

I had a Gamegear with a faulty power socket (would reset the machine if you looked at it wrong), so yeah they were shoddily built. But that was ages ago - people expect a better standard of production quality now.

I expected it then, too, because other things had it.

Dreamcast - yeah, I had that problem too. But it was only one flaw... while a shit flaw, it wasn't a multitude of problems like the Pandora has.

In my view, it was rather worse. My Pandora isn't actively melting its innards and resetting every few minutes while I'm using it, as far as I know. I suppose that must be subjective, I guess.

I can't identify with your "multitude of problems", though, I'm afraid.

We have no idea what problems will occur with our Pandoras down the line, after the warranty expires. For example, I'm reading about Wiz screens dying at the moment due to contamination... not good.

In fairness, those are OLEDs, though. I personally don't think that that technology is quite ready for prime-time just yet - that's something unlikely to happen on a Pandora, if I'm understanding it right. (Do pardon me if I've misunderstood you, here, please. )

The paint on the keyboard buttons will wear off (I'm already seeing this heavily on my replacement unit).

You know that the epoxy toppers aren't meant to be peeled off so you can get to the paint, right? They're not like that screen-cover thing! [/joking] (Seriously, though, what on Earth are you doing to them, if you don't mind me asking? :blink: )

 

[SomeGuy99]

I didn't do anything. The keys came with scraped away paint on their sides.

And no, the problem with the Dreamcast is a bent connector. Nothing is melting... just warping slightly. It's totally fixable.

 

[Prometheus]

Warping due to heat, as far as I know, is melting. Though I know it's fixable, it's a big, big problem, and shouldn't have occurred. Indeed, by 1998, surely people expected a better standard of manufacturing?

As for the paint, I'm just curious; Are you sure it's paint that's scraped away, and not a touch of epoxy that seems to have run down during manufacturing? I can see an instance or two of the latter on mine.

 

[SomeGuy99]

Warping due to heat, as far as I know, is melting. Though I know it's fixable, it's a big, big problem, and shouldn't have occurred. Indeed, by 1998, surely people expected a better standard of manufacturing?

As for the paint, I'm just curious; Are you sure it's paint that's scraped away, and not a touch of epoxy that seems to have run down during manufacturing? I can see an instance or two of the latter on mine.

No, every single key has paint flaked off at the sides.

I think the keyboard has been recycled from another machine.

 

[EvilDragon]

Warping due to heat, as far as I know, is melting. Though I know it's fixable, it's a big, big problem, and shouldn't have occurred. Indeed, by 1998, surely people expected a better standard of manufacturing?

As for the paint, I'm just curious; Are you sure it's paint that's scraped away, and not a touch of epoxy that seems to have run down during manufacturing? I can see an instance or two of the latter on mine.

No, every single key has paint flaked off at the sides.

I think the keyboard has been recycled from another machine.

Ermm... could you make a picture of that?
After all, the keys are not even painted and they can't come in contact with wet paint since we put those together at craig's assembly hall... so I have no idea how you could have paint on the keyboard

 

[SomeGuy99]

Warping due to heat, as far as I know, is melting. Though I know it's fixable, it's a big, big problem, and shouldn't have occurred. Indeed, by 1998, surely people expected a better standard of manufacturing?

As for the paint, I'm just curious; Are you sure it's paint that's scraped away, and not a touch of epoxy that seems to have run down during manufacturing? I can see an instance or two of the latter on mine.

No, every single key has paint flaked off at the sides.

I think the keyboard has been recycled from another machine.

Ermm... could you make a picture of that?
After all, the keys are not even painted and they can't come in contact with wet paint since we put those together at craig's assembly hall... so I have no idea how you could have paint on the keyboard

I don't have a decent camera to hand, but where the paint has gone is grey and matte.

Each key looks like a grey cake with a glossy black paint topping, dripping down the sides.

No wait... now I look at it, the keys haven't been painted properly. The paint is clearly dripping round the edges.

In which case, why was it not rejected during assembly?

 

[mali]

^ I've seen this on pics, IIRC. The plack paint is only applied on the top below the epoxy, the sides are grey. This esthetical problem could be solved by using black rubber for the keymat.

 

[SomeGuy99]

^ I've seen this on pics, IIRC. The plack paint is only applied on the top below the epoxy, the sides are grey. This esthetical problem could be solved by using black rubber for the keymat.

I could have sworn my last keys were all black...

Nevertheless, I'm not exaggerating this. It looks horrible.

 

[EvilDragon]

^ I've seen this on pics, IIRC. The plack paint is only applied on the top below the epoxy, the sides are grey. This esthetical problem could be solved by using black rubber for the keymat.

Well... that is exactly what's puzzling me. It IS black rubber. No paint

EDIT: Okay, just checked out a keymat.
The rubber is black (a light black), but they seem to paint the keys under the epoxy, right.

Might be some not properly-aligned keymats might have had some color bleeding on the edge before it got coated.