Mame / Game Emulators On A Umpc?

[telegramguy]

The pandora will still be cheaper than the cheapest UMPC's out there but otherwise, you can run various other OS's and apps. As the price of UMPCs drop, I wonder how it'll compare with the Pandora?

Video of various game emulators running
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePbb46ssajg

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Ultra-Q1U-V-...1793&sr=8-1

 

[Chip]

From a purely gaming perspective, a UMPC is far from ideal. The controls were not designed with gaming in mind, so even UMPCs with a directional control on the left and a couple buttons on the right still don't feel or respond as well as proper controls. UMPCs also tend to have poor battery life and an odd size - too big for a pocket, too small for a bag.

It's not all bad for UMPCs. Since they almost invariably run Windows on an x86 processor, you have a vast software library to work with. It's just unfortunate that you don't have a good way to interface with those games.

 

[Prophet]

It's always amusing to see people impressed by non-gaming hardware running emulated games. Because at some point, you will want to actually play the games, and then you'll realize what's missing - good game controls. Controls matter much more than some people realize at first. I don't care how good the screen is, how many games you can run, if you can't comfortably and reliably play them, it's worthless.

In fact it's ironic that video shows Street Fighter Alpha 3 - an arcade game that relies on fast, accurate access to 4 cardinal directions and 6 attack buttons. A game that UMPC in the video can run, but would stink for actually playing it.

Of course, if all you want to do is watch games cycle through their demos... then it would be OK.

EDIT: Also note that Samsung is nearly $800 and is HUGE and heavy compared to handheld game devices. Pandora is similar in size to a DS Lite, that Samsung UMPC is definitely not a pocketable device, and therefore not competition for Pandora in that regard either.

 

[gaterooze]

No contest for gaming, and I can't really see a UMPC offering a whole lot more functionality than the Pandora's OS will once it has enough packages available. By that I mean, everything you would normally do on a UMPC you will likely be able to do on a Pandora in some fashion.

 

[naples39]

I'm with everything that has been said thus far. Who cares if a UMPC can run emulators if the controls are no fun?

 

[telegramguy]

I don't care how good the screen is, how many games you can run, if you can't comfortably and reliably play them, it's worthless.

From the way people complain about the gp2x's piss poor "joystick", you wonder how much a gp2x is worth. lol

 

[Prophet]

I don't care how good the screen is, how many games you can run, if you can't comfortably and reliably play them, it's worthless.

From the way people complain about the gp2x's piss poor "joystick", you wonder how much a gp2x is worth. lol


I don't have a GP2X, but I'm sure it would be better than that Samsung UMPC, even if only for form factor and button layout.

 

[chad78]

I have a UMPC - a Nokia N800, and it does run emulators - but the controls is a problem. That's why I also have a modified PSP and a R4DS on my DS Lite.

I can tell if you the Pandora is half as good at gaming and web surfing as I hope it is, it will be my device of choice whenever I need to grab and go.

 

[DaveC]

I don't care how good the screen is, how many games you can run, if you can't comfortably and reliably play them, it's worthless.

From the way people complain about the gp2x's piss poor "joystick", you wonder how much a gp2x is worth. lol


I don't have a GP2X, but I'm sure it would be better than that Samsung UMPC, even if only for form factor and button layout.

The Gp2X is better for playing games. The controls do make a big difference. I find that UMPCs just do not work well for emulators. Yes they run them at a decent speed but the controls ruin them. Most PC emus require full keyboards and mice to get things going too. I is not impossible to play them but is not practical.

Too bad you missed out on the GP2X. It is not perfect but still it is a great emu machine thanks to the talented devs here that wring every CPU cycle out of it.

 

[impreziv]

friend of mine has an OQO model 2 running Vista. i tried playing a few of the emulators he had loaded on it.

the controls just arent there. he had W,A,S,Z setup as directionals, and the keypad on the right setup as the numbered buttons. way too unnatural. he has an N64 emulator on it, which is just impossible to play with the qwerty.

before seeing the Pandora, i was about to order an EEE, and play games on it using a USB controller. the pandora is the answer to my call.

 

[ldesnogu]

What's the problem? Hook up an Xarcade joystick to your UMPC and voila you have perfect controls.

 

[telegramguy]

I don't have a GP2X, but I'm sure it would be better than that Samsung UMPC, even if only for form factor and button layout.

Too bad you missed out on the GP2X. It is not perfect but still it is a great emu machine thanks to the talented devs here that wring every CPU cycle out of it.


Not to late Prophet, go get a gp2x when the prices drop.

Prior to the gp2x, my gba and ds w/ emulators were my "i don't care if it gets damaged or stolen" handhelds that i kept in my bag all the time. I expect the gp2x will be my default "keep in the bag" console when the pandora non-100batch version comes out.

yeah, the OQO and several of the UMPCs have sub par controls. The Samsung Q1 Ultra doesn't seem so bad. I guess it's a question of if you're trying to buy a handheld to play games and then also do the web browse and PMP thing or buying a handheld PC that can also play games.

 

[slaanesh]

It's always amusing to see people impressed by non-gaming hardware running emulated games. Because at some point, you will want to actually play the games, and then you'll realize what's missing - good game controls. Controls matter much more than some people realize at first. I don't care how good the screen is, how many games you can run, if you can't comfortably and reliably play them, it's worthless.

This really hits the nail on the head. Mobile phones and PDAs are the biggest offenders in this are. Particularly mobile phones! So many games available and yet 99% of phones have "controls" which are completely unsuitable for gaming. The Nokia N-Gage is one exception - and actually has an excellent controller.
PDAs are similar - ever tried playing MAME on a Palm Tungsten T3? The Zodiac is again the exception though it's still has the dubious analog controller.
Sure for UMPCs you can connect a USB controller but this defeats the purpose of it's portability? Carrying around a controller which may be just as big as the unit seems cross-purpose to me.
Even the GP2X has been victim to this to a degree. The original F-100 controller is not great - and one reason why DaveC created the replacement controller (based on the N-Gage's controller).

Anyway, I'm hoping that the controllers on the Pandora will be really good so we don't have to worry about all this.

 

[impreziv]

yeah, the OQO and several of the UMPCs have sub par controls.

dont get me wrong, the OQO is everything its supposed to be, and everything it needs to be. the best UMPC out there by far. its just simply not designed for gaming (as far as controls go).

having said that, when they were making the OQO model 1, they had it running Quake 3 for one of their demo videos. ran very amazing.

my friend's model-2 runs an N64 emulator very well, just as well as my desktop id say. with the optional stand, and a USB controller, it would make a great semi-portable gaming device.

 

[icurafu]

I have a GP2X and a Fujitsu U810. The U810, at 700 grams is not a handheld plus you look a little rediculous using a mini-mouse with it in public. Sure, it is great for retro PC type games. (I'm playing MoO2 these days. ) =)

It should not really be compared. Two different machines for two different audiances. One costing 4 times as much and akward for playing arcade games that the GP2X excel at.

I also agree that you should avoid gaming on the OQO. It's strickly a business tool. The U810 is a little more fun.