Our New Machine, Pandora

[atomicthumbs]

As far as I'm aware Cortex A8 fully supports the standard ARM ISA. I don't know if it supports standard Thumb (from what I've seen Thumb 2 should be an extension of it?) but no one uses Thumb anyway. So the compiler support should be there, it just won't be able to take full advantage of it. Thumb 2 is definitely the way to go, you get much better code density with almost the same power per instructions.

I'm sure GCC's ARM output is still overall crappy though, unfortunately.

One plus with OMAP3430 is it appears to have TV-out on the chip, so that might close the price gap a little bit. What I'm not sure it has is wifi/bluetooth (the block diagram shows that it can be added through SDIO and UART/McBSP respectively), but I don't think users would necessarily mind having to get add-ons for that. There still has to be low enough quantity requirements though, or this just won't be possible.

Why does everyone think that decent N64 emulation on 532+MHz i.MX31 can't be possible? Daedalus does an alright job on PSP and unless i.MX31 has some serious design flaws we don't know about it should be a ton faster than PSP.

Now the OMAP3430, that maybe could be powerful enough for decent DS emulation (if done right).

If somebody ported or wrote a decent DS emulator, it would be the real killer app for the System. People would flock to it in two droves of a lamb's tail.


Wouldent it need 2 screens for that?

If it'll emulate the N64 and has anolog controls (I cant imagine playing mario64 with a D-Pad maybe we could have both like the gamecube pad?) i'd pay up to £350 for one. Also, I dont think it should be widescreen because the games arnet in widescreen.


No, the resolution of both DS screens put together would be much less than the 800x480 screen. CraigIX has already said that it's too expensive to get square screens at decent resolution. I don't think it'll have analog controls, they've already said it'll be similar to a D-pad. There will be a touchscreen. N64 emulation will not be the only program to run on it.

lord of page 19

 

[Turnip]

As far as I'm aware Cortex A8 fully supports the standard ARM ISA. I don't know if it supports standard Thumb (from what I've seen Thumb 2 should be an extension of it?) but no one uses Thumb anyway. So the compiler support should be there, it just won't be able to take full advantage of it. Thumb 2 is definitely the way to go, you get much better code density with almost the same power per instructions.

I'm sure GCC's ARM output is still overall crappy though, unfortunately.

One plus with OMAP3430 is it appears to have TV-out on the chip, so that might close the price gap a little bit. What I'm not sure it has is wifi/bluetooth (the block diagram shows that it can be added through SDIO and UART/McBSP respectively), but I don't think users would necessarily mind having to get add-ons for that. There still has to be low enough quantity requirements though, or this just won't be possible.

Why does everyone think that decent N64 emulation on 532+MHz i.MX31 can't be possible? Daedalus does an alright job on PSP and unless i.MX31 has some serious design flaws we don't know about it should be a ton faster than PSP.

Now the OMAP3430, that maybe could be powerful enough for decent DS emulation (if done right).

If somebody ported or wrote a decent DS emulator, it would be the real killer app for the System. People would flock to it in two droves of a lamb's tail.


Wouldent it need 2 screens for that?

If it'll emulate the N64 and has anolog controls (I cant imagine playing mario64 with a D-Pad maybe we could have both like the gamecube pad?) i'd pay up to £350 for one. Also, I dont think it should be widescreen because the games arnet in widescreen.


No, the resolution of both DS screens put together would be much less than the 800x480 screen. CraigIX has already said that it's too expensive to get square screens at decent resolution. I don't think it'll have analog controls, they've already said it'll be similar to a D-pad. There will be a touchscreen. N64 emulation will not be the only program to run on it.

lord of page 19


Im aware of that but PS emulation could use an anolog stick too. If its capable of emulating the N64 I think alot of people would buy it for that but not if it dosent have an anolog stick. The pantsness of DS Mario 64 proves that it needs one if N64 emulation is to be a selling point. Obviusly it should have a D-pad aswell tho.

 

[Yod4z]

Im aware of that but PS emulation could use an anolog stick too. If its capable of emulating the N64 I think alot of people would buy it for that but not if it dosent have an anolog stick. The pantsness of DS Mario 64 proves that it needs one if N64 emulation is to be a selling point. Obviusly it should have a D-pad aswell tho.

USB N64 pad adaptator? i think the new machine will have usb host

 

[Turnip]

Im aware of that but PS emulation could use an anolog stick too. If its capable of emulating the N64 I think alot of people would buy it for that but not if it dosent have an anolog stick. The pantsness of DS Mario 64 proves that it needs one if N64 emulation is to be a selling point. Obviusly it should have a D-pad aswell tho.

USB N64 pad adaptator? i think the new machine will have usb host


Nobodys going to buy a handheld to play N64 games if they then have to connect a pad to it so its no longer a handheld.

 

[X-Code]

I don't think that this device should be solely designed around the possibility of a future N64 emulator ... And I'm quite sure that there could be other ways to control the games... Somehow.


( Only a personal opinion of course. Let's not make some weird looking machine with 48 buttons a DPad and two sticks :lol: )

 

[fatblueduck]

The machine should have a full keyboard complete with f-keys and windows-logo key. It should also have a d-pad, two joysticks, L/R buttons and six main buttons. I think two touch screens and a clit-mouse are in order here as well.

There should also be an embedded squirt gun, so that when people with the latest 'light-weight handheld' laugh at us we can squirt them in the eye! We should also have access to a high-pixel camera, so that when we squirt people we can take pictures of it! YES! This will be so cool!

If only it had wheels, too, with some 'dope rims, Then we could really 'bling this ho out! Check me out!

 

[Squidge]

fatblueduck, all of that is fair enough, but... Windows keys?! Why the hell would anyone want those?!

BTW, anyone else notice that the OMAP doesn't have an integrated touch screen controller?

 

[X-Code]

Nope, didn't notice... Well spotted lol

How much would the OMAP cost?... It's a question that needs to be answered too

 

[Turnip]

I don't think that this device should be solely designed around the possibility of a future N64 emulator ... And I'm quite sure that there could be other ways to control the games... Somehow.

( Only a personal opinion of course. Let's not make some weird looking machine with 48 buttons a DPad and two sticks :lol: )



A D-Pad and touchscreen dont work well for games such as Mario 64 on the DS. An anolog stick wouldent be soley for N64 games anyway. It would be essential for many N64 games and usefull in other games such as FPS's and many PS games. The addition of one stick is hardly going to make the console look weird and it would be much more useful to most gamers than a keyboard.

 

[X-Code]

Dpad above, analog below, both on left side... Leaves us with no space for buttons on the left side and that messes vertical gaming

Dpad left, stick right, below buttons... Complicated control

Multifunction Dpad + Analog, could be the all in one solution

Anyway, ignore my thoughts, I'm trying to figure out how to fit all this on the machine without the machine getting bigger lol

 

[Orkie]

Dpad above, analog below, both on left side... Leaves us with no space for buttons on the left side and that messes vertical gaming

Do you seriously expect it to be designed around playing it vertically? Most likely you will be able to do it to some extent, but it'll be uncomfortable, just like the GP2X.

 

[X-Code]

Orkie : Nope, I don't, but I do take vertical gaming into consideration, and I think that two or even four buttons in the place of that analog on the left side would be handy for that situation in particular.

A stick there would also be very handy for certain emulators and even some of the future homebrew, but... There isn't space for everything, so a decision must be made regarding this issue

Edit: Here is more or less what I meant originally

 

[Eolair]

BTW, anyone else notice that the OMAP doesn't have an integrated touch screen controller?

You need to add a TSC2046 TS controller. Luckily, the price is only ~$2.

 

[Turnip]

Could you make it so you could have the picture either way up and have it like this?

Obviusly the keyboard would then be a problem...

But then with a touch screen like that you could hold it vertically and have the keyboard on the bottom half of the screen? Also thinking for DS emulaton it would be good to have both 4 buttons and a d pad at the same end like in that design so you could hold it vertically and have one picture on top of the other.

 

[Squidge]

Personally, considering we are using a touch screen and a large lcd, I think we need some protection. Having an analogue controller means that a clamshell design is out of the window (unless it's an analogue nub which I think is ugly, difficult to use, and patented). How else are we going to protect the display? Please don't say a flap of material like on the Zodiac, as that looked horrid.

BTW, anyone else thought the analogue nub on the psp was a speaker at first?

 

[X-Code]

Could you make it so you could have the picture either way up and have it like this?

Obviusly the keyboard would then be a problem...

I did think of this possibility, I suppose that screen rotation / flipping should be no real issue... I can't imagine having that nub there would be comfortable when using the buttons above it ( in horizontal gaming ).

BTW, anyone else thought the analogue nub on the psp was a speaker at first? biggrin.gif

Yes, until I saw the interactive flash video that sony made :lol:

 

[Turnip]

Personally, considering we are using a touch screen and a large lcd, I think we need some protection. Having an analogue controller means that a clamshell design is out of the window (unless it's an analogue nub which I think is ugly, difficult to use, and patented). How else are we going to protect the display? Please don't say a flap of material like on the Zodiac, as that looked horrid.

BTW, anyone else thought the analogue nub on the psp was a speaker at first?

Could it have a clamshell that closes over the screen but leaves the buttons at both sides exposed? Tho the clamshell would make it difficult to use vertically (and both ways up)... The DS touchscreen seems pretty tough..

Could you make it so you could have the picture either way up and have it like this?

Obviusly the keyboard would then be a problem...

I did think of this possibility, I suppose that screen rotation / flipping should be no real issue... I can't imagine having that nub there would be comfortable when using the buttons above it ( in horizontal gaming ).


If I turn my GP2X upside down and imagine the buttons were where the volume control and speaker holes are the stick wouldent get in the way.

 

[X-Code]

If I turn my GP2X upside down and imagine the buttons were where the volume control and speaker holes are the stick wouldent get in the way.

Hmzzz, I just checked it on a PSP, I don't think that it would be too uncomfortable, and the buttons would be fairly reachable

 

[Turnip]

Also thinking with that design the homebrew crew could make 2 player games where 2 people could play using the controls at either end of the screen. Which would be 'unique' an 'innovative'.

 

[X-Code]

Two player games... Interesting thought, I hope that the machine is strong enough for it .

* Thinking of neat two player gaming... football, war, air hockey, fighting... Would require some violent button pushing