Our New Machine, Pandora

[sold]

200 pounds including VAT= AU$494.085 converted on XE.com.

Can anyone clarify the VAT thing for me please? As far as the brief reading I did just now indicates (unless I'm completely wrong) exports to countries outside of the UK and certain European countries can be zero-rated (no VAT) but proof that the service/goods/whatever were exported is required. This would bring the price down a little after currency conversion and shipping and stuff so all us people in countries with weaker currency get a slightly better deal.

Also, the people who are whining about the price sound like they actually prefer that the better options be ignored in favour of lesser hardware so they can save something like $50 in the short term. That sounds real stingy to me. "I want it cheap and good and NOW" is childish. And its generally people with that mentality who come back and complain about what they bought when it doesn't do EVERYTHING they want the way they want it to. :blink:

I'd still pay the near $500 Australian for a well designed console with awesome hardware that will far outperform the 2x. The 2x, good rechargeable batteries, b.o.b, external hdd, SD card and reader and a bunch of cables cost me that if not a more already.

EDIT: Just checked prices on the GP2x Australian distributors site: Value pack $269, cradle $89 A-data 2GB SD $126. TOTAL= $484. Thats without shipping. These are just prices to compare to the new system, not a complaint.

 

[icurafu]

200 pounds including VAT= AU$494.085 converted on XE.com.

Can anyone clarify the VAT thing for me please? As far as the brief reading I did just now indicates (unless I'm completely wrong) exports to countries outside of the UK and certain European countries can be zero-rated (no VAT) but proof that the service/goods/whatever were exported is required. This would bring the price down a little after currency conversion and shipping and stuff so all us people in countries get a slightly better deal.

Also, the people who are whining about the price sound like they actually prefer that the better options be ignored in favour of lesser hardware so they can save something like $50 in the short term. That sounds real stingy to me. "I want it cheap and good and NOW" is childish. And its generally people with that mentality who come back and complain about what they bought when it doesn't do EVERYTHING they want the way they want it to. :blink:

I'd still pay the near $500 Australian for a well designed console with awesome hardware that will far outperform the 2x. The 2x, good rechargeable batteries, b.o.b, external hdd, SD card and reader and a bunch of cables cost me that if not a more already.

EDIT: Just checked prices on the GP2x Australian distributors site: Value pack $269, cradle $89 A-data 2GB SD $126. TOTAL= $484. Thats without shipping.

Some people are constrained by budgets. Even if they agree the OMAP, they simply may not be able to afford it and get a F-200 or used n-gage instead.

Also, you still need to buy a SD card for the next machine, so why include it in a comparison?

What does buying a BoB got to do with anything? Maybe a TV-Out cable should be used for comparison if you are assuming this machine will come with one.

But yeah, you can remove VAT from the cost if you live in Australia.

 

[sold]

Some people are constrained by budgets. Even if they agree the OMAP, they simply may not be able to afford it and get a F-200 or used n-gage instead.

Also, you still need to buy a SD card for the next machine, so why include it in a comparison?

What does buying a BoB got to do with anything? Maybe a TV-Out cable should be used for comparison if you are assuming this machine will come with one.

But yeah, you can remove VAT from the cost if you live in Australia.

Thanks for the reply. Minus the VAT the price will look more appealing whatever the unit costs in the end.

In response to your post I know that there are people with different budgets here. I'm not rich, but if i want something, I'm prepared to save and pay a fair price.

Regardless of which machine future buyers want to get, SD cards are gonna be required unless they got one lying around the place. And since I already own a 2x and several SD cards, I personally wont need to buy more and I'm sure most current 2x users are in the same boat there.

I included the bob in the comparison because I feel that it is a better option than the t.v. out cable, but that is up to personal preference I suppose. Also, I thought the t.v. out cable came with the value pack (it doesn't). Subtract the price of the bob and add $18 for the tv out & you got the price. Anyway, those prices are in Australian dollars, I'm sure people can get prices in their currency from their chosen distributor.

The point is that electronics devices aren't cheap. Especially when smaller companies are trying to manufacture things in smaller quantities. I think some people, aside from those who may have bought second hand units, seem to have forgotten what it cost for a new gp2x and accessories.

EDIT: grammar etc. And I'd also like to add that people who buy the f200 will be paying for the price of the unit as new (with or without accessories as needed). Craigix's new machine price wise when compared to the f200 and considering the improvement seems like it will be worth it. That still doesn't mean its the device for everyone. I think the the OMAP would be great, and I for one would be prepared to pay the little bit extra for it if it was to be Craigix's choice of SoC.

 

[Iorgy77]

Anyone who pays 126AU for a 2gig SD card is a fool and deserves to be ripped off.

 

[Vimacs]

Happy birthday craigix

I think the comparison with the bob is valid, after all they aren't as stupid as gph which means we can hope for built in usb host and a "standard" tv out port.
Also it has been hinted that it may have wlan and bluetooth.
so the build in stuff alone clearly beats the bob, also you wont need battery's as it has been hinted that it also comes with a psu and a liion battery.

So you can say that those 300€+a now damn cheap sd card is probably all you have to buy, which greatly improves the value.

Whats also important to remember is where the most sales are likely to come from, i think for gp32/gp2x the eu totaled for about 70% of the sales, so its more important to keep a good eu/uk pricepoint than trying to compensate for the week USD.

 

[sold]

Anyone who pays 126AU for a 2gig SD card is a fool and deserves to be ripped off.

Agreed :lol: Thats just the price listed on the site. I think you can get certain 4GB cards for about AU$90 now.

 

[Rivroner]

If the final design (enough buttons to play N64 and a DPAD and an analog Stick) is of my taste i will pay 290 € easily if the sends are included

 

[sam fisher]

It's no point him making $50 profit which is a measly £25. I spend more than that on food in one week.

Oh, Happy Birthday Craig.

And that's relevant how? More than one unit would supposedly be sold... in one week.

UK company needs to make a UK profit. I.E. maybe US places can survive with $50 but vice versa a UK business would need £50 in comparison.

*numbers are arbitrary figures

 

[Squidge]

Completely, randomly guessing, with no facts what so ever, but:

MMSP2+ - £129
i.MX31 - £149
OMAP - £199

I don't know the exact prices either, but I'd go with the above.

 

[icurafu]

It's no point him making $50 profit which is a measly £25. I spend more than that on food in one week.

Oh, Happy Birthday Craig.

And that's relevant how? More than one unit would supposedly be sold... in one week.

UK company needs to make a UK profit. I.E. maybe US places can survive with $50 but vice versa a UK business would need £50 in comparison.

*numbers are arbitrary figures


Are you suggesting that UK has the same ratio increase over the US in cost of living as the increase over the value of the pound verses the value of the US dollar?

Even if the majority of cost will be provided to the global locations that produce the components and assemble the devices?

I'm not getting this. Could you provide further explaination?

 

[X-Code]

I find the device reasonably cheap and feature packed. If you want more than just a retro gaming device this is the device to get... If all you want is retro gaming, stick with the GP2X... It's not too complex really




BTW. Happy b-day Craig, don't drink too many B)

 

[Firefox]

Let's look at it this way:

£99 - Nintendo DS lite
£119 - Gamepark GP2X
£129 - Sony PSP
£249 - Nokia N800

 

[zodttd]

I'm with Craig on this new handheld. He has my full support.

 

[A_SN]

"I don't wanna pay $400 to play retro games"

If you think that you've got it all wrong, and you're better off sticking to your GP2X or whatever. Craig's console is not a GP2X + 1 gen, it's a GP2X + 1 gen + a PDA + a N880 - a camera + a keyboard

If you only want to play NES, then keep your GP2X, if you want to have a real powerful Linux machine and game machine in your pocket, and watch YouTube videos on it through Wifi, and control your PC remotely with VNC, and chat on MSN, and anything else you could do with such a machine, you'll thank the gods or whatever that it only costs $400 while it's this cheap.

I mean come on, this thing is like the iPhone of game consoles, saying "$400 is a lot to play retro games" is like saying "$400 for an iPhone is a lot to give phone calls". Craig's console will be to playing retro games what the iPhone is to giving phone calls, if I haven't made it sufficiently clear already.

By the way, craig, happy birthday, you old git . When am I getting my BoB? Or are you gonna make up for it by sending me a prototype of your console?

EDIT : wow, would this thing really be **200 as a N800 is **250 as it would be better than a N800 at doing what the N800 does?

 

[TheMinder]

I think the price tag of £199 is way too high and will almost certainly limit sales of the unit. There still seems to be no definite direction that the unit is being pushed in so it's hard to put forward any comparisons or competitors - is it going to be going up against say the DS (at under £100) or is it going to be pushed as a more geeky/gadget fiend device and so on ?

Who is seen as the market for it regardless of price ?

 

[A_SN]

Who is seen as the market for it regardless of price ?

People who drool over the N800 will drool twice as much over this console, as it's also perfect for gaming, it'll have a real keyboard and it'll be open source from head to toes. Not to mention the lack of design flaws and the extra power, or even the lower price

 

[yaustar]

Just to recap, what are the differences in performance between the OMAP and i.MX31 SOCs? £200 was literally the maximum I would spend on a console like this and even then it has to be damn good to justify it.

 

[kanzlr]

Go to a country like Austria and you'll see how expensive everything is there, maybe you'll understand what I'm talking about.

Austria? huh. I am from Austria
And yes, whenever i buy stuff for my photo hobby i admire the US prices for lenses and cameras.

Personally, i would pay $ 400,-- in a heartbeat, but then, thats only € 300,--....buy a PSP and...wait...3 games and you are there?

edit: i just wanted to add that i really don't care about how much it costs

 

[Squidge]

People are forgetting that this is in addition to the GP2X, not a replacement.

The GP2X @ £119 will provide NES, SNES, PCEngine, etc...
The Craiginator @ 199 will do more advanced consoles, plus advanced PDA, and for only £80 more...

 

[X-Code]

I just said that ( more or less :lol: )


I can't wait to have this beast in my hands