Our New Machine, Pandora

[Exophase]

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

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

According to posts above the OMAP chip costs 50 euros so the price gap between a system with that and one with the i.MX31 cant be more than £30.


Of course it can. If there is a £10 difference in hardware price you'll have to have at least a £20 difference to the end customer.


How do you figure? Yeah, craig wants to make a profit, but he's also not going to artificially inflate the price even more if he thinks he'll get as many sales with the higher price over the lower one. It's obvious he's trying to get this as cheap as he can while still being commercially successful.

Although there are other factors that can make an SoC more expensive than its base price.

Anyway, if you look at the market you'll see a lot of devices that are sold for huge profit margins. Sometimes the manufacturers get away with it, sometimes they don't. For instance, the $700 3DO - 3DO Inc never claimed that the hardware necessitated such a high price, but instead said that it was a multimedia center (not a game device) and thus was appropriately priced. The ill-fated Palm Foleo is similar. I think the only reason they expected people to pay $500 for hardware that's weaker than what a lot of modern PocketPC's have (and certainly weaker than the OMAP3430, or even the i.MX31) is because the thing looked like a laptop, and therefore they expect it to be priced like one. The only thing it had going for it that would make it cost significantly more is the screen, but other than that they probably could have made a good profit at half the price.

I fully expect craig to make a machine that isn't just costing what people expect to pay for a machine that does such and such, but something where you really get what you pay for.

 

[Rivroner]

I fully expect craig to make a machine that isn't just costing what people expect to pay for a machine that does such and such, but something where you really get what you pay for.

People must read these wise words

 

[Gravious]

I _LOVE_ my GP2X but i would put £200 down on a handheld with a big, hi-res touchscreen that had the power to run any and all 2D emulation perfectly - I'm not fussed about PSX or N64 but thats because I'm slightly older and i grew up in the 8/16 bit days.

A good OpenGL implementation would be nice for bilinear stretching of mis-matched resolutions (the GP2X is lucky it matches many native resolutions of older systems..) and plenty of ram is good for the homebrew/indy-gaming crowd (of which i am just starting out in..)

Lastly, and this sounds silly I'll grant you- This venture reminds me a lot of the old 8bit days where British innovators ruled the market; Sinclair, Amstrad and many more. This handheld might be built wherever, but its spec'd, commissioned and owned by a British company and that makes me proud.

*EDIT*

I guess i should add that my patriotism does not extend to enduring crap d-pads or analog sticks, and especially analog sticks pretending to be d-pads, they're pants for emulation and overkill for handhelds in general.

 

[God Ginrai]

I _LOVE_ my GP2X but i would put £200 down on a handheld with a big, hi-res touchscreen that had the power to run any and all 2D emulation perfectly - I'm not fussed about PSX or N64 but thats because I'm slightly older and i grew up in the 8/16 bit days.

A good OpenGL implementation would be nice for bilinear stretching of mis-matched resolutions (the GP2X is lucky it matches many native resolutions of older systems..) and plenty of ram is good for the homebrew/indy-gaming crowd (of which i am just starting out in..)

Lastly, and this sounds silly I'll grant you- This venture reminds me a lot of the old 8bit days where British innovators ruled the market; Sinclair, Amstrad and many more. This handheld might be built wherever, but its spec'd, commissioned and owned by a British company and that makes me proud.

Those really only ruled the European market. But as for the new handheld making you proud, it would me too, if I were a Brit.

-God Ginrai

 

[Yrx]

Lastly, and this sounds silly I'll grant you- This venture reminds me a lot of the old 8bit days where British innovators ruled the market; Sinclair, Amstrad and many more. This handheld might be built wherever, but its spec'd, commissioned and owned by a British company and that makes me proud.

I don't remember any of those. :unsure:

 

[Turnip]

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

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

According to posts above the OMAP chip costs 50 euros so the price gap between a system with that and one with the i.MX31 cant be more than £30.


Of course it can. If there is a £10 difference in hardware price you'll have to have at least a £20 difference to the end customer.


Why's that then?

 

[God Ginrai]

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

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

According to posts above the OMAP chip costs 50 euros so the price gap between a system with that and one with the i.MX31 cant be more than £30.


Of course it can. If there is a £10 difference in hardware price you'll have to have at least a £20 difference to the end customer.


Why's that then?


Profit.

-God Ginrai

 

[TyBO!]

I _LOVE_ my GP2X but i would put £200 down on a handheld with a big, hi-res touchscreen that had the power to run any and all 2D emulation perfectly - I'm not fussed about PSX or N64 but thats because I'm slightly older and i grew up in the 8/16 bit days.

A good OpenGL implementation would be nice for bilinear stretching of mis-matched resolutions (the GP2X is lucky it matches many native resolutions of older systems..) and plenty of ram is good for the homebrew/indy-gaming crowd (of which i am just starting out in..)

Lastly, and this sounds silly I'll grant you- This venture reminds me a lot of the old 8bit days where British innovators ruled the market; Sinclair, Amstrad and many more. This handheld might be built wherever, but its spec'd, commissioned and owned by a British company and that makes me proud.

Those really only ruled the European market. But as for the new handheld making you proud, it would me too, if I were a Brit.

-God Ginrai

Well, if you're an American (like myself), you can be proud that TI might be the maker of the microprocessor.

Anyway, I just noticed something:

If the OMAP3430 is chosen, this new device will support a more powerful OMAP than the one used in the Nokia N800. The N800 also has a 800x480 screen, built-in WiFi, and PDA-like functionality, but it lacks a physical keyboard (which Craig's device will have).

So...

If marketed correctly in the US, Craig's device could catch-on as a better and less expensive alternative to the N800!

Oh, and a happy belated birthday to Craig.

 

[God Ginrai]

I _LOVE_ my GP2X but i would put £200 down on a handheld with a big, hi-res touchscreen that had the power to run any and all 2D emulation perfectly - I'm not fussed about PSX or N64 but thats because I'm slightly older and i grew up in the 8/16 bit days.

A good OpenGL implementation would be nice for bilinear stretching of mis-matched resolutions (the GP2X is lucky it matches many native resolutions of older systems..) and plenty of ram is good for the homebrew/indy-gaming crowd (of which i am just starting out in..)

Lastly, and this sounds silly I'll grant you- This venture reminds me a lot of the old 8bit days where British innovators ruled the market; Sinclair, Amstrad and many more. This handheld might be built wherever, but its spec'd, commissioned and owned by a British company and that makes me proud.

Those really only ruled the European market. But as for the new handheld making you proud, it would me too, if I were a Brit.

-God Ginrai

Well, if you're an American (like myself), you can be proud that TI might be the maker of the microprocessor.

Anyway, I just noticed something:

If the OMAP3430 is chosen, this new device will support a more powerful OMAP than the one used in the Nokia N800. The N800 also has a 800x480 screen, built-in WiFi, and PDA-like functionality, but it lacks a physical keyboard (which Craig's device will have).

So...

If marketed correctly in the US, Craig's device could catch-on as a better and less expensive alternative to the N800!

Oh, and a happy belated birthday to Craig.


Does the N800 not have cellphone capabilities?

-God Ginrai

 

[TyBO!]

It's not a cell phone, but you can use Skype on it.

 

[DaveC]

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

What is it with everyone and the stupid N64? Designing the system around N64 would be shit. Why does everyone have to have it? The N64 was a crap system. It didn't have many games, the graphics were awful with its low res blurry textures, origami characters, and draw "distance" that went into fog 2 feet in front of you. The game library mostly comprised of terrible racing games and abysmal 3D fighting games. Other than Mario 64 that you can play on a DS What is it that everyone just HAS to have? I don't get it

 

[God Ginrai]

@TyBO! - I see.

EDIT: This just HAS to be addressed:

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

What is it with everyone and the stupid N64? Designing the system around N64 would be shit. Why does everyone have to have it? The N64 was a crap system. It didn't have many games, the graphics were awful with its low res blurry textures, origami characters, and draw "distance" that went into fog 2 feet in front of you. The game library mostly comprised of terrible racing games and abysmal 3D fighting games. Other than Mario 64 that you can play on a DS What is it that everyone just HAS to have? I don't get it


1. Ocarina of Time
2. Bomberman 64
3. Winback: Covert Operations
4. Goldeneye
5. Super Smash Bros.
6. 1080 Snowboarding
7. Majora's Mask
8. Bomberman 64: Second Attack
9. Perfect Dark
10. Extreme G
11. BattleTanx
12. BattleTanx: Global Assault
13. Mario Kart 64
14. Mario Tennis

Do I need to list more?

Stop being so conceited and thinking that only the systems you like are good and those you don't are bad.

-God Ginrai

 

[realyst]

I must agree, however, that of all the systems to want emulated, the N64 is somewhere in the far off distance.

It had a few good games, but still, especially with the funky controls, it's 90% pain-in-the-ass with 10% good titles.

 

[icurafu]

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

What is it with everyone and the stupid N64? Designing the system around N64 would be shit. Why does everyone have to have it? The N64 was a crap system. It didn't have many games, the graphics were awful with its low res blurry textures, origami characters, and draw "distance" that went into fog 2 feet in front of you. The game library mostly comprised of terrible racing games and abysmal 3D fighting games. Other than Mario 64 that you can play on a DS What is it that everyone just HAS to have? I don't get it


Mario Kart 64 (That you can kinda play the DS)

But seriously, I'm looking forwards to Superman 64.

 

[naples39]

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

What is it with everyone and the stupid N64? Designing the system around N64 would be shit. Why does everyone have to have it? The N64 was a crap system. It didn't have many games, the graphics were awful with its low res blurry textures, origami characters, and draw "distance" that went into fog 2 feet in front of you. The game library mostly comprised of terrible racing games and abysmal 3D fighting games. Other than Mario 64 that you can play on a DS What is it that everyone just HAS to have? I don't get it


Wave Race!! That is one of my favorite games ever on any system. Otherwise I do agree with you though that the interface shouldn't be changed just to accommodate N64.

 

[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

What is it with everyone and the stupid N64? Designing the system around N64 would be shit. Why does everyone have to have it? The N64 was a crap system. It didn't have many games, the graphics were awful with its low res blurry textures, origami characters, and draw "distance" that went into fog 2 feet in front of you. The game library mostly comprised of terrible racing games and abysmal 3D fighting games. Other than Mario 64 that you can play on a DS What is it that everyone just HAS to have? I don't get it



I like your Craig3X design DaveC

 

[God Ginrai]

I must agree, however, that of all the systems to want emulated, the N64 is somewhere in the far off distance.

It had a few good games, but still, especially with the funky controls, it's 90% pain-in-the-ass with 10% good titles.

That's what I feel of the PSX.

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

What is it with everyone and the stupid N64? Designing the system around N64 would be shit. Why does everyone have to have it? The N64 was a crap system. It didn't have many games, the graphics were awful with its low res blurry textures, origami characters, and draw "distance" that went into fog 2 feet in front of you. The game library mostly comprised of terrible racing games and abysmal 3D fighting games. Other than Mario 64 that you can play on a DS What is it that everyone just HAS to have? I don't get it


Mario Kart 64 (That you can kinda play the DS)

But seriously, I'm looking forwards to Superman 64.


Man, I can't believe I forgot MK64! I'll revise my list to add the ones I just thought of.

-God Ginrai

 

[Rivroner]

Man, I can't believe I forgot MK64! I'll revise my list to add the ones I just thought of.

-God Ginrai

And Jet Force Gemini, Banjo Kazooei (toei), DK64, Killer Instinct Gold, Conker´s Bad Fur Day, Starfox, Diddy Kong Racing, F-ZeroX, Pilotwings, Waverace.......

 

[DaveC]

@TyBO! - I see.

EDIT: This just HAS to be addressed:

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

What is it with everyone and the stupid N64? Designing the system around N64 would be shit. Why does everyone have to have it? The N64 was a crap system. It didn't have many games, the graphics were awful with its low res blurry textures, origami characters, and draw "distance" that went into fog 2 feet in front of you. The game library mostly comprised of terrible racing games and abysmal 3D fighting games. Other than Mario 64 that you can play on a DS What is it that everyone just HAS to have? I don't get it


1. Ocarina of Time
2. Bomberman 64
3. Winback: Covert Operations
4. Goldeneye
5. Super Smash Bros.
6. 1080 Snowboarding
7. Majora's Mask
8. Bomberman 64: Second Attack
9. Perfect Dark
10. Extreme G
11. BattleTanx
12. BattleTanx: Global Assault

Do I need to list more?

Stop being so conceited and thinking that only the systems you like are good and those you don't are bad.

-God Ginrai


Go back and look and maybe actually play those again. You may have fond memories of them but they look like crap as far as 3D stuff. Since everything now days is 3D you can directly compare them. There are many 3D games on the DS, PSP etc that make those games look like absolute rubbish. Designing a system around N64 would mean weird awkward controls for everything else, it isn't worth it.

 

[quadomatic]

Just wondering but...

How would this unit be manufactured? By hand, or by factory? If by factory (since I'm curious), how would you go about doing that?