Pandora Alternative

[Prometheus]

It's interesting to see that form-factor making a comeback, from my perspective. It was certainly easier to relocate computers back in the old days!

I'm not too sure how an x86 computer in a full-sized keyboard is an alternative, though. Am I missing something, by any chance?

 

[mali]

They might have been inspired by the eee keyboard and just slapped that name on it as a far-fetched reference to the "Brotkasten".

 

[Prometheus]

I was thinking that, too, but then again, the EeePC keyboard is itself reminiscent of the all-in-keyboard machines, in my opinion.

Also, please do pardon my ignorance, but, "Brotkasten"?

 

[mali]

Also, please do pardon my ignorance, but, "Brotkasten"?

It's the German nickname of the C64, meaning breadbox

 

[Fzero]

It's no alternative at all, but just case anyone interested and not seen the new nintendo ds in 3d
http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2010/03/nintendo-3ds/

 

[stuey]

3DS - yes but will I have to hold it portrait and wink each eye alternately at 19fps?

 

[mali]

^ The cam is used for this effect.

I think it's like in this video, pretty cool

.

 

[Alpha2]

It's no alternative at all, but just case anyone interested and not seen the new nintendo ds in 3d
http://www.wired.com...3/nintendo-3ds/

Translation:

Nintendo: To all of you that just bought the DSXL... Eff you. AAAAhAhahahAhAhA! *counts money*

 

[kingoddball]

Pandora alternatives....

Sharp Netwalker Built around a Cortex A8 @ 800MHZ.


OMAP 3530 7" touch - Cortex A8 @ 720MHZ

 

[Fzero]

I had an app on my old htc diamond that was the same as that 3d target in the video, I liked the stadium though, is just like a window as he walked away from it, very clever, can see some nice shooter games from it, but seems you need to move around for it to take effect, so this on a ds would mean a lot of tilting the ds, bit like playing accelerometer games on a phone, but probably nicer

I'd like to see a mario game background in this, layers of pipes, hills, clouds etc

 

[WizardStan]

^ The cam is used for this effect.

I think it's like in this video, pretty cool

No, actually. In that video, the image is still 2D, it just uses a head mounted Wiimote to detect where the person is standing relative to the screen and changes the angle at which you are viewing. It's the equivalent of looking through a window with one eye closed.
Nintendo's "new" technology is actually old technology. By etching the glass just right, it's possible to make even columns of pixels direct their light one way and the odd columns the other way. When held at just the right angle and distance, one eye sees one image and the other sees a different image, thus creating a true stereoscopic image without the need for glasses. The idea is relatively old, I remember getting 3D pictures which basically did this with a plastic overlay as far back as the mid 80s, and it was probably around even before then, they've just increased the resolution they etch the glass at.

 

[mali]

^ Oh I see. I thought they were using head tracking. I just saw a vid of someone playing in the other thread where that person was tilting the DS.

 

[Asmo]

The idea is relatively old, I remember getting 3D pictures which basically did this with a plastic overlay as far back as the mid 80s, and it was probably around even before then, they've just increased the resolution they etch the glass at.

It is indeed even older. That's 'Lenticular' 3D. I remember in-store advertising and collectible card sets done this way from the early 70s - and I'm pretty sure it existed before that too!

You can buy sheets of Lenticular plastic in various pitches, and print your own 3D images to match. If you could get the correct pitch to match the Pandora's screen, 3D Virtual Boy games could work, it's low-res enough!

Having said that, have Nintendo actually said it's Lenticular? It's pretty unlikely, surely it's the new 3M system:

http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2009/11/03/3m_3d_display/

 

[Prometheus]

Nintendo has made only an investor announcement which states that they're going to announce a new machine, and which includes its working name. They have said nothing else. Anyone who believes the ludicrous speculation out there should think twice.

Read these for a better insight;

http://seanmalstrom.wordpress.com/2010/03/23/is-iwata-trying-to-lead-his-competitors-down-the-wrong-road/
http://seanmalstrom.wordpress.com/2010/03/23/3ds-has-nothing-to-do-with-apple/
http://seanmalstrom.wordpress.com/2010/03/23/email-nintendos-new-handheld/

This chap has a good knowledge of the works that Nintendo has repeatedly said are important to their business strategy, and explains things clearly.

 

[laurencevde]

Hmm, about that "3DS":
1: It'll still stay below $200,- . Price has always been a very important point, that makes or breaks consoles, and ninty knows it...
2: In order to properly be able to do "real" 3D, the GPU will need to be cranked up severely. The DS's 3d-engine is a bit on the weak side... =>current smartphone-performance would be nice, and should be achievable (but that's going to make the handheld more/almost as powerful than the console...)
3: That 3D-screen (I expect only the top-screen to be 3D, might not play nice with a touch-screen) is going to be relatively expensive. And it'll have to be good, or it's going to be smashed down hard.
4: I won't be surprised if they'll just dump in every single frikkin peace of hardware they can think of that might be of use to games (for starters, motion-contoller, bluetooth, motion-tracking cam, hi-res screens, wiimote-extension-connection), without getting the price above $200,-

If they can manage that, (below $200), they'll have one heck of a big winner. And we'll actually have competition...

 

[Prometheus]

*WHAT* 3D screen? The only thing they have said is a preliminary name that has a number tacked in front of the name of their existing handheld.

 

[Asiyura]

Until pandora is released, my alternative will be a SonyEricsson Aino with my PSP slim and my PS3.
Sadly, I can't afford N900...

 

[Ollonk]

What happened to that render of the REAL pandora alternative that's floating around? I saw it posted once, but haven't seen it since. Also, I have a Dell Axim X30 until Pandora comes....

(You know, the render of the final image from the 'Pandora Alternative' spam/fun thread)

 

[Kangal]

Pandora Alternative?

This is the only reasonable contender i see.

iWish!

 

[Exophase]

1: It'll still stay below $200,- . Price has always been a very important point, that makes or breaks consoles, and ninty knows it...

Probably, but Nintendo could get away with selling it for more if they wanted. DSi XL costs $190 and that's hardly new handheld caliber.

2: In order to properly be able to do "real" 3D, the GPU will need to be cranked up severely. The DS's 3d-engine is a bit on the weak side... =>current smartphone-performance would be nice, and should be achievable (but that's going to make the handheld more/almost as powerful than the console...)

I disagree. Stereoscopic effects have nothing to do with rendering capability. Virtual Boy could pull it off and it didn't even have 3D hardware.

3: That 3D-screen (I expect only the top-screen to be 3D, might not play nice with a touch-screen) is going to be relatively expensive. And it'll have to be good, or it's going to be smashed down hard.

They're already used in some cellphones, and IMO a cellphone is a pretty odd place to have it, which suggests to me that the technology is not that unreasonably priced.

4: I won't be surprised if they'll just dump in every single frikkin peace of hardware they can think of that might be of use to games (for starters, motion-contoller, bluetooth, motion-tracking cam, hi-res screens, wiimote-extension-connection), without getting the price above $200,-

Oh, you think so? That doesn't sound like Nintendo. While they're known for selling pretty cheap hardware, they're also known for selling at as much of a markup as they can. Look at the Wii. The Gamecube was being sold for $99 late in its life. The Wii hardware is little more than a process bump of the Gamecube chipset with the memory layout rearranged a bit; it probably costs less than the Gamecube parts ever did. Throw in a controller set using accelerometers (that are quite cheap, a couple dollars a pop) and release for $249. And keep the price there for years. Nintendo won't sell at anything less than massive margins unless they have to, and all those things you listed don't add up to a cheap handheld. It probably will have accelerometers though, and we know it'll have cameras.

If they can manage that, (below $200), they'll have one heck of a big winner. And we'll actually have competition...

By we you mean Pandora? So (maybe) bump up the specs, add some totally different immersion gimmick, and it's not in fact even less like Pandora than mainstream gaming handhelds have been? I somehow don't think people will see it that way.