PGS Windows 10 gaming handheld - GPD WIN competitor

[Klumpen]

I know, but just like polls that don't matter, we can talk about things that we want and won't get. Like other new Linux palmtops.

...or world peace, warp drive, food replicators, holo decks, batman...

 

[darkmaximus9]

My first Android was a Motorola Backflip:

It would close up like this with the keyboard on the outside:

Spec-wise, it was in the ballpark of the original G1 Android phone but circa 2010. So it was very low-end, but it was the first that AT&T carried. The thing is, I loved the formfactor even if I hated the performance. The keyboard was a single piece of soft plastic that would flex and the buttons were underneath and had a nice click to them. It was fairly rugged, actually. The camera being on the flip out keyboard could be used forward-facing for video chats. And the keyboard could be used as it's own stand and it could be put into a desk mode of sorts:

I actually had it worked out that I could insert it into the phone cubby in the dashboard of my car with the screen poking out and run Google Maps on it. It was super handy.

To be honest, I always wished that someone would take this kind of approach, but with an integrated gamepad instead of the keyboard. Even a cell phone case would have been nice, even if it blocked the camera. I remember that the iControlPad2 reminded me a lot of this design.

Omg i didnt know another one existed
[doublepost=1473686169,1473685919][/doublepost]So just saw the icontrolpad 2 looks cool but does it work with other phones?

 

[TrashyMG]

So just so the icontrolpad 2 looks cool but does it work wit othe phones?

I guess you were not around for that period of the board history... The iControlPad 2 project was scrapped even after a successful funding via Kickstarter, it would have been bluetooth and compatible with many phones.

 

[darkmaximus9]

Ok

 

[MechaBouncer]

Yeah, sorry to bring that up. I keep hoping for something like that to come along again. Most gamepads for phones are bigger than the phones themselves and the ones that aren't require a stand for the phone. There isn't anything that connects to the phone all the time. And nobody is making any with integrated gamepads anymore. Either they were outdated and underpowered (Xperia Play) or some Chinese obscurity without decent US band support (JXD S5800 and Much W1). Every time I see something new in this area it turns into vaporware (Snail W3D and most likely PGS). The best I can hope for is some accessory that's portable enough to carry with a phone as well.

 

[Grench]

Yeah, sorry to bring that up. I keep hoping for something like that to come along again. Most gamepads for phones are bigger than the phones themselves and the ones that aren't require a stand for the phone.

A controller that stays with the phone - essentially turning the phone into a quasi clamshell - winds up with an interesting set of mechanical delimas. The phone is several multiples heavier than the controller it's paired with. In order to fit multiple phones, the mechanical hinge connection needs to be both generic enough to fit them all - and robust enough to support that heavy screen+battery+etc. that is then the 'lid'.

The ICP1 solved that by having several different side connectors to essentially make a quasi-tablet out of the phone/controller combination without a hinge. Not perfect, but was robust enough to function.

The ICP2 was supposed to have an innovative hinge & phone clamp design to solve that - but never came to fruition - not that the mechanical issues discussed here may or may not have been involved.

But - the hypothetical ideal of mounting a phone on a hinge that closes over the game controller may be a cool fantasy, but the weight of the phone hanging out there in space off of a base 1/4 or less it's weight that is expected to secure the phone and give a comfortable gaming grip and fit in a pocket - it's a very tall order.

What we get with the Pandora & Pyra's design is that all the weight of the 'phone' beyond the screen is now distributed in the base. It results in a much more comfortable and stable set up. Pandora screens sometimes flopped around a bit still despite their lowered mass.

Think how bad it would have been if that were an entire phone riding on top of that hinge. That combination would continually be trying to flip over backwards out of your hands.

Then there is the question of the connection. A mechanical clamp winds up having to be robust enough to hold the phone in - which also means it increases the size of the whole gizmo. A heavy duty hinged flap and double sidded tape would be more effective, but beomes a permanent install.

Another option might be to have a pair of 1mm dia stainless steel prongs flip up out of the controller base that insert into a double sidded sticky 'pad' that permanently attaches to the back of the phone. The phone and base would still be detachable, with exception of the mounting plate/pad on the back of the phone. Angle adjustment is by (un)bending the steel prongs, but is otherwise 'fixed' while the phone is mounted. Still not ideal.

I would like to see the Pyra's main board (with a much scaled back CPU, no connectors), keyboard & nubs get reused in a simplified case as a game controller. Thick enough on the back for two AA rechargeable batteries, no stylus, no connection or mount for a phone, done. I would much rather see a Pyra. On my desk. Soon?

 

[rygD]

...or world peace, warp drive, food replicators, holo decks, batman...

I could see Batman going very wrong (because human), but not quite as unlikely as the others.

Maybe we will get holodecks eventually if VR remains popular.

 

[MechaBouncer]

A controller that stays with the phone - essentially turning the phone into a quasi clamshell - winds up with an interesting set of mechanical delimas. The phone is several multiples heavier than the controller it's paired with. In order to fit multiple phones, the mechanical hinge connection needs to be both generic enough to fit them all - and robust enough to support that heavy screen+battery+etc. that is then the 'lid'.

The ICP1 solved that by having several different side connectors to essentially make a quasi-tablet out of the phone/controller combination without a hinge. Not perfect, but was robust enough to function.

The ICP2 was supposed to have an innovative hinge & phone clamp design to solve that - but never came to fruition - not that the mechanical issues discussed here may or may not have been involved.

But - the hypothetical ideal of mounting a phone on a hinge that closes over the game controller may be a cool fantasy, but the weight of the phone hanging out there in space off of a base 1/4 or less it's weight that is expected to secure the phone and give a comfortable gaming grip and fit in a pocket - it's a very tall order.

What we get with the Pandora & Pyra's design is that all the weight of the 'phone' beyond the screen is now distributed in the base. It results in a much more comfortable and stable set up. Pandora screens sometimes flopped around a bit still despite their lowered mass.

Think how bad it would have been if that were an entire phone riding on top of that hinge. That combination would continually be trying to flip over backwards out of your hands.

Then there is the question of the connection. A mechanical clamp winds up having to be robust enough to hold the phone in - which also means it increases the size of the whole gizmo. A heavy duty hinged flap and double sidded tape would be more effective, but beomes a permanent install.

Another option might be to have a pair of 1mm dia stainless steel prongs flip up out of the controller base that insert into a double sidded sticky 'pad' that permanently attaches to the back of the phone. The phone and base would still be detachable, with exception of the mounting plate/pad on the back of the phone. Angle adjustment is by (un)bending the steel prongs, but is otherwise 'fixed' while the phone is mounted. Still not ideal.

I would like to see the Pyra's main board (with a much scaled back CPU, no connectors), keyboard & nubs get reused in a simplified case as a game controller. Thick enough on the back for two AA rechargeable batteries, no stylus, no connection or mount for a phone, done. I would much rather see a Pyra. On my desk. Soon?

All very valid points and I get that. The phone would most likely be too heavy for the hinge without some sort of locking mechanism. I have a clamp for my PS4 controller that has gear teeth with a knob that you tighten to lock it into position. Even with that, the phone is a heavy weight dangling off of it.

The Backflip worked for the phone itself because it was just the screen that flipped out, much like how the screen was the main thing that slid up on the Xperia Play. All the heavy parts (battery, mainboard, buttons, etc.) were on the base. Of course those devices were designed around such a feature.

The best alternative for balancing weight would probably be like those Phonejoy or Ipega controllers that separate in the middle and clamp onto either side of the phone. However those are usually appear really bulky and aren't meant to be always affixed. Perhaps perhaps if one of those were to compact really small it would be more portable, but then the hinge alone would need to be at least a certain size to accommodate larger phones.

 

[ible]

i have an idea, we put in a nice keyboard and gaming controls, give the device a modem so we can make calls / do the data thing as if it were a phone, and then we'll have the ultimate hackable open computer if we only add linux. i've already worked up a render:

Spoiler

 

[rygD]

Your render isn't pretty enough. Check out the ones PGS made if you want to see what people want.

 

[levi]

Maybe we will get holodecks eventually if VR remains popular.

I can forsee that if VR remains popular, Better Than Life is a far more lilkely outcome than holodecks.

http://reddwarf.wikia.com/wiki/Better_Than_Life_(game)

(not so much the bit about subconscious desires, just the way people forget to eat if they're in the game, and thus die relatively quickly).

 

[darkmaximus9]

Here there are more xperia play like devices (worst made site ever)

http://ocosmos.m.ec21.com/

Go to smart phones and u will find them also I think they have more devices but the site isn't updated
[doublepost=1473764373,1473763960][/doublepost]Found something called Panasonic jungle is it real?
[doublepost=1473764460][/doublepost]Canceled ok
[doublepost=1473764975][/doublepost]Does anybody know about the pocketchip?
[doublepost=1473765153][/doublepost]I just remembered about it.
It has pico8
Linux terminal
a sinthesizer
And it has the chip that is a small singleboars computer that costs 9 usd

 

[TrashyMG]

Does anybody know about the pocketchip?

Yeah some people on IRC won't shut up about it.

 

[darkmaximus9]

Huh

 

[ible]

pocket chip thread: https://pyra-handheld.com/boards/threads/chip-9-portable-computer.75935/

 

[MechaBouncer]

I can forsee that if VR remains popular, Better Than Life is a far more lilkely outcome than holodecks.

http://reddwarf.wikia.com/wiki/Better_Than_Life_(game)

(not so much the bit about subconscious desires, just the way people forget to eat if they're in the game, and thus die relatively quickly).

People already do that with games now. I can only expect it would get worse with something like that.

Here there are more xperia play like devices (worst made site ever)

http://ocosmos.m.ec21.com/

Go to smart phones and u will find them also I think they have more devices but the site isn't updated

Took a look. This would fall under Chinese/Korean obscurity without decent US band support. While light on details, the OCS5 sounds equivalent to the Xperia Play in terms of specs. The OCS7 is a Windows 7 MID circa 2011 with an "external type HSDPA, WIBRO device" to make it a "phone". While interesting, I'm looking at something with modern specs. My Xperia Play still "works" just fine, but it was outdated before it released and can't handle current Android nor current apps very well if at all. I want something new.

 

[darkmaximus9]

Huh this thing is weird

http://m.globalsources.com/si/AS/Beyond-Industry/6008825960563/pdtl/Dual-Sliding-Gsm-PDA-Mobile-PhoneGaming-mobile-phone- Windows-interface-Mobile-phone- -Nintendo-Gam/1050257088.htm
[doublepost=1474126367,1474126148][/doublepost]This seems the samé thing as that one but made by samsung

http://www.mobileguerilla.com/articles/2006/03/13/samsung-b5200-gamepad.php

 

[MechaBouncer]

Huh this thing is weird

http://m.globalsources.com/si/AS/Beyond-Industry/6008825960563/pdtl/Dual-Sliding-Gsm-PDA-Mobile-PhoneGaming-mobile-phone- Windows-interface-Mobile-phone- -Nintendo-Gam/1050257088.htm
[doublepost=1474126367,1474126148][/doublepost]This seems the samé thing as that one but made by samsung

http://www.mobileguerilla.com/articles/2006/03/13/samsung-b5200-gamepad.php

Meaning that more than likely the BI-918 was a copy of the Samsung B5200. I've seen images like these pop up a few times. The Samsung article is from 2006, so this was a Windows Mobile (6.0 or lower) phone that came out before the original iPhone and Android took to the stage. This would have been a competitor for the original N-Gage. The specs may have been okay 10 years ago, but I think most feature phones are better now.

 

[Yoyobuae]

It's time for monthly update from PGS.

Greetings, PGS community. Let us sum up the progress of this month. We've reviewed the poll results, as well as hundreds of opinions from feedback. We thank all our fans for very useful advices and thoughts.

So much progress...

We've come to a final decision regarding the second display in the Lite version - the physical keyboard will take its place. Within the next polls we will decide (with your help) about the final design and layout of the keyboard.

We've also finally decided as to where L3 and R3 will be located. In Hardcore version they will be placed on the back side of the device, where middle fingers lay on the device. In the Lite version the thumbsticks will support pressing, thereby emulating the functions of L3 and R3.

Haha, seems like the Lite version is turning into a more reasonable device than the hardcore. Working keyboard (domecap probably, though) VS useless second screen, clickable thumbsticks for L3/R3 VS buttons on the back of device.

 

[vcoleiro1]

"Within the next polls we will decide (with your help) about the final design and layout of the keyboard. "

Oh boy, here we go. Let the Keyboard debate begin.