Quick video of the case

[Exophase]

Since production will be close by instead of halfway around the globe, I can't imagine the case ever being that bad again(knock on wood)

Chris

The case manufacturer got all the blame for the delays but I really think a big part of it, that's never really mentioned, is just how late they started actually getting it made. The PCB design was ready long before the case design was. You never would have had CAD pictures even after the first pictures of real PCBs were available.

Now we can see this isn't what's happening and that's good. Granted, the increased access to cheap prototyping via decent 3D printing helps.

 

[Jumpman]

Since production will be close by instead of halfway around the globe, I can't imagine the case ever being that bad again(knock on wood)


Chris

The case manufacturer got all the blame for the delays but I really think a big part of it, that's never really mentioned, is just how late they started actually getting it made. The PCB design was ready long before the case design was. You never would have had CAD pictures even after the first pictures of real PCBs were available.


Now we can see this isn't what's happening and that's good. Granted, the increased access to cheap prototyping via decent 3D printing helps.

I agree that production was probably started later than it should have been, but wasn't the team working off of the quotes that the case manufacturer had given them at the time? Since this was the teams first venture into such waters, I can't really say they where at fault if the case company gave unrealistic times for things to get done.

Now I don't know how much of what we heard was true at the time, but I have always taken ED at his word, and if I remember correctly, on more than one occasion, it was stated how the case company said something would be completed in "x" days and then it wouldn't get done until "z" days later. I also remember a lot of issues that arose from the language barriers. The team couldn't say for sure the case company lied, as there where times where it seemed like the team understood something one way, and the case company understood it another.

How often did we hear they shipped a new prototype, only to find out weeks later it wasn't done, or hadn't left the region? To me, it seems like there was many different reasons why the Pandora's case production was pure "shit", but it seems like ED took the lessons learned to heart, and is now applying them to the Pyra, so I guess we can all say our hiccups of the past weren't in vain. The cheap 3D printing is also the biggest improvement I see now that wasn't ready available in the past, so we can all be happy to see that as well. So far, so good

Chris

 

[WizardStan]

Since this was the teams first venture into such waters, I can't really say they where at fault if the case company gave unrealistic times for things to get done.

I think what Exophase is getting at is that starting the case so late was a mistake, a mistake they made in ignorance and questionable advice so not strictly their fault but still a mistake. We see ED learning from this mistake and getting the case ready ASAP, as opposed to a certain control pad which still didn't have a case a year after it was supposed to be released.

 

[Jumpman]

Since this was the teams first venture into such waters, I can't really say they where at fault if the case company gave unrealistic times for things to get done.

I think what Exophase is getting at is that starting the case so late was a mistake, a mistake they made in ignorance and questionable advice so not strictly their fault but still a mistake. We see ED learning from this mistake and getting the case ready ASAP, as opposed to a certain control pad which still didn't have a case a year after it was supposed to be released.

I'm not disagreeing with him, but I also see where a 3rd party giving promises that aren't met can give way to a snow ball that once started, is hard to stop. I work in construction, and every trade on site is dependent on the previous trade doing their work on schedule. If one trade gets behind, it in turns effects every other in turn, which can add up to days, weeks, or even months or years depending on the problems. I'm not sure how things work in the electronic devices, but I would assume certain things work in a similar fashion, as the case can't be finalized before internal components are, right? That's all I was pointing out.

Chris

 

[Hồng Thất Công]

This maybe a crazy idea, but how hard is it to provide a connection for an optional second smaller touch screen?   This second touch screen can be plugged into that covers the entire nubs area but not the Dpad and the Action buttons.  I'm thinking for nice DS emulation

Of course Ed has to make and sell this screen as accessory.

 

[Wrath Of Khan]

Since this was the teams first venture into such waters, I can't really say they where at fault if the case company gave unrealistic times for things to get done.

I think what Exophase is getting at is that starting the case so late was a mistake, a mistake they made in ignorance and questionable advice so not strictly their fault but still a mistake. We see ED learning from this mistake and getting the case ready ASAP, as opposed to a certain control pad which still didn't have a case a year after it was supposed to be released.

What control pad does thou speaketh of? :huh:

 

[T.T.]

This maybe a crazy idea, but how hard is it to provide a connection for an optional second smaller touch screen?  this connector can be located   This second touch screen can be plugged into that covers the entire nubs area but not the Dpad and the Action buttons.  I'm thinking for nice DS emulation

Of course Ed has to make and sell this screen as accessory.

that may be a lot harder than you think. If you're wanting to just directly plug in an LCD, then ED would have to have another MIPI interface available to him (not sure how many he would have), not to mention he would have source yet another LCD. You may be able to just use the HDMI, but finding a screen that small that will accept HDMI will be quite the challenge.

 

[Exophase]

Finding small enough screens that are also high enough resolution is challenging enough by itself without even considering the input format.. I think you'd just have to deal with doing a custom PCB here, probably with some microcontroller, that talks over USB or something (especially if you're trying to transport touch too). That would also take care of power.

Whatever the case, I don't think this is something ED himself should work with, although it'd be cool if there was a way to secure it to a standard connector, which I don't think is going to work very easily. Maybe if there were a micro USB port in the edge of the hinge, like where one of the sets of LEDs are in the Pandora...

It'd be a cool mod to somehow talk to a Wiz display, that'd probably fit there, but it'd also suck cannibalizing a Wiz since those displays aren't exactly easy to come by.

 

[slaeshjag]

Finding small QVGA screens in the size-range 2-3" is quite easy. Those tend to be LCD's though, taking parallel RGB input and being generally annoying.

 

[Exophase]

Finding small QVGA screens in the size-range 2-3" is quite easy. Those tend to be LCD's though, taking parallel RGB input and being generally annoying.

Can you give some links to good examples? I'm failing at it pretty hard :/ And any 256x192 ones around 2.8" diagonal or smaller?

 

[slaeshjag]

http://www.crystalfontz.com/product/CFAF240320H022T would be one

 

[Natsu]

http://www.crystalfontz.com/product/CFAF240320H022T would be one

I actually seen one like this. I thought it was too big.

 

[God Ginrai]

IMHO, a screen in between the nubs wouldn't really be all that useful.

http://www.crystalfontz.com/product/CFAF240320H022T would be one

That does not fit Exophase's requested resolution. It is 16 columns too short.

-God Ginrai

 

[Hồng Thất Công]

IMHO, a screen in between the nubs wouldn't really be all that useful.

I think it would, not only for DS emulation but also for android games where the onscreen controls can be put on this screen. Also custom onscreen touch keyboard can be done on this second optional screen.

 

[Neelix]

Except that any software you are envisioning making use of this second screen would have to be rewritten for it.  Are you volunteering to do the rewriting?

- Neelix

 

[Natsu]

IMHO, a screen in between the nubs wouldn't really be all that useful.

And why is that? It gives you more screen real estate.

That does not fit Exophase's requested resolution. It is 16 columns too short.

-God Ginrai

Do you think that would hurt DS emulation that much?

 

[ekianjo]

theres a reason why valve dropped the idea of the screen on their controller.

 

[Natsu]

theres a reason why valve dropped the idea of the screen on their controller.

Which is??

 

[ekianjo]

theres a reason why valve dropped the idea of the screen on their controller.

Which is??

ask them. But probably they tested it and people did not like it or did not use it.


Its not because you can that you should.

 

[Hồng Thất Công]

Except that any software you are envisioning making use of this second screen would have to be rewritten for it.  Are you volunteering to do the rewriting?

- Neelix

Ah!  Didn't think of this.  I'm no coder so I'll pass on volunteering