Returned My Wiz

[DRED]

First I want to thank think geek for easily letting me return my wiz, great company to deal with, from initial order to return.

I decided to return my wiz after my "b" button was a bit spongy. I was going to initially replace it for another one but after careful deliberation, I decided to return it and wait for the Pandora.

The wiz was good in many respects but it definitely had its flaws. Snes Emulator not full speed on many games, controls are definitely lacking.

I think the big reason for waiting for the pandora was that I want to get in on the pandora action when it is released. I can see there is much more interest in the pandora than the wiz, so I am assuming much more development will be going on. I also liked the bigger screen, the hopefully superior controls, Wifi, and hopefully superior SNES emulation.
However, I will miss the OLED pandora screen.

 

[aho]

I for one think the Pandora is pretty uninteresting. It sorta reminds me of this:

It tries to do too much at once, making it more expensive and somewhat clunky. There is also some overlap with netbooks.

 

[peca]

... It tries to do too much at once, making it more expensive and somewhat clunky. There is also some overlap with netbooks.

Yes, but someone (like me) can want it. If I want to bought just console I can take one secondhand Nintendo DS or GBA or (preferably) GPH Wiz. But I playing rather occasionally and much more need some classic computer capability, such as Internet browsing, text typing/editing, emailing or instant messaging. So Pandora, which coast as 2 Wizzes, fit much more my needs than Wiz itself. And Pandora has more core power and display bigger than postage stamp. (no flame, I have bad sight ;-)

I is all about freedom of choice.

 

[Spykez]

ill be getting the pandora once I can and selling my wiz, the comminity and goodies for the wiz really isn't that big or exciting, unless your strictly using it for retro shit, i mean it's all free software, it's great, but I was expecting more seeing the success the GP2X had.

GPH has already proven to me that they're worthless and don't care too much for success.

Hack job USB cable, won't even email me or their resellers back about it.

 

[klikklak]

It's a computer, frankly nothing to get so upset about in the first place. I mean, incremental advances in processing power, sure neat. But nothing that special. Wiz however manages to put it all together with a pretty screen and so far the reception has been pretty good. I can't be bothered to read more than 1/5 of the threads here, I think that's a success in itself. And frankly the pandora is just more of the same, the keyboard would be neat and psx emulation. But that's it. I'm betting my money on the n900, might be able to get decent amiga emulation going on it in addition to the MID/smartphone goodness. And Spykez, the usb cable seems to have been a one-off mistake, I'm pretty sure the panda will have plenty of those as well and even less resources to correct them.

As for development, we've got most of the stuff the thing needs and some extras, it might pick up after the summer or maybe not, but still, I think we've reached a good 80% functionality thanks to the gp2x legacy. If I have a point, it's just that commodification runs so fast that we're not going to get such closed ecosystems any more like with the gp32 and gp2x. That's what I meant with that 'it's a computer', like with pc's you balance your needs with capabilities and select one. I doubt the pandora will make a difference.

 

[Exophase]

With its larger/hopefully more comfortable layout, much larger screen, much more processing capability and enhanced battery life I would much rather use the Pandora for games over the Wiz. That is, unless something ends up being decidedly inferior about it (only care so much about an OLED screen, most of these games were not designed with high contrast/low black screens in mind and cope okay). That's all there really is to it, none of the other features would get in the way of this.

Pandora is more of the same? Why is Pandora more of the same and Wiz isn't? In my eyes Wiz is more like "GP2X done right" than a unique design. The only thing that really separates it from other devices is the OLED but I don't really see why people make such a huge deal over it. Pandora is the only device on the market with viable gaming controls, a keyboard, and a touchscreen, and still has top of the line specs for an ARM handheld. Calling it a "computer" while not allowing that term for other handhelds is pretty daft.

Also meh, N900, unless you need a phone with your gadget then the Pandora can do everything it can plus it has gaming controls, better SD interfaces, much more battery, and is cheaper.

Why would Pandora have less resources to correct their mistakes? Why would it have plenty of them compared to the one you're willing to award the Wiz? As far as I'm concerned the Pandora has had more experienced and skilled internal contributors to it, bar none. Especially when it comes to software engineering.

 

[Madman]

I dont see why the Pandora should be that much superior over the Wiz.
Sure the Pandora has more Power, so it may run DosBox or PSX Emu. But besides that?
Its a handheld which will be used for gaming mostly.
If you need something to actually work with, i'd also go for a netbook. (My personal opinion)

And im pretty astonished about the bunch of software available allready for the Wiz.
All major emus are here, the Bennu port is done and what not. So we are just about to get started.

 

[Exophase]

Since you asked..

Faster SNES, GBA, feasibility for consoles like N64, 32X and Jaguar, possibility for DS emulation. Various 3D games like Quake 3. Better controls, analog sticks. Much bigger screen, dual SD cards.. All things that benefit gaming.

When pushed to the limit the Pandora should offer 1.5x the battery life the Wiz does. When running things that push the Wiz to its limits it could very well offer 2-3x the battery life.

 

[klikklak]

Yeah, the pandora is bigger in size for sure. That's a big minus for me, see my point about needs and capabilities. My gaming needs go only so far. The wiz _is_ more of the same, that's my point, we're at a time when handhelds are commodified. And you're right, and I agree with you on that it's 'gp2x done right'.

The pandora is a big maybe at this point, maybe it comes too late, when there's competing gear around, maybe it has flaws, maybe not. The wiz is out, it has a decent design, controls, screen and development behind it. As for why it the pandora team has less resources for correcting mistakes, it's a small team that's doing their first handheld, for the GPH it's their 5th (did I count right? gp32, mk1, f100, f200, wiz. ok, gp32 was GP, not GPH), that makes a difference in knowing suppliers and whatnot. To think that GPH is the _only_ small manufacturer that has problems is just fooling yourself. It happens, and it happens a lot.

And yeah, n900 has a phone, which is fine with me, since I've already got a data contract and I'd rather have a single networking device then two (modem and MID). I've done that already, and this is my preference. Do you think the pandora dev community will beat the maemo community? .. I think not, but that's just me.

 

[Exophase]

For there to be anything competitive it'd have to come completely out of nowhere, or Pandora would have to be delayed even more than the more pessimistic figures. Anything without gaming controls won't be competitive for people who wnt games.

Doing three revisions of the GP2X to fix its flaws doesn't count as doing multiple handhelds. If anything that's a strike against them. GPH's engineering team is very small too, and worst of all, according to Orkie they only have half a software engineer. Open Pandora might not be actively employing all of the people working on it but if you compare the work very skilled programmers like DJWillis, notaz, and many others have put into Pandora vs what GPH has put into Wiz, then...

Thinking that all manufacturers are equally bad is what's foolish. A lot have problems, but the quantity is mitigated by the number of experienced developers behind it and the dedication to getting it done right. GPH screws things up time and time again that I wouldn't expect of any competent manufacturer.

I think OP knows some of GPH's suppliers as well as GPH does, based on their history with MES.. and frankly it's not a supplier I'd like to have to interact much with.

Pandora has another advantage when it comes to getting things right, and that's that they're distributing the things themselves, worldwide, for the first batch. They're not a company in South Korea (whose core team can't really speak English) depending on a multitude of resellers. They also have a large direct presence on these boards. If something goes wrong they'll at least be more likely to have something to say about it.

Of course the Pandora dev community will beat the N900 one - when it comes to gaming (especially emulators), which is generally what we're talking about. I think Pandora already has more emulators for it than Nokia's last tablets ever did.

 

[Madman]

Since you asked..

Faster SNES, GBA, feasibility for consoles like N64, 32X and Jaguar, possibility for DS emulation. Various 3D games like Quake 3. Better controls, analog sticks. Much bigger screen, dual SD cards.. All things that benefit gaming.

The only thing that bugs me is the indeed somewhat small display of the Wiz. Im not into Jaguar or the 32X (which has mainly crappy games), and if im on the hook for playing N64 or PSX or something, I launch the original console or the cab. For me, the Wiz is the perfect handheld. You dont get much more bang for your buck.

 

[Exophase]

That's fine, personally I don't care about most of those things either. I'm not really trying to make this about personal preference, much less telling anyone they're wrong for having the ones that they do. For a good number of people Pandora will have little to offer over Wiz and screen size and battery life won't be relevant factors. And they won't have a problem with the Wiz's controls, may even prefer them. For them the choice is obvious.

I was just trying to list what each will be able to do from a general appeal standpoint.

 

[Madman]

Oh i did not take this personally. And i agree, the Wiz controls are not state of the art, sometimes my thumbs hurt when i have been playing too long. First i thought that was related to my age, but then i regret that thought :lol:
However, as you allready noted, size and battery life may be crucial. Unless you really need something you can store in your trouser's pocket, you will get more bang for your buck from a netbook.
And given all the netbooks out there, i'd say there is more dev power in the netbook world. These usually contain an Atom CPU around 1.6 GHz and 512-1024 MB on a 8-10" Display and a 80-160 GB.

Don't get me wrong, i'd be happy to get a Pandora some day, as i dont have any usage for a netbook. But from the "bang for bucks" point of view, i, personally, would ponder obtaining a netbook, unless size or the "geek level" would matter. Anyway, everyone must decide, what they want, and some may prefer the Pandora over a netbook over a Wiz. Thats ok. Some drive (Enter low price brand here) while others prefer to drive a (Enter high price brand here). Yet, we all share the same road

 

[DaveC]

I really don't think the Pandora and Wiz compare that much really. They are pretty different and I could see having and using both.

(only care so much about an OLED screen, most of these games were not designed with high contrast/low black screens in mind and cope okay).

I don't agree with that at all. CRTs that these games were designed for had very good contrast and black level. Unless you have one that was pure shit and/or it was broke or set wrong a CRT beats LCD TVs in contrast and black level by far. If you look at both an OLED looks closer to a CRT than an LCD does.

 

[Exophase]

But a lot of games people are interested in emulation weren't designed for CRTs, ie anything made for a handheld. The story is a little different when talking about non-lit handhelds, but those had such poor visibility to begin with.

I certainly don't recall my computer CRTs having black levels or contrast anywhere near what an OLED does, although I can see how they would be superior to an LCD. I never said anything to the contrary, just that they weren't designed with OLEDs in mind. There's also probably a difference in quality between computer monitors, TVs, and expensive arcade cabinets.

But I still think the responses are a little on the exaggerated side. I don't see OLED as being a revolutionary feature, just a component stepup...

 

[Madman]

Well, the OLED sure does not display anything different, but my 6 year old son always complains about the superior display of the Wiz compared to the original GBA:



While my camera sucks big time in such light, the difference is obvious to the blind.

 

[Exophase]

What are you getting at exactly, that it's brighter? It's not exactly hard for something to be brighter than a GBA SP. I'm sure Pandora is much brighter too.

 

[Madman]

Im not getting at anything particular, i was just getting to the "non-lit handhelds" and the responses being on the "exaggerated side". The GBA SP does have a backlight, while the old GBA does not.
This is a comparison between a backlight lid handheld and an OLED screen. The Oled screen is set to Medium in this shot.
I may be able to do some shot of a Wiz compared to the DS on Sunday.
Oh, and my son is 7 by now :rolleyes: Hes "doomed" to use the GBA, as the Wiz is Dad's :lol:

 

[peca]

I think that comparing Wiz with Pandora and vice versa is senseless. They are very different devices with different group of customers. Yes, they are overlapping because both targeting gamers, emulators, homebrew etc. But main differences are size and complexity. Wiz is really small against Pandora and Pandora is really complex machine against Wiz. Both are designed for games, emus, homebrew, multimedia and have open system and free SDK. But still strictly divided into two (overlapping) sectors.
I can imagine that I'd like to have Wiz on vacancy at the sea (as my country doesn't have sea at all). Wiz is small to keep it in shorts pocket and doesn't coast so much as Pandora. Pandora much bigger and barely fit in pocket, and is expensive so I'll be constantly afraid that I can lose it or it can be stolen or other accident.

 

[DaveC]

But a lot of games people are interested in emulation weren't designed for CRTs, ie anything made for a handheld. The story is a little different when talking about non-lit handhelds, but those had such poor visibility to begin with.

I certainly don't recall my computer CRTs having black levels or contrast anywhere near what an OLED does, although I can see how they would be superior to an LCD. I never said anything to the contrary, just that they weren't designed with OLEDs in mind. There's also probably a difference in quality between computer monitors, TVs, and expensive arcade cabinets.

But I still think the responses are a little on the exaggerated side. I don't see OLED as being a revolutionary feature, just a component stepup...

Most CRTs if set properly (brightness not cranked too high) can do pure black. Obviously many vary depending on quality or settings. A properly calibrated CRT will be set to the point where the raster just dissapears (black).

OLED may not be that revolutionary but anything that is an improvement is nice.

@ Madman, that GBA in the picture is not backlit, it is frontlit, a big difference.