Smach Z will pose some serious competition to the Pyra


I don't know what kind of people are behind Smach Z, but with Pandora and now Pyra we have great people like EvilDragon, Dr. Nikolaus and many excellent developers which is what makes it so great.


Also, having an AMD CPU might not be a good thing:


http://www.agner.org/optimize/blog/read.php?i=49#49


So you might end up with crippled AMD CPU performance if Intel managed to get their CPU dispatcher into whatever program you happen to be running. Awesome. -_-
 
I won't be quoting because I'm on mobile.


Keyboard isn't needed for PC gaming, that tiny keyboard is barely usable anyways, trying to hit small keys with fat fingers.


Just because it's an AMD chip, doesn't mean it's super hot and weak. Stereotyping, much?


As for windows: it's literally a handheld steam machine. You can install Linux on a Windows PC, and you can install Windows on a Steam Machine.


Sure, the Pyra runs Linux, but can you play your Steam games on it? Can you install any desktop Linux software on it without modifying it to get it to run on Pyra?


That's the appeal of the Smach Z. You don't need to port anything to it. Anything that runs on desktop SteamOS or Windows can run on it.


Saying that the Smach Z is weak is a no brainer. It's a handheld device, you can't shove a full dekstop graphics card in there.


From its initial specs, I can tell it'll at least be more powerful than the Vita and top end smartphones.


While the Smach Z was in development for some time, they didn't start their kickstarter until just now. Don't you think if this was a scam, they'd have started it when they first announced it as Steamboy 2 years ago?


They said they'll be showing their current prototype soon (check the update on the kickstarter - I'd paste the link but my bullshit phone keeps glitching the copy-paste) and that encapsulating the prototype would be too expensive, hence the kickstarter.


And also, the APU they're going to be using isn't even finished design by AMD, and the one in their current prototype isn't the final version, which is why they were hesitant to show the prototype.


I'd love the Pyra to succeed, but ARM? 720P? 2GB RAM?


Get your priorities right, it needs higher specs and x86 to compete.


Heck, just run a Kickstarter for a high spec model and if you can manage to get enough pre-sales, then you can afford to do higher spec model. If it fails, then no harm done.
 
mclien said:
Wonderfull!!


"It's running Desktop OS not ARM OS" ROTFL, to stupid to seperate OS and hardware...


Best of all (as far as I can see, because no youtube here): Again a kickstarter project that violates the rules! Or did I mis the mentioning of the running prototype???


-> does kickstarter still don't give a shit about their own rules?


If I were to be forsed to place a bett, it would be vapoware.
Click to expand...



Of course I didn't mean literally "ARM OS". I meant OS running on ARM, which is different than OS running on x86, and can't run the same software.
 
Well, if running Steam games is all a person wants from a portable mini-computer then Smach Z is a perfect fit. :rolleyes:


Pyra is no steam machine (never was meant to be).
 
GoldenSun3DS said:
OK, then can you install a Linux Steam game on your Pandora/Pyra, and run it on it?
Click to expand...

It's binary software compiled for IA32/IA64 so you can't run it.


You also can't run IA64 software on most current Atom tablets with win32 installed. 


You can't run any app compiled for pandora or for example Raspberry Pi on your x86 notebook.


The ability to run unmodified desktop apps is only relevant for apps compiled for specific hardware platform.
 
GoldenSun3DS said:
OK, then can you install a Linux Steam game on your Pandora/Pyra, and run it on it?
Click to expand...



Yes, with WINE and ExaGear, that works.


Some with a devboard have done that.

GoldenSun3DS said:
Keyboard isn't needed for PC gaming, that tiny keyboard is barely usable anyways, trying to hit small keys with fat fingers.
Click to expand...



Well, depends on the games. There are a lot of games where keyboards are useful.


But besides gaming (which is only one use-case of the Pyra  / Pandora), how can you write office documents or reply to emails without a keyboard?


Naaah, touch-keyboards don't count, I still use my Droid4 as smartphone as I go crazy even typing small sentences with a touch-crapboard.


Besides, Pyras keyboard is bigger than a smartphone keyboard, and they work well as well... unless you're fingers are as thick as my large toe...
 
GoldenSun3DS said:
Keyboard isn't needed for PC gaming
Click to expand...

So? It is for writing.  I used my Pandora as a pocketable thin client for debugging servers for years: the smach is bigger (too big to be the level of portable I needed) and lacks a keyboard so would have been completely useless to my use case.


Serious question here, are you just trolling?  Because if so bravo, you got a bigger response than I would have expected, but if not then I seriously suggest you investigate the Pandora/Pyra further because it seems that you literally have no idea what it's for.  You're acting like it's just a gaming console, and if all you want is to play games then yes, there are already dozens of handhelds on the market that'll do that, I have no idea why you would focus on the Smach, which isn't even out and risks never coming out, when you could've gone for something like the Shield.

GoldenSun3DS said:
you can install Windows on a Steam Machine
Click to expand...

No, you literally cannot just install Windows on a Steam Machine, least of all the smach.  Like, yes, that is a theoretical possibility if the hardware is put there to support it, but you need more than just an x86 CPU to run Windows.  Steam Machines can be full blown desktop computers that have all the necessary bibs and bobs, but the requirements to run Linux and SteamOS do not strictly overlap with the requirements to run Windows: just because it has an x86 CPU and can run Linux does not mean it can run Windows.  Please tell me you didn't dive into an argument without doing at least basic research.  You are just trolling, right?
 
ARM processors were made to require less power and not a cooling system, while x86 were not at all made with that purpose in mind, and until them are still so power hungrier and hot, are not the best thing in a portable device...


There was a time when there was no software for ARM processors, but then the iPhone and iOS came along, and after that all those Android devices...


The purpose of the Pandora/Pyra is NOT to run Windows games, is to run a full system using fewer resources as possible and maximising the battery life... all the other things (like actual Windows games working) are just a plus.


So, you are comparing just the "plus" with another device that doesn't have all the main features we are speaking of.


Also damn, you are ignoring the keyboard !! If you think that it is not important go read ALL the threads about the argument... I mean, it's scary how much is needed that thing, and you just take it away... 


The Pyra will have the option to change the processor in some undefinite future when an x86 will be cooler and smaller, but until that time, the community will work on the ARM core, and we will see some miracles there. (With the Pandora we are STILL seeing them happens almost every month)


And by the way, I don't like Steam... I use it, I bought games with it, just because of the so lower prices, but I don't like so much being kept in chains, an many on this community thinks the same way as me, so when chances to use games in another way happens I'll happily go with them, because I don't live with the desire to keep Steam "always with me", but I just wait patiently the time when I will be able to replace all my Steam games with standalone ones...
 
GoldenSun3DS, I wrote a lot about all the strange things in Smach Z's Kickstarter on another forum: http://semiaccurate.com/forums/showpost.php?p=250095&postcount=42


You say that it has a 1080p screen; putting aside any argument about whether or not it's worth having one it actually doesn't even get it until the $1.25m (about +25%) stretch goal. The reality is that they're going to have a hard time meeting their base goal, let alone any stretch goals.


They made limited tiers to get the handheld at cheaper prices in order to kick off buzz and look like a popular campaign. IMO this was a mistake because people don't want to buy a product that costs more than what other people are paying for it because it starts to feel like they're getting ripped off. And this is reflected in their current tier counts and how much their progress has fallen off a cliff after the first three days: http://www.kicktraq.com/projects/smachteam/smach-z-the-first-handheld-steam-machine/#chart-daily


From here on out they're going to need to average over $33k a day to make their goal. That's more than they got on day #3. Unless they get some huge publicity boost they'll never reach it, and I doubt they'll get much from here because the product is already well established in the tech media.

GoldenSun3DS said:
Heck, just run a Kickstarter for a high spec model and if you can manage to get enough pre-sales, then you can afford to do higher spec model. If it fails, then no harm done.
Click to expand...



This comment is just hopelessly naive and really highlights a lot of what's wrong with hardware crowdfunding today.


If you just make up specs and throw it on a KS there's a very high probability that that KS (if it gets funded) will fail and that people will lose money. For a KS to succeed you need a design that's thoroughly formulated and proven before you start the campaign. You can't make a realistic budget and schedule for a product that you haven't first done part of the design work on and received quotes for the non-commodity parts. If Pyra ran a KS with specs more to your liking it'd be for parts that they have no idea they can get (but they probably can't) for a device they have no idea they can build in the given cost and form factor constraints (but they probably can't)


If this happens you usually get a KS done by people who don't know what they're doing funded by people who don't know what they're reading and everyone ends up having a bad time.
 
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Oh honey....sweetie...c',mon GoldenSun3DS, bring it in, let me hug your poor soul.
 
WizardStan said:
I like how so far today they've got $-503 pledged, despite having 3 more backers.
Click to expand...



Yeah, the situation is.. not good. Although I suppose the KS hasn't been featured on Kotaku yet so that could give them a pledge kick if it happens.


For their sake I hope they do fail. They're promising that people can get refunds mere months after the KS ends (and well before the alleged ship date) if they're unhappy with their progress. You know, after they've already spent a significant amount of money. And they've admitted the cheapest tier is below cost - guess who's least likely to seek refunds? This really has the makings of a disaster.
 
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This project is also against Kickstarter's rules which i've obviously reported. So much for that eh? 


Saying that, the Pyra is almost ready to be kickstarted if it has to be.. I doubt it will even need that if there's 200 pre-pre orders lined up.


KS Rule which this project breaches is below, pay attention to the photos.. None of them are real. It's just Skarp all over again.



  1. Projects must be honest and clearly presented.



    Our community is built on trust and communication. Projects can’t mislead people or misrepresent facts, and creators should be candid about what they plan to accomplish. When a project involves manufacturing and distributing something complex, like a gadget, we require projects to show a prototype of what they’re making, and we prohibit photorealistic renderings.
 
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So...


"Smach Z has already been beat by itself before the campaign even finished lol"
 
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