Smach Z will pose some serious competition to the Pyra


Unless this gets a massive mid-campaign push, it's going to be nowhere near successful based on current trends.  So that's one thing that'll be different to Ouya at least.
 
So something I noticed in their block diagrams in the KS update is that it uses an HDMI multiplexer and HDMI to MIPI bridge chip. So the SoC probably only has a single HDMI output. Consequently, this would mean that you can't simultaneously output to both screens and it has some negative implications for power, board footprint, and cost. I also think that they have eval boards with these chips in their bench setup.


I wonder if they have, like Pyra, something that's doing rotation, or if the OS/GPU drivers are doing it somewhere. Or if they actually have a landscape display. All I can confirm is that their bridge chip doesn't do rotation (but does do scaling)

Unless this gets a massive mid-campaign push, it's going to be nowhere near successful based on current trends.  So that's one thing that'll be different to Ouya at least.



They should invite a well known feminist woman to be the new project lead, then a few days later report that she's been bombarded with death threats. Funding would be guaranteed.


In all seriousness, the KS hasn't gotten nearly as much media reporting as I thought it would have by now. I think they blew their timing here because they were able to get tons of media reporting months ago but that amounts to nothing if none of those readers realize the KS rolled around. They should have been more careful with how they scheduled information releases.
 
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Is there any approval procedure at all or could I just post a campaign for building a spaceship with warp drive which runs and collects money for a while?

Have you considered marketing just the warp core as a power source?  That could also bring in a lot of money.  I am pretty sure many would be interested in your antimatter containment techniques, as well.  Are you planning on publishing anything about this? :p  

Why do people keep trying to compare it to Ouya?

 Why do you keep comparing the Pyra to other single purpose devices?


Edit:  I was mistaken.  You also compared it to a Galaxy S6.  Still, not the same intended use.
 
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Just out of curiosity I decided to build a mini-timeline of Pyra development starting from little over a year ago pulled from ED's twitter:


15 Apr 2014 The MIPI rotation chips from Solomon Systech have arrived. Aren't they cute? Now waiting for the LCDs to test them.


18 Apr 2014 Due to popular demand, here is a quick side-by-side picture of the Pyra and the Pandora.


28 Apr 2014 Test battery received: 6000mAh - almost fits into a normal Pandora. It's just 2mm wider. Neat :)


8 May 2014 Quick glance at the keypad. As mentioned: Not final, but good enough to search for a good company that can produce it


19 May 2014 Eh? Twitter didn't work... well, the non-BGA versions of the rotator chips arrived. Much easier for prototypes :)


19 May 2014 And some more 720p displays for testing, from BOE. Now we got 2 different 720p displays to test and choose from.


24 May 2014 A beautiful picture of an empty PCB. Will be used to test two new LCDs and the rotator chip. Population happens soon.


13 Jun 2014 And this is an unpolated version of the CPU PCB that plugs onto Pyras main PCB. Useful for testing the size :) 


13 Jun 2014 This is the full testing setup with 2x 720p LCDs and touchscreen, connected to the OMAP5 EVM.


26 Jun 2014 Some parts to play around with arrived. Not all though, so I can't test the shoulderbuttons yet.


22 Jul 2014 Aaaand Nikolaus got the first of the testing panels to work :D No spectacular picture, but it's working :D


16 Jul 2014 Received the new case revision files, now with updated shoulder buttons :D


18 Jul 2014 The latest PCBs have arrived. Next step: Populating them. The silk on the PCB is NOT the final keyboard layout :)


28 Jul 2014 And another picture, showing the mainboard with a dummy CPU PCB on top, connected to the OMAP5 Development Board.


29 Jul 2014 And the next part arrives - a sample of the keymat (without the plastic inlets yet), perfect to test the usability.


30 Jul 2014 They seem to clone themselves!


8 Sep 2014 Here's a picture of the testing setup, in case you want to see it :)


18 Sep 2014 Working on the physical design of Pyras LCD Cable


6 Oct 2014  New keymat prototypes arrived. Less transparent so that the LED light is more diffused.


7 Oct 2014 A Pandora with webcam connected to serial out of the devboard. Notaz can now remotely poke around with the SSD chip.


The Smach Z guys seem to have far less progress than any of the above. I mean they should already have a good case prototype (like this) an some kind of prototype board (even if it had required external connections). And even then, using Pyra as example, they'll probably miss their stated release date by a year at least. -_-
 
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I remember that ED started working on the project even before he put the first word about it on the forum
 
As far as I can tell, the Kickstarter does not show a working prototype as required by Kickstarter rules.   If backers point this out to Kickstarter , it will get booted just as the Lazer Razer did recently despite having over $4M in backing.
 
Oh well, these last couple days the whole campaign stalled already, I doubt they will get to 300k, in fact, I believe they won´t even reach 200k at all.


I foresee that sometime next week they will abandon it and close it up with the usual msg "we are going to rework and come back stronger" that we constantly get to see from inexperienced people trying to come up with marvel hardware of the hat.
 
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I can't access anymore the kickstarter page o_O


EDIT: nothing, the entire domain is down...


EDIT: on again... anyway the funds are... decreasing !! O_O
 
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EDIT: on again... anyway the funds are... decreasing !! O_O

Seems like it.


Before:


before.png



After:


after.png
 
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yep, if you check the comments area, people are already threatening to remove their pledge because of the fishy "we can´t show prototype, NDA", I guess people are already escaping the sinking ship. Maybe they will probably cancel it this weekend so it dosen´t look too ugly on their side.


EDIT: also, why was this thread´s name changed? It was soo much fun as it was! Please, get back the epic original name.


EDIT2: oh sorry, that was asked before, the prime title was  "Pyra has already been beat by Smach Z before it comes out lol ". I believe that should be kept as it was, this sure would be a great entry on "The History of Pyra and Pandora". :)
 
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Thread creator himself edited it, says so in the opening post, and I would say that's his (well reasoned) prerogative.
 
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Yeah, I think he didn't mean that he looks down to all the hard work that ED and his Team did/do (I assume that because he changed it after my commentary). That's nice to him, we shouldn't tease him about it anymore.
 
I remember that ED started working on the project even before he put the first word about it on the forum



Yes, but only looking for components (like the OMAP5).


PCB design has started only a couple of weeks before it went public.
 
Exactly, too me it sounds like they are promising things without being sure about what's possible or not. Like they are making a "dash for the cash" and once the cash is on their side all the problems can be solved (hmm, that reminds me of someone :rolleyes: ).



Oh, someone had to go there, I knew it! :D


Well, it seems the project gets smacked by the backers, because it smacks of a rothwellian plan indeed.

Have you considered marketing just the warp core as a power source?  That could also bring in a lot of money.  I am pretty sure many would be interested in your antimatter containment techniques, as well.  Are you planning on publishing anything about this? :p



I see you are on to my "Plan Ozymandias", but it's not public. First the spaceship. ;P
 
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As far as I can tell, the Kickstarter does not show a working prototype as required by Kickstarter rules.   If backers point this out to Kickstarter , it will get booted just as the Lazer Razer did recently despite having over $4M in backing.

So they just went to indiegogo instead and got funded. It's a very typical approach now. Fail on kickstarter go to indiegogo. They are kind of the "B" team for crowd funding. 


https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-skarp-laser-razor-21st-century-shaving#/
 
With a heck of a lot less money...


While that stands true , I think a bit differently, I actually like them a lot and have backed one extremely successful handheld hardware campaign, which was all very transparent and delivered on scheduled time, heck I guess it was even before. The project is alive and kicking about 2 years later with a nice community and nice projects going about.


But what I love most about indiegogo, is that they accept projects from many countries including mine. Kickstarter will accept my money but not my project, so that is a no no no thing for me.


I can´t argue that it has been pictured as a plan B crowdfunding though unfortunately. This one project I stated got a copycat kickstarter campaign an year later with a very waaay toooo similar product and campaign display, used assets from our community without credit and so on, and got about an extra 0 on the backed money :(


They are already running below schedule and people on the comments are starting to rage though.    
 
Gee, just checked and the money is still running away... €155,892  now.
10 bucks on a friday "we will come back stronger" situation!


edit: joke aside, I guess they will drop it before.
 
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thats sad, no interest in the device myself, but it always sad to see (ambitious) people fail, and I would have liked to see what they would have come up with in the end
 
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