The Pandora Has Landed


DaveC

Internal Development
Joined
Mar 4, 2004
Messages
9,208
Well I got my pre-release Pandora recently :) I am not a coder but for those who don't know the story, I designed the case, pad, buttons etc (basically all plastic stuff). So as a member of OP it is logical for me to have one to test things with. I didn't do pictures as others already have so it would just be repetition.

After seeing those close-up pictures of the flaws I was expecting the worst. I was suprised at how cool it looks in person though! Very slick! While it is not up to Apple and Sony perfection yet it is pretty damn nice. It is especially good considering it wasn't produced by a huge multi billion dollar mega corporation like Sony or Nintendo. It has this kind of badass industrial look to it. It is hard to explain but it doesn't look like a toy. The LEDs look awesome, kind of looks like a spaceship cockpit or something.

I think this thing is going to be HUGE when it hits the stores. I don't want to sound like a commercial but if you were on the fence I would try to get on the pre-order list soon (if you can, I don't know the status, that is not my area). I just have a feeling these will be in demand and be very hard to get until production is at full power.
 
Great news. I'm pretty sure no one here would mind seeing yet more photos. It's also good for morale.
 
Great to see you back. I haven't read any posts from you in a while. Congratulations on receiving your Pandora. I have a feeling that when I get mine I'll be very pleased with your design. ;)

-God Ginrai
 
Well I haven't been in the Pandora section much because until now it was mostly work for me. Instead of being here typing I was finishing up the case. Lots of modeling, prototypes, and tweaking.

Now it will finally be FUN!!

It will be nice to get these in the "wild" soon. Then everyone will be able to enjoy it :)
 
Good to see you back.

Is a DPad review in the plans? It is my understanding that this Rev3 is final as far as design/functionality is concerned, no?

Edit @ DaveC: No worries, just curious. by "in the plans", I mean something you plan of doing at some point. Given you are the expert!
 
BackAssward said:
Good to see you back.

Is a DPad review in the plans? It is my understanding that this Rev3 is final as far as design/functionality is concerned, no?
To be honest I haven't had time to find and configure any games yet. You can't just get from a central archive yet, you have to kind of go around to the creators of the apps and ask them for the executables. It is not as easy as drag and drop yet from what I can tell to get things running.
 
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Great job designing such a beautiful and practical case! I dont think a lot of people realize who worked on what on the forums. The case and the board are each half of the puzzle that is pandora!
 
DaveC, when you have time I would really appreciate if you could give us your thoughts regarding the lcd - specifically concerning the alleged ghosting and poor contrast. Thanks!
 
Esn said:
Wonderful!

Quick question: I'm a bit unclear about who did what - didn't Michael Weston also work on the case?
Maybe for tweaks & such, but Mweston was primarily the board designer
 
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This thread reminds me: I am going to take my Pandora case and a pair of calipers and spend a while making a 3D model so I can CNC my own out of fine hardwood.
 
Esn said:
Wonderful!

Quick question: I'm a bit unclear about who did what - didn't Michael Weston also work on the case?
No he really didn't touch the CAD models other than to convert them for use at the mold company. He made a 2d sketch originally of where the control positions were and the basic overall size and thickness.

He also had the prototypes made and checked them for errors then let me know what needed to change. I then made the tweaks.

LuvClub said:
DaveC, when you have time I would really appreciate if you could give us your thoughts regarding the lcd - specifically concerning the alleged ghosting and poor contrast. Thanks!
The viewing angle is good. It is real sharp as well. 800 x 480 is pin sharp. There can be a bit of ghosting on side scrollers with some colors combinations. The contrast is ok for an LCD. The color saturation is good. It is no OLED but if it was it would cost a fortune right now at that size.
 
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