What Are The 'deal Breakers' To You?

[Gilrad]

You know, the things that, if they don't get right, there's no way you're going to get a Pandora?

For me, it would have to mostly be MP3 player functionality. Stuff like:
- Long (9+ hour) battery life, at least when in MP3 player mode
- convenient interface when using it as an MP3 player... That is to say, turn it on while the lid is closed, it starts up as an MP3 player, and automatically begins playing a playlist. Some sort of external interface (that doesn't solely rely on the shoulder buttons) so I can skip tracks/playlists, pause, ect.
- ability to just hit the power switch to shut it off without worrying about shutting down like a computer.

Other things that are still important:
- Solid build quality in the controls... I'm talking first party Sony/Nintendo game controllers, not MadCatz $5 controllers.
- Decent battery life when at full capacity. I don't care if the thing feels like a brick of lead, so long as I don't have to constantly worry about where a wall plug is.
- Along those lines, a decent charger. One of the largest issues I have with my eeePC is the fact that the charger barely adds any charge to the laptop when it's on... And takes forever to charge when it's off.
- Easy wifi access. Shouldn't be too difficult, but I notice a trend of unreliability when it comes to linux and wifi networks.

 

[javaJake]

Terrible keyboard (must... type... to live...) or terrible wifi (must... have... life-sustaining... internet...).

If the CPU overheated randomly, that'd be a deal-breaker too, but I'm leaving things like that out of the mix.

Oh, and did I mention I'm entirely self-sufficient?

 

[kuehnau]

The GP2X already takes like a full half a second for me to boot up and it seems like it isn't the most complicated piece of hardware I own. The Pandora seems like it has a lot to boast about, but along with that kind of power and ability is going to come with some sort of cons.

I am going to bet money that the Pandora is going to have to boot up, and the boot up is going to take longer then it does with a GP2X. How long, I don't know. If it takes forever to boot up, some people might avoid it. Perhaps adding on a sleep mode to the Pandora would help levitate some concerns about that issue.

WiFi isn't that big of an issue for me. To be honest, I think that it is still kind of new, and it can be a pain in the ass sometimes, no matter what you are working with. Having WiFi will be nice, but how realistic will it be? Being able to connect to several systems over the WiFi network would be very nice, especially if you could do like, network games. But as far as like, web browsing goes, I have had my fill of portable internet. The screen is too small, for me it just isn't worth it.

The battery of course, is a huge issue. Even most laptops don't hold enough battery time charge for me. It would be very important to me that they manage to put as much power into their batteries as possible. At this time, I think it would be in their best interest to do like dual rechargeable cells. I am thinking like dual 4500 or 5000 could probably work out well.

Controls are also a big issue for me, and has been an issue. The current model they display on their website, to be honest, I don't know if it is real or not. It looks like a 3D render. And I really hate the way the keyboard looks on it. The buttons look crappy and cheap. I got this mini full QWERTY keyboard for my Xbox 360 that plugs into the bottom of a controller, that is the kind of keyboard I'd like.

Also the analog sticks on it look kind of crummy right now, they look like a clone of the small stick like thing they have on the PSP. And to be honest, I'd rather have full fledged mini analog sticks then nubs. I also dislike how it is like a folding unit. It just means it is easier to break and wear out.

 

[Frogboy]

A bad d-pad would be a deal breaker for me.

 

[javaJake]

:lol:

I was just thinking: Craigix and Co. must be getting shivers down their backs just reading this thread.

 

[kuehnau]

A bad d-pad would be a deal breaker for me.

Yes, the controls need to be very nice and well done. This thing is going to be used by a lot of people for gaming obviously. And it is going to cost quite a bit. If they pull a Gamepark Holding on the controls, people are going to be pissed.

I am very happy with my GP2X F200, but to be honest, it feels cheap and crappily made. The system should feel good, and solid it your hands. I'd like a little weight to it. I think they should remove WiFi, but allow a USB option for people to install their own WiFi add-ons or something. That way, the system could be cheaper, and the people who wanted WiFi could buy WiFi.

 

[A_Llama]

Perhaps adding on a sleep mode to the Pandora would help levitate some concerns about that issue.

I'm sure they already announced that it would have this feature...

The current model they display on their website, to be honest, I don't know if it is real or not. It looks like a 3D render.

It is a 3D render

Also you ask for way too much. All i'm asking for is a better built and more powerful gp2x, all the other stuff like the keyboard and wifi are just nice little extras

 

[Eolair]

A bad d-pad would be a deal breaker for me.

After the GP2X horrible stick, I'd have to agree.

 

[Squidge]

I am going to bet money that the Pandora is going to have to boot up, and the boot up is going to take longer then it does with a GP2X. How long, I don't know. If it takes forever to boot up, some people might avoid it.

It'll take less time to bootup than a GP2X running a standard GPH provided firmware, thats for sure.

 

[goobers]

The GP2X already takes like a full half a second for me to boot up and it seems like it isn't the most complicated piece of hardware I own. The Pandora seems like it has a lot to boast about, but along with that kind of power and ability is going to come with some sort of cons.

I am going to bet money that the Pandora is going to have to boot up, and the boot up is going to take longer then it does with a GP2X. How long, I don't know. If it takes forever to boot up, some people might avoid it. Perhaps adding on a sleep mode to the Pandora would help levitate some concerns about that issue.

I can't see any reason that it would take longer. Knowing the guys that are making it, who have been part of the GP32/2X community for a while, I would imagine that they will be working towards making the OS as unbloated as possible.

 

[scarath]

Controls are also a big issue for me, and has been an issue. The current model they display on their website, to be honest, I don't know if it is real or not. It looks like a 3D render. And I really hate the way the keyboard looks on it. The buttons look crappy and cheap. I got this mini full QWERTY keyboard for my Xbox 360 that plugs into the bottom of a controller, that is the kind of keyboard I'd like.

As long as the keyboard doesnt click loudly like the xbox one! My house mate has this keyboard and i can hear him in the next room! click click click click >.<

Deal breaker = Screen quality & general durability, no room inside the case would be a bit annoying too... few mm anyway to fit in various things

 

[Shiny]

http://www.joystiq.com/media/2007/04/xbox3...ty-07-425px.jpg


Oooh Those keys look really nice. I could definately go for something like that on the pandora (the current keys don't look easy to use at all!). Just as long as they either click silently or not at all (no popcorn! :/).

 

[Sphinxter]

If it was based on Xscale.

 

[argor]

Also the analog sticks on it look kind of crummy right now, they look like a clone of the small stick like thing they have on the PSP. And to be honest, I'd rather have full fledged mini analog sticks then nubs. I also dislike how it is like a folding unit. It just means it is easier to break and wear out.


kuehnau here is a 2 video of the analog sticks on the pandora
http://youtube.com/watch?v=TFhhctm9LqY
http://youtube.com/watch?v=i26UXJOTkTk B)

 

[kuehnau]

Also the analog sticks on it look kind of crummy right now, they look like a clone of the small stick like thing they have on the PSP. And to be honest, I'd rather have full fledged mini analog sticks then nubs. I also dislike how it is like a folding unit. It just means it is easier to break and wear out.


kuehnau here is a 2 video of the analog sticks on the pandora
http://youtube.com/watch?v=TFhhctm9LqY
http://youtube.com/watch?v=i26UXJOTkTk B)


Well then that clenches it, it looks just like the mini analog on the PSP, and I hated that design. I would have preferred sticks. Hell a track ball would have been better for me. Unrealistic? Maybe, do I care? Nope! As far as the keyboard goes, the Xbox 360 ones are really nice, the keys light up and everything. It is unlikely they are going to change the design of the sticks though, but one thing I <B>would</B> like to see then, is a change on the tops of the analogs. Right now they look like flat coins. I'd like to see them domed out a little bit and toped with a rubberized grip.

Asking for too much? I don't think so. As a consumer, I should be able to request anything. I can't expect it, but you would think the developers would appreciate any and all input on the device as a whole. Since this most likely won't be sold in most stores like Walmart, it is going to be based on the hype and community of the device. Building it to how the community would like it, is something to consider.

It would be fantastic to be able to buy either different models with more and less supporting features, or the ability to buy upgrade. Like I said before, I don't use Wifi, I'd like to buy a version that is cheaper without Wifi, or have the option to upgrade the unit with WiFi later.

 

[God Ginrai]

:lol:

I was just thinking: Craigix and Co. must be getting shivers down their backs just reading this thread.

Yea, they'll see that the people who don't try to educate themselves about the handheld, or anything that has been previously discussed about it, have begun to flood the forums. (You are obviously not one of those, javaJake )

-God Ginrai

 

[Vorporeal]

Also the analog sticks on it look kind of crummy right now, they look like a clone of the small stick like thing they have on the PSP. And to be honest, I'd rather have full fledged mini analog sticks then nubs. I also dislike how it is like a folding unit. It just means it is easier to break and wear out.


kuehnau here is a 2 video of the analog sticks on the pandora
http://youtube.com/watch?v=TFhhctm9LqY
http://youtube.com/watch?v=i26UXJOTkTk B)


Well then that clenches it, it looks just like the mini analog on the PSP, and I hated that design. I would have preferred sticks. Hell a track ball would have been better for me. Unrealistic? Maybe, do I care? Nope! As far as the keyboard goes, the Xbox 360 ones are really nice, the keys light up and everything. It is unlikely they are going to change the design of the sticks though, but one thing I <B>would</B> like to see then, is a change on the tops of the analogs. Right now they look like flat coins. I'd like to see them domed out a little bit and toped with a rubberized grip.

Asking for too much? I don't think so. As a consumer, I should be able to request anything. I can't expect it, but you would think the developers would appreciate any and all input on the device as a whole. Since this most likely won't be sold in most stores like Walmart, it is going to be based on the hype and community of the device. Building it to how the community would like it, is something to consider.

It would be fantastic to be able to buy either different models with more and less supporting features, or the ability to buy upgrade. Like I said before, I don't use Wifi, I'd like to buy a version that is cheaper without Wifi, or have the option to upgrade the unit with WiFi later.


In newer pictures, you can see that there is a rubberized, textured grip surface on the top of the analog stick - the videos were of a dev board.

 

[JakeK]

Poor video player and reflective screen, I want to be able to watch videos in the day which i can't do in lit up areas with the GP2x F200.

 

[kagato]

Well then that clenches it, it looks just like the mini analog on the PSP, and I hated that design. I would have preferred sticks. Hell a track ball would have been better for me. Unrealistic? Maybe, do I care? Nope!

I can't even conceive of a way you could fit a true analog stick into a clamshell design slim enough to fit in a pocket.
The biggest problem with the PSP analog stick in my opinion is its placement, not its design.
I think the Pandora placement will be a considerable improvement. (But I guess I'll only know when I've got one in my hands )

 

[Tobriand]

To be honest, I'm not sure. There's lots of things they could choose to do which would annoy me, to be certain. The keyboard could be horrible to type on, the buttons could feel way too clicky, the d-pad could suck like crazy, or the screen could turn out not to display colours perfectly. They could end up with a battery that only lasts 5 hours at psx (which is imo the benchmark of choice). The hinge might not like to stay closed.

The fact is, though, that none of those would, on their own, prevent me from getting a Pandora as long as the performance of the chip is actually as good (and accessible) as we already know it will be. Not least, because I think I'm now in a state of pre-order the moment pre-ordering becomes an option.

Consequently, if I am successful in getting one of the first wave (by which mean the first 3000 - I'd love to be in the first 100, but that isn't going to happen), the first group of people receiving the final unit to review will be getting units from the same batch as me. Which means the reviews won't be written yet to turn me away. Not fully rational, but there you go.