What do people think of the 1ghz Pandas?

[pmprog]

Sorry if I sounded critical, I didn't mean to actually say you should be spending your money on anyone else or imply you were being selfish (quite the opposite).

It's okay, just the way I read it. Zuk's reply made it very a convincing argument (for me anyway).

 

[Zuk]

Like I said, I gave one of my weaker Pandoras to my brother. I don't *need* two 256 meg Pandoras. Right now I have a 512 and a 256. I know my game will run better on the newer Pandoras. I want the newer 1ghz Pandoara for myself to use, and the weaker to test so my game runs equally well across all.


I didn't take your comment as critical. Don't worry about it. If anything I consider you, Skeezix, Notaz, Pickle, and the rest of the software devs as gods. I really don't have any objection to upgrading someone's order. I'd like to know that if I provided that kindness that they in return would use it to help the community. I don't want to fund just any person that wants to make a game. I've been finding out how hard it is to make a good game myself. That has really made me respect the time it takes outside of your job and real life to make things work well. I'd like to know the money is spent on someone that can deliver something, and I would consider that money well spent.


I still do honor my Dreamcast and Doom 3 $200 bount(ies). Though now I probably have to add caveats.


BTW - PLD dev has been suffering greatly because of the added responsibilities of my job. If anyone has actually be following it.


Edit: clarification.

 

[Zuk]

@Exophase - I was reading the referred thread. Please PM me with your personal recommendations.


EDIT: Any core or constantly contributing software devs, please PM me your recommendations.

 

[Grench]

There seems to be a bit of speculation about who a 1Ghz purchaser is and how many are out there. I am one, so I figured I'd let you know my Pandora story.


...

Lol - Ditto. I.e. my story is pretty much the same with the exceptions that I skipped the 512MB version and got my Pandora pre-order in early enough to get it without going Premium. I have the #77 mini metal Pandora. Which one did you get? I paid for all the badges (smoke?), even paid into the developer fund on pre-order.

 

[Exophase]

@Exophase - I was reading the referred thread. Please PM me with your personal recommendations.


EDIT: Any core or constantly contributing software devs, please PM me your recommendations.

Sorry, I don't really have any. Maybe a new thread should be started?

 

[Grench]

You stumbled on something here that might actually be a good idea - but probably not in the way you were thinking.

No, I'm pretty sure this is exactly what I was saying.

Mmm... what you were saying read more like you felt the need for OpenPandora to simply give you a $700 1Ghz Pandora on your pre-order to ease your suffering. If you're wanting something more like the above discount, why not state it as so and see what the response is?

Zuk, if you're this enthusiastic about spending money to help OPT maybe you should consider paying to upgrade someone else's order instead of getting more and more units for yourself?

You back peddled off of this one pretty quick - but if you'll note, Zuk, myself and many others HAVE been essentially upgrading other's pre-orders by contributing cold hard $$$ via additional gimik purchases (metal Pandoras) and outright donations (Forum stars?) and by purchasing into the 1Ghz Pandoras - which all go to help finance the difference between the $330+/- that existing pre-orders paid and the actual cost to produce their orders.


The thing I can't understand is why you and others seem to be so upset with us for doing so.

 

[Zuk]

I have the #77 mini metal Pandora. Which one did you get?

I have no idea right now. I haven't been to my home in about a year. I don't know that mine is even physically out of the packaging yet or that I have received it. I just know I ordered it.

 

[Zuk]

Zuk, if you're this enthusiastic about spending money to help OPT maybe you should consider paying to upgrade someone else's order instead of getting more and more units for yourself?

You back peddled off of this one pretty quick - but if you'll note, Zuk, myself and many others HAVE been essentially upgrading other's pre-orders by contributing cold hard $$$ via additional gimik purchases (metal Pandoras) and outright donations (Forum stars?) and by purchasing into the 1Ghz Pandoras - which all go to help finance the difference between the $330+/- that existing pre-orders paid and the actual cost to produce their orders.


The thing I can't understand is why you and others seem to be so upset with us for doing so.

I didn't take it that way, why do you? I took it as asking about why I supported the hardware side and not the software side. I kind of see it as the chicken and the egg. You can't have software without hardware. If you don't have a lot of hardware out there you won't have anyone developing software.If you don't have people developing software you won't sell hardware.

 

[Zuk]

I just PM'd ED and Craig asking about viable candidates. We'll see what comes of it.

 

[Grench]

I didn't take it that way, why do you? I took it as asking about why I supported the hardware side and not the software side. I kind of see it as the chicken and the egg. You can't have software without hardware. If you don't have a lot of hardware out there you won't have anyone developing software.If you don't have people developing software you won't sell hardware.

Supporting the hardware is fairly easy because there is a direct and clear path to do it. I don't know about you, but I'm not a software developer. Hats off to those of you who are and have gotten us to where we are - keep up the great work!


I'm kind of excited about ED's idea of running kickstarter programs to get licensing to port commercial games - that shows a lot of promise.


You mentioned a software bounty in an earlier message. I'm wondering if some of those could be turned into Kickstarter type things as well.


Either way we would still need developers with the skills and willingness to do the work - whether for love (current set) or money (kickstarter and bounties).

 

[Wrath Of Khan]

I just PM'd ED and Craig asking about viable candidates. We'll see what comes of it.

Will you pay for this yourself?I can offer some money towards it if you would like.If craig doesent see the pm we could always start a thread about it.Also what about a proper large bounty for someone to do dreamcast emulation.I would pay a nice chunk into such a thing.Maybe we can get a 1ghz bounties section added in the forum.Im game for all of this.lets get the ball rolling.Who' in????

 

[Exophase]

Mmm... what you were saying read more like you felt the need for OpenPandora to simply give you a $700 1Ghz Pandora on your pre-order to ease your suffering. If you're wanting something more like the above discount, why not state it as so and see what the response is?

Are you referring to what you think my personal interests are? Because you sound like you are. I don't have a preorder (received my Pandora ages ago) and I don't have a personal problem with paying for the DM3730 unit, or wouldn't if I had any immediate interest in buying it. What I think is good for the project, "right" treatment for the customers, and what actually affects me individually are totally separate things. Always have been.


And I'm sorry but did you read where I said this:


"And offering a bit of a lower price for the original pre-orderers, even if only $50 or so, would at least give the impression of rewarding/favoring the people who have been waiting a long time."


Because it sounds like you didn't. Nowhere did I say that I think OPT should bump $330 preorders up to DM3730s for free!

You back peddled off of this one pretty quick - but if you'll note, Zuk, myself and many others HAVE been essentially upgrading other's pre-orders by contributing cold hard $$$ via additional gimik purchases (metal Pandoras) and outright donations (Forum stars?) and by purchasing into the 1Ghz Pandoras - which all go to help finance the difference between the $330+/- that existing pre-orders paid and the actual cost to produce their orders.

That's great, but doesn't have anything to do with what I was saying! I explained why I said what I did, it wasn't back-pedaling, and if you don't believe that then uh, oh well. Yes, buying new Pandoras helps OPT, but if ALL you want to do is help them and you'd otherwise consider the new purchase redundant then upgrading someone else's preoreder is more efficient for everyone involved.

The thing I can't understand is why you and others seem to be so upset with us for doing so.

Are you also giving me the same bullshit Craig did about being "irritated" about people who bought DM3730 Pandoras at $700? Why would you take my stance that the price is too expensive as some kind of affront to people who are willing to pay?

I didn't take it that way, why do you? I took it as asking about why I supported the hardware side and not the software side. I kind of see it as the chicken and the egg. You can't have software without hardware. If you don't have a lot of hardware out there you won't have anyone developing software.If you don't have people developing software you won't sell hardware.

That wasn't what I was intending though.. I was offering it as a way to help both OPT and long-standing preorderers (because you said you felt bad for them), I didn't have improving Pandora software in mind.

 

[Zuk]

I didn't take it that way, why do you? I took it as asking about why I supported the hardware side and not the software side. I kind of see it as the chicken and the egg. You can't have software without hardware. If you don't have a lot of hardware out there you won't have anyone developing software.If you don't have people developing software you won't sell hardware.

That wasn't what I was intending though.. I was offering it as a way to help both OPT and long-standing preorderers (because you said you felt bad for them), I didn't have improving Pandora software in mind.

Oh snap! I do feel bad for them, but if I am going to inject more money now, I think throwing money at the people who create the software for us is the best use. Users will get their Pandora orders (eventually), and I know that is "eventually... Two Months ™ " (I waited over a year myself too). If I were to subsidize a unit I would prefer it to be a unit that someone was using to dev on. I think I have helped the "every man order" already. My multiple premium order funds were/are going to fund the pre-order units indirectly, right? My dev fund/software supporter badge stuff went somewhere too... right? My donations were spent on making things better, right? My investment went somewhere, right? Please tell me that the money was used correctly.

 

[Wrath Of Khan]

I didn't take it that way, why do you? I took it as asking about why I supported the hardware side and not the software side. I kind of see it as the chicken and the egg. You can't have software without hardware. If you don't have a lot of hardware out there you won't have anyone developing software.If you don't have people developing software you won't sell hardware.

That wasn't what I was intending though.. I was offering it as a way to help both OPT and long-standing preorderers (because you said you felt bad for them), I didn't have improving Pandora software in mind.

Oh snap! I do feel bad for them, but if I am going to inject more money now, I think throwing money at the people who create the software for us is the best use. Users will get their Pandora orders (eventually), and I know that is "eventually... Two Months ™ " (I waited over a year myself too). If I were to subsidize a unit I would prefer it to be a unit that someone was using to dev on. I think I have helped the "every man order" already. My multiple premium order funds were/are going to fund the pre-order units indirectly, right? My dev fund/software supporter badge stuff went somewhere too... right? My donations were spent on making things better, right? My investment went somewhere, right? Please tell me that the money was used correctly.

I have pm'd you Tuk.

 

[Zuk]

I just PM'd ED and Craig asking about viable candidates. We'll see what comes of it.

Will you pay for this yourself?I can offer some money towards it if you would like.If craig doesent see the pm we could always start a thread about it.Also what about a proper large bounty for someone to do dreamcast emulation.I would pay a nice chunk into such a thing.Maybe we can get a 1ghz bounties section added in the forum.Im game for all of this.lets get the ball rolling.Who' in????

My bounty for a proper Doom 3 port or Dreamcast Emulator is $200. That is separate from the dev hardware deal.

 

[Exophase]

Oh snap! I do feel bad for them, but if I am going to inject more money now, I think throwing money at the people who create the software for us is the best use. Users will get their Pandora orders (eventually), and I know that is "eventually... Two Months ™ " (I waited over a year myself too). If I were to subsidize a unit I would prefer it to be a unit that someone was using to dev on. I think I have helped the "every man order" already. My multiple premium order funds were/are going to fund the pre-order units indirectly, right? My dev fund/software supporter badge stuff went somewhere too... right? My donations were spent on making things better, right? My investment went somewhere, right? Please tell me that the money was used correctly.

I agree with you, if you're going to upgrade someone who paid $330 it'd be best to do so for someone who can contribute back to the scene in the best way possible.


I'm not aware of anyone having received money from the dev fund. Doesn't mean nobody has but I was operating under the assumption that it was still waiting for something.


Frankly, I don't think that dev bounties are very successful in a community like this. If money was the determining factor between doing something and not doing something they'd probably be focused on getting software out for iOS/Android instead. I think the odds of funding serious emulator optimization (like uh, Dreamcast) are especially low.

 

[Caine]

I don't see a future for a Pandora 1.5 or Pandora 2 priced at $700 dollar. Any enthusiasm I have encountered for the Pandora 1 has always been silenced immediately by the current price. Rationalize it all you want, but $700 is going to put off a LOT of existing customers, which by itself is already an extremely small niche market.

 

[Zuk]

Bounty now (un-officially) for DC emu is one 1Ghz Pandora + $200US (from me) + 300 Euros.

 

[Wrath Of Khan]

I don't see a future for a Pandora 1.5 or Pandora 2 priced at $700 dollar. Any enthusiasm I have encountered for the Pandora 1 has always been silenced immediately by the current price. Rationalize it all you want, but $700 is going to put off a LOT of existing customers, which by itself is already an extremely small niche market.

Pandora 1.5 maybe but we don't know what specs and features a P2 could have and so it's hard to determine what it's worth paying for yet.ED did say in a post that the high price is not a permanent thing though.Im wary of what the high price would do as I don't want op to go under.

 

[Zuk]

I don't see a future for a Pandora 1.5 or Pandora 2 priced at $700 dollar. Any enthusiasm I have encountered for the Pandora 1 has always been silenced immediately by the current price. Rationalize it all you want, but $700 is going to put off a LOT of existing customers, which by itself is already an extremely small niche market.

All my friends that I have shown the Pandora to have said, "THIS IS AWESOME!!!!! HOW MUCH IS IT???!!!!" I say $500. They say "Oh...."


We all work in IT. I haven't been able to sell even one IT guy I work with at $500. PSX and all...


EDIT: We all make over $200K, really, and they act like they can't afford it.


EDIT 2: I actually got drunk enough to talk about my pay and make several posts in a night. Holy Shnikeys. Halleluiah. Maybe I am no longer a lurker.