Another thing that I'm not too sure you guys are mentioning is how outdated the hardware is. With phones a third of the size having 1Ghz processors and processors of over 1Ghz coming out later this year to early next year, this hardware is getting extremely outdated and almost to the point of obsolete. Two and a half years ago, when the processor speed of the project was quicker (I believe it was 800Mhz at the very beginning) the system was more of a mobile computer than a portable game console. Even processor speeds of 600Mhz 2+ years ago was nothing to laugh at.
With WiFi "N" technology becoming more widely available and with many mobile products starting to be designed with WiFi "N" chips, just about everything specifications wise is outdated. The only two things I consider are up to date and even superior to the majority of products today (besides the controls) are the screen and the battery, which are more important than just about anything else to many people. Phones are now starting to offer 512MB of RAM, phones are starting to offer HDMI out options, and now portable game consoles such as the 3DS are starting to offer a built in rumble feature, something the Pandora could REALLY benefit from. I think even a gyroscope could also really be a cool technology to use in Pandora games. Another thing to look at is if the SD card slots support the new SDXC technology, which could be extremely helpful for many people. In about a year or so, USB 3.0 is going to become standardized. Though USB 3.0 isn't a real necessity or is widely used as of now, it's just crazy how much has changed over the past two and a half years. It's a beautiful looking machine from a physical standpoint and the button configuration and physical buttons are great (according to the many who have theirs, I don't have one nor have I used one but just from reading everyone's comments you can come to the conclusion they designed the system VERY well) but Moore's Law is really starting to show its validity.
This product would still be great if you had 5,000 of these in consumers hands today, but by the time 5,000 average people (aka not developers/programmers) get these, it'll probably be early-mid next year, and mobile products with processor speeds of less than 1Ghz will be ancient history. The problem now is you can't really change the specifications which means I think this will be a failed experiment in a significant way. It may very well do full SNES emulation and perhaps full N64 emulation, but you can get a LOT more for $300+ today. I'm not complaining as much about the actual specifications as how much I'd be paying for it. It would be ridiculous to argue that what the system offers on a specifications perspective is worth anywhere near $300.
If the system was developed and made when the economy was in a better state, all of these delays and setbacks might not have all happened. Unfortunately, it is what it is and I'm very disappointed. I never ordered one by the way; I may buy one off eBay or something in the coming months if the price lowers from $500+, but I'm very concerned about all of this and I am worried this project will have been a small group of young men's wasted efforts and an even larger groups' destroyed hope and morale. I don't know if things could have been done differently to change the outcome, but I'm not sure if you can call this project a complete success even if we get 5,000 units by the end of the year. I don't think I can really blame Craig et al, but it is heartbreaking even for me, and I've never really been a huge part of the forum and project.
Just my thoughts.
