Which Open Source Handheld To Get?

[zeldarocks]

I realize that this is slightly off-topic, but I was wondering, given the slow manufacturing process of the Pandora; should I opt for another handheld? And if so, which hand-held should I go for instead? I understand that the Caanoo was recently released by GPH; along with the already available Wiz, GP32, Dingoo, and GP2X...

 

[RupeeClock]

Well, the Caanoo is available right now, whilst the Wiz is no longer being manufactured (you can still buy it some places though), and the GP2X and GP32 are both older, hard to find systems. This more or less narrows it down to Caanoo vs Dingoo vs Pandora.

First off, the Dingoo is pretty cheap, a good place will only charge about $80 for it. It's not as powerful as the Wiz/Caanoo, but I also don't know that much about it to be honest.

Then there's the Caanoo, it's $150 and it has a lot more going for it, a touchscreen, vibration motor, G-sensor, analogue stick, 533mhz processor with 128mb ram, a USB host, etc. The only issue right now is the lack of software since it's brand new, but that should perk up with time since all that's necessary is to port the software from the Wiz.
Also, if GINGE is ported to the Caanoo, that will immediately make a lot of GP2X software available.

Finally there's the Pandora, it's pretty expensive at what, $350? It's a hell of a powerful system that can do a hell of a lot, that its pretty much a pocket computer. I don't know that much about this one either, other than that availability has been a constant issue.

In some respects, if you want handheld gaming, then Caanoo is plenty good enough, but if you want something more you might want to try getting a Pandora.

 

[Nova]

The Caanoo is the best GPH console yet.

 

[Azerty16]

The best Open Source handheld is simply one of the lastest Android phone, more powerful than the Pandora.

 

[u9i]

Nova has been completely convinced

You posted in the Wiz/Caanoo section so you are bound to get more pro-Caanoo replies then others. And mine is no different. I would recommend the Caanoo because it is available now, while there is still a long queue for a Pandora. I won't even comment on a cheap Chinese Dingoo.

But there are also other options, eg. the Odroid, but i don't know about availability.

If i were you, i would buy something, anything, while you wait for the Pandora. The sooner you buy something, the less you will feel like you are wasting time waiting

/Uni

 

[sbock]

Or buy a used Wiz instead. Tons of great software instantly available and cheaper as a Caanoo...

 

[mali]

I already bought my third gadget since I cancelled my Pandora order(still about to pull the trigger and reorder when production ramps up, though). If you need something _now_, just buy something. Regarding Android phones, yeah I got one, but it won't replace a dedicated gaming handheld and is completely useless as an UMPC.

 

[zeldarocks]

What about in terms of community and development? how does the Caanoo stack up?

 

[Amon_Re]

I realize that this is slightly off-topic, but I was wondering, given the slow manufacturing process of the Pandora; should I opt for another handheld? And if so, which hand-held should I go for instead? I understand that the Caanoo was recently released by GPH; along with the already available Wiz, GP32, Dingoo, and GP2X...

One that's available? Then you go for the Caanoo (or perhaps an Android phone, but i don't like phones for gaming)
Want the most powerfull? Then go for the Pandora, if only they could ramp up production....

 

[Amon_Re]

What about in terms of community and development? how does the Caanoo stack up?

Pretty much the same people who where behind the GP2X community went on to the GP2X Wiz, and quite a few are moving up to the Caanoo (coincidently, a lot of them are also involved with the Pandora community.

 

[Nova]

What about in terms of community and development? how does the Caanoo stack up?

Everything on the Wiz can be ported to the Caanoo with very little changes to the code. So when the Caanoo gets delivered to everyone (next few days) the amount of software will explode.

 

[RupeeClock]

Everything on the Wiz can be ported to the Caanoo with very little changes to the code. So when the Caanoo gets delivered to everyone (next few days) the amount of software will explode.

With any luck my Caanoo will arrive by Tuesday, but I'm just an end-user, not a dev.

 

[u9i]

Mine still hasnt been ship from EDs store, but they seem to be in stock now, so it cant be long... waiting on the edge of my seat.

 

[Amon_Re]

Mine still hasnt been ship from EDs store, but they seem to be in stock now, so it cant be long... waiting on the edge of my seat.

You & me both

 

[b1ueskycomp1ex]

I realize that this is slightly off-topic, but I was wondering, given the slow manufacturing process of the Pandora; should I opt for another handheld? And if so, which hand-held should I go for instead? I understand that the Caanoo was recently released by GPH; along with the already available Wiz, GP32, Dingoo, and GP2X...

If you'd like to do some reading, I can give you an in-depth analysis.

I'll try to be as unbiased as possible here.

The Wiz is a fantastic device with a lot of software.

• ~$150 USD
• It has very loose feeling controls (this in no way affects their functionality)
• The D-Pad's pivot isn't high enough (makes street fighter almost impossible to play unless you develop some kind of strategy for quarter-circle moves on the D-Pad)
• The face buttons may be too close together/too small for your taste.
• 64MB of RAM
• It's extremely light due to the OLED screen (depending on your preferences this might be a good thing.)
• The Touchscreen never seems to be completely accurate for anyone, though it's very usable and doesn't effect touchscreen gameplay much.
• It has a slightly longer startup time than most devices (though android phones tend to take a while to boot up as well if that's an option for you.)
• This is possibly caused by it's 1GB of User-Writable NAND memory.
• Most applications have been rewritten to fix it, but there is some diagonal screen-tearing (due to the screen being a 240x320 screen on it's side.)
• The OLED screen is fairly temperamental and is prone to failure due to excess pressure or falling damage.
• They don't make them anymore - Though some shops still have stock.
• It's possible to play GP2X F100/F200 games with GINGE.

I WOULD recommend buying a Wiz if the Caanoo wasn't out yet, however...

The caanoo is available, which has the following improvements over the wiz:

• ~$150 USD
• It has arguably the best controls of any GPH console to date (The stick has been praised in most if not all reviews)
• The face buttons are standard, round buttons
• It presumably has more weight to it than the Wiz due to it's slightly larger size and LCD screen
• The touchscreen I can't comment on because I haven't read/seen anything about it, but from what I can tell in videos using the touchscreen for navigating the menus, it seems to work just fine.
• It has Accelerometers for tilting/motion control
• It has a vibration motor
• It has twice the ram of the wiz (128MB)
• It's startup time is reduced due to it's lack of onboard, user-available NAND memory.
• It has USB Device support (Usb flash drives, harddrives, gamepads, wifi sticks, and presumably more when the community starts developing drivers)
• Also it seems this time the Caanoo will actually get OFFICIAL Tv-Out cables that you can purchase.
• Ability to sometime in the near future (or perhaps already) Support GP2X and Wiz software through the use of GINGE.

And last, there's the Dingoo, which:

• Costs something in the realm of $80 (about half the price for half the features)
• Requires a bit more work to get going (You need an SD card with the proper files to boot linux, or flash a new firmware, etc.)
• Has a form factor similar to the wiz
• Has normal face buttons/D-Pad
• Has half the ram of the Wiz (32MB, but this can be remedied with a swap partition/file to some extent)
• Doesn't have a touchscreen

While the Dingoo is cheaper, and is somewhere between the wiz and the caanoo, the wiz and Caanoo do have more features available and considerably better hardware, which of course leads to better applications, games, and emulators.

As you can see, the Caanoo is the clear winner over the wiz in most (if not all) respects. GPH has been experimenting, asking questions, getting feedback, and have improved every single aspect of their device from the ground-up. This makes it more stable, more usable, and a better handheld console for games than any of it's predecessors.

And then there's the Pandora.

The pandora is really a leap to an entirely new level of handheld. If you'd like something you can put in your pocket that you can take out to play the odd game here and there and for that purpose alone - Don't bother with the pandora.

However, if you're willing to put some time in and have a device that's more like a handheld computer that just happens to have gaming controls - The pandora is for you.

Here are some things about the Open Pandora:

• ~$350 USD
• Has a full Linux desktop (if you want it) complete with applications, web browsers, etc.
• Has an 800x480 widescreen 4.3" Display (whereas the other 3 have 320x240 resolution displays)
• 256MB of DDR 333 Memory (I believe the other 3 have SDRAM, with 32 for the dingoo, 64 for the wiz, and 128 for the caanoo.)
• Dpad, 2 analogue joysticks, 4 face buttons, a full texting keypad, 2 shoulder buttons, etc.
• Larger touchscreen, which can be used with a full linux desktop.
• Playstation and Nintendo 64 emulation is possible (Both of which are already running in some way on the pandora, Playstation being somewhat possible on the Wiz/Caanoo)
• It is a bit heavier and larger than your other choices, but it does fit in your pocket and is about the size of a DS.
• It has somewhere around 10 Hours of battery life depending on how you're using it (It will last longer playing MP3s with the screen off in your pocket, for example.)
• It has built-in Wifi
• It has USB host with which you can use a USB mouse, keyboard, flash drive, external harddrive, gamepad, ethernet, etc. The possibilities are nearly endless.
• It has TV-OUT that will actually be supported by the company (unlike the broken TV-OUT on the Wiz.)
• Must be pre-ordered from the second batch on a personal basis - This is something you'd have to wait for. (Two Months[sup]TM[/sup])

• The pandora is of course in a league of it's own, and is more like a pocket-sized netbook that has gaming controls and TV-OUT. SO,
• If you'd like to have a great mini-computer, with gaming controls and TONS of features, the pandora is probably your best bet in the long run. It has software coming out almost daily, and it's being improved every day, little by little.
• If you'd like to just have a handheld that's capable of playing games, the Caanoo is your best best for features, speed (for emulation) and software.
• The dingoo is your best bet if you're on a really tight budget.
  

Hopefully this helps in determining the differences and feature to cost ratio of each device and which one is right for you.

 

[u9i]

I think it is a very informative comparison. I would just like to add, that in my impression the Wiz' touch screen is a big improvement over the F200. The values seem much more stable, and it seems more sensitive.

 

[DaveC]

If you'd like to do some reading, I can give you an in-depth analysis.

I'll try to be as unbiased as possible here.

The Wiz is a fantastic device with a lot of software, but...

Hopefully this helps in determining the differences and feature to cost ratio of each device and which one is right for you.

You post actually IS biased though. You state all of the Wiz's flaws and none of the advantages. Then you state all of the caanoos advantages but none of the flaws. To be "unbiased" you need to give both pros and cons of each.

•It has very loose feeling controls
I never had a problem with them being too loose. They still work well. I don't think that is really anything.

•The D-Pad's pivot isn't high enough (makes street fighter almost impossible to play unless you develop some kind of strategy for quarter-circle moves on the D-Pad)
Not impossible. I did it allot. It wasn't ideal but I could do it fairly easily (don't press down as hard). It will be harder if even possible at all to pull off Street fighter moves with the caanoos analog.

•It has a slightly longer startup time than most devices (though android phones tend to take a while to boot up as well if that's an option for you.) This is caused by it's 1GB of User-Writable NAND memory.
No This is caused by poorly writen firmware not the size of the NAND.

•They don't make them anymore - Though some shops still have stock.
True but Ginge kind of fixes that. Most things written for GP2X will now run on Wiz. I would imagine a wrapper for caanoo things to run on Wiz would be possible since it is the exact same chip. (except things that use the vibrator or sensor but how many will that effect?)

Some Wiz advantages:

•Smaller more portable.
•OLED screen has far better contrast, color, viewing angle, response time, black level.
•Real d-pad so games made for digital controlled games control better.
•Speakers sound better and have better stereo separation.
•Screen bezel doesn't cover part of screen.

Some Caanoo disadvantages:

•Analog stick not the best for emulators. (kind of major if you play allot of emus)
•Speakers face away from you as they are on the back. Ruins sound quality and stereo separation effect.
(kind of major if you don't use headphones)
•Screen bezel covers part of the screen so some of your game screen may be cropped off. (I think this is also kind of a big deal)
•Bigger and more bulky to carry around.


So now that rounds out your list a bit.

 

[b1ueskycomp1ex]

•It has very loose feeling controls
I never had a problem with them being too loose. They still work well. I don't think that is really anything.

- I wasn't trying to say it was an impediment to it's functionality, only that they were loose feeling. They also wiggled around a bit if you shook the device, etc.

•The D-Pad's pivot isn't high enough (makes street fighter almost impossible to play unless you develop some kind of strategy for quarter-circle moves on the D-Pad)
Not impossible. I did it allot. It wasn't ideal but I could do it fairly easily (don't press down as hard). It will be harder if even possible at all to pull off Street fighter moves with the caanoos analog.

- That's why I said "ALMOST" Impossible. Also, we've yet to determine the caanoo's ability to pull off street fighter moves - Seeing as how the original game was in arcades with a joystick it's possible it will be great. It just depends on the build quality, responsiveness, and software.

•It has a slightly longer startup time than most devices (though android phones tend to take a while to boot up as well if that's an option for you.) This is caused by it's 1GB of User-Writable NAND memory.
No This is caused by poorly writen firmware not the size of the NAND.

- There has been some speculation to the effect that the slowdown may happen because the NAND needs to be mounted as a loopback file at startup.

•They don't make them anymore - Though some shops still have stock.
True but Ginge kind of fixes that. Most things written for GP2X will now run on Wiz. I would imagine a wrapper for caanoo things to run on Wiz would be possible since it is the exact same chip. (except things that use the vibrator or sensor but how many will that effect?)

- I was simply stating that the device is no longer being developed.

But you're right, I should go back and rewrite it to be clear as to it's advantages.

Edit: rewrote it. Really I had a lot of advantages there, but it didn't look that way due to having prefaced it with "But..."

 

[zeldarocks]

What about in terms of community and development? how does the Caanoo stack up?

Pretty much the same people who where behind the GP2X community went on to the GP2X Wiz, and quite a few are moving up to the Caanoo (coincidentally, a lot of them are also involved with the Pandora community.

Okay, but in terms of a support-base and an active community ready to develop and deploy for the Caanoo --whether porting or developing from the ground up;-- where does it stand?

 

[b1ueskycomp1ex]

What about in terms of community and development? how does the Caanoo stack up?

Pretty much the same people who where behind the GP2X community went on to the GP2X Wiz, and quite a few are moving up to the Caanoo (coincidentally, a lot of them are also involved with the Pandora community.

Okay, but in terms of a support-base and an active community ready to develop and deploy for the Caanoo; does the device have such a loyal base?

Considering that it's a much-improved version of the wiz, adds motion controls, vibration, etc - I would say that it'll have more or less the same support the WIZ had in terms of software development - If not more.

A lot of developers that develop on one console may have another console. Which means that since the consoles are all fairly compatible hardware-wise, we could see some games being simultaneously developed on the Wiz and caanoo, or Caanoo and Pandora, etc. If the code exists for one console, it may well end up on the others with time. There's also GINGE, being developed to make the consoles all backward-compatible (GP2X software on the WIZ, GP2X and Wiz software on the Caanoo, and GP2X, Wiz, and caanoo software on the pandora)

But you don't have to be worried about the Caanoo lacking software.