Which Should I Buy?

[Deltron 0]

Yo. I'm new here, and new as well to the world of homebrew game systems. My question goes something like this:

I've really been wanting a portable system that can play emulators- especially SNES. I'm also interested in GB (original, Color, Advance), NES, Genesis and arcade, but SNES comes first and foremost. Essentials would be the entire Donkey Kong Country series (especially 2), Super Mario World and Super Metroid.

Buuuut, I'm not sure if I should get a Wiz or wait for the Caanoo (maybe neither?). The Caanoo's analog stick bothers me somewhat, as well as the apparently less impressive screen. My main concern, though, is whether there would be a difference in frame rate. I don't want to have to put up with low frame rates, especially when it comes to my beloved SNES games. I also wonder if the Wiz is soon going to be left in the dust as far as new developments in software.

I guess what I'm really asking is how good the frame rates are on the Wiz, specifically for SNES, and whether anyone anticipates the Caanoo doing any better.

peace.

 

[Mr.TwisT]

I doubt that the caanoo and the wiz will differ in performance dramatically or at all. They're basically the same hardware, but the caanoo has abit more ram. Also, a new PocketSNES emulator is coming out on 16th as a result of the recent wiz coding competition which will enhance the already great experience further.

 

[Nova]

If I were you, I'd hold out for the Caanoo. I have both, and it's the console getting the most love at the moment. I'm unfazed by the analog stick.

 

[geise69]

If I were you, I'd hold out for the Caanoo. I have both, and it's the console getting the most love at the moment. I'm unfazed by the analog stick.

I love my Wiz. I also have a first edition GP2X that uses a stick instead of a D-Pad and it didn't bother me that much. It was a deal breaker for quite a few people though, so it might not be right for you. I did read good things about the Caanoo analog stick. I love the screen on my Wiz and the OLED really is nice for the old 2d emulators. The Wiz is also a very nice compact machine that fits great in your pocket and is ideal for on the go gaming. The D-Pad is decent, but I find diagonals in fighting games isn't very good. It's kind of like the PSP Phat D-pad. If you want a bigger screen though I would hold out for the Caanoo. Just bear in mind that right when it's released there's going to be a little wait for certain apps since they will need to be recompiled...again in order to run. There is competition going for the Wiz/Caanoo over at gp32spain.com. There is now more work on the SNES emulator PocketSnes. There's also a thread showing some games you mentioned being emulated in the upcoming release. Most SNES games run pretty good, but some heavy mode 7 games kinda drop frames. However this v7.0 version of PocketSnes seems to really give a nice speed increase and a lot of games you mentioned do run full speed.

BTW nice avatar Deltron 0! I don't listen to much hip hop but I am a big fan of Del and Hieroglyphics since I Wish my Brother George Was Here, way back when. Which is kind of funny since I've always been a metal-head.

 

[b1ueskycomp1ex]

From my experience with the wiz and pocketsnes 6.5, I'd say that as long as you don't plan on playing starfox, stunt race FX, or maybe yoshi's island, it's the way to go. Unless you want to wait for the emulator to be ported to the caanoo I don't expect a parformance increase with the Caanoo, however.

 

[TuxDot]

I'd get the Caanoo, I've heard good things about the stick and the LCD screen might be better for the long term. The extra RAM might also result in better performance for some emulators, though I couldn't say for sure.

I don't see development on Wiz being too far behind the Caanoo though, as GPH is apparently continuing production of the Wiz. So I'd say anyone that wants to buy and/or develop for the Wiz should be able to get one the near future.