Wiz Reviewed In Linux Format

[Prometheus]

Hi all. Just a heads-up in case anyone's interested; I picked up the latest (August 2009) issue of Linux Format magazine today, and they've got a one-page review of the Wiz on page 24. The machine gets a total of 7/10 in the end, although there was a complaint about the closeness of the buttons, and a claim that it's "an exercise in frustration to find the emulators, copy them across, get them running then find ROMs you can load". I'll not provide the whole page as I don't want to cause any problems, but I figure that it would probably be ok to give a snapshot of the little summary box from the end of the review;

(No, that isn't your eyes playing tricks on you. It really does say "Green Park Holdings". )

If anyone's looking to pick up this issue to see the review for themselves, the cover features Tux the penguin pushing a shopping trolley filled with mini-laptops, and Linux Mint 7 is the main featured distro on the included disc.

(As an aside, in trying to see if they'd put the review on either of their official websites, I found this on their TuxRadar site. However, it's from April and I'd imagine everyone has seen it already. :lol: )

 

[iprice]

I wouldn't trust ANY review that can't even get the basics right - the name of the producer is quite important, after all.

So, exactly how do Wiz emus differ from Linux/px/Mac emus then? Surely there is no difference in obtaining them and the ROMS and getting the whole lot working? In fact I'd say it's probably a lot easier on Wiz. Let's face it, if you can't handle installing an emu on the Wiz, you are practically dead from the neck up anyway and shouldn't even consider using a computer in whatever flavour.

What about homebrew? Did they mention that? How did they slate that?

 

[sam fisher]

So in summary, all Linux magazines suck and are written by idiots?

 

[Prometheus]

What about homebrew? Did they mention that? How did they slate that?

They didn't really mention it at all, as far as I can see. The only software other than that relating to emulation that was covered, was the built-in stuff: "The built-in games are simple clones of old classics, such as Snake, Tower Defence and so on. There are five flash games, but as we don't speak Korean we can't tell you what they're called. Still, this is pretty irrelevant, as each of the games is of the basic brain-training type, where you have to match symbols, or perform simple arithmetic." Then they mentioned something about not finding the touchscreen sensitive enough, and this affecting their brain age score, but note that recalibrating it sorted it out.

I don't have a Wiz, so I don't know how accurate any of that is.

 

[WarmFluffyUK]

I would love to see the full review, it sounds like it was written by a team of trained monkeys!

 

[gruso]

I must admit, when I first got my GP2X it seemed like a big task finding all the software. Only through Googling did I find this site and the file archive, and eventually made the link between the two and how the whole community worked.

Still, it's a little baffling that a Linux user (and journalist) had any trouble copying some stuff to an SD card. I think too many people are getting dumbed down by appstores.

 

[WarmFluffyUK]

My big problem with this review is that coming from a linux based magazine I would have expected them to be a little bit more tech savvy. The CD that comes with the Wiz has a manual that tells you how to install games on the Wiz and it even has links to our archives and community. The thing the manual lacks is giving you an example of the contents of an ini file for a game. I am assuming the reviewer would have preferred some sort of app that allows you to auto install software on the Wiz like you have with smartphones or alike.

Still, I am very surprised as you would generally expect Linux folk to love getting their hands dirty, after all, it's what their ethos is based on. Where would you be in Linux if you didn't have to hand edit some system files now and then? Ohh the irony!

Addition:
For devs who have pre-production Wizs that obviously never received the disc, if anyone wants the manual I can make it available for download if you like?

 

[gruso]

Ah ok, I was thinking to myself "wouldn't it be good if the Wiz came with information about GP32X and the archives." That's really good that they've done it. ...and it also makes that reviewer seem even more useless. <_<

 

[Orkie]

It is a future publication, what do you expect? It was however, a much more complimentary review than the one they did of the GP2X.

 

[torpor]

Well they do have sort of a point - it *IS* a pain in the butt to get games onto an SD card, make sure its all configured properly, and so on .. when you *compare* it to the iPhone or Android, which are now the new standards for software delivery.

There really is a need for an 'apps manager' type application for the GP2X/Wiz (maybe Pandora will just be smooth with the repo's, we shall see) .. and in my opinion we shouldn't overlook that this is something that could make a huge difference for usability.

I used to work in the synthesizer business, and one of the biggest draws to synths is being able to use other peoples patches .. but it wasn't until the process of loading patches into the machines was automated/managed properly by computers that the patch-library scene really took off. We see this now with games systems too.

Imagine having an app "Wiz Software Manager" that automatically goes out and gets all the bits and bobs you need to have a simple, easy-to-use interface for putting new apps on the system. This would really make a big difference to the kinds of users we'd see using these machines.

Now, it'll all change with the Pandora, but I for one, having just received my Wiz in the mail, sort of dread having to spend a few hours - or even evenings (multiple) - setting up SD cards with different apps and so on. I really look forward to having the Pandora around .. with its Wifi and software repository capabilities. This is going to be huge.

 

[klikklak]

@torpor well, I don't think we have imagine one for long. I mean, they ARE working on FunGP, which should be enough for those with cash to spare. But yeah, repositories, that's an another thing, I'd be really interested in having something like that around. Sadly, it doesn't seem to be a priority for GPH as it's not a direct cash cow.

 

[Orkie]

I would like to point out that I tried something like that for the GP2X, the reaction I got to the idea after the first (very simple) release was about 30% positive and 70% flaming about how people wanted to install stuff manually so I never bothered working on it again. I did push the idea repeatedly for the Pandora, and kept getting told it was a load of crap. It seems I did make an impression in the end, because a little while after I lost interest, they suddenly decided it was a great idea.

 

[klikklak]

there was a windows program for updating emus, didn't try it cause it was windows. Was that by you or did I miss your release? .. in any case, I think people are more used (at least to the idea) to appstores and repositories now, with a few years of those behind us all. So please reconsider it again?

 

[WarmFluffyUK]

I was writing a windows App to install games/apps on the Wiz, I really should finish that project.

 

[torpor]

Orkie: Your Big Mistake was asking the peanut gallery for permission! Really, just do it!
WarmFluffy: You too! Just Do It!

But, please, try to make it cross-platform so that us Linux/OSX users are not left looking at the Windows lunatics with envy .. should be something that can be done with a cross-platform toolkit like wxPython or something easily enough, or something like that .. I will *gladly* participate and help any way I can to make this happen, so just get off your duffs and do it already!

It doesn't have to be accepted by the mainstream. If I were doing it (and I guess I should consider doing this), I'd start by having a site that lists all the really great games for the Wiz, and then have a standalone app-installer that pulls the required bits and pieces from that site. That way you can just update the site first, with details about the apps, and then the App-Installer just reads the site (RSS feed? Why not!!) and pulls the files down per the users preferences. Sure, you might run into a few sticky bits with ROM's and whatnot, but surely there are ways around that .. and maybe it wouldn't be so bad to just go ahead and get as many PD roms as you can in the bundle too ..

 

[Prometheus]

I would love to see the full review, it sounds like it was written by a team of trained monkeys!

Would it cause any problems (with copyrights and whatever) for the board staff or anything if I were to transcribe it? I'm more than happy to do that - I just don't want to bring about any issues, here.

My big problem with this review is that coming from a linux based magazine I would have expected them to be a little bit more tech savvy.

This is what got me about it, too. Bits of it somewhat reminded me of an article they did last year - "Linux on Everything", I believe it was called - which covered installing Linux on various otherwise-closed devices, one of them being the Nintendo DS. They asserted that after installing DSLinux, the DS was no longer usable for games and no longer serviceable under warranty (they claimed to have done this on both a DS and DS Lite, too). I wrote to them with a correction, but it was ignored - I suspected, after this, that they never even attempted to use DSLinux. (For the benefit of those who haven't tried DSLinux: You do not make any modifications to your DS at all - you install it on a piece of flash-media and use it with your homebrew-device of choice. Your warranty is never in danger unless you take the DS apart and reflash the guts.)

It is a future publication, what do you expect? It was however, a much more complimentary review than the one they did of the GP2X.

I can't comment on other Future publications because, well, I expect poor writing from most of them, as you might expect ( :lol: ), but Linux Format isn't usually as terrible as most of them, in my view (though if they keep this sort of stuff up, it's certainly going to dent that view). How was their GP2X review? I missed that, way back when.