You Decide If The Pandora Is Right For Me

[transmition]

I am interested in the Pandora, but I am not sure if it is a wise purchase on my part. Let me explain my situation:
1. I need to get a new mp3 player. I like the massive storage, hardware controls, and battery life of the pandora
2. I might* use it for basic web browsing, instant messaging, and email.
3. I might* use it for some light gaming such as old GBC games.
4. If N64 emulation becomes a viable, I will buy this regardless.

Of course, these 4 things are conditional. The first seems like it would do a decent job, but if the other three don't hold up, I think I would be better off buying a new iPod nano.

#2, after installing dslinux on my Nintendo DS, I have come to the conclusion that portable browsing, IM and email isn't what is is cracked up to be. The vast majority of the time, you will not be near an open wifi network to connect to, and if you know the WPA password to a network, chances are you will have your laptop with you anyway, yielding a portable handheld pointless.

#3, I have already set up my DS to run GBC games via an R4. I am not much of a gamer, but these are virtually all I bother to play.

#4 I never owned an N64, but there are some games that I have always wanted to own. However, it seems that the buttons wouldn't map well, and that this is not much of a possibility anyway.

So, would it be unwise for me to purchase a Pandora?

 

[javaJake]

1. I need to get a new mp3 player. I like the massive storage, hardware controls, and battery life of the pandora
Nothing beats an iPod in this arena. The Pandora will be able to do everything the iPod can do, plus more formats, but it will never be on the same level of ease or desktop integration the iPod has.

2. I might* use it for basic web browsing, instant messaging, and email.
Pandora is perfect for this, if by "basic web browsing" you mean no Flash. (Flash is possible, but no guarantees, so it's best to plan for the lack of.)

3. I might* use it for some light gaming such as old GBC games.
Pandora was designed to do this, but I hear there are cheaper alternatives if you care to only go for "light" gaming in your next handheld purchase.

4. If N64 emulation becomes a viable, I will buy this regardless.
N64 is again possible, but I'd plan for it to not exist, because it has about as much of a chance of happening as Flash does, as I see it.

#2, after installing dslinux on my Nintendo DS, I have come to the conclusion that portable browsing, IM and email isn't what is is cracked up to be. The vast majority of the time, you will not be near an open wifi network to connect to, and if you know the WPA password to a network, chances are you will have your laptop with you anyway, yielding a portable handheld pointless.
Perhaps, but there'll always be the moment when a laptop would be cumbersome to bring along or even just open up. The Pandora is a little less noticeable. And, goshdarnit, it's just plain mobile! :"]

#3, I have already set up my DS to run GBC games via an R4. I am not much of a gamer, but these are virtually all I bother to play.

#4 I never owned an N64, but there are some games that I have always wanted to own. However, it seems that the buttons wouldn't map well, and that this is not much of a possibility anyway.
Spot on on these two.

So, would it be unwise for me to purchase a Pandora?
Yes, it would be unwise to purchase now. You've got your bases covered pretty much as it is. There's not much unique jobs here to justify the $330 purchase, unless you're looking to bring all the seperate devices you own into a single gaming UMPC.

 

[Exophase]

I don't think the Pandora is a poor match for N64's controls. The c-buttons are often used for camera (if it all), so mapping them to the second analog isn't that bad. Of course there are plenty of buttons on the keyboard for using them via normal buttons too. Other than that, you have the face buttons for A, B, and Z, leaving one button remaining for whatever.

 

[Skofo]

QUOTE
So, would it be unwise for me to purchase a Pandora?

First, I would like you to keep in mind that a Pandora is not a necessity for most people, but instead is for entertainment. The only way it'd be unwise for you to get a Pandora is if you don't want one. We cannot decide for you whether or not you think that the Pandora is worth buying, because we all appreciate different things.

Perhaps I should tell you the reasons why I am getting a Pandora, and perhaps some of those things you may have not realized before and they may entice you as well.

The first and most obvious reason I'm getting a Pandora is to play games. Games rock. Playing Playstation games on a handheld rocks. However, when it comes to emulating the Playstation and less powerful consoles, the PSP does it just as well while being cheaper, so why am I getting a Pandora? Because as far as I know, the PSP does not play most freedomware games, which also rock. The thought of playing Wesnoth on the metro and bringing it over to a friend's house along with DDR pads and a TV-out cable to play some Stepmania excites me. I also like the openness of the Pandora. With the PSP you have to go through illegal hacks and stuff to get any unofficial software to work, which discourages me to get it, much less develop for it.

There are many non-gaming reasons I want a Pandora too. One user, a while ago, mentioned the concept of a BitTorrent program that can continually scout for open networks and connect to them and gradually download your stuff while you're traveling, which I thought was a very cool and useful concept. Regular torrenting would be nice with it too, since I wouldn't have to leave on my beastly electricity-nomming desktop system just to download files. The Pandora seems like a very nice travelling gadget, overall. The ~100 hours battery life playing music is really nice for me. Also, I plan to travel cross-country in the future, and I think that with a USB dongle the Pandora would be a nice GPS as well, not to mention a web browser and VoIP tool as well. Also I will be getting into college soon and I don't have a laptop, so I'm hoping to use the Pandora to take notes.

But at the end of the day, I expect to just plop down on my bed and just play some games, watch porn and instant message with it, which is probably the case for most people.

Like I said, whether or not you want a Pandora all depends on whether or not you want a Pandora. My priorities and everyone else's priorities are different from yours.

 

[Awakening]

The Pandora is good for 3 things as I see it: Gaming, movies and working. Playing MP3s on a Pandora works great but wouldn't be as convenient as a real MP3 player, or rather a mobile phone with MP3 capabilities which is quite practical (one unit less to carry around). The Pandora is a laptop replacement that isn't as powerful but a whole lot more portable. The Pandora allows you to do pretty much anything a laptop can do pretty much anywhere you want a laptop is to large to use in bed or on the buss and won't fit your pocket, not to forget the battery life is usually many times that of a laptop. There are more and more wifi hotspots around like restaurants, hotels and schools and the Pandora screen is large enough to suit most websites.

 

[gaterooze]

If I were you, I'd just get a cheap MP3 player, or an iPod that can play GBC games.

 

[jlepley]

, so mapping them to the second analog isn't that bad. Of course there are plenty of buttons on the keyboard for using them via normal buttons too. Other than that, you have the face buttons for A, B, and Z, leaving one button remaining for whatever.

Actually, I think the N64's Z-button should be mapped to the Pandora's L-button, since the L-button was one of the least-used buttons on the N64.

 

[God Ginrai]

I don't think the Pandora is a poor match for N64's controls. The c-buttons are often used for camera (if it all"], so mapping them to the second analog isn't that bad. Of course there are plenty of buttons on the keyboard for using them via normal buttons too. Other than that, you have the face buttons for A, B, and Z, leaving one button remaining for whatever.

Actually, I think the N64's Z-button should be mapped to the Pandora's L-button, since the L-button was one of the least-used buttons on the N64.[/quote]I've been so desperate for handheld OoT, that as soon as there is a possibility of it being on a handheld, I start figuring out button mappings. I came up with suitable N64 controls a long time ago.

N64 - Pandora
A - P
B - O
C Buttons - ABXY
Start - Start
L - 0
R - R
Z - L

The L and Z button mappings can be switched when you are playing games that make use of the L button instead of the Z.

-God Ginrai

 

[gruso]

A - P
B - O
C Buttons - ABXY
Start - Start
L - 0
R - R
Z - L

The L and Z button mappings can be switched when you are playing games that make use of the L button instead of the Z.
This is exactly what I came up with. Great minds, etc.

 

[God Ginrai]

A - P
B - O
C Buttons - ABXY
Start - Start
L - 0
R - R
Z - L

The L and Z button mappings can be switched when you are playing games that make use of the L button instead of the Z.
This is exactly what I came up with. Great minds, etc.

Indeed.

-God Ginrai

 

[jlepley]

I like those as a default, but it should be user-configurable, so the C-buttons can be mapped to the analog stick and the Z-button mapped to certain letter buttons. Since each game uses the controls differently.

 

[God Ginrai]

I like those as a default, but it should be user-configurable, so the C-buttons can be mapped to the analog stick and the Z-button mapped to certain letter buttons. Since each game uses the controls differently.

Of course. I believe that all emulators for the Pandora should have fully-mappable controls, and that you should be able to have seperate configurations that you can load on the fly (or even seperate configurations that are saved based on the game you mapped them for). My point in stating that mapping was to show that N64 could be mapped well to the Pandora.

-God Ginrai

 

[Tensuke]

I am interested in the Pandora, but I am not sure if it is a wise purchase on my part. Let me explain my situation:
1. I need to get a new mp3 player. I like the massive storage, hardware controls, and battery life of the pandora
2. I might* use it for basic web browsing, instant messaging, and email.
3. I might* use it for some light gaming such as old GBC games.
4. If N64 emulation becomes a viable, I will buy this regardless.

Of course, these 4 things are conditional. The first seems like it would do a decent job, but if the other three don't hold up, I think I would be better off buying a new iPod nano.

#2, after installing dslinux on my Nintendo DS, I have come to the conclusion that portable browsing, IM and email isn't what is is cracked up to be. The vast majority of the time, you will not be near an open wifi network to connect to, and if you know the WPA password to a network, chances are you will have your laptop with you anyway, yielding a portable handheld pointless.

#3, I have already set up my DS to run GBC games via an R4. I am not much of a gamer, but these are virtually all I bother to play.

#4 I never owned an N64, but there are some games that I have always wanted to own. However, it seems that the buttons wouldn't map well, and that this is not much of a possibility anyway.

So, would it be unwise for me to purchase a Pandora?

1) Those are definitely pluses. And of course many more codecs are supported, for audio as well as video. The UI may not be on par with an iPod's or other dedicated MP3 Player's, but I imagine most of the time you'd just set a playlist and forget it, so that may or may not really matter.
2) It's probably not economically/geographically viable, but 3G data sticks work wonders for light browsing anywhere you are. Certainly torrents and other network-intensive things should be done with wifi instead, but a 3G stick should still get your fix for emails/IM/etc. Tethering with your phone is also a good alternative, but again is probably not an option for you. So you've kind of got it there if you don't spring for a wireless data stick/phone tether.
3) If you do light gaming focused around the GBC, then a DS is perfect for it. No reason to get a whole Pandora for it. But as you say you would want to play N64 games, perhaps you'd want to move on to more powerful consoles than a GBC eventually, or even the massive amount of freeware/commercial games. The option would definitely be there(and better than a PSP what with the second analog nub and the whole opensource thing).
4) I agree with JavaJake; plan for no N64 emulator. While possible, it probably won't happen for a very long time. You'd be waiting quite a while to get some use out of $330!

So those are just some points regarding yours...Obviously the choice is up to you, but if you want an insanely powerful, opensource, community-driven pocket computer, get a Pandora. If you're fine with having multiple lesser devices that do their main task excellently, and some other tasks pretty well, stick with those.

 

[Alpha2]

No the Pandora is not right for you.

...also you should break up with your wife, buy a motorcycle and drive across Austrailia. I mean if we're deciding things for people anyway, why stop there?

 

[nubie]

Get a Sandisk Sansa for $20-50 and run rockbox on it. Then decide if you need to pay for the ridiculous ipod brand name. (Did I mention that the Sansa supports SD media? And Has any ipod ever supported memory expansion? Thought not.)

 

[JayFoxRox]

I got a friends sansa but its internal memory is broken and it can't load my songs from my SD neither. He gave me his old sansa because he got a new one - my music also fails on his one (also stuck on creating database), but it works fine on DS and PSP.
I think sansa is not too good neither - and rockbox seems to limit you more than the original firmware (no videos possible? hell... if I don't want video I could also get one of those EXTREMLY cheap usb stick shaped mp3 players without a good display or without a display at all)
But like others said: Pandora - no, not for you, not yet.

 

[WizardStan]

QUOTE
You Decide If The Pandora Is Right For Me
or you can look at the specs, draw up a chart of pros and cons, and use your brain to decide for yourself.

 

[Kyo]

I don't think pn64 is as unlikely as you guys make it out to be. We have people developing a dreamcast and psp emulator, for fucks sake. Once it's out I'm sure we'll find a dev who's interested enough.

 

[DannyBiker]

C’mon guys, don’t be so harsh, people are still allowed to ask for a piece of advice…
…and that’s what I’m going to do!

For my first post here, I’m using this thread to ask you if the Pandora is the right choice for me but also (and mainly) ask you questions the FAQ didn’t answer.

I discovered Pandora’s existence a week ago. I’m a former DSLite and current-PSP user. Both systems have great things to offer but also major flaws. What they taught me is that I have as much (not to say more) interest in discovering what the underground scene has to offer for those systems than in the actual gaming experience. I tend to pick up my 360 controller for that…

So there is the Pandora, with everything I’m looking for: a big screen for watching videos, emulator possibilities (my PSP became an emulating machine with time), a small laptop, etc. So I’m sure it will deliver in terms of finding every day a new function for it (hoping the community will follow). But…


I still have several doubts and questions:

- I’d like to use it to take notes at the university during the lecture but will it be possible (screen and keyboard maybe too small?)? I was thinking of buying one of those flexible keyboards to make it easier but I know nothing about the feasibility of this…

- How does it work in terms of shipment? To be more specific: what extra costs (shipment fees and/or something else) will I have to consider if I live, let’s say, in Belgium? I couldn’t find any specific info about that.

- Warranty: I know the delay is due to extra-in-depth-super-intense testing but what if the system stops working after a while. What is planned about this ?

- Finally: when will it be available ??


Ahah, just kidding.



Thanks !

 

[hedwards]

1. I need to get a new mp3 player. I like the massive storage, hardware controls, and battery life of the pandora
Nothing beats an iPod in this arena. The Pandora will be able to do everything the iPod can do, plus more formats, but it will never be on the same level of ease or desktop integration the iPod has.
You mean, except for most other mp3 players, right? Not to be too much of a fanboi, but the iPod ripped off it's internal interface from Creative, and pretty much every mp3 player now has that sort of drag and drop interface. You can usually save a considerable amount of money and get better sound quality by going with the competition.

As for the rest of the GP's comments, I'd recommend you wait, unless you've got a burning need for those other things or the n64 support ends up being notable. Personally I was largely in you're boat, except that I definitely wanted the web capabilities.