Pandora Handheld

[Dragonlord]

Dramatically. It will have a real stack with OpenGL ES 2.0 much like the PS3 already offers.

Make your game for SDL and OpenGL for Linux/MacOS, make sure you don't exceed 128Mb of system footprint, make sure you don't do things that'd screw up an OpenGL ES version, and you've got the bulk of the work done.

My engine is POSIX and the Graphic Module fully pluggable so I'm not concerned. In the worst case I can make a new Graphic Module for the Pandora only... that's the beauty of a true run-time modular engine

[niniendowarrior]

This really looks like a great device. But like its namesake, I wonder if this is a Linux Pandora's box that helps convince big companies not to support it.

Linux == IP infringing users (I can imagine corporate morons thinking like this)

It's probably unfair to say that every owner of Pandora and GP*x devices use it to play roms and stuff, but I fear the perception this brings.

[Aradreth]

This really looks like a great device. But like its namesake, I wonder if this is a Linux Pandora's box that helps convince big companies not to support it.

Linux == IP infringing users (I can imagine corporate morons thinking like this)

It's probably unfair to say that every owner of Pandora and GP*x devices use it to play roms and stuff, but I fear the perception this brings.

Actually from the closed source ports thread on gp32x.com I'd say it's more companies don't think it will have the user base to be worth it. Also roms aren't illegal so long as you own the disk and console but yeah not many people actually own a SNES and all the games...

[xav1r]

Damn, i want to get this, when is it being released? (And how much will it cost???)

[Aradreth]

Damn, i want to get this, when is it being released? (And how much will it cost???)

Pre-orders start on the 30th and it should come out early to mid November (12th) apparently. As for the price :-

How much will it cost?
Around ?199 (inc VAT), $330, Euro212 (Ex.VAT).

Best place for more information about it though is here and the official site is here.

[xav1r]

$330? Thats expensive. I assume that if you think of it as a tiny laptop then it makes more sense, but for a handheld console, damn, it costs almost as much as a xbox360.

[Aradreth]

$330? Thats expensive. I assume that if you think of it as a tiny laptop then it makes more sense, but for a handheld console, damn, it costs almost as much as a xbox360.

It's not really a handheld console... more the child of a Nokia N800 and PSP. :P

[Thetargos]

This really looks like a great device. But like its namesake, I wonder if this is a Linux Pandora's box that helps convince big companies not to support it.

Linux == IP infringing users (I can imagine corporate morons thinking like this)

It's probably unfair to say that every owner of Pandora and GP*x devices use it to play roms and stuff, but I fear the perception this brings.

The GP*X is already famous among the homebrew crowd, and Pandora most likely will too. However, my concerns are rather about commercial game support, particularly exclusive titles, and how would a studio/publisher deliver the games on the hand held, through the SD slots? Wouldn't that poise infringement and piracy issues? I'd love to see this device used at its full capacity by compelling titles. I'd like big commercial studios to turn their faces to it and develop games and software to fully utilize it... will it happen?

[RobbieAB]

The SD slots pose no greater piracy issues than CDs or DVDs do for the current batch of consoles, so that's really a non-issue. If anything it makes life easier as you can afford to "ship and patch", which is a lot trickier with optical media

[xav1r]

I dont think this new device will be targetted by big studio publishers for publishing their next titles. And i dont think the makers of the pandora device will pursue that path either. its essentially in my opinion a (expensive) linux hack toy, and a very cool one indeed. I would love to be able to play doom3 on it.