Yeah I remember when they were still developing this device. I couldn't wait to get one, then smart phones and tablets took off. :( Tooo much time in development.
This device has nothing to do with smart phones. Totally different product for a different user base. The Pandora is a handheld video game system that does some other multimedia functions.
I like how so many people fail to realize that this is a full Linux PC that fits in your pocket and delivers a 10 hour battery life. Android is a mobile OS and I have yet to see one that can run for 10 hours doing tasks. Some people will just be jelly of things they can't have :). I never owned a Pandora, I wanted one but I'll try to get the pyra which is the successor to the Pandora.
The Pandora is not supposed to only be a gaming device, it's also a full PC. It's minimenu interface is as user-friendly as a hacked PSP, while it's full desktop environment is similar enough to any Windows or Mac version. The PND system means that (for the most part) you can drag and drop one file onto it to install software.
The problem with this device is it's at an odd middle ground that's kinda wiped out... I mean if you want easy portable emulation the PSP does that REALLY well and is far, far, far cheaper. If you wanted more you can get a WinTablet and you'd be able to not only play emulators and such but you'd be able to play windows games. The Surface Pro 2 being capable of playing Skyrim & Borderlands 2 easily, not to mention every emulator made...these units not being too much more expensive than this device as well.
+Snotnarok Not to mention Pandora UK was a Pyramid scheme that has ripped off most of the pre-orders, using the money to build NEW machines that they sold to recent customers! The original adopters lost their money.
In order to understand this thing, you have to understand the story behind it. The project was managed entirely by about three or four people. It was built with heavy emphasis on being easy to program and feature controls for computer and console emulation. The design process included a lot of community involvement. At the time of its conception, it really was pretty cutting-edge, but because of issues with manufacturing, it kept getting delayed. Thus it became pretty obsolete.
I'm getting one. Just waiting for a restock... but the concept and the time put into this device is just incredible. I'm a huge Linux fan too! It's like... a mini laptop :p (I still have it and it's in mint condition. The primary purpose is for PuTTY/SSH and PSOne classics... I still love it)
Thank you for all the videos, i'm from México and we do not have all the retro games here and it's verey nice to have all the information from you años all the Other guys on UA-cam . Thank you again and keep with the good job
The project was way ahead of its time, and the fact that it reached fruition at all is an achievement in itself. If kickstarter would have been around at this thing's conception, I think it would have been much more successful. It was a labor of love by and for the GP2X community. It fits into a very specific niche.
I do have to say though I am super impressed on how far technology has come to see something like this out and running very impressive software. I would love to have one but just not feasible for what I would use it for.
Very good review. I'm thinking of getting a Pandora for Christmas this year and watching this review was helpful. I would've been nice to see how the other features worked, such as Web Browsing, Flash capabilities, etc., but this is good enough. Again, great job on the review and thanks for doin' it! :)
We are living in an easy setup Apple iOS/Android world of simplicity and it's only going to get more user friendly. Releasing a complicated to setup & expensive handheld today isn't going to fly. You shouldn't have to dig around in a forum to figure out how to get something running...
What ringing endorsement! Clearly your reviews are compelling for such retro products. So much so that I just bought a CMVS from analogue interactive (waiting is a bitch! Still it's worth it if the console is what you say it is) and now I'm looking into getting an Ever Drive. Thanks to you. By the way about your NeoGeo emulator for the Pandora. All you need are the NeoGeo BIOS and it works like a charm! This is usually the case for NG emulation on other platforms.
I loved the concept behind this... But I have to say the cheap tablets ($50-$150) you can find if you look beat this quite handily, which is a little disconcerting. (The reason I mention them is because there are 'tablets' with physical controls like a handheld console...)
Reading the comments, I've notice a few people complaning at the price, claiming you could get a laptop or a cell phone for the same amount of money. Most of them don't even know that the product was made in Germany, wich means that the employees where paid with a decent salary, since it is not possible to pay a German citizen the same salary as a chineese. It means that the devices cost WHAT ALL THE ELECTRONIC DEVICES WE BOUGHT AT 200-700$ WHAT IT WOULD IF WE BOUGHT THEM IN, US; CANADA; UK ETC.
John you shoudl really run the mu using the Minimenu interface,i.e the one without the linux winodws etc,this way you'll have a easy way to run all the emu
Hey guys I own a Pandora and it´s an awesome piece of hardware. I really like it how you can use it as a total computer. The learning curve... well you gotta learn how it works ahaha. When I was ordering the Pandora I was encouraged to use it a lot. But I am actually almost never using it... But well it´s cool to be part of the community haha
I kinda like the coleco vision cabagge patch thingy. How Many Players, use keypad now 1 Player Press 1, 2 Player Press 5... was there something wrong using 2?
Being a Linux PC, The Pandora has the most chance to grow as a Handheld Machine, If I'm correct it is ARM based, it may be possible to port Android Apps and other things. Having an Open Source Machines like this is a big need in the gaming community. Free range development is a blessing as much as it is a curse, as you said there is no standard yet. But I believe as more people get on board and more options become available that standard will begin to exist. (cont...)
Wow, it actually got delivered. Never would have believed it to be true. Wow, that's allot of money for something I'll probably never use after the first month, though I wouldn't mind having one.
Hang on a second, i could have sworn the Pandora was a much bigger device or am I getting confused with some abandoned project? The one i remember was some sort of handheld like device that was bigger than a modern day laptop and wider at the sides and had built in speakers at the side and was widely associated as a portable device that would play MMO's such as WOW...any ideas what that was?
I just saw this, I'm so late... I actually thought this was an underrated DS-like handheld but it actually has little to nothing in common with the DS series... Maybe I'll buy its successor, the Pyra.
At $600 that's ridiculous!! I'd rather buy the Nvidia Shield at that price!! Hell in could buy a PS4 and still have $200 to waste elsewhere.. At that price, no thank you.
I was pretty hyped up for the Pandora about 10 years ago. Would be cool to have all the retro games on the go. But 499€ is a bit too much. You can get an android tablet for the same price with better specs and it runs all the emulators, too.
even tho i like the pandora i have to agree on android tablets and phones...even on low end devices you can still get full speed without touching any settings...an old tablet i ordered for $12 on ebay (coby kyros 7042 rooted with google services instead of the bs non supported store it had) that had a cracked screen..all i did was root it (pain in the rear when have cracked screen and have to do it manually through adb), loaded roms and emulators on it and bought a cheap new ion foldable gamepad for $5 from amazon..even tho i could of bought a new tablet, its still the best $17 ive spent in terms of needing something for emulation needs..now if only i could find a pce emulator that didnt crash on start cause pce.emu is the only emulator i have issues with
I like how all the emulators can run off zip files. The only one on pc I can think of is Nestopia. The virtual boy with the red and cyan is cool as hell too.
It's only as complicated for as much effort as a person wants to put into learning about it. Electronics I can customize to my needs are a far more rewarding interaction then a interface someone in a lab came up with and then dumbed down. I think the inverse of your argument is also applicable that as people become more aware of their consumer products they will want to be able manipulate and control them better too.
Is the Atari 2600 emulator at 11:20 the same one PSP2600 uses (an Atari 2600 emulator for the PSP)? The one seen on the video might be Stella, in which PSP2600 is based off. Moreover, the keyboard seen at 12:15 is the DanZeff Keyboard, which pushes me even further to believe those emulators are PSP ports.
Great review! How does DOSBox fare on it though? I'd love to have a portable device to play some old Heroes of Might & Magic or X-COM on from time to time.
great review :) that is so cool that it plays all those emulators and works so well,was so cool to see metal jesus lol keep doing what you do,its awesome :)
Hey Gamester81 or any one on the comments panel, I have an old console that specified for panting and drawing called the Activity Window, it was by LJN, I cant find anything on it, it is pretty old and I think it is obscure was wondering if you had any knowledge about it.
Cool gadget, but the price is what kills it for me. Would I want to play through a super long RPG on a small screen with minimal speakers? Probably not. I mean, yes, you get a lot of gaming with that cost, but you can still only play one game at a time on minimal output without having to plug it into a TV. I'm fine with my laptop that gets 2 hrs battery, personally.
Gamester81 have you explored using the pandora with Amiga 500 600 and 1200 or using wine to play games like simcity 2000 3000 age of empires 1 and 2 or dwarf fortress
I have a pandora, too. Personally, I really like it. Granted, it is expensive (although I have a cheaper, slower model). If you're doing gaming "on the go", then this is a nice system to have. I've used my pandora for gaming, but also for videos (animes). If you do gaming mostly at home, and aren't riding a bus or sitting at school/campus/etc, then this may not be worth it. I'm glad I got mine, though.
Its a cool little system :) They also manufacture the iControlPad, its a gaming accessory for any smartphone. So if you're just looking to play emulated games, and already have a smartphone its very cool!
@Sypthv8 iOS is not based on Linux. It runs a kernel similar to that of OS X, which also has nothing to do with Linux. Android runs a Linux kernel, but the userland is quite different to that of a typical desktop environment found on Linux-based system. Close, but not quite the same.
Woah metal Jesus? What a pleasant surprise!
Mitchell Staley ...with a flip phone! :p
Metal jesus cameo
I can't believe this video is almost a decade old, i remember how hyped i was for the Pandora
"A penguin I guess that's their logo" I'm so sad right now...
Yeah I remember when they were still developing this device. I couldn't wait to get one, then smart phones and tablets took off. :( Tooo much time in development.
Same here, I really wanted one, but now it is unnecessary
I still like having the physical buttons and directional pad for game play, which is lacking on smart phones and tablets.
Jon Leibowitz Wait until the Nintendo switch is hacked.
This device has nothing to do with smart phones. Totally different product for a different user base. The Pandora is a handheld video game system that does some other multimedia functions.
Setting up Sega CD games are tough because of the way the audio needs to be organized in the folders.
I like how so many people fail to realize that this is a full Linux PC that fits in your pocket and delivers a 10 hour battery life. Android is a mobile OS and I have yet to see one that can run for 10 hours doing tasks.
Some people will just be jelly of things they can't have :). I never owned a Pandora, I wanted one but I'll try to get the pyra which is the successor to the Pandora.
Arctic Not only that but people endlessly call it cheap just because it doesn't have a glossy finish.
I'm enjoying a lot of your reviews, and this open pandora is the coolest so far. Thanks!
Yeah I did back the fundraiser for it and will be getting on.
The penguin is... ah screw it, Im sure someone told you.
Penguin in the Linux mascot :]. Nice, didn't know this existed!
This device impresses me on SO many levels! I'm surprised I've never heard of it until today.
The Pandora is not supposed to only be a gaming device, it's also a full PC. It's minimenu interface is as user-friendly as a hacked PSP, while it's full desktop environment is similar enough to any Windows or Mac version. The PND system means that (for the most part) you can drag and drop one file onto it to install software.
The problem with this device is it's at an odd middle ground that's kinda wiped out...
I mean if you want easy portable emulation the PSP does that REALLY well and is far, far, far cheaper.
If you wanted more you can get a WinTablet and you'd be able to not only play emulators and such but you'd be able to play windows games. The Surface Pro 2 being capable of playing Skyrim & Borderlands 2 easily, not to mention every emulator made...these units not being too much more expensive than this device as well.
+Snotnarok Not to mention Pandora UK was a Pyramid scheme that has ripped off most of the pre-orders, using the money to build NEW machines that they sold to recent customers! The original adopters lost their money.
Oh, man - that's the coolest "intro" for unboxing-review EVER!
Looking forward to the pyra? I am, but I hope it comes out soon so it isnt outdated odo like the pandora was.
In order to understand this thing, you have to understand the story behind it. The project was managed entirely by about three or four people. It was built with heavy emphasis on being easy to program and feature controls for computer and console emulation. The design process included a lot of community involvement. At the time of its conception, it really was pretty cutting-edge, but because of issues with manufacturing, it kept getting delayed. Thus it became pretty obsolete.
It's kind of cool you review all these obscure systems.
Now this is a portable worth getting. Was reading on this one a while ago, but wasn't sure how it performed. Glad I saw this vid, thx.
I'm getting one. Just waiting for a restock... but the concept and the time put into this device is just incredible. I'm a huge Linux fan too! It's like... a mini laptop :p (I still have it and it's in mint condition. The primary purpose is for PuTTY/SSH and PSOne classics... I still love it)
Thank you for all the videos, i'm from México and we do not have all the retro games here and it's verey nice to have all the information from you años all the Other guys on UA-cam . Thank you again and keep with the good job
I'm glad you're back man. Hope your arm is doing well!
the first minute of acting was so good. i was so drawn in
The project was way ahead of its time, and the fact that it reached fruition at all is an achievement in itself. If kickstarter would have been around at this thing's conception, I think it would have been much more successful. It was a labor of love by and for the GP2X community. It fits into a very specific niche.
I do have to say though I am super impressed on how far technology has come to see something like this out and running very impressive software. I would love to have one but just not feasible for what I would use it for.
You should do more "extended reviews"... I'd even watch new extended reviews of all the consoles that you've already covered.
Very good review. I'm thinking of getting a Pandora for Christmas this year and watching this review was helpful.
I would've been nice to see how the other features worked, such as Web Browsing, Flash capabilities, etc., but this is good enough. Again, great job on the review and thanks for doin' it! :)
Cool gadget reminds me of the GP32 and GP2X. Loved those.
I was gonna post about the GCW Zero as well, good to see it's getting some love.
How do you not know Tux the Linux mascot? it's only been their mascot since linux became a thing XD
You planning on getting the Pyra handheld?
Great video as always!! loved the cameos!!!
Unique device. Thanks for the thorough look.
Did they at least send you a note apologizing for the 2 year wait? Amazed you actually got it.
Yea sorry I asked that before reaching the end of your review where you said where to get the roms. Looks cool. Im impressed with it.
This is one of those things that I really want but could never actually justify purchasing
We are living in an easy setup Apple iOS/Android world of simplicity and it's only going to get more user friendly. Releasing a complicated to setup & expensive handheld today isn't going to fly. You shouldn't have to dig around in a forum to figure out how to get something running...
john just got nominated for an oscar for this performance.
The hole that you aren't sure about is the wrist strap hole. See its the same on 3ds, ds, Wii remote ect.
Great for bringing to school and using during electives.
Awsome review Gamester! Nice feature lenth video.very informative. Hope you enjoy that new toy!
1:03 metal jesus cameo
What ringing endorsement! Clearly your reviews are compelling for such retro products. So much so that I just bought a CMVS from analogue interactive (waiting is a bitch! Still it's worth it if the console is what you say it is) and now I'm looking into getting an Ever Drive. Thanks to you. By the way about your NeoGeo emulator for the Pandora. All you need are the NeoGeo BIOS and it works like a charm! This is usually the case for NG emulation on other platforms.
Figures Jason would be using a flip phone
I loved the concept behind this... But I have to say the cheap tablets ($50-$150) you can find if you look beat this quite handily, which is a little disconcerting. (The reason I mention them is because there are 'tablets' with physical controls like a handheld console...)
"I hate that guy"
"Man, I love that guy"
comedy gold :D
Reading the comments, I've notice a few people complaning at the price, claiming you could get a laptop or a cell phone for the same amount of money. Most of them don't even know that the product was made in Germany, wich means that the employees where paid with a decent salary, since it is not possible to pay a German citizen the same salary as a chineese. It means that the devices cost WHAT ALL THE ELECTRONIC DEVICES WE BOUGHT AT 200-700$ WHAT IT WOULD IF WE BOUGHT THEM IN, US; CANADA; UK ETC.
John you shoudl really run the mu using the Minimenu interface,i.e the one without the linux winodws etc,this way you'll have a easy way to run all the emu
Hey guys I own a Pandora and it´s an awesome piece of hardware. I really like it how you can use it as a total computer. The learning curve... well you gotta learn how it works ahaha. When I was ordering the Pandora I was encouraged to use it a lot. But I am actually almost never using it... But well it´s cool to be part of the community haha
I kinda like the coleco vision cabagge patch thingy. How Many Players, use keypad now 1 Player Press 1, 2 Player Press 5... was there something wrong using 2?
as soon as i get a job the first thing i am saving up for is one ive wanted one since they anounced it
I'm noticing the touch screen isn't very responsive when you're trying to hit the icons
you should be able to turn up the volume past 100% if you go into the audio settings in the gnome style desktop let me know if this helps
What's that arm exoskeleton thing he's wearing because I want one now?
Being a Linux PC, The Pandora has the most chance to grow as a Handheld Machine, If I'm correct it is ARM based, it may be possible to port Android Apps and other things. Having an Open Source Machines like this is a big need in the gaming community. Free range development is a blessing as much as it is a curse, as you said there is no standard yet. But I believe as more people get on board and more options become available that standard will begin to exist. (cont...)
Wow, it actually got delivered. Never would have believed it to be true.
Wow, that's allot of money for something I'll probably never use after the first month, though I wouldn't mind having one.
wow that mortal ombat music was ROCKN
Hang on a second, i could have sworn the Pandora was a much bigger device or am I getting confused with some abandoned project? The one i remember was some sort of handheld like device that was bigger than a modern day laptop and wider at the sides and had built in speakers at the side and was widely associated as a portable device that would play MMO's such as WOW...any ideas what that was?
I just saw this, I'm so late... I actually thought this was an underrated DS-like handheld but it actually has little to nothing in common with the DS series... Maybe I'll buy its successor, the Pyra.
At $600 that's ridiculous!! I'd rather buy the Nvidia Shield at that price!! Hell in could buy a PS4 and still have $200 to waste elsewhere.. At that price, no thank you.
I was pretty hyped up for the Pandora about 10 years ago. Would be cool to have all the retro games on the go. But 499€ is a bit too much. You can get an android tablet for the same price with better specs and it runs all the emulators, too.
even tho i like the pandora i have to agree on android tablets and phones...even on low end devices you can still get full speed without touching any settings...an old tablet i ordered for $12 on ebay (coby kyros 7042 rooted with google services instead of the bs non supported store it had) that had a cracked screen..all i did was root it (pain in the rear when have cracked screen and have to do it manually through adb), loaded roms and emulators on it and bought a cheap new ion foldable gamepad for $5 from amazon..even tho i could of bought a new tablet, its still the best $17 ive spent in terms of needing something for emulation needs..now if only i could find a pce emulator that didnt crash on start cause pce.emu is the only emulator i have issues with
what about the controller?
I ahve 8btido controllers, nearly every bluetooth controller works with android devices. I use them on the laptop, though.
I see. I'm gona wait and see if this Xbox Tablet that I've been hearing rumors about comes to fruition. That might be worth buying.
Thanx! Love all your videos. A true gamer
I like that small console ,maybe you can keep a lot a games, thank you man to show this funtion
It's designed and assembled in the UK, and not China so that's the reason for the high pricetag. People seem to not be aware of this.
why does the gb emulator use a green-yellow and black screen in stead of the black and white one from the gb pocket?
It's my Star Wars blanket. =)
Lol nice intro and review!
I like how all the emulators can run off zip files. The only one on pc I can think of is Nestopia. The virtual boy with the red and cyan is cool as hell too.
can you save your game on this and go back later to play it
it would be nice if it had a dual screen with touch screen on the bottom and a touch screen keyboard, so you can play NDS rooms.
correct me if I'm wrong, you need the BIOS files in the same roms directory in order to play the NEOGEO games neogeo.zip
Did u try to double check see if you selected sound on ? Maybe when u go back it didn't save it?
It's only as complicated for as much effort as a person wants to put into learning about it. Electronics I can customize to my needs are a far more rewarding interaction then a interface someone in a lab came up with and then dumbed down. I think the inverse of your argument is also applicable that as people become more aware of their consumer products they will want to be able manipulate and control them better too.
Cool looking but that hing that holds up the screen seems a bit weak. But still cool
Is the Atari 2600 emulator at 11:20 the same one PSP2600 uses (an Atari 2600 emulator for the PSP)? The one seen on the video might be Stella, in which PSP2600 is based off.
Moreover, the keyboard seen at 12:15 is the DanZeff Keyboard, which pushes me even further to believe those emulators are PSP ports.
Great review! How does DOSBox fare on it though? I'd love to have a portable device to play some old Heroes of Might & Magic or X-COM on from time to time.
great review :) that is so cool that it plays all those emulators and works so well,was so cool to see metal jesus lol keep doing what you do,its awesome :)
I had to load the roms myself Cliva.
I can build a decent PC for 600 bucks.
Fuck that noise.
JROKGaming A PC won't fit in your pocket.
I'm curious as to how well you think it emulates compared to the ouya.
Hey Gamester81 or any one on the comments panel, I have an old console that specified for panting and drawing called the Activity Window, it was by LJN, I cant find anything on it, it is pretty old and I think it is obscure was wondering if you had any knowledge about it.
Cool gadget, but the price is what kills it for me. Would I want to play through a super long RPG on a small screen with minimal speakers? Probably not. I mean, yes, you get a lot of gaming with that cost, but you can still only play one game at a time on minimal output without having to plug it into a TV. I'm fine with my laptop that gets 2 hrs battery, personally.
I enjoyed the dialogue at the beginning. XD
Great vid, so this is like a current day version of what the GP32 was 10 years ago ??
Never even heard of this but it looks like a cool piece of kit John, like a DS on drugs.
Love all the reviews you've done, could you occasionally play a sports game or two.
Hey thanks a lot.
Gamester81 have you explored using the pandora with Amiga 500 600 and 1200 or using wine to play games like simcity 2000 3000 age of empires 1 and 2 or dwarf fortress
no snes audio would be a dealbreaker for me
how much are these now? MY pal jam would love one of these, he gets 30 games a week avg
I have a pandora, too. Personally, I really like it. Granted, it is expensive (although I have a cheaper, slower model). If you're doing gaming "on the go", then this is a nice system to have. I've used my pandora for gaming, but also for videos (animes). If you do gaming mostly at home, and aren't riding a bus or sitting at school/campus/etc, then this may not be worth it. I'm glad I got mine, though.
Its a cool little system :) They also manufacture the iControlPad, its a gaming accessory for any smartphone. So if you're just looking to play emulated games, and already have a smartphone its very cool!
Man, you really like that stylus don't you? Took me like 5 min on mine to learn to use the nubs/d-pad. I like the full desktop also.
@Sypthv8 iOS is not based on Linux. It runs a kernel similar to that of OS X, which also has nothing to do with Linux. Android runs a Linux kernel, but the userland is quite different to that of a typical desktop environment found on Linux-based system. Close, but not quite the same.
That is true, but that's my personal Facebook. =)
I just looked on the website and it said on sale 600. I could buy 3 Nicosia shields for that
Just how responsive is the touch screen?
that thing looks awesome, and it runs linux and n64 im so saving for one
So. What is the difference between rebirth, and 1GHz Platinum.
Hey John. I know this video is a few years old but I am curious to where you get your roms. I can't find any good sites that don't seem shady