Nvidia ION Handheld - Opinions?

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Re: Nvidia ION Handheld - Opinions?

Post by XCVG » Sat Feb 28, 2009 9:49 pm

Kurt_ wrote:Don't forget OUR dollar!

1.00 CAD = 0.550814 GBP = 0.786287 USD = 0.620223 EUR

Woo inferior currency
It used to be so much higher :(

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Re: Nvidia ION Handheld - Opinions?

Post by eagle5953 » Mon Mar 02, 2009 9:16 am

While we're discussing small-form motherboards for emulation, check out these credit-card sized Atom-based motherboards I saw on engadget:

http://www.toradex.com/En/Products/Robin_Z530_Z510

It's the same board used by the Sony Vaio P. They should be able to handle anything pre-PS1/N64, I should think. With a linux-based OS, they could be used in a very small, svelte machine.

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Re: Nvidia ION Handheld - Opinions?

Post by jjhammerstein » Mon Mar 02, 2009 9:53 am

eagle5953 wrote:While we're discussing small-form motherboards for emulation, check out these credit-card sized Atom-based motherboards I saw on engadget:

http://www.toradex.com/En/Products/Robin_Z530_Z510

It's the same board used by the Sony Vaio P. They should be able to handle anything pre-PS1/N64, I should think. With a linux-based OS, they could be used in a very small, svelte machine.
jjhammerstein wrote:http://www.toradex.com/En/Products/Robin_Z530_Z510

That's another consideration. It's even SMALLER!
I honestly know NOTHING about graphics, but it seems like this would be plenty powerful to run a tiny dedicated emulation handheld for N64 and older.
I posted that on page 3.
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Re: Nvidia ION Handheld - Opinions?

Post by XCVG » Mon Mar 02, 2009 9:56 am

The problem is the graphics, GMA 500 is completely worthless crap. They didn't even put one of the newer, better(ish) ones in! Seriously, don't bother until ION comes out. If it sucks, well at least we looked. If it's great, then yay.

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Re: Nvidia ION Handheld - Opinions?

Post by eagle5953 » Mon Mar 02, 2009 11:09 am

jjhammerstein wrote:I posted that on page 3.
Sorry about that. Now that you mention it, I guess I do remember reading those posts. I guess I didn't realize it was the same thing.

*hides in shame*

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Re: Nvidia ION Handheld - Opinions?

Post by jjhammerstein » Mon Mar 02, 2009 11:10 am

All good.
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Re: Nvidia ION Handheld - Opinions?

Post by tom61 » Mon Mar 02, 2009 5:12 pm

XCVG wrote:The problem is the graphics, GMA 500 is completely worthless crap. They didn't even put one of the newer, better(ish) ones in! Seriously, don't bother until ION comes out. If it sucks, well at least we looked. If it's great, then yay.
GMA 500 is much better than it's higher numbered predecessors. The GMA 500 is DirectX 10 capable, and while not as good as most newer dedicated PCI-E x16 graphics cards, it is much better than either the GMA 900 or 950.

This has also been covered...

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Re: Nvidia ION Handheld - Opinions?

Post by bicostp » Thu Mar 26, 2009 7:30 pm

Remember this?

Well, I messed around with it some more so it looks less like a toy and has a screen that's actually usable. :lol:

Image

The specs and ports are basically the same, but there are a few improvements:

- The screen is now 1024x600 instead of 800x600, since most websites seem to be made for a minimum 1024 width. (Plus it lets you have a bigger screen at the same pixel density.)
- The face buttons are gone (why do you need buttons and a trackpad on a touchscreen device?)
- There's enough room on top to attach a Mini DisplayPort connector (possible onboard DVI)
- It's slightly smaller on all sides (mainly from a printing error when I made the mock-up :mrgreen:) New dimensions: 5.25" x 3.25" x 0.75" to 1" thick.

Other than that it's exactly the same. Same hardware capabilities, same CPU and chipset, same space for a DDR2 SO-DIMM and 1.8 inch hard drive or SSD... You still get 2 USB ports, 2 SDHC card slots, and all those other goodies, but with a better screen.

Speaking of screens, I wonder if they could make an OLED display to spec at an affordable price. The OQO model 2+ has a 5" OLED, but it's 800x480, not 1024x800. Whatever the screen size, it would be nice if the display drivers could stretch non-native resolutions to fit the screen with anti-aliasing, with letterbox, stretch, and scrolling crop-to-fit modes, similar to how widescreen TVs deal with 4:3 video. An OLED would extend battery life (draws less power than even an LED backlit LCD), and would make more space available inside for batteries and cooling.

Here's how it would look in a game controller cradle (which would be an accessory):

Image

It only adds about an inch to both sides. This doesn't sound like much, but it's plenty for a Game Boy size D-pad and set of face buttons. (Better speakers than the original unit comes with would go at the bottom on each side; I just got lazy and didn't draw them.

I made a cardboard-and-duct-tape mock-up of the unit and game controller, and it's not bad. It's bigger than a Game Boy (duh, the base unit is the size of my Game Boy Color), but smaller than the Atari Lynx (whose empty cases have been providing shelter for the homeless since 1989).It's comfortable to use, though. It seems bulky, but it fits in my jeans pocket fairly comfortably. (Certainly better than an Aspire One. :lol:)

What do you think? (Remember this is a real x86 PC, not a wimpy ARM System-on-a-chip thing.

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Re: Nvidia ION Handheld - Opinions?

Post by jjhammerstein » Thu Mar 26, 2009 8:15 pm

Is this something you're actually thinking about doing, or just theoretical speculation?

I like this mockup much better.
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Re: Nvidia ION Handheld - Opinions?

Post by bicostp » Thu Mar 26, 2009 8:24 pm

Theoretical speculation, it's something I want to see made. No way in hell could I actually make this myself. :lol:

It was fun making the cardboard one, though.

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Re: Nvidia ION Handheld - Opinions?

Post by eurddrue » Thu Mar 26, 2009 8:32 pm

bic, have you ever made a portable? I can't find any by you and you never answer pm's.
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Re: Nvidia ION Handheld - Opinions?

Post by jjhammerstein » Thu Mar 26, 2009 8:35 pm

In that case:

OLED screen
Built-in screenspeaker
Capacitive touch
Webcam
GPS
WiFi
3G
Bluetooth

Honestly, there's no reason why they couldn't do it. :/ Other than OLED cost.

Probably looking at a $1000 price tag? $1500?
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Re: Nvidia ION Handheld - Opinions?

Post by bicostp » Thu Mar 26, 2009 9:03 pm

I was shooting for a $500 price point, but realistically it would cost more. It should cost less than the OQO, since it would be made out of plastic without the sliding screen thing, and use a cheaper Atom CPU.
eurddrue wrote:bic, have you ever made a portable?


Was going to make a portable PSone. Bought a couple Intec screenpads (little 2.5" things) and a couple used PSones, but it never made it off the drawing board due to time constraints. (Later I was just too lazy to build once since I had my emulator-running laptop with me at all my college classes.) Al the parts are still in a box somewhere.

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Re: Nvidia ION Handheld - Opinions?

Post by jjhammerstein » Fri Mar 27, 2009 8:13 am

Make it out of meal, cheapskate.

I'm looking at the OQO, it's a lot like what we're talking about.
I think a $1000 price point is within reach.
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Re: Nvidia ION Handheld - Opinions?

Post by jar1836 » Sun May 02, 2010 5:38 pm

check this out,
http://www.aliexpress.com/product-gs/29 ... alers.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

since the pico itx nvidia ion refernce board never got put into production, this thing seems small enough to convert into a handheld. smaller than netbook and nettop boards, could it be possible to power with a battery along with a screen and still be reasonable

also
http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/26936 ... _mini.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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