Pandora Box

[Vimster]

Technoan just uploaded a review of the Pandora 5S arcade stick:

 

It's a tempting prospect. Has anyone had experience with these? It's not an Raspberry Pi-based stick, looks pretty solid. And it can be used as a standard USB arcade stick.

[super_quincy]

Ive got the Pandora Box 4 jamma cart, it’s ok but the emulation is a bit off in places, and the games aren’t curated particularly well. As for the stick, it looks pretty solid.

check Rerez on YouTube, he’s just done a review of it which seems fair.

[Blu3Flame]

It looks pretty iffy from that video. It's basically a just a cheap Allwinner device. The emulation on those will always be worse than on a Pi simply because of how closed source the architecture is.

[SeanR]

it was going to be my 4th option for my neogeo fix

 

right after cd/aes/mvs (which would it would have had a supergun, then I'd have got the JAMMA edition pandora  and used the NG controllers)

 

but then I have two Pi, a laptop, and the ACA collection on PS4 if I wanted to emulate.

 

I mean, obviously the twin sticks would have required some serious real-estate, and it's a bit dodgy, right?

Edited December 1, 2017 by SeanR

[Vimster]

Having a think about it I really only want it for the sticks,  but I'm sure there are probably better options out there. 

[SeanR]

27 minutes ago, Vimster said:

Having a think about it I really only want it for the sticks,  but I'm sure there are probably better options out there. 

 

"build it, they will come..."

 

(a pi-based barcade, or summat)

[SeanR]

£40 for 999 games

£60 for a half-decent supergun

 

And a power supply...

 

Assuming you've got and RGB scart enabled TV, or upscaler, and neo geo pads/sticks...

 

Or build sticks using a kit

 

Suddenly you're £100 plus... there are cheaper versions of all the links

 

But, it opens doors. JAMMA means you could add an MVS, and run arcade boards...

[amc]

So is this a swerve then? I'm pretty clueless nowadays about emulation and have no wish to put something together from scratch. This looked like a decent way to play a few classic coin-ops on my TV.

[amc]

To answer my own question above, I bought myself a kit for one of these that puts it into a mini arcade. Got to say I'm impressed, I've only come across outrun in the 999 games that plays poorly and I have a cracking port on my 3DS XL so I'm not fussed. Probably could have done it cheaper with a Pi but it does what I want and with its Sanwa sticks and buttons it plays a good game. Very Happy.

 

 

[AceGrace]

It I bought a Pandora's box 5s just before Christmas. As others have said, the emulation can be a bit off at times but overall I find it quite convenient.

 

Biggest downside for me is no gauntlet 1 & 2!

[X_2_0]

No Gauntlet?  Well that blows!  I expect they managed to find room for endless  Mahjong Roms though? 

[AceGrace]

There is a 6 around that allows you to plug in a usb stick to add more games

[Goose]

If you've got a 4xx into 1 in a Jamma based arcade machine, can you swap that out for one of these?

[amc]

On 17/03/2018 at 20:34, Goose said:

If you've got a 4xx into 1 in a Jamma based arcade machine, can you swap that out for one of these?

I'm not to up on jamma so the numbers you posted may mean something specific but you can indeed put one of the 5s boxes and plug it into a jamma based arcade.

 

Got to say I'm loving my mini arcade, playing the metal slug games with a good joystick and buttons instead of on a pad is a revelation. 

[Oh Danny Boy]

I’ve been looking at these. They sound too good to be true. Thousand plus arcade games, proper arcade sticks, all in one box. 

 

Anyone one them? What are your opinions? 

[AceGrace]

I've got a Pandora 5.  Pretty good and works fine. Missing Gauntlet 1and 2 though 

[SeanR]

I got a 128GB retro pi with 360-style pad in the end

 

will JAMMA some other time

 

or do this

 

https://www.instructables.com/id/Raspberry-Pi-Inside-Pandoras-Box-Arcade-System/

[amc]

I've got one, out of the hundreds of games I've only found a dozen or so that you could call unplayable, plays SNK, CPS etc great, couple of the super scalers not so much. They probably play quite a few with off music or differences to their arcade counterparts but not being versed in arcade perfection they seem fine to me. If you don't mind all the games not being 100 percent accurate and a few that aren't very playable then it's a cracking way to have some classics playing very very simply, and the vast majority play great. Would recommend. 

[Oh Danny Boy]

Cool, thanks for that. Picked up a 5s for £90. Sounds like it’s worth the punt 

[Oh Danny Boy]

Definitely the best £90 I’ve spent on anything video game related. Basically all the classic 80’s/90’s arcade games. If emulation isn’t 100% on any of them I can’t tell the difference. Fantasy Zone, Metal Slug, Rainbow Islands, New Zealand Story, Puzzle Bobble, plus all the fighters, shooters and scrolling fighters of the era. 

 

Very well built too, solid casing, the stick and buttons just feel right, multi voltage too so no need for a step down. A great package.

[AceGrace]

Does yours have Gauntlet?

 

Mine doesn't. 

[jonnyalpha]

How would you pick which one to get? When I look up the 5s they're seen to be loads to choose from. Also there's now a model 6. Would that be the one to get? 

[Nathan Wind]

I've got a bar-top currently being built based on Pandora 6.  I think it's meant to be better at some of the games that previous versions struggled with (Mortal Kombat?) and quicker loading, but the main draw for me is being able to add games and artwork via USB.  Shitty 16:9 screen ratio is the only downside, but it's having a scanline generator put in, so swings and roundabouts.  I'm excited!

[Nathan Wind]

And here she is.  Lovely build quality.  Loading is dead quick and the games look decent now I've turned off the horrible sprite smoothing effect in the settings.  Looks like they forgot to fit the scanline generator though . Have asked them to forward one on.  Should be easy enough to fit, I think - just sits between monitor and motherboard at a guess.  Can't wait to see the wife's face when she gets home.  She'll hate it!

 

[Lorfarius]

Go on... how much? 

[Nathan Wind]

You can't put a price on annoying your wife.

[amc]

On 16/12/2018 at 07:47, jonnyalpha said:

How would you pick which one to get? When I look up the 5s they're seen to be loads to choose from. Also there's now a model 6. Would that be the one to get? 

They're basically clones of each other, so a rip off of a rip off of a... you get the picture. They should all do the same thing and play identically to each other. As has been said you're best going with the 6S as that has more games and other benefits but owning a 5S it plays very well indeed and if price comes into it and they can be had for much less then they are still an option imo. But yeah anything with 6S in the title will be happy days really, the differences should just be different manufacturers.

[Nathan Wind]

Well that didn't go as expected, she walked in and said "What's that? It's ace!".

 

 

[dave7g]

On 16/12/2018 at 07:59, Nathan Wind said:

I've got a bar-top currently being built based on Pandora 6.  I think it's meant to be better at some of the games that previous versions struggled with (Mortal Kombat?) and quicker loading, but the main draw for me is being able to add games and artwork via USB.  Shitty 16:9 screen ratio is the only downside, but it's having a scanline generator put in, so swings and roundabouts.  I'm excited!

 

Surely the 16:9 can be changed right?

[Nathan Wind]

The mobo has a choice of 3 resolutions, but I don’t know if the monitor supports the 4:3 one. It’s possible that it does. The downside being it’d leave a pretty tiny screen due to the lack of vertical pixel height. I haven’t found it too distracting so I’ll probably leave it.

 

With a change of bezel, the cabinet might even accommodate a 19”, 4:3 screen.