the problem with every single pandora-spin off is this: they try to do a full product and sell it like a finished product (mostly to game pirates)
What they should do: work on the case, and do something like the ergo-dox cases[0], where the case walls are a pile of 0.5" planes, so you can have as much space inside for your additions as you want. And then on the top of the case include the LCD clamshell and the keyboard/joypad. Because, honestly, that is the ONLY good thing on the pandora-clones.
Then let the insides of the machine be whatever the user/kit-vendor wants. Raspi, android all-in-one, etc.
that way you don't get outdated inputs (compact flash in 2013!) or crappy cpus (EU$300 for a celeron in 2014). The keyboard and the screen will mostly stand the test of time better, for example, 720p for 90s game emulation is almost overkill.
i don't care about the money, i have and will in the future spend lots of money on useless things
what i'm always worried about with these projects is the potential lack of community engagement. tons of these type of things come out and die within six months because the major maker/hacker communities just do not give a damn about them, so they don't get iterated on or mixed with other things. makers/hackers are fundamentally cheap ie they like working with cheap components even if the overall scope creep on a project ends up eating a significant chunk of their salaries.
raspberry foundation did something really clever by going for the cheap/educational route. nearly everyone i know has heard/hacked on a raspberry pi
exciting to hear about and if the project makes it in terms of excitement within the maker/hacker communities, will definitely buy one
Depends on your perspective. What brought me around was comparing it to an iPhone - similar price, yet it addresses pretty much every standard nerd complaint about the mobile ecosystem (keyboard, free software phone, standard Linux). I felt that not buying one would be simply hypocritical :)
