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Author Topic: Dingoo Purchase Advice Needed!  (Read 5150 times)

cobra clutch (OP)

  • Posts: 5
Dingoo Purchase Advice Needed!
« on: August 17, 2014, 12:19:52 pm »
Hey guys,

I know there is a lot of info on here and I have searched through lots of posts, but would love some advice from some people here if you have a minute.

I definitely want to buy a Dingoo.
I only play retro games and they are under 100 bucks, so I'm pretty excited about them, as I only discovered they existed a week ago.

I just need to know which one to get.

I've heard the 380e is a brick, so forget that?

I can get a 330 any time OR a 320 second hand, which I see around and shouldn't be a problem as I'm not in a super hurry.
But an answer soon would be great as there are a couple on ebay counting down... ;)

Anyway.
I have experience with emulators and have Mame and Dreamcast and Sega and GBA set up and running great on PC and have for years.
I'm fairly handy with computers etc but I have never used Linux.



Only really interested in 16 Bit games:

SNES
for JRPGs etc Link to the Past, FF, Chrono Trigger, Secret of Mana etc
(Although, believe it or not I like playing Chrono Trigger & FF on my iPhone, but action games need buttons, so I guess really that should be the focus)

NeoGeo
for Turf Masters, Bomberman, Windjammers etc (not that much focused on fighters)

Capcom arcade
for Stryder, TMNT, beat em ups, SFII

GBA
for Advance Wars (only game I've ever played on it)

MAME would be best, but I know it's not included but you can go the Dingux route.
But even without that, if the above type of games run well, I would already be happy.

I heard the Mega Drive emu is a dog?
Not so concerned though.


Don't care about the media playing etc, wish they had of focused only on the games.
Though the TV cable is cool.
Don't care about 3D games etc either.

My main concerns are button and controls quality and emulation quality out of the box, and difficulty of changing software if they really aren't sufficient.

And overall quality etc
I have been told 320 is the one to go with, but there is maybe button problems? And it is the oldest.
I already have my own RSI problems...ha ha ha.


I would love any advice on what to go with.
Thanks in advance  8)


cronot

  • Posts: 48
Re: Dingoo Purchase Advice Needed!
« Reply #1 on: August 17, 2014, 11:22:16 pm »
It all depends on what you're looking for. The strength with the Dingoo A320 and A330 are that they are very customizable - if you're going to take advantage of that (specially by installing OpenDingux), then that's the way to go.

Disclaimer: I own an A320.

Now, if you go for the A330, make sure you go for the Dingoo Tech A330 (DT-A330), not the Gemei A330, which is a knock-off that's completely uncompatible with the real A320/A330. The DT-A330 is easily recongnizable by having a case that looks like a small(ish) PSP.

As for the buttons: I never heard of problems with the A320 - at least I have nothing bad to say about mine, although I find the D-Pad on my A320 a bit unwieldly for certain games (for example, it's a bit hard to use diagonals at times), but that maybe something specific to my unit, which isn't a "pure" A320 - it's a version that's rebranded from a local company here in Brazil. However, I DID hear about the buttons being "clicky" (whatever that means) on the A330.

With all that said, you may want to consider the GCW Zero on your list. Yes, it's a bit more expensive, but it's also worth the extra money, because you're then getting a device that's both very customizable, gets a lot of dev love, AND it has a beefy hardware that's almost guaranteed to handle anything you throw at it smoothly, including but not limited to the emulators you listed - for that reason, if you'd take good care of it, it's a device that's going to last you many years but that'll still be very powerful and relevant by then.

As for the emulators, bear in mind that I use the ones on OpenDingux - I really don't care about native at this point, although as far as I remember, they are also good enough for the most part (except for Sega Mega Drive, for which the native sucks like you mention, and there's no alternative you can use on native):

SNES (using SNES9x): Most games run acceptably well, including the ones you mention.
Neogeo (using Final Burn Alpha): not everything will run, specially the bigger ones. My game selection differs quite a bit from yours, so I can't tell how FBA would handle it. My NeoGeo games are usually restricted to Puzzle Bubble and Metal Slug series, and these should run acceptably (although the later Metal Slugs will choke at some points).
Capcom arcade (FBA too): Pretty much the same as NeoGeo, although I'm pretty sure that TMNT is a Konami game, and so it runs on MAME. Not a lot of MAME games run, btw, usually only the older ones. TMNT will run, but will choke a little.
GBA (using ReGBA): Most everything runs pretty good. A few more complex games don't run, but there are very few of them, and I don't personally care about them anyway. And you probably won't either, if you're going to play a single game like you said.
Genesis / Mega Drive (using PicoDrive): Most everything runs well, some few may choke a bit, but you usually can work around them switching some emulator options.
« Last Edit: August 17, 2014, 11:43:01 pm by cronot »

cobra clutch (OP)

  • Posts: 5
Re: Dingoo Purchase Advice Needed!
« Reply #2 on: August 18, 2014, 01:00:24 am »
Oh, yeah Konami  ::) The SNES port was pretty good, so that's okay, lol

Thanks for all the help.
Yes, maybe it was the 330 with the bad buttons?

Maybe if I pose it like this.
Brand new A330 from China for about $100
Second hand A320 probably pre-loaded with Dingux etc for about $60
(Note I'm in Australia, so I have to consider postage etc.)



Oh, and what do you guys think about the A320 screen?
I don't wear glasses or anything, but it looks pretty small...
« Last Edit: August 18, 2014, 01:20:09 am by cobra clutch »

cobra clutch (OP)

  • Posts: 5
Re: Dingoo Purchase Advice Needed!
« Reply #3 on: August 18, 2014, 01:01:17 am »
I also just realised how many good 16 bit ports are on GBA.
That might b the ticket as they will b optimized for handhelds also.
I think I'll get a 320 ;)


But one more important question...

I have heard mixed problems using A320 on Win7.
Can I get confirmation of this as both my comps run on that.
That  could be a game changer.
« Last Edit: August 18, 2014, 01:26:38 pm by cobra clutch »

cronot

  • Posts: 48
Re: Dingoo Purchase Advice Needed!
« Reply #4 on: August 19, 2014, 02:22:22 am »
You said earlier (but apparently edited the post) about getting an PSP instead - well, it's certainly not as small as the A320 / A330, but if it fits in your pocket or not, depends on your size of your pocket :-) But this is all about preferences... I don't carry these kind of gadgets in my pocket, the only gadget I carry in my pocket is my phone, anything else goes in my backpack or in my hand (I have a sunglass bag that I use to carry my Dingoo in that situation, but I rarely do that - it's most of the time on my backpack). So, as far as the PSP being "pocketable", I wouldn't care about it for myself since it would go in my backpack as well. Now, I don't know how fast and stable it runs emulators and what are the selections for it, so I can't help you there, but it's an option I'd be willing to consider myself for the future; sadly the PSP is still very expensive here, far more (about 3 times as much) still than what I paid for my Dingoo around 3 years ago, but on the other hand, the overall quality (build, screen, controls) can't be matched by any Dingoos or the like (except maybe the GCW).

About the A320 screen: As I said before, my A320 is a rebranded version that was sold for a short time by a Brazilian company, and I heard once that they actually went for some lower quality LCD panels than the original Dingoos. With that said, considering it was cheap, I don't have much to complain, it does the job. You shouldn't of course expect vibrant colors or well balanced brightness / contrast, but the screen is sharp and I never got sore eyes because of it - and that's coming from somone that actually needs glasses (but don't actually use them :-P). In fact, I have more of a problem with the small size of the unit as a whole than the screen, because I've got hands a little bigger than average, so I get a little cramp after playing for awhile because I can't hold the unit confortably all the time.

Finally, about Win7 problems: I'm using Win7 x64 myself, without problems... I believe you only may need some specific drivers if you happen to need to flash a CFW, but I'm pretty sure there's a USB Loader driver or an equivalent replacement driver for x64 floating around somewhere, because I'm sure I did flash some CFW before with it. Search in the forum. Worst case scenario, install a Virtual Machine and do it from there. Anyway, if you go with Dingux / Opendingux, you'll need a "libusb" driver to flash the linux dualboot bootloader, but there are proper Win7 (x86 & x64) drivers for it, so no problems there - it's in the forum somewhere, but I have it here also if you need it. Other than that, you'll just need the standard Mass storage drivers to copy things around in your dingoo and/or MiniSD card, so no problems there either.
« Last Edit: August 19, 2014, 02:34:09 am by cronot »

cobra clutch (OP)

  • Posts: 5
Re: Dingoo Purchase Advice Needed!
« Reply #5 on: August 19, 2014, 02:50:43 am »
Thanks for all your help!

Yes, sorry I changed the post because I think I am definitely getting an A320.

But yes, you can get the PSP very cheap here, although I am told the newer ones are actually very bad quality.
And they are actually 10 years old now. You can get them very cheap second hand on eBay now.
But they would be more polished and as you mentioned, and I have large hands myself, so that is a concern.
But I've heard there is plenty of emu probs on the PSP too. Especially SNES.

MightyJAK

  • Posts: 538
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Re: Dingoo Purchase Advice Needed!
« Reply #6 on: August 21, 2014, 05:52:59 am »
I really don't care about native at this point, although as far as I remember, they are also good enough for the most part (except for Sega Mega Drive, for which the native sucks like you mention, and there's no alternative you can use on native):

I take it you haven't tried lion_rsm's Dingoo Emulation Pack? His DingooSMD for native seems just as good as PicoDrive, in my experience.

http://boards.dingoonity.org/dingoo-releases/dingoo-emulation-pack-v2-0-(final-release-with-sources)/
My machines:
GBC,GBA,GBA SP,NDS,NGPC,Panasonic FZ-10 3DO,NES,Sega Nomad,Sega CDX w/Power Base Converter,PS1,PS2,PS3,Saturn,Dreamcast,PC (Win 98, XP, 7),Dingoo A320,Dingoo A330,Gemei A330,LetCool N350JP,PAP-GAMETA,GCW-Zero SE,Kyocera Rise,2DS,GP2X-F100,GPD G7,JXD 100,JXD A1000,JXD A3300,JXD F3000,JXD V5000,JXD S7300B,Hyperkin SupaBoy

Currently playing: Theatrhythm Final Fantasy Curtain Call (2DS)

cobra clutch (OP)

  • Posts: 5
Re: Dingoo Purchase Advice Needed!
« Reply #7 on: September 09, 2014, 05:17:11 am »
UPDATE.

I bought a 2nd hand Dingoo A320 from someone on here and I love it!

It's actually much better than I'd thought.
The controls and most of the emulation is beyond what I'd hoped.

I have hundreds of games loaded over both Native and Dingux already.
NeoGeo is especially impressive and fits the screen and button layout perfectly.
Genesis, SNES, GBA and Capcom all run amazingly.

And the newest Mame4All works on Native really well.

I already have pretty much every game I wanted on the system running smooth already and I only got it a few days ago, so very happy.

Thanks for all the help.  ;D




eltehero

  • Posts: 339
Re: Dingoo Purchase Advice Needed!
« Reply #8 on: September 12, 2014, 12:38:20 pm »
There still some "Chinese Wholesale" sites advertising them for sale. Do they genuinley hsve them and can they be trusted?

 

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