There are a lot of boxes with "Pandora" on the label. Some look almost exactly like ours from across the room. So which one is actually the best? We are obviously biased, but we will make the case with facts you can check.
It looks ordinary on the outside
The Pandora Game Console Platinum Pro is not flashy. It is a panel with real arcade joysticks and buttons, and a mainboard that does the heavy lifting. What makes it the best Pandora is what happens when you plug it in.
Pro hardware, tested game by game
Every Pandora console we sell now has the Pro mainboard. We retired the original V1 board because it could not deliver the performance the Pro does, and the short version of the difference is that the Pro supports more emulation.
The bigger difference is the testing. We play games on the Pro board before they go on an archive card. A game that crashes, stutters or loses its sound does not make the list. That is the main reason owners tell us they can play for hours without the hiccups they had on other boxes.
Super HD upscaling
Retro games were drawn for 4:3 tube screens. A modern TV is 16:9 and many times larger, and plenty of retro boxes handle that badly: stretched pixels, blur, tearing. The Pro board was designed with modern TVs in mind. Super HD upscaling draws the characters less pixelated and fills the screen, and if you want the original arcade frame, a couple of menu selections switch the picture to 4:3. HDMI is the main output, and VGA monitors work too.
Separate panels for people who like their space
Most arcade sticks put both players on one panel. That is fine until one of you wants to sit in the armchair and the other does not want to move. The Dual Panel splits the console into two controllers joined by a cable. Use one alone as a 1 player unit or connect both. The Wireless Edition goes further and drops the cable.
The extras that matter day to day
- Save states, so you can keep your progress and high scores
- Per-game button mapping you can save, because real arcade games do not all use the same layout
- Panels that look the part in a dark room
- Sanwa upgrades on every panel version
- A Lifetime Mainboard Warranty and US SUPPORT
About the clones
The clone problem is real, and it is getting harder for buyers to tell the difference. Marketplace boxes sold with numbers like 7, 9D, 9H and X are not the console we build. Many buyers do not get what they ordered, and when something goes wrong there is nobody to call.
Clones tend to promise thirty thousand games and Wi-Fi downloads. What shows up is a menu full of titles that do not run properly. The Pandora Platinum takes the opposite approach: fewer games, all tested, sorted onto archive cards. You buy it here, from us.
What it plays
The Pro board covers arcade boards (MAME and Final Burn Alpha), Neo Geo, Sega Naomi, Atomiswave and Dreamcast, PlayStation 1 and PSP, Nintendo 64, Super Nintendo and the original NES, Sega Genesis, PC Engine and Game Boy Advance. The console ships with no games of its own. Your library comes from the GameCraZE archive cards you choose.
You do not need to know what an emulator is, or which one runs which system. That is our job.
A few games by card
The Neo Geo Arcade Games List Archive:
- King of Fighters 98
- Magician Lord
- Blazing Star
- Shock Troopers
- Waku Waku 7
- Samurai Shodown
- Aero Fighters 2
- The Last Blade
- Garou: Mark of the Wolves
- Metal Slug 3
The Fighting Masters Archive Card: Street Fighter II, Marvel vs Capcom 2, Capcom vs SNK 2, Darkstalkers and Tekken 3.
The Run & Gun card: Gunstar Heroes, Contra III, Mega Man X and the Metal Slug series.
The Mario Kart Madness & Friends card: Mario Kart 64, Super Mario 64, Wave Race, Crash Team Racing and Crazy Taxi.
The 3D Fighting Game card: Tekken 3, Soul Calibur and Power Stone 2.
Every card has a full game list one click away in the builder, and the arcade games list page lists every card we offer.
What comes in the box
The Single Panel Pandora Game Console Platinum Pro ships with:
- The Single Panel Pandora Platinum Pro chassis
- The Pandora Platinum Pro mainboard
- An HDMI cable
- An AC adapter and cord
- An extra set of buttons
What is not in the box is games. The console ships with no pre-installed software. If you skip the archive cards, the builder warns you in plain words, because we would rather you hear it from us before you check out than after the box arrives.
How building your console works
Ordering takes three steps. Pick the console: Single Panel, Dual Panel or Wireless Edition. Answer the Sanwa question. Then choose up to three GameCraZE archive cards, one per slot. Every card shows its full game list before you commit, and cards swap in and out of the console whenever you like, so you can add more later.
Support when you need it
Things occasionally go wrong with any electronics, and the fixes are usually simple. Power but no picture? Try a newer HDMI TV or a VGA monitor, since a few older, low-end TVs do not accept the HDMI signal. Second player panel not responding on a Dual Panel? Re-seat the serial cable firmly and check the pins. Games not showing? Click the archive card out, power off, put it back and power on.
If that does not fix it, call US SUPPORT at 1-702-827-7701 and talk to someone who knows the hardware. Try getting that from a marketplace clone.
So which Pandora is the best?
The one that runs the games properly, comes with a warranty, and has someone on the other end of the phone. That is the Pandora Game Console Platinum Pro.
Ready to see for yourself? Build your console: three steps, and your archive cards are picked before you check out.
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