I don’t think that USB-C is used as widely as some may think.
However, a cable and adapter is easily sourced locally.
The only potential problem could be, from what I’ve read about some of the horrors of USB-C that third party products can be dangerous.
I would consider leaving the remote out and substituting it or again, leave users to source something more useful locally as I think that so many remotes get left in the box because they are plainly not that useful and this is also a typical comment from many reviewers of boxes/sbc’s.
My biggest concern is with regards to staying in neolithic times with having the USB 2.0 port. This kind of thing should have 2 x USB 3.0 as standard. 2.0 should be left in the dark ages unless there is a need for an OTG for flashing etc, in which case it can be micro USB.
The Beelink GT King has 2 3.0 and 1 2.0 ports, which, whilst not as good as the N2, is still better than the VIM3 and this. It’s just counter productive to have all this new technology, slowed up by outdated tech.
I also think that the GPIO pins are unnecessary and by getting rid of them, you could have a smaller board that could go into a smaller housing and save cost.
The M.2 2280 NVMe SSD Supported slot is one of the most exciting aspects of the board as it means that you can add large storage, which could open up the possibilities for multi boot OS’s and lots of storage all from one source, although judging by the design, I’d question how easy it will be to attach one that will fit in the case.
The 16Mb SPI will also potentially be useful for using Petitboot for multi OS usage. I would plan Android/Linux/Coreelec.
Pricing is going to be critical and if, like Hardkernel, your shipping is only via fast courier such as DHL, then a lot of people are going to be put off by customs duties and courier handling charges on top.
There is also the increasing competition with the new S905X3 boxes that are starting to roll out and as I predict, the lowering of S922X products because many consider them just a bit too expensive when for not that much more they can get the infinitely more powerful Nvidia Shield, which has an updated model imminent, which also means that there is going to be a mass clearout of existing models, which will, for a period, have lower pricing, which in turn will also lower the second hand value, which is extraordinarily good at the moment.
It will be interesting to see some performance matchups and I would recommend going the whole gamut and compare to A311D, S922X (rev B), S905X2 and S905X3. Might even be worth adding the old King, the S912, so that people can really get a feel of what upgrading to the S905D3 will look like at least in synthetic test environment.
Personally I’d consider going back to the drawing board and come up with something that is essentially a ready made box, just for HTPC, rather than using the same reference design for your SBC’s.
You might be able to save on one aspect in order to provide another that has more practical use.
Hope to get positive response from Google.
