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- blakespot, on 10/12/2007, -0/+18No WiFi, true. But for $169 USD, it's a great buy even still.
In the last 24 hours, on various legs of my to and fro subway work commute, I played:
- Montezuma's Revenge on Colecovision
- Knight Lore on Spectrum
- Parsec on TI-99/4A
- Time Bandit on Atari ST
...just moving from one to the other at a whim - an awesome thing. - oneandoneis2, on 10/12/2007, -2/+18It has no built-in WIFI but it can support various extensions via a USB adaptor - so don't rule out WIFI completely!
The screen's a pretty good backlit unit, altho IMHO it's not quite as good as the GP32, the GP2X's predecessor - marix, on 10/12/2007, -0/+15I dunno where this thing has been all my life but for around $100 (ebay) it will do everything i want a psp for and then some, except wifi :(
- Splitt3rxx, on 10/12/2007, -1/+15It can play playstation games? you know what that means
RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIDGE RACER!!!!!!! - LaundroMat, on 10/12/2007, -4/+17Am I right in supposing the system has no wifi?
Also, what's the screen like (clarity, reflection, ...)? - nopasaran, on 10/12/2007, -1/+13BTW: If you are looking for WiFi, several people have already used WiFi with SDIO cards and USB adaptors. It's already supported by the kernel, you just have to hack around a little to use it. People have been using Qtopia on it to surf the net and write Emails aswell as forum posts with lynx.
- Epicenter713, on 10/12/2007, -0/+12As a GP2X owner, but far from a fanboy (I'm looking forward to the XGP, and if the hardware in the PSP appealed to me more, I might want to buy one as well) .. I feel I should post my experiences with the machine and help set the record straight between the 'extremists' on both sides. ;)
Raw Performance: The most important bit to me. In terms of 2D performance and computational power, the GP2X has the GBA and DS beaten to a pulp. With effective utilization of the 2nd processor, the GP2x is a match for, or exceeds, the PSP's processing abilities with the exception of floating point code (which there isn't much use for in 2D development anyway the majority of the time.)
The machine has a MagicEyes SoC (System on a Chip) containing 2 ARM9 cores- an ARM920T and an ARM940T, both rated for 200 MHz. I am able to run my ARM920T core, the one that runs the vast majority of software, at up to 312 MHz. At this speed, the performance is astouding-- and it's amazing at 200 MHz as well. Nearly all emulators run at or near full speed-- only the most extreme platforms to emulate usually experience any serious slowdown at all. I'm developing for the machine, and I'm blown away by what it can handle. It also bears mentioning the ARM9 is one of my absolute favorite processor architectures, and this was the ideal choice for the machine as far as I am concerned as far as balance betweeen performance and battery life is concerned.
The second CPU, the ARM940T, has no MMU and less cache so it's fairly specialized in what it can do- it takes a lot of programming finesse but it has some great uses, like assisting video encoding or some emulation assistance. Developers are figuring out how to use it, and I am extremely confident libraries will soon exist to run common tasks on the 940T like audio/image decoding/handling to lift some burden off the main ARM920T. Overclocking the 920T is simple and painless and can be done in software at any time. You can also underclock for better battery life.
Memory: One of the biggest advantages the GP2X has-- it has an enormous amount of RAM available. There is 64MB total, and only about 8MB is used by the OS. So you have about 56MB of RAM to play with as a developer-- that's incredible, and a big part of why NeoGeo Arcade emulation is possible on the GP2X despite how huge such games are. This is a godsend for me, as a developer using a LOT of memory-intensive graphics AND music! When your handheld has as much memory as an XBox, you've got something impressive.
Storage: The onboard NAND memory is 64 MB, 32 MB of which can be used for storage and 32 MB is reserved for the basic kernel and programs. The fact that it uses such a cheap and readily available format, for which I have a reader on every one of my machines (and my camera uses SD!) this is really ideal. My 1GB SD card cost me very little ($50.) This is nice compared to Memory Stick especially.
Graphics/GFX Performance: The '2x contains a 2D blitter which speeds up 2D graphics operations (Drawing, filling, etc.) dramatically. It also contains 2 scaling units that can resize/zoom and flip the display so applications that are not the native resolution of the display (320x240) can run just fine. There is no hardware 3D support, but given the lack of good, gameplay-rich 2D games as of late compared to the industrywide influx of less creative, less inspired 3D titles, I can do without the pretty realistic visuals for impressive and immersive gameplay. Like the good old days. Lack of a 3D GPU also aids battery life.
Speaking of graphics-- the LCD. Only the earliest MK1 units had the 'flickering' issue, it was rapidly fixed and resellers offered to replace units with the issue. Later MK1 units like mine have it fixed and come from a much better factory, with higher quality fabrication. MK2 units have a whole new LCD with a crisper appearance. There is a 'scanline' effect on MK1 displays (not present on MK2s) but it can be eliminated with a quick 10-second adjustment in the settings menu, which never needs to be done again. The display is bright, crisp and not blurry at all. Much better than I expected for the price.
Audio: Fantastic audio quality; even the 2 onboard speakers sound good. You can of course attach your own headphones or speakers easily and they sound superb; as good as my PC does easily. The built-in audio player is simple and to-the-point and plays all my Mp3 and OGG files without a hitch. It's not very fancy but it does offer some seeking and equalizer functionality; and apparently the new version coming out with the next firmware update adds such things as playlist support (excellent.)
Video: The machine has built-in MPEG4 decoder hardware that supplements the ARM920T, and works with the ARM940T. Even high-definition resolution video (e.g. 1080, 720 lines tall video) plays at a smooth framerate, usually 30 FPS. The machine can play MPEG4 video or DivX and XViD, which is about all I encode to anyway. You can play AVI containers or OGM ones (renamed to AVI). The player is open source so new formats and codecs are being added by community members at the moment. Battery life is much decreased when using the video player due to the extra hardware that's engaged, but you can put a big dent in that by just using videos encoded to 320x240 so the battery-hungry scaler doesn't need to do anything- you can comfortably view videos for quite a few hours on 2 rechargable NiMH AAs.
Photos: The built-in photo viewer is nice and has an integrated explorer, can flip images to view them at different angles, zoom in or out. This is especially nice for me since my camera stores JPEG photos on SD cards, so I can see a big, high-quality copy of my photos the moment I take them! (My laptop has an integrated SD card reader too, so this is extra-convenient.) There are some bugs where the player crashes reading some files, but the majority work fine. It even supports very large images (I think it tops out around 3000px across. But that's pretty reasonable.)
Controls: As has been said the control stick is on the sketchy side and isn't as precise as I'd like, but is much improved with the custom cap that I ordered and with the new one that is provided with all new units (you can also order one separately.) I'm replacing my stick with a D-Pad shortly with a kit provided by a community member, and other replacement kits are in the works. For most games though, the stick is really just fine, and you get used to it amazingly fast. I'm just a picky bastard. The rest of the buttons are great; very comfortable with good response-- the shoulder buttons could use to 'click' more but this is fine; it doesn't hinder me in any way.
Battery Life: I get about 5-6 hours of life playing very stressful emulators like NeoGeo or SNES, and can cram in some audio and photo viewing in there too-- this is on some cheap $15-for-a-pack-of-4 2800MAh Duracell NiMHs or 2500 MAh Energizer NiMHs. On a pair of Lithium AAs it lasts at least 9 hours on average, I stock up on those when I can't recharge. Where there's a wall outlet, I use my tiny compact AC adapter, works perfectly. The cord plugs into the side where it's a bit odd, but it acts like a bit of a 'grip' for me so I don't mind it. As long as I have 4 AAs with me I never have any sort of power issue.
Software: The emulators and default apps for media playback are great, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. There are lots of great ports like classic FPS'es-- Quake, Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, Rise of the Triad, Duke Nukem 3D and Marathon for example. There are ports of great 2D PC games like Noiz2sa and the "ScummVM"-supported Lucasarts adventure titles. There are LOTS of homebrew games in development and released, like the fantastic arcade-style Vektar or a nice selection of others. The best stuff is in development and shaping up nicely.
Homebrew: Developing for the machine is a breeze; I had never used SDL or coded for a handheld Linux machine prior to my existing projects, but it was a piece of cake to get used to it. You just compile your applications on your PC with easy-to-use SDK tools (or an IDE) and copy your executable to your SD card, or run it over the USB cable via Telnet, copy it over via Samba (yes, it CAN share files with Windows.. or act as an FTP or HTTP server) and run it. Very, very easy.
At the moment I'm the programmer for a team developing a very intense 'danmaku-style' top-scrolling shooter called Stargazer (a.k.a. Project Luminance), and an FPS, Armor of Acheron G, as well as an air combat sim (based on Quake), both with single-player and multi-player support; Stargazer to support multiple players via USB controller connectivity, especially useful with the GP2X's TV output!
I really couldn't be much happier with the machine; it's few quirks are mostly minor issues. I can see the negativity from some people who weren't ready for the risks inherent to being an early adopter and got one of the crummier models from the first production run which didn't last very long, but that really comes with the territory. Nowadays, things are pretty peachy in GP2X-land. If you are considering getting a GP2X, you'd be doing yourself a favor to do so. - nopasaran, on 10/12/2007, -0/+10Weee... there is also ports of DukeNukem 3d, Shadow Warrior, Aleph One, Quake and soon hopefully Descent 1 & 2. This thing rocks! I also never go anywhere without NeoGeo anymore... Metal Slug 3 on the bus! Awesome!
- pbjorge12, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8Wow...This is so old my head is spinning...
But I own one of these and it is very nice...It beats just about any Portable Media Player on the market now and it is much cheaper... - LegendarySock, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8The GP2X was a great concept, using open source and Linux to inspire game developers, but it has serious flaws. It runs on 2 AA batteries, meaning extra size and extra money spent. Its price severely turns away buyers and due to a lack of users, the community isn't very large, and community often helps the growth of open source. A wider screen would have been nicer too. Also, considering the NDS has grown so much (Opera browser, amazing games offering wifi) and the PSP has hacks to allow homebrew on it as well as a large library of brilliant 3D games. The lack of a proper 3D processor also loses many customers for the GP2X.
- generalleoff, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7Actually it's not. GamePark Holdings and GamePark while related are not the same company. The successor to the GP32 is the XGP witch is not yet released.
This is the XGP
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a4/ExtremeGamePlayer.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XGP - iignotus, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6@jlabs:
A good pack of batteries (like $4 Energizer 2500mah) can last over six hours on the gp2x. The PSP's battery usually doesn't last that long, and it's proprietary. On the go? I can walk into the nearest store and for $1 get another hour out of my gp2x. The PSP will never ever be able to be that handy.
There are _no_ emulators for the PSP that "blow the GP2X out of the water." None. Some are a bit better, and some are a bit worse. The discrepancy is never very large.
And what does it matter if the gp2x isn't made by a large company? The PSP is and look how it's tanking against the cheaper DS Lite. The gp2x is supported by its community most of all, something that will never go away. And since the community will never go away, the gp2x will never go away. - greenmikey, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7you don't own 1000's of arcade cabinets?
- YF19AVF, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6Speaking as someone else who actually owns one, it is alot nicer on paper than it is in real life. The this is glitchy, and doesn't work half the time. The "nub" is hard to use and offers too much resistance. I was blown out of the water with what I had read about it before it came out, but when I got it, the magic soon wore off.
- Yono, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5Afaik, no one has used SDIO cards because there are no Linux SDIO drivers. :) Anyway, for those who want wifi, I agree if would be fun for multiplayer gaming, but it would kill battery life and increase price, so I believe you're better off without it.
- Minkoff, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5Some people will tell you that it was built for emulation, but the truth is that GamePark Holdings made it primarily for video (which it actually doesn't do that well, go figure). Things like SNES will actually do better on the PSP because the GP2X lacks hardware 3D, and in turn, alpha blending. I like my GP2X because it emulates alot, was fairly cheap, and didn't require hacking to make a homebrew device, but if you have a PSP, you would be wasting your time getting one.
- Dihuko, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5I want one really bad, but currently my PSP can do a lot of that. However, it looks like the GP32x can do that better that the PSP can since it was built for that. Should I get a GP32x even though I already have a PSP (which I hacked) and a DS?
- JamesGlover, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4@ jsully
The comments in that post refer to the MKI screen, not the MKII. Not having seen one I don't know what the improvement is (if any) but its worth bearing in mind.
Also a direct comparison with the PSP isn't really apropriate. While its true that the PSP can do homebrew and emulation, you are left largely at the mercy of Sony. If you are interested in playing comercial games then sure, go for the PSP, but if your main interests are emulation or homebrew then with the PSP you may be taking a bit of a risk. - iignotus, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Hahahahha.
"mine is in a drawer. sounds great, until the battery dies in a few clicks and the thing reboots or freezes."
Firmware 2.0 fixes all rebooting and freezing problems. Educate yourself.
"There's promise of emus, but those aren't ready for primetime yet."
What is this, a joke? The Genesis, NES, GB, GBC, Atari, Amiga, Mame, and many more emulators are full speed. And what the hell is "primetime" for an emulator?
"haven't gotten it to play video well."
Every single DivX/XviD video I've put on there works perfectly, regardless of filesize or resolution. If you're stupid enough to put WMV files on there, you can't blame us.
"If you want it you can have it. Also, the "screen protector" on mine was scratched up. I realize this after I glued it on."
REMOVE THE THIN PLASTIC FILM.
"Did I mention the thing sucks battery like crazy?"
Good $4 batteries last 6 hours.
You're a terrible troll, and probably don't even own a gp2x. - LedahXIII, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5For anyone still unsure, here's a demonstration video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_NrTS_ut74&search=GP2X%20advert As you can see, a ton of systems run well.
- Sakumi, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4I sold mine on ebay after about 3 months use. Not the best to be honest... Just my opinion anyways.
- pbjorge12, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5As someone who owns a GP2X I can say...
My screen does not flicker nor have scanlines...
2500 mahh batteries will last for roughly 5 hours playing games or watching movies...
The build quality is good and I was actually blown away when I got mine (I was expecting some crappy Korean-Bootleg build)... - expertninja, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4I wanted one too. Then, last night, I ordered one. It's rather simple. But please, don't drool on mine when it comes.
- greenmikey, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3odd to think that people that use the gp2x want people to understand their joy for their great systems. We just wanted to spread the word and put good use to our resources.
- pbjorge12, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Oh...Now i see why this is on the front page...
http://www.gp32x.com/board/index.php?showtopic=30614 - thenativeraver, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3http://digg.com/mods/How_to_enable_USB_host_mode_on_a_GPX2_
- WorldGroove, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3We'll see if I get modded up or down for this little 1 item wishlist:
I want a D-pad on it to play 8bit NES emulation like the good ol' days. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3"The GPX2 also isn't made my a large company so it may be gone within the next year."
RTFA. It's open-source, *****, so it doesn't matter. - greenmikey, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3The gp2x is os friendly. Especially if you just use a card reader to read from the SD..so snappy to transfer and go. Most videos dont need to be encoded again. It however does not play WMV and a few other types..but it eats avi and many wrappers for breakfast.
- SYSDmg, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2yaaarrr youve got to pirate these games if ye dont' already have em, but if you like me have ever rom in existance already this game system be the best...metal slug 1-5 = awseome now with the patches
- WhiskerTheMad, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4Okay, I've seen a lot of press about the GP2X lately, and since I was one of the first to get one I thought I'd share some facts about the device.
First, the screen is bright and crisp. It has a beautiful display. I can't compare it to the PSP, since I'd rather lick a dead badger than own a PSP, but it kicks the crap out of both of my DSes in terms of display.
Firmware: IF YOU WANT THIS DEVICE, YOU WANT FIRMWARE 2.0. Period. Complaints about startup times, flickering screens, dangerous flashing, USB connectivity, SD card size limits, and GPL violations all went away with this release.
Some video codecs are still not supported, but it does most of the major ones. Also, there are tools to step down video to 320x200 in a compatible format (on Linux, I don't know about windows)
Speed is excellent. I don't think many people have figured out how to use the second processor, and there are only a couple of minor hiccups on high-processor stuff (chrono with sound, liquid wars, etc.)
Wireless: available (apparently) through external devices, I've heard several reports of it working, haven't tried it myself yet -- wireless router on the fritz :(
Emulators: Oh hell yes. I believe the metric measurement is "*****-ton," as in "there are a *****-ton of emulators available." I generally don't wander too far from the nes/snes emus, but they've got ***** out there I've never even heard of.
Batteries: Double-A rechargeable work perfectly. Two pair of 2500mah NiMH, swap them out into the recharger when one pair dies. Battery life depends on usage; video is much better in firmware 2.0 but will still eat through a fresh pair in a couple of hours (no LOTR trilogy on this puppy yet). External power supply keeps it going indefinitely, but won't recharge the batteries in the device.
Other games: mostly ports atm, but growing, with a few original titles, some of those musical Japanese comic-book things (Onscripter? something of that nature), a few commercial titles; nothing spectacular (except for liquid wars, which KICKS ASS) Ultimately, the emulators, e-Reader, mp3 playback and video is where the GP2x shines right now.
Really, this device is more aimed at tinkerers; if you like to program or hack hardware, this is your baby all over. If you want a painless "out-of-the-box" experience, you probably want a Nintendo DS (which I can highly recommend). Games are coming, but they're coming slowly; libraries are being ported, and I understand that the latest revision of the hardware fixes some of the issues that I have with mine (really, just the joystick cap, which is a little hard to grip sometimes with my fat greasy fingers). This is already pretty close to being an awesome "oob" device, a few more games and a little more developer support will push it over the edge. - colonelmustard, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I got mine from lik-sang.com. An excellent machine.
- greenmikey, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I don't know where you ordered from or what you did to brick it, but I have not heard of anyone not being able to return a unit if it wasn't working correctly.
Looking to sell? I'm sure we could fix it up, having another would be alright with me. - anjinash, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Quality control ain't all that grand though, so beware. I ordered one last Xmas and the thing died within a week. I couldn't get the company to refund or swap the bad unit, either. It makes a handy paperweight nowadays.
I like the idea of it, but the execution sucks. - LouisC, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I'm waiting for the XGP to come out.. It can do 3D games, it has wifi, and it runs linux so all those emulators that the GP2X uses should work on the XGP. Plus, Nintendo 64 emulators and such might come out as well, so that'd be wicked awesome :D.
- pwris16, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2"Actually it's not. GamePark Holdings and GamePark while related are not the same company. The successor to the GP32 is the XGP witch is not yet released."
Actually I have been following the scene, and part of it, since a long time before the GP2x. The members of GamePark who created the GP32 went to become GPH because they did not want their next console to move away from the open source community, as the XGP has. - OrangeTide, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2That's a good choice. Not enough buttons for decent SNES though. but you can use it for more than just games, even if it's a little expensive. (don't tell me how much cheaper it is to buy used, because a used GP2X is pretty cheap too)
- cwncool, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2@oneandoneis
Yeah. if you know your electronics you can built a usb host cord or get a break out board and install a qtopia port on the gp2x and use a usb wifi adaptor with opera for sweet, sweet webbrowsing. ;)
and it's not nearly as expensive as the PSP. it doesn't have a 3d hardware accelerator like the PSP, but the smart comunity of home brewers have even made a PSX emulator..... - mmaf, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3I bought one of these 4 weeks ago. I cant claim to be impressed with it. So far its eaten through batteries like Star Jones at a Las Vegas Buffet. It's also managed to damage my SD card. The spring loader actually cracked my SD card in half. Im going to give it another week and then possibly put it up for sale on Craigslist!
- Makurosu, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I want.
- jsully, on 10/12/2007, -3/+5That's a ridiculous statement.
Here is a good comparison for anyone wishing to put the GP2X up against the PSP, or even the DS - it's a debate between people who actually own them.
http://www.monroeworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3231 - blakespot, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4I posted this digg link, started this thread.
I will say that the GP2X does not have the fit and finish feel of the PSP or DS. That does not diminish the quality, in my opinion. This is a Linux-based game machine to be used by people not wearing diapers. If you have the ability to install and configure these emulators and are looking for that kind of app - oldschool emulation - then you're set. If you want the latest 3D, then get the PSP ro DS.
Personally, I have all 3 and enjoy all 3. - OrangeTide, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2the GP2X is not anywhere near the PSP in terms of performance. It is some where between the Gameboy Advance and the DS. You can use inexpensive external memory (MMC, I have 1GB in my GP2X) and you don't have to spend a fortune on games or buy funny adapters or modchips to install things on it that you've downloaded.
Mostly the GP2X is for people who want to play old games and find the low res display of the gameboy advance to be too restrictive. you can play NES games on the GBA, but you basically have to scale the screen weirdly to be playable. on GP2X you can run the games in the original resolution. Xevious anyone?
There are people who are working on getting SCUMM and AGI working so you can play old PC adventure games (you might actually legally own these games and they have been collecting dust on the shelf). I'm looking forward to playing Beneath a Steel Sky and Sam & Max again. - OrangeTide, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I have a GP2X. They've been around for quite a while. 320x240 LCD and it's pretty clear. It's actually a pretty large LCD for the size of the unit. It is the same height as the PSP screen, but not the same width (it is 4:3 not 16:9).
It's pretty comfortable to use indoors, it is a bit hard to see outdoors unless you can find a shady place to sit. - Rangoth, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3I so want one of these >drools
- anjinash, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3"This guy is telling complete lies and is a PSP fanboi.
Come over to www.gp32x.com the GP2X community and get the facts from the people who actually own GP2X consoles."
I own one, and as I previously stated.. the thing bricked within a week and the website I bought it from could have cared less. They told me to look online3 for tutorials on how to flash the firmware - only I can't get far enough in the boot process to do even that.
Before it bricked, I was less than impressed. The screen DID have scanlines, the screen protector that came with it was already scuffed up when I got it. The controler on it is cheezy and the plastic thumb-piece constantly came off.
All in all, a VERY poorly designed product that was CLEARLY not ready to ship when I purchased it last December. From the look of things, it's STILL not ready.. yet they keep selling them.
Buy one if you really want one, but I wouldn't recommend it. $180 is pretty pricey for a paperweight. - TelcoLou, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2As a current, satisfied owner I feel I need to set the record straight.
With a charged set of 2500 Energizer rechargeables I get from 4 to 6 hours of gametime. NO flickering of the screen, and NO issues with installing or running emus or other games.
Each new release comes with a README file explaining exactly where to store these apps on your SD card. It's very easy, and my guess is that the folks having trouble with it have a basic problem with reading comprehension. Too bad, as they will never get to enjoy full speed Genesis, NeoGeo, NES, and many other emulators as well as the slew of exceptional homebrew games. - 99er, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I love my GP2X, but I also have a NDS and PSP. Different system for different things. You can't beat it for the retro stuff- it's cool as hell to pull it out and play games on the TI-99/4A or Odyssey 2 emulators!
- idaniel, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I've had one since last year abouts. It does just about everything and what it doesn't do you can program it to do. The one weak spot, however, is the joystick which isn't very ergonomic, but it does its job. Recommended, though!
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