heh. damn this looks sweet.. I think I'm going to get one.. damn.. another console to add to the list (this is just getting more and more expensive): * gp2x * Revolution * PS3 * xbox360 ...
Anyone happen to see any more reviews? I'm thinking about getting one but I'd like to know a little bit more about the quality of the device before I plop down 200 bucks. For example, how does the small keyboard for this thing work within the limited amount of buttons it seems to have, and can you plug in a regular sized one or just that really small one?
GP2x doesn´t have keyboard From gp32spain.com & gp32x.com: Because of the enormous amount of rumors on the launching of the GP2X in Korea, I requested to GPH a summary of the problems that had arisen really, since people were generating an alarm being based on BETA translators and rumors in other forums. Today they have written to me to explain the real problems of the console and the most frequents complaints received. I am going to list all, even those that seem more absurd to me or those than already have been solved: - REAL complaints about the hardware: * Battery case is too hard The battery case has to be open like in the following picture * Screen is scratched There are two layers in the screen protector, an acrylic one and one of cellophane with black borders. Both layers have two vinyl films. Retire vinyl films and put again the layers on the screen. * Headphones doesn't work properly In about 95% of times is caused the by the headphones jack, that has not been entered correctly. This is because the connector is a bit hard and also some headphones' jack have a form that prevents them to enter correctly (I corroborate it, one of the headphones did not enter when I was recording the console with the camera). They are isolated cases of connectors badly soldered, in this case the unit can be replaced. * Isolated cases of problems to the left with stick Somestimes the stick doesn't work at all to the left Simple solution (it does not need opening the console): Throw of stick and turn it several times counter-clockwise, do the same but pressing stick. The problem will be solved almost in the totality of the cases. I stick the final note from GPH's email: QUOTE * Expert in mechanical engineering recommended this method. He also experienced such a trouble when he over-fastened the bolt. ^.^; * Extreme cases: Broken units... Like on all fabrication process, some units came defective and can be replaced immediately At this time there are not more hardware problems detected - REAL complaints about the firmware: * SD not detected if inserted when the console is on Just insert the SD before turning on the console. It's a problem of actual firmware (previous firmwares, like the ones on TEST versions of the console didn't have the problem) Will be fixed soon * SD 1GB limit Old driver. Will be fixed soon * Read-only NAND Actual firmware's problem. Will be fixed soon. * USB not working on Win98 Only Win2K SP4 and Win XP have USB support * Screen problems (vertical lines, wrong brightness..) Fixed on the last firmware released. There is stil a problem but will be fixed in next firmware * Short battery live Actually about 4~5 hours on 2500mah batteries and 3~4 playing video Will be fixed by reducing the processors speed on menus, music player... In the video player the TV chip is consuming battery energy although not being used. When fixed, there will be about 25% more of battery duration * Boot time Actually 28 seconds. Will be reduced to 20 seconds * Red battery led always on Will be fixed soon - New features on next firmwares: * Music player GUI will be different Improvements in music player * Text viewer History and bookmarks * Image viewer Zoom and pictures bigger than 2048x1024 SDK and SDL will be released soon All problems fixable on next firmware releases, as hardware problems are absurd (battery case/screen protector) or easily fixable (headphones jack, stick...)
Basicly, Wait a bit. Every problems will be regled with the next firmware updates, and you won't need to download a put it on your machine. That's what i'm doing anyway.
Yeah, waiting a bit is always a good idea with any system. Everything's about as I suspected. I was hoping battery life could be squeezed up to maybe eight hours or so, whereas it looks like they'll be squeezing just to get it to six, but that's okay. It's only two AAs, so it's no problem to carry around an extra set or two. I'm very happy to see that they plan on supporting SD cards larger than 1GB with future firmwares, I assumed that it would be 1GB max, but if 2GB and maybe in the future even larger cards if they come out will work, that's really cool. One question I haven't had answered about the system, though, is what resolution does it output to the TV? Is it always 320x240? Or if you have a movie at a higher resolution or an emulator with an option to output proper resolution, will the TV output actually display at that resolution? That'd be extremely nice, but I have a feeling it'll always be 320x240. Overall, I'm very much looking forward to getting a GP2X of my own, though it'll probably not be until some time next year that that happens. This system sounds pretty great. I wonder if the future will bring something like a combination of the GP2X's focus on gaming and the Archos PMA-400's ability to record audio and video live (it also has a hard-drive but that may not really be necessary with larger multimedia flash cards). The Archos system has a touch screen which would be a really nice feature and a couple other points of interest like wi-fi and USB host (both of which the AGP from Gamepark will already have, of course). Truly, such a combination would be the ultimate all-around device for the future. ...word is bondage...
Last time i heard someone talking about it, he said that you will indeed be able to play videos at higher resolution via tv-out.
I could have sworn I saw a pic of the gp2x with a very small(15 keys or so) keyboard on the bottom of the console, must have been another device and was only there to compare size. Kinda bums me out to hear this since I was hoping to run some old infocom text games with a zcode interpreter for linux. Also, since this thing runs linux I assumed it would have some kind of desktop but the only pics I've seen all show the game/music/video/picture menu. Is that menu the "desktop", or is there a more traditional desktop you can use? And since it uses linux, can you run most apps designed for linux, or do they have to be "ported" to the gp2x version of linux to work?
well, it is linux, but the GUI isn't typical to linux. It's a custom one; not KDE, gnome, WindowMaker, or anything else. But you may never know, maybe some users will Port another GUI, or simply make another one. Linux apps can be used, but they need to be recompiled to use the ARM dual processor.
Every apps with SDL libraries (windows, linux, ...) can be ported very easy to GP2x, but you have to optimize it after if you want 100 % support. Like the very early ports of Quake & Hexen and Snes & NeoGeo CD emus.
The picture you saw was for the GPXP. Thats made by a now separate company. It's going to be a direct competitor with the PSP. Its not going to use homebrew stuff but GPXP specific software from the manufacturer and 3rd parties. I admire the ambition but it seems like an uphill battle thats doomed to fail. But i'm a pessimist.
That's sucks the gpxp isn't going for the homebrew market, would be so nice to have a portable emu-machine with a keyboard.
Nope. No words on the Xgp since a long time ago. Some people believe it will be a vaporware, just like the phantom, and many others.
If that's the only keyboard for the xgp then I think it was a gp2x in the picture I saw. Though the keyboard was probably one for the original gp32. Surely another company will release a similar keyboard for the gp2x, especially considering this one runs linux.
The keyboard people used for the original GP32 was just a Nokia Chatboard altered to plug into the port on a GP32. While the GP2X doesn't look like it will have the same sort of serial port, I'm sure people will come with a way of plugging a keyboard into the expansion port it does have. I'm also sure someone will create a desktop style environment for the system. The one for the GP32, called Wind-Ups, was very popular. That used a pretty good sort of onscreen keyboard much faster than the traditional onscreen keyboard that's just a normal keyboard that you have to move all over with a dpad. And actually, I have an idea that would improve on the Wind-Ups virtual keyboard that would probably make it faster to use than any kind of small chatboard keyboard. I'll be suggesting it to whoever in the GP2X scene eventually creates a desktop or tect editor or whatever. Even though the XGP did sound cool--especially the wi-fi and USB host support that I mentioned--I must say that I sort of hope it does turn into vaporware because the fact is, Gamepark (who announced the XGP and are not to be confused with Gamepark Holdings who is selling the GP2X) did say that they would have an open SDK for it though it wasn't gonna be the system's only reason to be and I would prefer not to see that kind of split in the scene. ...word is bondage...
Is there any word about when the second model of the gp2x is coming out? I want to get one before christmas, but not one that has all of these problems.
lik-sang says first quater 2006,...very unlikely before xmas...most issues seem to be with the firmware, and by the sounds of it, this wasnt the full launch of the system.................ill take back what i just said, if they are manufacturing them as we speak, with out those issues, than you might just see it before xmas
