I'm About To Order And I Have Many 'stupid' Questions :)


owen-b

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May 3, 2006
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Hi all,

First off, this is my first post here as I'm about to order a GP2X. I've been researching it heavily all night, to make sure I get the best deal and get all the basic tools I will need.

1 - Do I need to get the power adaptor? I have one of those 4-prong devices that you use with things like Speak and Spells. Will that work or is it a very specific power adaptor? I take it the power supply is highly recommended for things such as transferring data to the machine, especially firmware updates?

2 - What size of SD card is recommended as a minimum? I will predominantly be gaming - MAME, SNES, Megadrive, some NeoGeo stuff... Will 1gig do me, or should I go for a 2gig?

3 - Are the nameless brands of high capacity SD cards from places like 7dayshop.com reliable enough for the machine? I've read up on the Wiki but don't see, for example, the Viking Interworks 2gig card listed as compatible or incompatible yet.

4 - Also, I'll be using a Mac - would a basic cheap card reader be extremely adviseable for formatting/data transfer just to be on the safe side?

5 - I read a few comments claiming that the gp2x.co.uk shop wasn't at all helpful when it comes to a bricked unit, whereas the .de shop was altogether more friendly (and so it seemed when looking at their site myself). For a UK buyer where would you advise purchasing from?

6 - Can I be guaranteed to get the Mk2 machine if I order this month, or will I have to specify this in order to avoid getting the last of the previous revision?


Many thanks in advance for all/any help with these. I've done a few searches through the site but couldn't find simple answers to these very specific questions, although a lot of my other concerns were answered that way so thanks for that! ;)

Owen


EDIT! All new question!

7 - I'm confused by the NeoGeo - there are sooooo many NeoGeo machines. Which ones are emulated by the emu linked to on the craigx review? Does the arcade neogeo require a special version of mame, or an entirely new emu? Does that play the home machine roms too, or is that another emu altogether again? What about neogeo pocket? :unsure:

Cheers :D
 
owen-b posted on May 3 2006 at 11:24 PM said:
Hi all,

First off, this is my first post here as I'm about to order a GP2X. I've been researching it heavily all night, to make sure I get the best deal and get all the basic tools I will need.

1 - Do I need to get the power adaptor? I have one of those 4-prong devices that you use with things like Speak and Spells. Will that work or is it a very specific power adaptor? I take it the power supply is highly recommended for things such as transferring data to the machine, especially firmware updates?

2 - What size of SD card is recommended as a minimum? I will predominantly be gaming - MAME, SNES, Megadrive, some NeoGeo stuff... Will 1gig do me, or should I go for a 2gig?

3 - Are the nameless brands of high capacity SD cards from places like 7dayshop.com reliable enough for the machine? I've read up on the Wiki but don't see, for example, the Viking Interworks 2gig card listed as compatible or incompatible yet.

4 - Also, I'll be using a Mac - would a basic cheap card reader be extremely adviseable for formatting/data transfer just to be on the safe side?

5 - I read a few comments claiming that the gp2x.co.uk shop wasn't at all helpful when it comes to a bricked unit, whereas the .de shop was altogether more friendly (and so it seemed when looking at their site myself). For a UK buyer where would you advise purchasing from?

6 - Can I be guaranteed to get the Mk2 machine if I order this month, or will I have to specify this in order to avoid getting the last of the previous revision?

Many thanks in advance for all/any help with these. I've done a few searches through the site but couldn't find simple answers to these very specific questions, although a lot of my other concerns were answered that way so thanks for that! ;)

Owen


I'll answer what I can dude, in the same order that you ask the questions.

1. I, and a lot of people, get by with rechargable batteries, so I don't think that a power adaptor is a must. However, if you are going to use one, I certainly WOULD NOT use a Speak and Spell adaptor, as many a poor user has "fried" his/her Gp32/2X using power adaptors. If you really want one, buy an official one, as they really aren't that expensive.

2. If you are going to be using Neo Geo, I'd go with a 1G card. You can get pleanty of Neo Geo games in, with something left over for Mega Drive and SNES too.
3. I have a Kingston 1g card, and was able to upgrade without problems. Somewhere there is a compatability list on the net that lets you know just what cards will actualize and which ones won't.

4 I'd certainly buy a cheap card reader for all your gaming needs. It is not only 100 percent safer, but it's 100 percent faster and more convenient than the usb mode. I've never even taken my usb cable out of the box, LOL.

That's as far as I can help you dude, good luck, H.G.
 
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That's really helpful, thanks mate.

So, from what you're saying 1 gig of SD will be more than enough? And 2gig? That would get more games than there's free time in the world to play, plus the occasional episode of a tv show or something if I was that way inclined, and maybe some music, photos, etc? ie, 1 gig is great, 2 gig is future-proofing myself?
 
Loubear posted on May 3 2006 at 11:20 PM said:
1gb? PSH!!
2gb? PSH!!!!
4gb? Damn straight.
:D

Let's say my budget for a first time user extends to a 2gig if there's a real call for it... You're saying it's advised, right? Can you give me an example of how I might go about filling it out? ;)
 
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owen-b posted on May 3 2006 at 11:24 PM said:
Loubear posted on May 3 2006 at 11:20 PM said:
1gb? PSH!!
2gb? PSH!!!!
4gb? Damn straight.
:D

Let's say my budget for a first time user extends to a 2gig if there's a real call for it... You're saying it's advised, right? Can you give me an example of how I might go about filling it out? ;)

I bought a 2gb card last week and filled it fast. Bought another 2gb from ebuyer.com. Very nice prices there.
 
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But does it beat...

$96.50 with free shipping?

Oh yea...buy it from gp2x.co.uk, does alot for the community, and you get a snazzy cap!
 
retro-haven posted on May 3 2006 at 11:33 PM said:
owen-b posted on May 3 2006 at 11:24 PM said:
Loubear posted on May 3 2006 at 11:20 PM said:
1gb? PSH!!
2gb? PSH!!!!
4gb? Damn straight.
:D

Let's say my budget for a first time user extends to a 2gig if there's a real call for it... You're saying it's advised, right? Can you give me an example of how I might go about filling it out? ;)

I bought a 2gb card last week and filled it fast. Bought another 2gb from ebuyer.com. Very nice prices there.
What did you fill it fast WITH, though? If it's movies and stuff, then it's not so likely I'd fill it so fast, and I might consider getting another 2gb for them at a later date.

Been looking at the 2gb SanDisk cards on eBay. Some bargains to be had there, and it's SanDisk - very reliable, yes?
 
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I suggest only going to 1Gb SD cards, compatability is better, and if one bricks (can happen) it is less expensive to replace! It also means you can have one card for games, one for films, one for music, etc.

Sandisk is probably the best make, as GPH used this for testing the GP2x. It is a fast card; although there are may other cheap brands about, which also work well. I use some I got from Novatech (in the UK), and use a 256Mg SD card for firmware updates - works great.
 
If i were you get a 2gb SD card
If you want to also put music and movies on your gp2x, you will need a 2gb. well it depends how many games you put on.
Games can quickly take up space. The smalest size u can get a movie to with it still having good quality is 300-400mb. Music willalso fill your sd card up quickly aswell
 
owen-b posted on May 3 2006 at 10:24 PM said:
Hi all,

First off, this is my first post here as I'm about to order a GP2X. I've been researching it heavily all night, to make sure I get the best deal and get all the basic tools I will need.

1 - Do I need to get the power adaptor? I have one of those 4-prong devices that you use with things like Speak and Spells. Will that work or is it a very specific power adaptor? I take it the power supply is highly recommended for things such as transferring data to the machine, especially firmware updates?

2 - What size of SD card is recommended as a minimum? I will predominantly be gaming - MAME, SNES, Megadrive, some NeoGeo stuff... Will 1gig do me, or should I go for a 2gig?

3 - Are the nameless brands of high capacity SD cards from places like 7dayshop.com reliable enough for the machine? I've read up on the Wiki but don't see, for example, the Viking Interworks 2gig card listed as compatible or incompatible yet.

4 - Also, I'll be using a Mac - would a basic cheap card reader be extremely adviseable for formatting/data transfer just to be on the safe side?

5 - I read a few comments claiming that the gp2x.co.uk shop wasn't at all helpful when it comes to a bricked unit, whereas the .de shop was altogether more friendly (and so it seemed when looking at their site myself). For a UK buyer where would you advise purchasing from?

6 - Can I be guaranteed to get the Mk2 machine if I order this month, or will I have to specify this in order to avoid getting the last of the previous revision?

Many thanks in advance for all/any help with these. I've done a few searches through the site but couldn't find simple answers to these very specific questions, although a lot of my other concerns were answered that way so thanks for that! ;)

Owen

I notice this thread has gone off onto a bit of a tangent and that you only actually received one (very good) full reply to your original questions. If I may add my personal experiences then, you may glean something from them:

1. Personally, I would highly recommend getting the official adaptor. Although rechargeable batteries can last for a good 4-6 hours if they're 2500Nimh or better, there's nothing more frustrating than progressing well in a game, only for the batteries to fail. The batteries don't fail slowly on the GP2X: it pretty much switches right off. Certainly, if you're planning to flash your GP, I would recommend an adaptor.

2. I use my GP predominantly for gaming and use a 1gb SD card, which I find more than sufficient. I have MAME, UAE4All, Frodo, CaSTaway, GP2Xpectrum and DRMD emulators with ROMS, Sudoku, Rick Dangerous, Quake and a few homebrew games, plus some graphic novels and loads of space to spare. As I buying tip and regarding SD card compatibility, I got mine from RD Imports via ebay:

http://feedback.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...e=STRK:MEWN:SID

My 1gb card was £12.95. They charge a tenner for P&P, which is excessive and a well-known ebay practise but a 1gb card for £23 is good: Dixons and Maplin are asking £70. My card works just fine in my GP.

3. See above.

4. I'd personally recommend a card reader for its reliability and speed. The USB connection is infamously tempramental and a card reader can be bought for as little as £10: again, look on ebay.

5. I bought mine from gbax.com, where I also acquired my GP32 previously. They may not be the cheapest (I paid £125) but they deliver next day and offer excellent customer service.

6. This is the only one I can't answer I'm afraid. Knowing gbax's customer service though, you'd be well advised to give them a ring, if you choose to buy from them: they have a geographical land line number!

Hope that helps. Have fun!
 
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Okay... it's just the card size I can't decide on. I don't think I'll end up putting music on it really - I have an iPod for listening to music! So probably the odd movie or (more likely) a few eps of a TV show such as Simpsons or Curb Your Enthusiasm or similar.

So let's say I want to have MAME, SNES, Megadrive, GBA, maybe Amiga and definitely NeoGeo emulators on it, and probably between 20-30 ROMs for each, and then I also want to stick 2 or 3 hours worth of video that's been compressed to the screen resolution of the device at a watchable quality.

How much space might this take up?

Cheers! :)
 
Megadrive roms- on average 1meg each
Emulators- 1megish each
Gba roms- 4meg on average each
Neo geo- my metal slug rom is around 20meg (I dont know about others)
2-3 hours of Divx 580meg (Not to shure about that one)

Hope I helped
 
Lettuce Dude posted on May 4 2006 at 06:50 PM said:
Megadrive roms- on average 1meg each
Emulators- 1megish each
Gba roms- 4meg on average each
Neo geo- my metal slug rom is around 20meg (I dont know about others)
2-3 hours of Divx 580meg (Not to shure about that one)

Hope I helped
Very much so, thanks. I've gone for a new SanDisk 2gig 'vanilla' card from eBay - including postage, £30! :)
 
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If your power adaptor can do 3V centre-negative at 1amp or more, and fit in the GP2X's connector, then you can certainly use it. However, if your at all unsure, or don't understand that specification, then I'd purchase one with your 2x, as they don't cost that much, and you don't want to fry your new toy.
 
My latest question (added as an edit to my original post as well):

I'm confused by the NeoGeo - there are sooooo many NeoGeo machines. Which ones are emulated by the emu linked to on the craigx review? Does the arcade neogeo require a special version of mame, or an entirely new emu? Does that play the home machine roms too, or is that another emu altogether again? What about neogeo pocket? :unsure:

Cheers :D
 
owen-b posted on May 4 2006 at 11:14 PM said:
My latest question (added as an edit to my original post as well):

I'm confused by the NeoGeo - there are sooooo many NeoGeo machines. Which ones are emulated by the emu linked to on the craigx review? Does the arcade neogeo require a special version of mame, or an entirely new emu? Does that play the home machine roms too, or is that another emu altogether again? What about neogeo pocket? :unsure:

Cheers :D

LOL, as politicians are fond of saying "I'm glad you asked that question" LOL. To be honest with you, I got the Gp2x ONLY to be able to play what I feel is up to now the BIGGEST breakthrough and is the BIGGEST joy any real "friki" could ever ask for from a portable game console-----be able to play the Neo Geo AES games!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That's right, with GnGeo2x, you can play ALL of the Neo Geo AES games (even the latest one's like KOF 2003, 2004, Metal Slug 3, 4, 5, Samurai Spirits, 3, 4, and 5). I think it's just the greatest thing to come along since sliced bread!!!!!!!!! Also, just like NeoRageX for the PC, you can configure things like "home" or "arcade" play. There is also an emu for the NeoCD, but to be honest with you, I haven't seen anyone who uses it, as there are just a TON more of games you can play on the AES, although I'm shure that a real Neo Geo "hardcore" user could point out several games that only came out for the CD system. As far as the Neo Geo pocket goes, the last time I checked, there is one emu out there that runs, but it doesn't have sound or save states. I have a "real" Neo Geo pocket color myself, and I'll tell you that the other day I dusted it off and played a little for "old times sake" and shut it off and put it back in the box after about 10 minutes. Being able to play the Neo Geo AES in the Gp2x, makes the NGPC pale in comparison. Hope this pretty much clears up any doubts you may have about Neo Geo, all I can add its that if you really like playing Neo Geo, it in itself (in fact, it's the ONLY app. that I even have on my Sd card) makes it worth buying the Gp2x. H.G.
 
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