Gp 32 Or Zodiac?

[Micek]

I'm thinking of buying a handheld but I don't know which one?
Both the Gp 32 and the Zodiac seems too be very cool but both of the seem to have problems with emulating different games.

Is there anyone here who've tried both GP 32 and Zodiac who can give me an oppinion?

 

[bibblesplat]

The zodiac is OK for most things cos it is a decent fast PDA, but if you do want emulation go for the GP32. The PC Engine Emulator is 100%, the Genesis is 100% the snes is nearly there and all the other 8bit consoles are also 100% too, bar a couple. Some of the commercial games for the GP32 are also excellent but the zodiac has a huge range of games with its palm 5 OS.

 

[moz]

I'm thinking of buying a handheld but I don't know which one?
Both the Gp 32 and the Zodiac seems too be very cool but both of the seem to have problems with emulating different games.

Is there anyone here who've tried both GP 32 and Zodiac who can give me an oppinion?

​

ive got both.

do you want to use the handheld as a PDA?

what games/emulators do you want to use?

do you like playing games with an analog stick?

 

[lubidog]

I was in the same boat! Went for the GP32 about a month ago cos the emulation is far better! And have been like a pig in poo since! The emu scene is superb!!!!


:blink: :blink: :blink:

I recommend the GP32!

Ta

 

[skeezix]

Thats it exactly -- depends what you need. GP32 is probably the worlds leading retro device. The Zodiac is one of the best general purpose mobile devices.. a good PDA, good for Palm OS gaming, great for emulators (quality), good or great for mobile video, great for mp3 playing, okay controls etc. Has 2 SD slots so you can carry a pile of storage around, stereo audio, some handy hardware GPU (but not alot).

GP32 is much more limited in nature, like a specialist; its only good for homebrew and emulation pretty much, but it is very good at those things. Zodiac emulation is very good, but the controls being analog means the GP32 is superior interface for it. GP32 emulators vary in quality, but many of them are absolutely superb. (ie: DrMD is probably one of the best Genesis/Megadrive emus on any platform. The Genesis emulation on Palm OS/Zodiac is pretty good, but not as good as DrMD by a long shot. But at the same time, SNES is better on Palm OS/Zodiac.)

GP32 BLU and BLU+ have backlit screens (I've not see them yet myself) that shoudl comapre favourably with the (high res) Zodiac display.

So GP32 is a great great emulation device with good homebrew; bright screen on the BLUs (FLU is a little washed out, I'd seriously advise against the unlit older models). Zodiac is a great Palm OS device.

Tough choicue really, but it depends exactly on what you want. If you just wamnt to retrogame, GP32 is likely your best bet. (If only it took SD instead of SMC..)

If you want mobile video or to keep notes or track calendar or addresses or the like, then Palm OS/Zodiac is far superior.

I can't weigh in either way since I use both. But I'll tell you this.. If I play (say) Raiden or R-Type in my basement on the arcade machine I play better than on my GP32; if I play on the GP32, I do better than on the Zodiac, due to the digital control. (ie: Zodiac has analog so it reports in any direction and how far presse din that direction, so emus have to figure out where you're meaning to press, rather than justy getting a simple 8-way response like arcade/gp32).

So arcade > gp32 > zodiac > pda-generic

But depends what you're looking for in the device now and in the future.

jeff

 

[JaseDaMase]

never used a zodiac so can't comment but the GP32 is great and i cant see anything else doing the job any better as most of the stuff available is perfect or nearly perfect

 

[psj3809]

never used a zodiac so can't comment but the GP32 is great and i cant see anything else doing the job any better as most of the stuff available is perfect or nearly perfect

​

I love the GP32 as well but because i've never tried the Tapwave Zodiac i cant really give an opinion, might be better or worse but i dont know. Obviously people without a Zodiac will give a biased view towards the GP32

Dont think either of us can really add anything

 

[johncross85]

Thats it exactly -- depends what you need. GP32 is probably the worlds leading retro device. The Zodiac is one of the best general purpose mobile devices.. a good PDA, good for Palm OS gaming, great for emulators (quality), good or great for mobile video, great for mp3 playing, okay controls etc. Has 2 SD slots so you can carry a pile of storage around, stereo audio, some handy hardware GPU (but not alot).

GP32 is much more limited in nature, like a specialist; its only good for homebrew and emulation pretty much, but it is very good at those things. Zodiac emulation is very good, but the controls being analog means the GP32 is superior interface for it. GP32 emulators vary in quality, but many of them are absolutely superb. (ie: DrMD is probably one of the best Genesis/Megadrive emus on any platform. The Genesis emulation on Palm OS/Zodiac is pretty good, but not as good as DrMD by a long shot. But at the same time, SNES is better on Palm OS/Zodiac.)

GP32 BLU and BLU+ have backlit screens (I've not see them yet myself) that shoudl comapre favourably with the (high res) Zodiac display.

So GP32 is a great great emulation device with good homebrew; bright screen on the BLUs (FLU is a little washed out, I'd seriously advise against the unlit older models). Zodiac is a great Palm OS device.

Tough choicue really, but it depends exactly on what you want. If you just wamnt to retrogame, GP32 is likely your best bet. (If only it took SD instead of SMC..)

If you want mobile video or to keep notes or track calendar or addresses or the like, then Palm OS/Zodiac is far superior.

I can't weigh in either way since I use both. But I'll tell you this.. If I play (say) Raiden or R-Type in my basement on the arcade machine I play better than on my GP32; if I play on the GP32, I do better than on the Zodiac, due to the digital control. (ie: Zodiac has analog so it reports in any direction and how far presse din that direction, so emus have to figure out where you're meaning to press, rather than justy getting a simple 8-way response like arcade/gp32).

So arcade > gp32 > zodiac > pda-generic

But depends what you're looking for in the device now and in the future.

jeff

​

Probably the most well thought out and unbiased answer you'll ever hear. Might be worth pinning this or something?

J(ohn)

 

[firefly1201]

After having an 'extensive' playtest in PC World, I have come to the conclusion that the Zodiac is wayyyyy too slim. That is all. Oh, and Extreme Stunt Car is a bad game. Baddddddd Game.

 

[Pulstar]

I've had both, just have a BLU right now. I always felt like the Zodiac should be better, but the GP keeps amazing me with how much it can do. And all the games and apps are free. Not to mention the analog stick on the Zodiac is poor for emus, etc.
Just my $.02...

 

[Micek]

Thank you skeezix!
Useful information!

Still cannot decide because I want a little of both....
I mostly after a good gaming console. But I also want to use it as an mp3 player and mobile storage. Thereby the storage capacity of the GP 32 comes a little short.

I mostly want to play SNES, GB color and GBA games.... what concole do you recommend.

Maybe I should just buy a GP 32 and a mp3 player <_<

 

[DaveC]

Thank you skeezix!
Useful information!

Still cannot decide because I want a little of both....
I mostly after a good gaming console. But I also want to use it as an mp3 player and mobile storage. Thereby the storage capacity of the GP 32 comes a little short.

I mostly want to play SNES, GB color and GBA games.... what concole do you recommend.

Maybe I should just buy a GP 32 and a mp3 player <_<

​

Neither one. None of these can do GBA or SNES with sound very well.

 

[DaveC]

Thank you skeezix!
Useful information!

Still cannot decide because I want a little of both....
I mostly after a good gaming console. But I also want to use it as an mp3 player and mobile storage. Thereby the storage capacity of the GP 32 comes a little short.

I mostly want to play SNES, GB color and GBA games.... what concole do you recommend.

Maybe I should just buy a GP 32 and a mp3 player <_<

​

I had a zodiac first. Then I bought a GP32, then I sold the Zodiac. I mainly use it for emulation and that analog stick on the zodiac was crap for emus. It was to the point for me where it actualy became frustrating to play emulated games, so I didn't do it much. The problem is that you need to press very far to get it to respond resulting in very sloppy controls. Then there is the hardwired in battery, when it needs a charge you are stuck waiting at the charger for hours before you can go again. When the battery stops taking a charge altogether you need to mail the unit to the US for repair as it is proprietary and non user replaceable. On the GP32 you just swap out the AA rechargeable batteries and keep going. The buttons on the zodiac are also too "clicky" and cheesy feeling, kind of like an old TI-30 calculator. They have been known to stick alot. The Zodiac has been notorious for hardware failures, everything from the analog going out to the screen going out of calibration, buttons sticking, shoulder buttons peeling apart, earphone jacks breaking, etc. If you are in the UK or Europe I would stay away. RMAing from there would be a pain. It is not uncommon for people to go through 2,3, even 4 zodiacs before they get one that works right.

It looks nice, and that is why many are drawn to it. It is not as practical for just gaming as the GP32 is though, The GP32 is just more comfortable to play and the emus are mostly as good or better.

I have owned just about ALL handhelds at one time or another, and honestly I have had more fun with the GP32 than all of the rest (although my Lynx was at the top of my list in its day).

You can do MP3s on the GP32 too so you don't need another player.

 

[Esn]

Music on the gp32 is best heard in OGG format (same as mp3, but takes up half as much space). As for GBC/SNES/GBA emulation, GBC is good but not quite there yet (it runs a bit too quickly; I guess it's not enough of a challenge to interest developers who could make it perfect), and as for SNES emulation, you can see my review here; some games work great, but most are still too slow. GBA emulation isn't there yet (the official website is here); enf65 may start working on it again someday, but you never know.

I think one of the fun things about the gp32 is discovering games and consoles that you never knew existed, such as the Atari ST computer. I wouldn't say that I use it only to emulate a few specific consoles; I play different games on different consoles, most of which I'd never played before.

 

[skeezix]

Zodiac was a good looking device for sure; you could take it out in public; I'd be ashamed with a GP32 unless I was really young.. largish and white makes it look like a kiddie toy. (I work in an office.) Modding the case (spraypaint perhaps, if it doesn't rub off onto your hands?) would be nice.. really, squishing a GP32 into a Zodiac's case would rock, especially modded ot use SD instead. (This of course will never happen

Hopefully the battery can be replaced on its own in Zod.. it is a concern if the battery goes bad 2-4 years later and is hard to replace; the GP32 using AA's isnt' a better solution per se.. AA's are expensive; rechargbles are okay, but one gets tired of that pretty fast and some don't las too long so you end up buying batteries and polluting the environment. I prefer internal batteries where the device is the charger.. a shame the GP32 can't act as a charger. (ie: PDAs and cellphones with internal batteries == good)

Something like some of the Pocket PC's (such as the Dell Axim's) is best.. internal battery charged by the device, and the battery is replacable so you can buy extras for long trips or for future replacement. The Dell Axim X50v (VGA!) is super nice hardware with a not so good OS (Pocket PC isn't so great :/), but has terrible terrible controls, or it'd be a good machine for this discussion as well. (ie: No PDA has good gaming controls except the Zodiac). (Axim is 600MHz, takes CF+SD, has VGA screen, 802.11+BT. Sweet stuff. Runs GBA nicely even since its so fast a machine but nothing is playable due to buttons. Zodiac and GP32 don't have the horsepower to do it well, though its possible someone may continue the GBA project on GP32.. the Zodiac GBA emu runs well, but is too slow to be useful.)

So tossing out the general purpose PDAs like Palm OS and Pocket PC, you're left as always with Zodiac and GP32 as best bets, or perhaps NDS and PSP if you count them (so far very limited homebrew on those two, but we'll see as they develop.) Neither Zodiac nor GP32 is really better than the other unless you narrow in on something that you want more, then you lean one way or the other

If you mostly want retro gaming, get GP32. If you do want to be able to do other stuff in the future, a Zodiac is best bet, but the joystick isn't best suited to digital input like emus expect, but it works okay. I'd suggest trying one at the store first to see if you like the feel of it.

Tough choice

Hell with it.. Depending opn budget.. you could get multiple devices. GP32 for messing about at home or on the subway if you dont' mind pulling it out. A smartphone or phone+pda for mobile may be nice.. a good smartphone like Treo 650 or the like can do mp3+emus+phone+pda all in one, but is very pricey. A phone+pda combo could be good, and could be a zodiac or something else.

jeff

 

[Jr2swiss]

I would only get a Zodiac if I truly needed a PDA, if not, then I would go with the Gp32, also a mp3 player if you have enough. I have a Gp32 BLU and Iriver h10, love both.

 

[Fishbong]

I have a gp32 and will (probably next week) get a zodiac 1.
Reasons are:
1. Commercial games; the zodiac offers not truly many exclusive games, but still a LOT more than the gp32, they are in english, many of them are in 3D, and made by well known developers like 3D Realms. There are still a couple of releases now and then. Plus there are still all the palm games avaiable for it...
2. Screen: It is even bigger than the gp32 one, awesome resolution and its backlight can be adjusted.
3. Design and durability; As mentioned before, the design is awesome, still better than the PSP´s, and its much more durable since it is made of aluminium.
4. PDA features; The zodiac offers all possibilities of a real PDA, which is a good thing... email, calculation and so forth are something i dont want to miss.
5. Analog stick; I like it, i even use the analog stick of my PC Joypad when i run zsnes or Virtual Boy Advance on my PC!

Still, the gp32_console is a great piece of hardware too, i probably would decide for it if i had to.

 

[skeezix]

Made even tougher still..

Quake? check and check.
Doom? check and check.
SNES? check and check.
Genesis? check and check.
MAME? check and check.
Atari ST? check and check.
etc..

OKay it doesn't help half the peope doing GP32 and Zodiac are the same peopel on both

Which systems are you most interested in? Which games? Maybe you can meet up with someone? Bad, int he end I think you'll just have to wing it

jeff

 

[gaterooze]

I'd like to add that I find the GP32 fine as an MP3 player. The best progs on it use the OGG format which is just as high quality as MP3 but much smaller in size.

I fit about 4 hours of music on one 128mb SMC at a good enough quality for my headphones.

It is also pretty dandy for video playback too. You have to encode a DVD down to a low bitrate, but it works well.