Gp2x Demand?

[basicmicro]

Is there still demand for the GP2X hardware? Meaning if they were still for sale would people still be buying them ?

 

[quote]

Demand doesn't really exist any more for the older consoles (F200 backwards). But the new ones, Wiz and the not-very-official F300, are sure to sell .

 

[ledow]

Demand doesn't really exist any more for the older consoles (F200 backwards). But the new ones, Wiz and the not-very-official F300, are sure to sell .

Rubbish.

Every GP2X F-100 on eBay is selling for at least £50/£60. I know, because I'm trying to buy one. I want a F-100, not any of the later models. They aren't selling in *shops* because they aren't being produced any more but the second-hand market for them is still thriving.

 

[carlgeorge]

Demand doesn't really exist any more for the older consoles (F200 backwards).

Nonsense. My first edition f100 is dying and would love to replace it with a F200 if I could get hold of one.

I am watching the one on ebay that stustaff is selling, but I need to be sensible about the price because (hopefully) I'll have a Wiz in about 6 weeks time and possibly a Pandora a few weeks later.

 

[nubie]

NO.

At least not when they realize that there is no Dpad and the stick makes them want to pull off the cap and commit hari-kari with the copper joystick.

Oh, and then there is the power circuitry that eats batteries and then fails, with capacitors falling all around the insides.


So there would be a market if the GP2X hadn't spoiled the market. Or to put it another way, if it had enough batteries to power it (minimum 3 cells of NiMH or Alkaline), and high enough build quality to last, and a proper d-pad (for the last F@ckin time, no the F200 doesn't have a d-pad), and sold for $150 then maybe.

I am guessing that the Wiz will do OK if they can fix half those problems (and with li-ion power and a D-Pad they are halfway there).

 

[basicmicro]

So to sum it up a rechargable battery like Lion, Real D-pad and maybe an analog stick ? What about wifi? I assume there is still developer support out there to modify the firmware to take advantages of any added features ?

Also whats the F300? I saw one post about something being fake. Is the F300 real ?

 

[nubie]

So to sum it up a rechargable battery like Lion, Real D-pad and maybe an analog stick ? What about wifi? I assume there is still developer support out there to modify the firmware to take advantages of any added features ?

Also whats the F300? I saw one post about something being fake. Is the F300 real ?

I believe it is called the GP2X Wiz, and no there isn't wifi.

I do hope the developers figure out USB and TV, so far the USB looks like a go and TV isn't (should work, but not, no software.)

In my book the USB dongle and TV dongle should come with it, or be combined in a single cable for not more than $15. We'll see.

 

[ignatz]

The f300 is a 100/200 ish body with the guts of a wiz.
The wiz is going to have some kind of wi-fi dongle.

 

[jbrodack]

yeah there is demand. with good camera quality rechargables battery life isn't so bad especially if you keep an extra spare set charged.

there was still demand when gph pulled the plug on f200 production I guess they just wanted to focus on the wiz. people still want one especially as its the only device of its kind (open out the box no hacking needed) thats actually out.

 

[ledow]

not when they realize that there is no Dpad and the stick makes them want to pull off the cap and commit hari-kari with the copper joystick.

Well, I've tried both and I actually vastly prefer the little mini-joystick. And the fact is that it's a tiny, 50p worth of easily removeable plastic that can be changed for even better ones. The D-Pad on the F-200 gives me nightmares. On a console aimed at emulation gaming, it's almost impossible to pull off quite a few simple moves from things like Street Fighter 2 on the F-200 D-pad, despite the fact that the SNES version (with it's own D-pad) managed it perfectly. The Wiz might fix it, or it might make it worse. Until some other mugs buy one and tell me, I won't ever know and can't say that it's "better than the GP2X". Even you say that the F-200 D-pad is a waste of time. The joystick is a personal preference here but doesn't instantly cancel out demand for the things.

Oh, and then there is the power circuitry that eats batteries and then fails, with capacitors falling all around the insides.

I'm pretty sure the power on the Wiz or Pandora isn't going to be magically less - that's why they are moving to internal, high-capacity batteries. It's only the new technology that allows the Pandora to last longer, technology that wasn't available at a reasonable price in the GP2X's lifetime (hence the Wiz, which is playing catchup for the GPH lines of products). That doesn't mean the GP2X is obsolete or worthless. Hell, I *still* get 3-4 good hours of gaming out of the original "GP2X"-marked set of rechargables that came with my third-hand GP2X. I don't manage their charges, I just slap them into a 30-min charger from Maplin's. To be honest, my phone dies in far less than that amount of talktime (even quicker if I play a Java game on it and keep the screen lit) and that's not a problem for me either.

Personally, I always liked that I can just pop into a shop for some bog-standard AA's and get a few hours out of them if my high-power rechargeables (which everyone has now that they have digital cameras) died. I've had my GP2X last me upwards of three weeks playing on the train back and forth to work every day without charging it. Admittedly, I could easily kill it if I had one long mega-session but 2AA's are hardly a chore to carry and for development, you just plug it in (official charger - GP2X has been left on for 72+ hours in the past without problem).

I've yet to have a hardware failure outside of the "joystick cap comes off if you shove it into your pocket unprotected and don't watch where the joystick catches on" kind. My unit is, I think, third-hand and a GP2X F-100 Value Pack (firmware v3.0), so it's not as if it's not had use. I take it to and from work every day and code hard on it most nights. It gets bashed, beaten, squished, tapped, clunked and it's still going.

Just because *you* don't want one doesn't mean there isn't demand. The ones on eBay gets bids within seconds and a last minute splurge and sell for £40-50 *at least* for the really knocked-about, no accessories ones every time.

As I must say a hundred times a day - your computer doesn't magically get slower because it's older. If it ran at 200MHz yesterday, or five years ago, chances are it'll run at that speed today. If a program worked full-speed five years ago, that same version of that same program will run at that speed today. So if you just want, say, an emulation device to play SNES, Megadrive, some homebrew, Payback, etc. then you'll prefer a cheap GP2X over a Wiz or a Pandora at the moment (notwithstanding that neither of them ship over here yet). And eBay is the best thing in the world for showing "real-world value"... if people are paying money for something then, well, people are willing to pay money for it! How much would a "guaranteed Pandora pre-order" fetch on eBay at the moment? I'm not sure. But a GP2X can go for up to £75 if you have the box, if less than 3 days of auction.

 

[MaxSteiner]

I think theres still a demand for them.
Alot of people were selling their GP2x's to upgrade to the Pandora/Wiz, but I bet they're kicking themselves once it became obvious theres at least another 3 month wait

At the end of the day, if you are only interested in homebrew goodness and the golden age of 8bit - 16 bit gaming, alot of the extra power offered by the two successors is wasted.

 

[basicmicro]

What about batteries? 3x AA or a Sony PSP style battery?

maxSteiner; What about the Dpad on the PSP does that one work well? By SNES version are you referring to the dpad on the old SNES included controllers?

 

[Ze_ro]

Alot of people were selling their GP2x's to upgrade to the Pandora/Wiz, but I bet they're kicking themselves once it became obvious theres at least another 3 month wait

I bet GPH is kicking themselves too. They should have kept production going for a couple months at least (perhaps at a reduced rate)... as it is, they have no income aside from Wiz pre-orders.

What about the Dpad on the PSP does that one work well?

The PSP's D-Pad is awful. I'd rather use the GP2X's stick than that. It's pretty sad how few controllers have a good D-Pad these days.

--Zero

 

[abertalia]

The PSP's D-Pad is awful. I'd rather use the GP2X's stick than that. It's pretty sad how few controllers have a good D-Pad these days.

--Zero

I feel the same way about the entire Playstation brand controller. Buttons, D-Pad, and analog layout never felt that great. I prefer the D-Pad shape on the Saturn/Genesis controllers, which not enough newer consoles use except for the 360, which is too stiff

Gp2x stick isn't the best, but it's okay for puzzle and slower paced action games(platforming, some horizontal shooting) rather than extremely fast vs fighters and vertical shooters with lots of shit coming at you. Things I don't usually play on Gp2x.


I'm just glad I have held on to both of my F-100's. Great machines overall.

 

[saboteur]

Yep there's still a demand.

Just bought another on ebay and bidding was firece and is still consistently high.

I've now got four of these bad boys at the mo 2 doing various things and 1 bricked model which I use for spares and 1 on the way.

I was contemlplating a DS or PSP but decided on another 2x for it's sheer flexability.

 

[jbrodack]

gp2xstore.com is selling refurbished f200s for 129.99. not a bad price and a better bet than bidding off ebay.

 

[rx_shorty]

Well Gpark.nl isn't selling much of them anymore...
Still a few in stock...

The Wiz would do better now, if they only released it....

 

[nubie]

Well, I've tried both and I actually vastly prefer the little mini-joystick. And the fact is that it's a tiny, 50p worth of easily removeable plastic that can be changed for even better ones. The D-Pad on the F-200 gives me nightmares. On a console aimed at emulation gaming, it's almost impossible to pull off quite a few simple moves from things like Street Fighter 2 on the F-200 D-pad, despite the fact that the SNES version (with it's own D-pad) managed it perfectly. The Wiz might fix it, or it might make it worse. Until some other mugs buy one and tell me, I won't ever know and can't say that it's "better than the GP2X". Even you say that the F-200 D-pad is a waste of time. The joystick is a personal preference here but doesn't instantly cancel out demand for the things.

READ THE GODDAMN STICK SPEC SHEET! Or should I say spec Sh*t?

The stick is C R A P. It spells crap. The f200 DOES NOT HAVE A D-PAD, it has 4 buttons.

I owned a pre-order f100, and an MK1, and a MK2, and another MK1, and worked on a 5th unit, as well as being active (2,000 posts over a year and a half) on these forums.

I even thought about designing a stick that wasn't crap.

The spec sheet (I can look for the PDF if you really want it, I should have it backed up somewhere) will tell you that with a 1cm throw you are trying to hit a .5mm target. That is one f*cked up deadzone.

The stick is CRAP. Do not confuse the actual stick with the CAP on the stick. I could care less about that. I personally made from scratch or modified 4 caps. One from aluminum, one from a N64 controller, one from a PS1 controller, as well as modding up 2 of the stock caps (one pre-order, one MK2).

The cap doesn't change the fact that the stick was of poor design.

This is the STICK:

I'm pretty sure the power on the Wiz or Pandora isn't going to be magically less - that's why they are moving to internal, high-capacity batteries. It's only the new technology that allows the Pandora to last longer, technology that wasn't available at a reasonable price in the GP2X's lifetime (hence the Wiz, which is playing catchup for the GPH lines of products). That doesn't mean the GP2X is obsolete or worthless. Hell, I *still* get 3-4 good hours of gaming out of the original "GP2X"-marked set of rechargables that came with my third-hand GP2X. I don't manage their charges, I just slap them into a 30-min charger from Maplin's. To be honest, my phone dies in far less than that amount of talktime (even quicker if I play a Java game on it and keep the screen lit) and that's not a problem for me either.

Personally, I always liked that I can just pop into a shop for some bog-standard AA's and get a few hours out of them if my high-power rechargeables (which everyone has now that they have digital cameras) died. I've had my GP2X last me upwards of three weeks playing on the train back and forth to work every day without charging it. Admittedly, I could easily kill it if I had one long mega-session but 2AA's are hardly a chore to carry and for development, you just plug it in (official charger - GP2X has been left on for 72+ hours in the past without problem).

I've yet to have a hardware failure outside of the "joystick cap comes off if you shove it into your pocket unprotected and don't watch where the joystick catches on" kind. My unit is, I think, third-hand and a GP2X F-100 Value Pack (firmware v3.0), so it's not as if it's not had use. I take it to and from work every day and code hard on it most nights. It gets bashed, beaten, squished, tapped, clunked and it's still going.

Just because *you* don't want one doesn't mean there isn't demand. The ones on eBay gets bids within seconds and a last minute splurge and sell for £40-50 *at least* for the really knocked-about, no accessories ones every time.

As I must say a hundred times a day - your computer doesn't magically get slower because it's older. If it ran at 200MHz yesterday, or five years ago, chances are it'll run at that speed today. If a program worked full-speed five years ago, that same version of that same program will run at that speed today. So if you just want, say, an emulation device to play SNES, Megadrive, some homebrew, Payback, etc. then you'll prefer a cheap GP2X over a Wiz or a Pandora at the moment (notwithstanding that neither of them ship over here yet). And eBay is the best thing in the world for showing "real-world value"... if people are paying money for something then, well, people are willing to pay money for it! How much would a "guaranteed Pandora pre-order" fetch on eBay at the moment? I'm not sure. But a GP2X can go for up to £75 if you have the box, if less than 3 days of auction.

Agreed, if I could get the mod going on then I would.

I would gladly have modded mine up with a li-ion and a Dpad and would still be trucking on it today.

The only guy to make a Dpad mod over-engineered it with parts from a Ngage, and then shipped every kit to Germany where the shipping alone back to the US would have been freaking ridiculous ($35 just for shipping? I can't remember.)

So parts dried up and I couldn't afford a D-pad mod.

"regular AA's" lasted about 15-mins to 45-mins on all the GP2X's I have ever tried with them.

I think that GPH's lack of commitment to quality and community is what killed the GP2X. The build/design choices were just piss-poor.

And we aren't even getting into the screen, your choices are apparently "scanlines" and flickering (MK1), or such a poor viewing angle that I can't see anything at my comfortable holding angle (MK2).

Frankly they pissed me off further by including $5 worth of crap to the "value pack" edition and then charging $20, while discontinuing the standard version.

IF GPH had been serious about support and quality then I wouldn't bash it.

IF the wiz fixes all of these problems, BUY A DAMN WIZ.

I don't feel that we need to string along a failed console, the problems with the GP2X are known, and should be fixed with the Wiz. (size, weight, controls, battery life, build quality, lack of 3D acceleration, screen quality).

Trust me, that doesn't negate any of the feelings I have toward the GP2X, I look back wistfully and wish that a Dpad version with 3 AA or 4 AA support had been made, or maybe li-ion. It might have been great.

Personally the Wiz is the GP2X to me, the GP2X that should have been. (maybe that is why it is called the GP2X wiz?)


GP2X is going for about $100, it is worth about that. nuff said.

 

[nubie]

Just to make my point perfectly clear:


http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www3.a...RKJXL.PDF

CODE
http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www3.alps.co.jp/WebObjects/catalog.woa/PDF/E/Switch/MultiControl/RKJXL/RKJXL.PDF


Excerpt:

QUOTE
Applications

*For a volume or a mode change of car audio, car navigation, and for a cursor control
*For various input controls of general consumer products
*For remote controls of the above products




The stick is NOT rated for use as a game controller (especially not an irreplaceable one, either for lack of replacement parts, or lack of skill to replace them, I would be the former.)

It simply isn't high quality.


I guess for $80 I would look at a GP2X with a (real) Dpad and 3 AAs , if I was looking for the functionality that offered me. I just can't be stuck with that level of functionality, it isn't enough for me.