Gp2x What For

[christo930]

I am a happy owner of a GP32 and have been considering buying a gpx2 when it comes out. TImes are tough and dollars to waste on games (hey, talk to the wife, I don't consder em wasted) and systems. I've been thinking about it and I've come to a few conclusions

1) THe homebrewn scene has not pushed the gp32 anywhere near it's potential so there is a lot of room to grow in the homebrewn game scene.

2) It seems that the gpx2 will probably not push emulation too much further. I'd say:
Amiga emulation - most Amiga games are on one of the other systems emulated like the ST, or Genesis
GBA - First, it's already a portable system, so besides the ability to play free roms (which can be acomplished on the real thing with a memory cart anyway) the only real advantage to emulation is only having to cary one portable system
Better mame emulation - good positive point
Better snes emulation, but I think more could be acomplished on the gp32 and it's mostly good enough anyway
Mayby Jag emulation, yawn
from this point game system went to 3d and most to cd

So where else does it go? Original homebrewn games never even approached the systems limitations and system emulation hits a brick wall with the Sega Saturn. Excelent for MAME, and zero frame skip (most likely) for game systems already emulated, but the gp32 really only falls short on the snes.

So what would be a good reason to get this system? What is the main selling point that takes you over the edge to buy it?


Chris

 

[torpor]

for me, the major selling point is that its a smooth development platform upon which to launch my own private little gaming empire. i've always wanted to have a 'side project' (i'm a professional programmer) of a suite of games for a nice little machine, and .. well .. the gp2x is that machine, to me.

as long as its smooth to write code for the gp2x, i personally intend to write a lot of games for it .. i think this is going to be a pretty productive investment for me, personally. having a separate machine, to all my other machines, for the soul purpose of gaming, and having that machine have its OS geared to the needs of game development, means that i can sharpen my focus and have fun at the same time. no need to deal with all the inconsistencies of 'other' 'bigger' so-called 'better' gaming platforms.

also, the fact that the gp2x has such a vibrant community spirit around it is a big factor. i'm sure we'll see some very interesting new directions in gaming coming from this crowd; and i for one am really glad to see its not all commercial, and is quite hacker-friendly. bring on the cool and interesting new ground-breaking games that will arise from this scene, i say!

 

[yaustar]

For me? TV out

 

[Tobriand]

Me too, mostly... and SD storage... and a sexier design, to some extent. And hey, I feel like I owe it to GPH somewhow, although that's not a good reason if you're short on cash at the moment.

Sorry to pick, though, but Jag is never going to happen... quote from a specs list:

Processors:
Tom: Graphics Processor (32-bit RISC @ 26 MHz), Object (64-bit RISC @ 26 Mhz), Blitter (64-bit RISC @ 26 Mhz)
Jerry: Digital Signal Processor (32-bit @ 26 MHz)
Motorola 68000 (16-bit @ 13 MHz)

That's 4 (four) processors at 26MHz AND another one at 13MHz. Even one of those would be a little tough to emulate, I reckon. Total of 117 MHz of power in one form or another though is just nuts to expect. Its in the same league as a DS emu, except a DS would probably be easier, since it seems to just use ARM chips which would might be able to have the GPA trick done to them (no specs list I've found has listed it as having additional 3D hardware - just one ARM9 and one ARM7).

Sorry, but Jag is imo out of the question. Unless someone who *really* knows their system internals contradicts me at least.

 

[diablo2]

and no one does
anyway, who cares about jag

 

[christo930]

For me? TV out

​

That was something I forgot to list, and is a really good option, I just don't know that it's worth the 200 bucks.

Chris

 

[christo930]

for me, the major selling point is that its a smooth development platform upon which to launch my own private little gaming empire. i've always wanted to have a 'side project' (i'm a professional programmer) of a suite of games for a nice little machine, and .. well .. the gp2x is that machine, to me.

as long as its smooth to write code for the gp2x, i personally intend to write a lot of games for it .. i think this is going to be a pretty productive investment for me, personally. having a separate machine, to all my other machines, for the soul purpose of gaming, and having that machine have its OS geared to the needs of game development, means that i can sharpen my focus and have fun at the same time. no need to deal with all the inconsistencies of 'other' 'bigger' so-called 'better' gaming platforms.

also, the fact that the gp2x has such a vibrant community spirit around it is a big factor. i'm sure we'll see some very interesting new directions in gaming coming from this crowd; and i for one am really glad to see its not all commercial, and is quite hacker-friendly. bring on the cool and interesting new ground-breaking games that will arise from this scene, i say!

​

Why not do it on the GP32? There are 2 dev kits (I believe one official and one unoffical) loads of developer support in the forums a pretty large installed base, at least for a fringe system (30k plus?) and especially compared to the gp2x which isn't even out yet.

 

[alyinsanfran]

Ya know, I've been looking at my Xmas wish list over the last couple of months. It was between GP2X, Archos AV420 and PSP.

I travel a lot and need ways to pass the time on planes.

Archos 420 lost 'cause it's friggin' expensive for what you get. But I loved that I could record tv.

GP2X lost because apart from TV-out (and that's a HUGE selling point) I can't see it'll do much more in the way of emulation that I'm not already well served by with the GP32. Keeping in mind I'm an old bugger so Snes isn't really my thing. I'd love PS1 emulation, but I doubt that'll happen and the disk images would be crazy-big anyhoo.

So, it's the PSP (bite my tongue!). 'Cause I can rip dvd's to it, rent UMD's and maybe even get a game, though so far only GTA has my attention. It's the ideal machine for killing time in economy class. And there's a gadget that'll record tv to MS as MP4.

However, come my next birthday, I'll no doubt be ordering up a GP2X. But I'll let the early adoptors test the waters, the devs sort out what'll work and what won't, and GPH see if they can produce 'em on time and keep their QA in order.

Blasphemy? Probably. But I love my GP32 and it'll sit right beside the PSP. One for emulation, one for entertainment.

 

[xzen54321]

Linux

 

[Iorgy77]

Why not do it on the GP32? There are 2 dev kits (I believe one official and one unoffical) loads of developer support in the forums a pretty large installed base, at least for a fringe system (30k plus?) and especially compared to the gp2x which isn't even out yet.

​

You can't buy GP32s anymore... I wanted to get a BLU+ to replace my FLU because the gamma/brightness levels were really terrible on certain emus. Just before I was about to order the GP2x was announced at the same price with the possibility of Amiga emulation.

I have no doubt that developement on GP32 projects will continue once the GP2X is released.

 

[Quiest]

I really look forward to Neo Geo CD.
And the bigger storage and ability to resize movies and TV Out -> this thing can raplce my DivX player, which is so great!
Watching movies on the gp32 was mostly a pain in the butt, having to resize and sample dowm a movie to specs which the gp32 can run.
And SD Cards make it a much better MP32, not being stuck witch only 128 mb of mp3 on the gp32.
Oh, and the four normal buttons are way better than just two for SNES emulation and maybe a lot other things.

 

[fomit]

Well, I don't have a GP32. And I can't buy one anymore. I want something that I can watch videos on on my commute into and out of Seoul everyday. A PSP would be nice but it seems way to expensive.

 

[mr.mirko]

Well, I don't have a GP32. And I can't buy one anymore. I want something that I can watch videos on on my commute into and out of Seoul everyday. A PSP would be nice but it seems way to expensive.

​

Do you know, that the PSP is only 199$ ( US Dollar ), from 1.NOV.
They made a price drop.

 

[gaterooze]

Do you know, that the PSP is only 199$ ( US Dollar ), from 1.NOV.
They made a price drop.

​

But memory sticks are horribly expensive, and battery life is terrible.

 

[snaff]

I'm most looking forward to having a back light and all the extra space for c64 disk images.

 

[gp2brew]

I'm most looking forward to having a back light and all the extra space for c64 disk images.

​

You need more than 700 disk images at once?

I think that the GP2X major selling point is as a portable media player and soon enough the built in linux will become much more than a novelty. The TV-out and resizing of videos is a huge bonus, and SD cards make handheld multimedia much more accessible than on a 128Mb SMC realistically.

That said, I completely agree that the GP32 has only had the tip of the iceberg chipped off as far as its potential goes. With thirty thousand of them sold, it may seem like not many units but that is by far enough for an active community to gather around after the dust settles over the GP2X release. It's a niche, and the thing about a niche is that it's nice and comfortable

There are 30,000 GP32 units floating around at the moment, and something in the order of 3000 total pre-ordered GP2X units (apparently). The power of the GP2X is exciting, but I'd say there is definitely still a market for developers on the GP32.

How many of those 30k GP32's are in South Korea? How many of those users are dying for quality commercial titles? I think that's still worth thinking about.

As for the GP32 no longer being manufactured, I've read that is because the production line is now manufacturing the GP2X. Does that completely rule out GPH manufacturing another line of GP32's in the future? I think that given their tendency to listen to the community, that decision could be up to us.

Ok, so it may seem like the GP32 is the Rain Man to the GP2X Tom Cruise, but hey the Rain Man could play a mean card game and Tom Cruise is just a wanker. :lol:

 

[reaper79]

OT: Tom cruise is a huge wanker indeed.

Main reason for getting the GP2X? It is an enhanced version of the GP32 in just about every way. I probably won't get one until summer of '06, I have a lot of other things before then to take care of first, and my GP32 is still more than up to the task of keeping me entertained.

What will I use it for most? Emulations and homebrew, and I'm looking forward to it's MP3 uses. The GP32 and it's crappy SMC's just were enough for me to enjoy it as an MP3 player.

What is my dream for the GP2X? For it to play N64 roms. Not gonna happen though To compare apples to oranges, it takes a 450mhz PC with dedicated audio and video hardware just to run it at it's lowest end. Perfect SNES and NeoGeo will draw me to it in a second though.

Cheers!

 

[Winterkid]

Tom Cruise may be a wanker, but he's a rich wanker who's not only been with Nicole Kidman and Penelope Cruz, but has made out many major hotties from Hollywood.

I'm still going to keep using my GP32 long after I get my GP2X, still going to read up on any new advancements, still going to bring it with me to the coffee shop to listen to MP3's, still gonna play Texas Hold'em poker, NES, Gameboy, Colecovision, and I'm hoping a bit better Atari 2600 sometime.

I'm using my GP32 a lot still. For example, for displaying huge MAPS for Neverwinter Nights in JPG format while I'm playing online so I don't have to switch back and forth. For keeping text files and as an in-game notepad while I'm playing Doom 3, to keep a list of DVD's I've lent out to my *censored* family that they haven't returned. I use my GP32 for Quake, Doom, Wolf3D, of course, and trying new stuff. When I have to go somewhere I haven't been before, I scan the page from my map book, compress it to JPG and use the GP32 as a digital map book instead of having to take a map book along with everything else I take with me.

 

[Auritribe]

Ya know, I've been looking at my Xmas wish list over the last couple of months. It was between GP2X, Archos AV420 and PSP.

I travel a lot and need ways to pass the time on planes.

Archos 420 lost 'cause it's friggin' expensive for what you get. But I loved that I could record tv.

GP2X lost because apart from TV-out (and that's a HUGE selling point) I can't see it'll do much more in the way of emulation that I'm not already well served by with the GP32. Keeping in mind I'm an old bugger so Snes isn't really my thing. I'd love PS1 emulation, but I doubt that'll happen and the disk images would be crazy-big anyhoo.

So, it's the PSP (bite my tongue!). 'Cause I can rip dvd's to it, rent UMD's and maybe even get a game, though so far only GTA has my attention. It's the ideal machine for killing time in economy class. And there's a gadget that'll record tv to MS as MP4.

However, come my next birthday, I'll no doubt be ordering up a GP2X. But I'll let the early adoptors test the waters, the devs sort out what'll work and what won't, and GPH see if they can produce 'em on time and keep their QA in order.

Blasphemy? Probably. But I love my GP32 and it'll sit right beside the PSP. One for emulation, one for entertainment.

​

From a current PSP owner, I have to say that I feel you're making the wrong choice. I don't mean to criticize your choice of course, but I find the PSP to be a shoddy system in general. I don't feel the GP2X (Unreleased even) can best the PSP, but from the design I think I'd choose the GP2X. The PSP is fragile, the memory costs more, and the DPad is awful.

For your needs it may work though, it seems you're looking for a handheld bent towards multimedia.

I'm actually going to be selling my own PSP soon, to a friend. I'm not selling it because the GP2X is going to be superior and can replace it, actually. The reason I'm selling it is 'cause it's so fragile that I know if I dont re-coup my losses on it now, I'll probably end up breaking it later on, and then I'd get no money for it.

The PSP has some great stuff going for it, but there's these little design flaws that just sink it for me. It just feels like its gonna break any time now.

 

[Radek]

So where else does it go? Original homebrewn games never even approached the systems limitations and system emulation hits a brick wall with the Sega Saturn. Excelent for MAME, and zero frame skip (most likely) for game systems already emulated, but the gp32 really only falls short on the snes.

Even at the 200MHz clock the GP2x has over twice raw cpu cycles to spare (with its dual Arm9 cores). It has various hardware coprocessor also and they will help too. Question is: how easy are all those resource to utilise? But potential for big improvements is here albeit don't expect a magic (no PS1 for sure).

So what would be a good reason to get this system? What is the main selling point that takes you over the edge to buy it?

Over the GP32? Video/music playback and TV out first. Then improved perfomance of quick ports of GP32's software (by 200/166= 20 percent). Then vastly improved perfomance of emulators when developers get proficient with GP2x's hardware. Perhaps some commercial content would show eventually too?