Is The Gp2x Gonna Be Here Oct

[supaimposter]

i think the chances of us having the GP2X by the end of October are looking pretty slim right now.
We have yet to see what the final unit looks like and we havnt seen much running on it yet either.

 

[x68000]

final versions will he heading to the press and certain others on the 4th october so i would defintley expect to see them by the end of the month.

And what is running on it is immaterial, remember this is not coming out with any first or third party game releases. It has been developed with the homebrew market in mind.

 

[EvilDragon]

Production starts October 17th, needs three days for 1000 units, will be shipped out immediately via express.

Any more questions?

 

[Jarska333]

Could they not start sending them as they trickle out of the assembly-line? :blink:

Two days extra is a two days extra....

 

[garteth]

So we'll get them before november then?

 

[Jarska333]

I'm thinking, shipped out in them big crates, to distributors. If they are quick, then I'd suppose it'd be before november.

 

[abigsmurf]

Could they not start sending them as they trickle out of the assembly-line? :blink:

Two days extra is a two days extra....

​

they could if they wanted to spend three times as much on the shipping...

 

[craigix]

Actually this all depends on how long you want the beta testing phase to last, GP want it to last as long as possible so that the firmware isn't buggy, thus they want to ship at the very end of october.

What do other people think/feel about it?

-Craig

www.gp2x.co.uk

 

[Jarska333]

Hum, I'd wager, that if the fw doesn't fry their machines, they might as well be the betatesters...

 

[DJWillis]

I for one would rather have a less buggy platform with some 3rd party stuff lined up (or even out). If that means another week or 2 on the release it's not really a big deal is it.

Better then getting it out ASAP then having a few bugs crop up when people start to push the hardware and needing firmware 1.1, 1.2 etc. etc. to get the thing stabilised .

I know there will be some bedding in anyway over the 1st few months as things settle but more testing pre-production keeps that to a minimum.

 

[Julius]

One, max two weeks would be ok I think. But I am really anticipating its arrival

 

[Cyclops]

(I'm biased)

Unless buggy means *unusable*(. As long as its clear that the firmware is beta (label/note etc)release asap. I don't think anyone would complain about bugs, and it can only help with the bug finding. Remember most people will be those who pre-ordered.

If there is program one(and the program is quake) everyone will want one.

I'd like to see regular updates of the firmware anyway, so having to do it is not a problem.

 

[Digitalrat]

I think it's better to test the firmware longer. There are at least two reasons for it:

- people would complain about how "shit" the unit is and the sales would drop
- I would like to have a stable unit without loading a new firmware

 

[Huxley]

Yeah, if we're only talking a couple of weeks I'd rather wait for a bug-free firmware.

I would like more news/updates in the meanwhile, though

 

[Tobriand]

Well, to be honest, for me the ideal day would probably be the last Friday in October (for them to arrive at GBAx, at least), since I don't have any lectures after 10am Fridays, so I'd almost certainly be able to pop down to the presumed party-thing.

I'd be happy to wait a little longer than that, though, if necessary... though the anticipation is getting more and more unbearable as time marches on!

In terms of updating firmwares and such, I'd personally be happy to do this as much as necessary, as long as the chance of bricking the unit is kept to a minimum - i.e., seeing as we now have 64Mb to play with, it'd seem to make sense to install firmware updates without wiping over the existing firmware, and have a built in module that triggers if there are more than one to select which to load. Then, once you've assured yourself of a successful flash, deleting the old firmware for space - or keeping it for comparisson.

Would also be useful, of course, for bypassing Linux completely, if it were possible to do.

But to me, updating with beta drivers and what have you is part of the fun of being at the cutting edge of technology!

 

[Ninjia^]

Actually this all depends on how long you want the beta testing phase to last, GP want it to last as long as possible so that the firmware isn't buggy, thus they want to ship at the very end of october.

What do other people think/feel about it?

-Craig

www.gp2x.co.uk

​

Its going to be hard to wait any longer than I already have and I personally wouldnt mind help testing the unit while the bugs are being ironed out, I would enjoy to giving something back to the community.

What I wouldnt want however is small minded reviewers giving the GP2X a bad rap at release because of bugs that could have easily have been fixed. Reviewers rarely update reviews after they write them and buyers rarely take for granted promises that problems will be fixed.

 

[oneandoneis2]

In terms of updating firmwares and such, I'd personally be happy to do this as much as necessary, as long as the chance of bricking the unit is kept to a minimum - i.e., seeing as we now have 64Mb to play with, it'd seem to make sense to install firmware updates without wiping over the existing firmware, and have a built in module that triggers if there are more than one to select which to load.

Or, since dual-booting is a time-honored Linux tradition, how about a firmware upgrade that leaves the boot-loader completely alone and allows you to boot from the SD card if necessary?

A working bootloader (only needs ~100K) living on the firmware & a full OS on the SD card and you'd be ready for anything. . .

 

[snaff]

Actually this all depends on how long you want the beta testing phase to last, GP want it to last as long as possible so that the firmware isn't buggy, thus they want to ship at the very end of october.

What do other people think/feel about it?

-Craig

www.gp2x.co.uk

​

I think there's probably a big difference between the average user or reviewer and the kind of firmware flashing junkies who hang around here so I'd say waiting for a stable release would be best for most. However, personally I want one as soon as possible so perhaps you could give the choice to anyone who is willing to upgrade their firmware themselves later. This would also widen the amount of beta testing that gets done.

 

[Julius]

Or, since dual-booting is a time-honored Linux tradition, how about a firmware upgrade that leaves the boot-loader completely alone and allows you to boot from the SD card if necessary?

A working bootloader (only needs ~100K) living on the firmware & a full OS on the SD card and you'd be ready for anything. . .

​

I might be wrong, but isn't that what they are doing with 'UBoot'?
Ok probably not with the OS sitting on the SD, but otherwise if you don't break 'UBoot' you can alter the OS on the NAND flash without any danger.

 

[Prophet]

If a matter of 2 - 3 weeks would mean a more stable release, and avoiding negative press and internet chatter - it might be worth the delay.

I've always been under the impression that the GP2X was slated for either an October or November release. I know the late October release date is the one we all hoped for, but what I'm saying is that if pushing back to November will improve the GP2X's image and press for the better - it's worth the delay. Some people may complain, but once the release day comes that will all be forgotten.

Just give us pre-order people an extra goodie or something for the extra waiting.