Less Than 10 000 Gp2x ?

[Cervante]

Oh man , I dont like this one bit, no XGP series, gamepark went down & the commercial bob is delayed. Maybe next month ill snag a development Bob while I still have the chance, and maybe anna's korean booty.

 

[DaveC]

So, what would be a good marketing strategy for the gp2x...?

Well you know these things could be sold in many stores not just for games. They could actually be sold as what they were supposed to be in the first place, a cheap MP3/video player. They could even be sold in the US in electronics stores. Hell if they can sell those crappy Caplet things why not the GP2X? I mentioned it before, but they could be put in pegboard blisterpack packaging next to Sansa, Rio, iriver and other such cheap mp3players ia all kinds of electronics stores. Of course once word gets out that they can be used for "other things" they would begin to sell by word of mouth etc.

 

[Blah]

We could steal the Marmite marketing campaign: "Either you love it or you hate it".

 

[Jarska333]

We should place cheap neonlight signs featuring the penguin mascot giving the finger, in major cities. Boom! Instant publicity.

 

[GCDKraven]

My replacement GP2X unit (recieved a little over a month ago) is number 8598 from gp2x.co.uk

So I guess the 15,000 mark is aproximatley correct!

This makes the GP2X and GP32 unit owners a rather exclusive club! Considering the sony PSP has sold millions already!

I like it that the GP2X is not a huge market product Makes it feel more magical and whatnot

 

[prairiefire]

We should place cheap neonlight signs featuring the penguin mascot giving the finger, in major cities. Boom! Instant publicity.

hhhahahahahahhaa for those who didn't get that.

 

[Creature XL]

[/quote]

So, what would be a good marketing strategy for the gp2x...?
[/quote]

As it is mostly a device for geeks, show it to geeks!

Geeks don't watch GIGA and geeks don't read Game-Magazines.

Try to present it on Demoscene-Conventions ( germany: breakpoint, Evoke, ...), write articles for scene magazines. After I wrote a article about the GP32 in an Atari-Scene diskmag http://alive.atari.org/alive11/gp32.php), lots of guys got interested in it. Thats the way I think it should be advertised. You will never convince a kid to buy it instead of a PSP or DS. But you get geeks to buy it (plus point: they will at least try to code for it )


Just my thoughts,

Creature XL

P.S.:
I still don't have a GP2x, because it has so many "bugs" like joystick, short battery life and stuff ( yeah, most are gone due to MKII or soething, but I lost track of it) AND I don't have the money for it AND my GP32 does just fine (although I would like to play SNES with full transparencies).

 

[DaveC]

As it is mostly a device for geeks, show it to geeks!

Geeks don't watch GIGA and geeks don't read Game-Magazines.

Try to present it on Demoscene-Conventions ( germany: breakpoint, Evoke, ...), write articles for scene magazines. After I wrote a article about the GP32 in an Atari-Scene diskmag http://alive.atari.org/alive11/gp32.php), lots of guys got interested in it. Thats the way I think it should be advertised. You will never convince a kid to buy it instead of a PSP or DS. But you get geeks to buy it (plus point: they will at least try to code for it )


Just my thoughts,

Creature XL

P.S.:
I still don't have a GP2x, because it has so many "bugs" like joystick, short battery life and stuff ( yeah, most are gone due to MKII or soething, but I lost track of it) AND I don't have the money for it AND my GP32 does just fine (although I would like to play SNES with full transparencies).

Even at that we need to explain the advantages of the GP2X better. Saying that the GP2X runs emus and homebrew itself is not that convincing. Geeks already have modded/flashed PSPs and DSs for their homebrew needs. We need to point out the advantages such as better emu matching screen resolution/aspect, form factor, open sourceness, better community etc than the PSP or DS.

 

[GCDKraven]

P.S.:
I still don't have a GP2x, because it has so many "bugs" like joystick, short battery life and stuff ( yeah, most are gone due to MKII or soething, but I lost track of it) AND I don't have the money for it AND my GP32 does just fine (although I would like to play SNES with full transparencies).

I've only had one problem with the GP2X! My first one burnt out for some unknown reason, but I was given a replacement from gp2x.co.uk and this one works perfect too!
I've never had problems with the joystick, dead pixels, or anything else for that matter!
As for short battery life..... with 2x Uniross 2500mAh rechargables, I get about 11 hours when playing music, and about 4 hours when playing videos.... somewhere in between for games depending on how much the games are doing!

I've never owned a GP32, but I'm betting it's also a great device

I do recommend the GP2X though! I've got two of my friends to buy one and they love them too!

Just my thoughts B)

 

[GCDKraven]

Even at that we need to explain the advantages of the GP2X better. Saying that the GP2X runs emus and homebrew itself is not that convincing. Geeks already have modded/flashed PSPs and DSs for their homebrew needs. We need to point out the advantages such as better emu matching screen resolution/aspect, form factor, open sourceness, better community etc than the PSP or DS.

It doesn't end there though does it? I mean there's only a limited amount of dev work a person can do on a PSP or DS... but the GP2X has virtually infinite possible modifications the user can make to it (both internal and external mods).

Geeks love dev work (I should know.... I'm an UBER geek!) and the GP2X offers that to a higher degree than any mainstream handheld device I've ever seen!

If you want to play games and have everything done for you by companies, and you want to spend fortunes on games that you'll only be interested in for a few days (maybe).... then buy a PSP or DS!

But if you want a device that allows you to play fantastic games (old and new, homebrew and emu), as well as the ability to contribute to a large community with ideas, products, or just friendly banter.... then a GP2X is what you want!

My 2 pence worth

 

[The Master]

If they can sell half of the really shite overpriced mp4 players I see here in Poland in the shops, I see no reason why the GP2X couldn't sit alongside them, as someone else said, the word of mouth should ship volumes, the pricing would surely be similar...

 

[nubie]

You tell 'em. I know there are tons of crapo players everywhere nowadays. I personally wrote an email to Popular Science informing them of the GP2X, maybe I did it too soon after release, but still.

I expected something from them, and they gave it a one-page bleck. The PSP got 2-4 pages and tons of color pictures, and all for stuff it can't even do natively (I am steamed on that front, if you can complain about it being more difficult to set up a system WITH a program launcher that you DON'T need to hack into).

As for all this 10,000 nonsense, GET REAL, if craigix and ED say they have sold the units, then they have sold the units. They don't just go around saying things that aren't true. And I am sure they have records, and they aren't "selling" consoles to dead poeple either to boost sales.

A factory run is 3,000 units? I will believe that, you need quantity to produce anything. I know there were at least 3 runs because I have owned a unit from them, and the unit I have now is likely from a fourth run because it is an upside-down GPH log one. So call it between 12,000 and 9,000 that I have had physical proof of. And this was middle of last year. I believe it.

Just because someone says something doesn't mean anything. It is the proof. Just like I have pictures of building a USB host adaptor and of at least 3 of my GP2X's. Just like when I thought 3 batteries would be better, not just because Squidge said so. I ran battery test for 12 hours on two sets of 3 batteries each, 5:40 on a 250mhz overclock. Now we know it can be done.

I firmly believe that GPH is run by dodo's. I put a $0.79 chip and a $1 cord on a EXT connector and Voila, a USB host (my cost, single quantity price). In bulk it would cost very little for the USB host, it should have been onboard to start with. It should have been on board for the second motherboard revision. Barring that it should be on the TV-Out cable so they can bump the price $10 and nearly double their profits.

If it had one ounce of marketing in the US it would have exploded, this market is burgeoning with people who could use one if they knew of it, and they have money to spend. If they don't put a D-Pad on it within the next two revisions and market it to the US I will give up hope (not that there is a lot of hope left :wacko: )

But if they keep plugging along and people keep writing for it (zodttd is doing great btw, GBA emu is going to be fullspeed all around on no overclock very soon). GBA games, tons on an SD, all full-speed with sound, maybe the ability to run MP3's instead of the game sound, and that would be killer. Then I don't see any reason they can't remain financially solvent for a good long time yet.

 

[DaveC]

You tell 'em. I know there are tons of crapo players everywhere nowadays. I personally wrote an email to Popular Science informing them of the GP2X, maybe I did it too soon after release, but still.

If it had one ounce of marketing in the US it would have exploded, this market is burgeoning with people who could use one if they knew of it, and they have money to spend. If they don't put a D-Pad on it within the next two revisions and market it to the US I will give up hope (not that there is a lot of hope left :wacko: )

I can kind of see the SNAFU here though. GPH is too dumb to try to market the thing as a cheap MP3 player/PMP in the US. They don't know who to contact and probably didn't even try. Craig certainly isn't going to try to get GPH to do that as then it would kill the business that he makes his living on. There is a conflict of interest there. So it seems the situation is FUBAR. It is too bad as if it was sold that way it would be more popular. If it was more popular we would probably have near perfect NES, PC-Engine, etc by now. As it is we may never have those during the lifetime of the system. I wish I knew how to do it. I could buy a bunch of them and re-sell to stores myself. I almost wish the Chinese would clone it and make a 100% compatible unit and sell it everywhere cheap MP3 players were sold. Then it would be alot more popular and be around for years. It may kill GPH but they seem to be doing it themselves anyway.

As far as the D-pad, a GP2X with my mod was stuffed under the noses of the guys at GPH many months ago. They looked at it, played it, liked it, and then did absolutely nothing :rolleyes:

 

[Alex.]

If it was more popular we would probably have near perfect NES, PC-Engine, etc by now.

Being a cheap mp4 player sold at Walmart will not necessarily attract skilled developers, but keeping a slightly more elevated profile just might (it already did actually). Another thing to consider is how trashy this place would become were it to be flooded with thousands of clueless morons. "ho1w do you download zip files?"

- Alex

 

[fargo]

Murder?

lol

 

[nubie]

As far as the D-pad, a GP2X with my mod was stuffed under the noses of the guys at GPH many months ago. They looked at it, played it, liked it, and then did absolutely nothing :rolleyes:

I wondered about that. I keep forgetting that I mean to make my own joystick with tact switches, AKA steal the HAT switch from a CH flighstick pro .

A stick might not be the end of the world, if it is made like this hat switch is. 4 tact switches rise from the PCB at a 90 degree angle, they all face a stick in the middle, the stick moves, it presses the switches. I should probably get on with testing that.

 

[pocket]

I know where your are coming from... look at my date of registration on this website
(I was one of the first GP32 owner and I have followed very, very closely everything what happened)

Heh, okay

This article is not a "false announcement", it's a testimony of two ex-employees. Some people will take this for the truth, others will say it's a revenge of angry employees. Now if GPH wants to tell their truth, our pages are open.

I'll say - they won't.

A good marketing strategy...Well I think they don't even have the essential things.

No, they don't. Totally agree with that. That is why we distributors try to do our best.
Only prob: It costs money. I have to pay for ads and marketing, and some other guy who only sells the gp2x but doesn't have to invest anything makes the profit as he can sell the gp2x much cheaper (yup, actually happened shortly after the Games Convention...)

- A good official website, weekly updated, with informations about the hardware and the software, a place where you can buy and download all the stuff

That's what we tried to do ourself as GPH won't do it...

- One official PR guy (english speaking), charged to recruit new developers for commercial games
There is no need of million of sales to have the interest of little developers, but you have to have a good communication.

Well... they had one. Kim. Met him at the Games Convention. He planned the GC together with me.
He was capable... but I have no idea what happened with him :/
Last time I asked GPH they told me he's just busy... but I don't think so, because he totally disappeared from MSN with the nick I have from him...

I know you guys did your best, to do everything what lacked at Game Park. But you have to think that GPH is just waiting that... They won't do something you'll do for free.


Curious about this "new" number, some people started on our forum a thread to count the serial numbers.

Here are the first results :

http://www.yaronet.com/posts.php?sl=424&s=95148

I may be wrong but nothing indicates me that many more GP2X have been sold...

 

[andyB911]

Pocket... I may be missing something here, but you are convinced that only 10k units have been sold based on the fact that a disgruntled employee says so.

But the distributors (who have no particular reason to lie - they have in fact been v. candid) say that more than that has been sold in the UK alone. And of the two, you believe the disgruntled employee. Very odd...

Have you not ever spoken to an ex-colleague who has left to join a new company? They ALWAYS say that the new place is better, that the old place was rubbish. They do this to convince themselves they were right to leave / don't mind being given the heave-ho.

Even if you for some reason you don't believe them, the evidence is clear even w/o listening to them For example, Craigx pays for monthly full page spread every month in Retro Gamer which can't be cheap. He would need to be shifting thousands to make that level of marketing worth while. So if he says he is post 10k, then that ties up. And thats w/o the Spanish, French, Turkish, Australian, US, Korean etc sales.

30-40k sounds about correct. And that kind of fits in with the number of members of members of this board - as it has roughly doubled since the gp2x was introduced implying that *roughly* there are the same number of gp2x as there were gp32s.

Does it matter how many are sold? Not really... as long as GPH are making enough to survive. They certainly aren't coining it all the way to the bank or they would be making more add-ons. And they could certainly do with the occasional kick up the ar$e.

However, before we all get carried away with the marketing push - don't forget that one of the easiest way for a small business to go under is with a large increase in sales which messes up their cashflow. Steady and consistent is the way to go.

 

[pocket]

Pocket... I may be missing something here, but you are convinced that only 10k units have been sold based on the fact that a disgruntled employee says so.

But the distributors (who have no particular reason to lie - they have in fact been v. candid) say that more than that has been sold in the UK alone. And of the two, you believe the disgruntled employee. Very odd...

Have you not ever spoken to an ex-colleague who has left to join a new company? They ALWAYS say that the new place is better, that the old place was rubbish. They do this to convince themselves they were right to leave / don't mind being given the heave-ho.

Even if you for some reason you don't believe them, the evidence is clear even w/o listening to them For example, Craigx pays for monthly full page spread every month in Retro Gamer which can't be cheap. He would need to be shifting thousands to make that level of marketing worth while. So if he says he is post 10k, then that ties up. And thats w/o the Spanish, French, Turkish, Australian, US, Korean etc sales.

30-40k sounds about correct. And that kind of fits in with the number of members of members of this board - as it has roughly doubled since the gp2x was introduced implying that *roughly* there are the same number of gp2x as there were gp32s.

Does it matter how many are sold? Not really... as long as GPH are making enough to survive. They certainly aren't coining it all the way to the bank or they would be making more add-ons. And they could certainly do with the occasional kick up the ar$e.

However, before we all get carried away with the marketing push - don't forget that one of the easiest way for a small business to go under is with a large increase in sales which messes up their cashflow. Steady and consistent is the way to go.

It's not I am "conviced", my job is to hear what everybody says. And now we could have a third "source" of information, it's the serial numbers of the consoles. Is there a similar topic on gp32x.de ?

 

[craigix]

I can prove to you (in private) that the sales are over 10,000, you might also consider the popularity of this very board. If <10,000 had been sold I doubt the board would be as active as it is.

We have 12029 registered members
Most users ever online was 595 on Oct 20 2006, 09:38 AM <- would suggest that over 6% of the whole worldwide GP2X owner base was online on this board at once!

Consider the Spanish and german boards have many members too.