New Gp2x Review

[Jenn]

Hi everyone,

I just finished a lengthy review (almost 3,000 words) with a lot of pictures of the GP2X and thought some of you would be interested in reading it. Since the device has been around for a long time, there probably hasn't been a new review in just as long. If you're interested, you can check it out here. Feel free to post comments, suggestions, corrections, etc., as I would like the review to be as accurate as possible.

Thanks for looking.

 

[Iorgy77]

Hi everyone,

I just finished a lengthy review (almost 3,000 words) with a lot of pictures of the GP2X and thought some of you would be interested in reading it. Since the device has been around for a long time, there probably hasn't been a new review in just as long. If you're interested, you can check it out here. Feel free to post comments, suggestions, corrections, etc., as I would like the review to be as accurate as possible.

Thanks for looking.

nice review although the gp2x doesnt do wmv.

 

[Alex.]

The GP2X is made of matte black plastic, making it look more like a toy than anything else.

I'm looking around me, and the phone, computer, monitor, scanner, TV, are all made of gray/black matte plastic.

I'm particularly impressed with the joypad, which is comfortable and easy/natural to use.

Thank you, finally someone who openly likes the stick!

I've read that a screen protector and AA batteries were also supposed to be included, but they weren't in the box.

The screen protector is already mounted, see that big plastic surface over the screen.

which will bring up a sub-menu (below) that essentially duplicates the main menu

Not being flexible in that regard would severely limit the system, after all not everyone has Music, Movies, Games, Ebooks folders on their system. For example, I have a 2GB that's set up in that amnner, and a 512 I use to test things on, where everything is disorganzied.

when playing games, pressing the left and right shoulder buttons simultaneously will rotate the screen in 90-degree increments. To switch display orientation when viewing photos, however, you need to press the A or B button.

That's because the photo viewer was made by GPH, while the MAME port by local legend Franxis. Developers usually choose the most intutitive in-game controls, ratrher than conform them to those of applications rarely used.

Overall I think this is one of the first good reviews the GP2X has received thus far, good as in competent, open-minded, and informed Thanks!

- Alex

 

[icurafu]

Thanks,

I really enjoyed reading this review.

It's the first one I know of that was not written by rather an idiot who could not bother to research the device or a total fanboy.

LOL, sex and the city.

 

[LordFu]

Nice review.

I have 3 nit-picks.

SNES emulation is not full-speed, and MAME is not full-speed on all games.

You can only rotate the screen by pressing L+R in MAME. I'm not aware of any other emulator or port that does that, while you imply that it happens with every game.

I use my GP2X for it's multimedia capabilities more than I play games on it, but you claim that "Realistically, no one is going to buy the GP2X for its multimedia capabilities." I consider that to be patently untrue. I don't think you could find a video player with equal specs for anything near the GP2X's price.

Also, as mentioned, it doesn't play WMV or WMA formats.

Enjoy your new toy!

 

[Alex.]

I'm pretty sure there's a WMA player in the archives, although from the description it's quite choppy.

- Alex

 

[darkman]

SNES emulation is not full-speed,

You need to try the latest Squidgesnes 0.38. About 90% of the games that I am running are 60fps.

edit: that is full speed with sound.

 

[jbrodack]

nice review. some inaccuracies but overall give a good feel of the system. might have wanted to go into more detail about homebrew games and not just emulators though.

 

[LordFu]

Yeah, true, I haven't tried 0.38. It sounds great, but I was always a Genesis fan.

 

[Jenn]

Thanks for all of the insightful and constructive feedback, everyone. I really appreciate it. I'll update the review with all the corrections and credit everyone accordingly.

@ LordFu: You're right that the GP2X's price is just about impossible to beat for a video player, but without at least a 30GB 1.8-inch hard drive, I don't really consider it to be a full-fledged PMP. I think the photo, video, text, and music features of the device are secondary features, the primary feature being gaming. The navigational controls of the unit speaks to this as well. I'll definitely clean-up the review a bit to get rid of the screen-rotation-in-every-game implications and the sweeping generalizations. Many thanks for your input.

@ icurafu: Yeah, can you tell that I'm a girl? I considered loading "Finding Nemo" instead but went with "Sex and the City" because it was brighter. My husband's "guy movies" are all in some form of XviD that the GP2X doesn't like. Those movies are also all really dark, which makes the reflection/glare from my camcorder really horrible.

@ Alex: Thanks for your thorough comments. I just don't like matte plastic on portable gadgets. The last gadget I had that wasn't made out of some kind of metal or something shiny/glossy was probably the original Game Boy. And I really didn't see any preinstalled screen protector. Maybe my husband installed the new one over it!

Thanks again.

 

[krosfyah]

The simple fact that you loved the joystick makes this review awesome.

 

[Redeeman]

@ icurafu: Yeah at can you tell that I'm a girl? I considered loading "Finding Nemo" instead but went with "Sex and the City" because it was brighter. My husband's "guy movies" are all in some form of XviD that the GP2X doesn't like. Those movies are also all really dark, which makes the reflection/glare from my camcorder really horrible.

thats strange, it is supposed to decode xvid, ofcourse, since we dont have the source, we cant check it out, it may well be that it doesent support xvid fully

 

[DaveC]

@ Alex: Thanks for your thorough comments. I just don't like matte plastic on portable gadgets. The last gadget I had that wasn't made out of some kind of metal or something shiny/glossy was probably the original Game Boy. And I really didn't see any preinstalled screen protector. Maybe my husband installed the new one over it!

Thanks again.

You actually LIKE the stick? :lol: :lol: I liked the stick so much, with it's Texas sized dead zone, that I ripped it out like a rotten cavity riddled molar and replaced it with a D-pad

Shiny/Glossy? Good? Fingerprint/smudge hell me thinks. I would scrub up like a surgeon everytime I played the PSP and it still ended up looking like some kid with pizza paws had his mitts all over it. I spent so much time charging and cleaning my PSP that I gave up on it.

Black color makes it look like a toy? I remember with the GP32 people would complain that the white made it look like a toy and proceeded to paint it black

 

[Epicenter]

You actually LIKE the stick? :lol: :lol: I liked the stick so much, with it's Texas sized dead zone, that I ripped it out like a rotten cavity riddled molar and replaced it with a D-pad

Shiny/Glossy? Good? Fingerprint/smudge hell me thinks. I would scrub up like a surgeon everytime I played the PSP and it still ended up looking like some kid with pizza paws had his mitts all over it. I spent so much time charging and cleaning my PSP that I gave up on it.

Black color makes it look like a toy? I remember with the GP32 people would complain that the white made it look like a toy and proceeded to paint it black

Yes, the GPH/PSP both have severe fingerprint problems. If you hold your GP2X after touching any sort of grease the case will be stained dark wherever you touch it for quite a while.. you already know what I think about the stick.