On The Fence About Getting One.

[JGO]

Hello all,
I have been on the fence about getting a GP2X for ages now. I am an avid Linux user and Open source supporter and have been thinking about getting a GP2X to play around with, a few questions though:

(Honestly now) How well does it work as a game machine? I mean I understand there are tons of EMU's etc... but I have noticed that quite a few I would be interested in are not 100% functional ... like missing sound or something else.


Second question will make most of you ignor me or write me off as dumb. One of the reasons I am an Open Source advocate is because frankly I don't pirate, and I can't afford MS crap. (Morality, go figure) I do own tons of old NES, SNES, PS1 etc... games. So I guess my question is how does anyone obtain the ROM's? Is the only real method of obtaining them illegal downloads? Can you "rip" PS1 games or NES games etc...? I don't have any problem with putting a game I own on the GP2X, I just try to avoid "shady" P2P, FTP sites etc...

Thanks
--jake

 

[DuFace]

you can rip the PSX games, but the cartridges need a special adapter IIRC.

 

[nubie]

Yes, you can rip PS1 games my post on a thread about PSX emu

You could technically build your own rom backup device, or use a program on a flash cart and a cart linker to load the game through your system (genesis/MegaDrive) to the PC using a Serial cable.

I think everyone who wants a copy (rom) of a game they already own, just downloads it.

I don't know about SNES, but MD is almost 100% right now, on its first release(this console, really v4.2 from the GP32)

Sonic, Toejam and Earl, Vectorman, ECCO, etc. are AWESOME on this, I have seen pictures and it has a bigger brighter screen than the Nomad, and is maybe a third the size, also it uses 6 LED's as a backlight, instead of upping 6 AA's to 100V to run a backlight.

I have VERY high hopes for TV-out, It is a Divx/XViD player too, A really really powerful and small one.

I think it is absolutely awesome. I haven't even seen firmware 1.0.2 yet, it is supposed to fix a lot, and I still think it's great.

 

[iignotus]

The emulator status on the GP2X is constantly updating. Very quickly. Almost every, if not every, feature you desire in an emulator will find its way in as long as it's technically feasible; just give it time.

As far as obtaining ROMs, you can get a flash linker for most cartridge formats (NES, Genesis/Megadrive, GB, GBA, etc.) that hooks up to your computer's Serial port or USB port to transfer the data over. Linkers usually retail about $14 a peice, and I believe places like Lik-Sang carry them. They are also fairly easy to make (so I hear) if you have a background in that kind of stuff.

Playstation "ROMs" are just CD-rips. Get software that makes ISOs or BINs and pop your playstation disc in there and rip it.

 

[ultraman]

From what i've discerned...

SNES = about 30-45% speed right now

NES = 80-90%

MD (genesis) = 90% (first release...few graphical errors here and there)

 

[Drak]

Smoke. Err... I mean get a GP2X!

[/end subliminal message]

 

[Rayek]

Most rom downloading sites have a disclaimer that states that you must have the original cartridges/disks to even download them. Obtaining the roms off the internet is not illegal if you own the carts. It's just that most people don't. Of course, this depends on which country you live in.
Edit: None of the sites I visit are p2p or torrent sites. They're very consise and actually have a server in which they distribute the roms.

 

[BradN]

There's a few *cough*torrents*cough* on [insert site] with hundreds and hundreds of nes/snes ROMs... no worries about viruses and such when it's just a rar file with all the ROMs in it (what's a virus gonna do? display a disturbing message on your emulated SNES?) Of course, we'll all trust you to delete the ones you don't actually own...

 

[Rayek]

Dude, you can't tell people where to get roms. Better edit that post before a mod bans you! Literally.

 

[Lemuriamu]

I've finally take my decision...
I will got a GP2X ( already order since....A LOT OF TIME!!! ) plus a NDS ... ( already bought )

I think that they are a different machine that could live toghether in peace...

Ebony And Ivory Live Together In Perfect Harmony
Side By Side On My Piano Keyboard, Oh Lord, Why Don't We?

 

[skeezix]

The device has been out only weeks, and most people and devs don't have them yet.. so don't worry about software quality or lack of existance yet

You can buy a EPROM programmer at your local electronics store, to do dumping of carts as well; ie: A cart copier from 'back in the day' will do, and for popular systems like SNES and Genesis youcan still get linker kits that can dump a cart via USB; however, for obscure systems, or arcade boards, or random things like your microwave, you need an EPROM programmer (burner) that can dump (or re-write) EPROMs. Its rather annoying to pull the chip off a cart and dump it, but it works every time

jeff

 

[JGO]

Thanks for all of the info guys, I appreciate it.

So what I garner is that PSX can be ripped because they are on CD basically, however the PSX emu isn't very far yet.

The other emu's like NES, MD etc... are far along and without special hardware I would have to download ROM's for the carts I own.

Legal grey area, but morally if I own the cart I could care less where the ROM comes from.

Thanks for all of the posts.

--jake

 

[AireTamStorm]

Second question will make most of you ignor me or write me off as dumb. One of the reasons I am an Open Source advocate is because frankly I don't pirate, and I can't afford MS crap. (Morality, go figure) I do own tons of old NES, SNES, PS1 etc... games. So I guess my question is how does anyone obtain the ROM's? Is the only real method of obtaining them illegal downloads? Can you "rip" PS1 games or NES games etc...? I don't have any problem with putting a game I own on the GP2X, I just try to avoid "shady" P2P, FTP sites etc...

Thanks
--jake

​

As long as you own the original games in their original form, the ROMs are not illegal to download, because that is your method of obtaining backups that you are legally entitled to.

 

[SuperDP]

i'd say wait until the second edition comes out, by then most of the programs now would have further developed a lot, especially the psx emulator. its out in 1st quarter of '06.