Should I Buy One Of These?

[Bobsonsirjonny]

I had a GP32 a couple of years ago, but sold it as I was flat broke at the time. I've subsequently started to earn mega bucks* and have been wondering if I should purchase a GP2X - I'm swaying. Never really been a gamer, other than for the Amiga which is the one machine I truely love.

So here in lies the rub - GP2X has more horse power, I know an Amiga Emulator exists, but how complete is it? And if its not complete - how fully functional do you expect it to be?

I also note that Payback is coming out - Payback is a killer game, an Amiga origional too ;-)

I would ask Axeman, but I've become a bit of a hermit of late...


* compared to what I used to.

 

[virusx]

It really depends on what you want to do with this virtual amiga.
Many games are running pretty well in term of speed.
But you have to use the virtual keyboard when a game uses a lot of keys (I found this virtual Keyboard very good btw)
The sound is not really good and I can't play with my favorite trackers for exemple.
Besides that, many arcade type games, or adventures "emulated mouse" games still very enjoyable.

The Gp2x is really a nice handled. For me it's the best.

 

[shrubberyrobbery]

IF you're getting a GP2X JUST for the Amiga emu, then IMO the answer is NO - It's a great emulator but speed is a problem for me. I am not knocking the achievements of the coders at all - in fact I'm amazed that it is possible at all. You just need to know that realistically, it is not running fullspeed..

However, don't dispair, you can still travel back to the late 80s/early 90s - there are a LOT of the Amiga classics ported to other platforms that are emulated just fine on the GP2X, especially the Atari-ST and the Megadrive. Some that I've got on my SD card include:

Atari-ST: Vroom, Buggy Boy, StuntCar Racer, Xenon II, Speedball II, Kick Off, Elite II Frontier, Cadaver, Barbarian

Megadrive: Chaos Engine, James Pond series, Lotus Turbo I and II, New Zealand Story, Populous II, Rainbowq Islands, Sensible Soccer, Syndicate, Speedball II, Gauntlet IV (WAY better than Amiga Gauntlet II)

so, if handheld versions of that little lot sounds a bit tempting, then go for it, you want a gp2x

 

[NoidZ]

This guy in the marketplace section of this site wants to sell his GP2X + 1gig Kingston Card for 100 bucks!

 

[Bobsonsirjonny]

IF you're getting a GP2X JUST for the Amiga emu, then IMO the answer is NO - It's a great emulator but speed is a problem for me. I am not knocking the achievements of the coders at all - in fact I'm amazed that it is possible at all. You just need to know that realistically, it is not running fullspeed..

However, don't dispair, you can still travel back to the late 80s/early 90s - there are a LOT of the Amiga classics ported to other platforms that are emulated just fine on the GP2X, especially the Atari-ST and the Megadrive. Some that I've got on my SD card include:

Atari-ST: Vroom, Buggy Boy, StuntCar Racer, Xenon II, Speedball II, Kick Off, Elite II Frontier, Cadaver, Barbarian

Megadrive: Chaos Engine, James Pond series, Lotus Turbo I and II, New Zealand Story, Populous II, Rainbowq Islands, Sensible Soccer, Syndicate, Speedball II, Gauntlet IV (WAY better than Amiga Gauntlet II)

so, if handheld versions of that little lot sounds a bit tempting, then go for it, you want a gp2x

Atari ST... comparing the Atari ST speedball 2 to the Amiga version... brings back all those playground fights. However, you are quiet right. Canon Fodder even came out for the Megadrive. I also read elswhere of a break out box allowing you to put a Hard disk up to this... all together I'm very tempted, so much so that I'll be getting one :-D

I'm sold. Thanks.

 

[gaterooze]

Also, critical is still working on the Amiga emulator, so it will just get better and better, and will be fun to watch its progress.

Oh, and on handheld, emulated, the difference between ST and Amiga is much smaller

 

[Epicenter]

Does the existing Amiga emulator use an ASM 68000 core? The Amiga system lineup does not seem to contain any real specialized 2D acceleration hardware or particularly stressful-to-emulate audio hardware, so if the CPU core is the Cyclone 68K or similar used in DrMDx and GNGeo2X, performance should, in theory, be stellar. (The 68K core in GNGeo2x operates at an emulated 12 MHz, the Amigas use a 68000 @ ~7 MHz.)

 

[DaveC]

Does the existing Amiga emulator use an ASM 68000 core? The Amiga system lineup does not seem to contain any real specialized 2D acceleration hardware or particularly stressful-to-emulate audio hardware, so if the CPU core is the Cyclone 68K or similar used in DrMDx and GNGeo2X, performance should, in theory, be stellar. (The 68K core in GNGeo2x operates at an emulated 12 MHz, the Amigas use a 68000 @ ~7 MHz.)

The Amiga uses a 4 channel 8-bit DAC for sound. Nothing too exotic there. But it DOES have some 2D acceleration hardware. It has a copper, blitter, and simple sprite hardware. It falls under the same catagory as SNES emulation, lots of undocumented custom chippery that makes emu coders' life hell. In theory if all custom chips were emulated with optimised ASM cores then yes Amiga could be done full speed.

The current emu uses a "C" core for the 68000. I think Critical was in the middle of trying to integrate it when he ran off to giz land. If he returns maybe it could be done although I think cyclone still has a bug or two in it..

Any yes bobs.. even with Amiga being unfinished it is still very worthwhile to get a GP2X for all of the other stuff.

 

[Epicenter]

An ASM core for the 68000 should make for a humongous boost that might even take major slowdown from custom video hardware out of the picture as far as performance hits go. Did I read that right? He went to develop for the Gizmondo? Good lord.

 

[PSyMastR]

How many people actually bought a giz? Also, is the community nicer, as i can remember from before the 2x was launched, the giz community was pretty mean.

 

[gaterooze]

critical picked up a couple of Gizes for next-to-nothing after the company went bust, and he made a couple of quickie ports to it.

But DaveC is playing Chicken Little here. In the last week or so, critical has made posts on this board like:

My weekend attempt at save to disk [in the GP2X Amiga emulator] wasn't successful, but I'll keep trying. Also, I've been contacted by the mighty Chui, and there is encouraging work going on elsewhere at present.

The new 2.0 firmware makes developing a lot less painful

and

There will hopefully be a speed-up coming in the near-ish future. I'm very busy at the moment with a variety of things, but I'm keen to do more work on it.

So don't panic

 

[namco]

@shrubberyrobbery: Which version of Barbarian? Is it the classic one on one beat 'em up (made by Palace Software) or the weird adventure style one (made by Melbourne House)? Gauntlet IV was Gautlet 1 with a story and battle mode added on to it (but still a classic ). Gods was a good megadrive conversion too!

 

[Turambar]

Gave up waiting on new Amiga hardware eh Bobson? Welcome aboard.

 

[Bobsonsirjonny]

Gave up waiting on new Amiga hardware eh Bobson? Welcome aboard.

Hehe ;-)

Yes the hardware.. but anyway.. We've Finally got Amiga OS 4, just need the bloody hardware now... roll on Troika.. Thing is, while Amiga OS 4 is a super fast, efficient, true multitasking small foot print OS -(uber small footprint especially when you consider the power it grants you) I cant really do much on it because the apps are not available for my needs. However, they are being worked on :-D

Talking of Amiga custom chip set emulation - some lad in the Netherlands, who's name I forget managed to program the entire chipset on a load of Eproms. He made a logic board for them, and hooked em up to a real Moto 68000 processor - from what I hear its working very well indeed.

 

[Ubersnug]

Talking of Amiga custom chip set emulation - some lad in the Netherlands, who's name I forget managed to program the entire chipset on a load of Eproms. He made a logic board for them, and hooked em up to a real Moto 68000 processor - from what I hear its working very well indeed.

LETS HARRAS HIM!!!!!!!

Get him to put these small chips into a handheld facia, add a paid of small and cheap speakers and an lcd screen.

I will throw a massive pile of cash at him!!

 

[Yod4z]

Gave up waiting on new Amiga hardware eh Bobson? Welcome aboard.

Hehe ;-)

Yes the hardware.. but anyway.. We've Finally got Amiga OS 4, just need the bloody hardware now... roll on Troika.. Thing is, while Amiga OS 4 is a super fast, efficient, true multitasking small foot print OS -(uber small footprint especially when you consider the power it grants you) I cant really do much on it because the apps are not available for my needs. However, they are being worked on :-D

Talking of Amiga custom chip set emulation - some lad in the Netherlands, who's name I forget managed to program the entire chipset on a load of Eproms. He made a logic board for them, and hooked em up to a real Moto 68000 processor - from what I hear its working very well indeed.

your are talking of Minimig? it will be GPL an it will support AGA and 6800EC60 instructions set
http://www.amiga.org/modules/newbb/viewtop...r=ASC&start=500

 

[Turambar]

I've watched that particular thread on amiga.org since it started. Dennis has said he is considering making the verilog source open but he has also stated he has no plans to add AGA support or a 68060 as of yet.

 

[Bobsonsirjonny]

I've watched that particular thread on amiga.org since it started. Dennis has said he is considering making the verilog source open but he has also stated he has no plans to add AGA support or a 68060 as of yet.

AGA would be a bitch to implement that way as well. Can you remember the Boxer - the plan was to emulate AGA on FPGA in that. It didnt happen, or it did but not that well. AGA

As for wanting to have Dennis' Amiga emulator as a real product.. sadly you'd have to get past Amiga inc 1st, and they dont seem to really want to promote the classic line.

As for Amiga.org... I've not been there in years. I still have an account open, but mainly hang out on Aw.net, and if time permits on AW's IRC channel.

 

[DavidBeoulve]

Of all the consoles/game systems I've missed owning personally during their heyday:

• Sega Genesis (played with friends)
• Sega Saturn
• Sega Dreamcast
• Amiga
• Nintendo 64 (played with friends) *
• Super Nintendo Entertainment System (played with friends extensively) *
• Nintendo GameCube

Amiga stands out as the one I just kick myself over. While it's really a computer, not just a game system (duh), I'm a gamer, so Amiga Toasting graphics for TV doesn't apply to me. There are a number of things that the Amiga did so well, I really can't fathom why we aren't trying to do it today.

For example, putting the OS on a PCI-Express card. Why the hell not? Even VISTA might run fast - and you certainly can't warez it!

* I now own this.

 

[thespawned]

Of all the consoles/game systems I've missed owning personally during their heyday:

• Sega Genesis (played with friends)
• Sega Saturn
• Sega Dreamcast
• Amiga
• Nintendo 64 (played with friends) *
• Super Nintendo Entertainment System (played with friends extensively) *
• Nintendo GameCube

Amiga stands out as the one I just kick myself over. While it's really a computer, not just a game system (duh), I'm a gamer, so Amiga Toasting graphics for TV doesn't apply to me. There are a number of things that the Amiga did so well, I really can't fathom why we aren't trying to do it today.

For example, putting the OS on a PCI-Express card. Why the hell not? Even VISTA might run fast - and you certainly can't warez it!

* I now own this.

the first computer i ever owned was a C64, soon replaced by an Amiga 500a. I spent so much time with that unit, at the time it was such an awesome system...i remember playing the original xcom game on it, so much fun. im looking forward to playing some classic amiga games once i get my gp2x delivered!