The Gp2x Is Dead!

[waffles]

prices on ebay seem to have decreased for the f-200, but increased for the f-100, which seems kinda odd.

 

[TaG]

The only F200s I've seen on ebay have sold fo more than you could buy a new unit 2 months ago.

ED has some units in stock at http://www.gp2x.de/shop/index.php, €170.

 

[icurafu]

Got an Acer Aspire One now, much better than an eeePC... !

Nice! Diamondville based device.

 

[nubie]

5 Hrs comes from a borrowed older (bigger than smallest) EEE PC I used during travel for designing graphics (Gimp) while playing music and at least one hour of watching a video. It wasn't empty because I reached my destination, but honestly I wasn't using 100% CPU.

However, taken my honest and simple initial post and people being a total arse about it I've learned there's a lot of pandora fans here with pricks so huge that it's impossible NOT to step on them.

I'm sorry I came to this holy thread to express some doubts after I came in contact with some of these EEE PCs.

But calling me a snob for equalising my response to a cynical reply is logic I only know from Bill O'Reilly television, just so you know.

I will walk away from this topic now. Tail between my legs. Sorry again.

Hey everbody, I have been promoted to a huge prick B) .

I was kidding, geez, it wasn't serious. It is kind of funny because I personally brought up the EeePC before all of these things I listed had sunk in (last year at some point, the posts of mine defending the Eeepc are still there). I didn't realize how small the Pandora really was. It is probably quite a bit smaller than you seem to assume. I wish you would try it in person the same as the EeePC before telling us all exactly how small it is "seen in person". In which case you started off on the wrong foot being the huge prick and I was throwing it back at you to see how you could take it. Sorry you didn't realize I was kind of kidding.

I didn't know you were actually thinking about a real laptop, but you did say:

When I see the tiny-est EEE PCs, I really think Pandora doesn't stand a chance.
I only have my F200 for a week now and I saw this 10" EEE PC and I'm thinking of selling my GP2x. I know it's more expensive, but my other laptop broke down and I need one. GP2X is another world, but with a mini sublaptop, I don't know if I still need that other world.

I am confused, if it is so great, what is wrong with a different device 1/4 the size? If the small size thrills you, why doesn't an even smaller size thrill you?

QUOTE
And what about the Elonex One? At £99 it's cheaper than the F200, and contains all the hardware we miss. Maybe not as small as the cutest EEE PC yet, but it's there already in stead of tomorrow, and development in this area seems to go very rapid.
And what about the Elonex? It is cheaper than the f200, but its features are nearly as poor. The F200 is a very bad deal, I did not buy one. "there already instead of tomorrow", as in "yesterday"? The processor it comes with? I wish it had at least a VIA C7 processor, their poor level of performance is well documented, and at least is quite good with power consumption

QUOTE
Note: Even if you've read about it and saw pictures, the smallest EEE PC is much more impressive if you see/use a real one. Thats my experience.



Excuse this bit of sarcasm:
Note: Even if you've read about it and saw pictures, the small Pandora is much more impressive if you see/use a real one. That will be my experience.

Honestly you want/need/desire an x86 processor with upgradeable parts for 140% the cost of this device, at 1/2 the battery length of time and in a package 300% larger.

This Pandora is not very much larger than the original Nintendo DS, yet it has dual SD, Wifi, Bluetooth, full USB 2.0 and a very big lithium battery, as well as 128mb of RAM.

It is much easier to pocket than a subnotebook. It shouldn't be compared, it is 1/4 the size and intended for an entirely different purpose.

I am very interested in your gaming control laptops/UMPCs/subnotebooks. I do not mean keys that are arranged in a circle, I mean controls specifically designed with video games in mind.

I don't really plan to use the analog controls if I get a Pandora, but the D-pad and triggers will get used a lot.

I know there is the OQO. But I honestly don't think that the battery life and heat dissapation is very good, and I am sure that many of those handhelds do not have graphics up to par with the PowerVR SGX in the Pandora. Evidenced by the fact that Intel is pairing this graphics core with new MIDs, to enhance the graphical capabilities and reduce the power usage.

I would like to see specifics on the Pandora battery life and the Eeepc battery life. So far the reviews of the Eeepc seem to reveal less than stellar performance, not enough to watch 2 movies on one charge. I don't know if these batteries were broken in properly with their charge cycles yet, or if perhaps you experienced a unit with an especially good battery of greater capacity than the ones shipped with normal EeePCs (there are batteries with more power, and more cells).

I take it as a good sign that a full-speed SNES emulator without optimizations or use of graphics hardware lasts very long on the battery, long enough to enjoy several movies (and since the movies will play through a DSP to decode the video perhaps video usage will have even longer battery life).

Sorry for derailing the thread. I think that it is in the topic because this is one of the reasons that the GP2X is dead, it is pretty old by now, and it can't keep up, even if it was designed properly there are limits to the hardware, no USB, not enough processing power, no 3D (or 2D) power to speak of.

 

[quasist]

not enough processing power, no 3D (or 2D) power to speak of.

Almost nobody used that 3D power. There is not that many coders that like software rasterisation. For 2d gp2x is great, just look at work of emulators and homebrew.

 

[TDT]

not enough processing power, no 3D (or 2D) power to speak of.

Almost nobody used that 3D power. There is not that many coders that like software rasterisation. For 2d gp2x is great, just look at work of emulators and homebrew.


Some may use dedicated 3d capabilities on a handheld, but I don't feel that the focus of the gp2x was really intended for that.

From my perspective, I really enjoy the gp2x. I purchased it last week, and it came yesterday. Is it super powerful? No, it isn't, but it runs what I really want to have run - including the old games that I really care about.

I don't know - everything can be "better" and "more powerful". Personally I think the gp2x fills in the mobile area really well for older games.

 

[nubie]

not enough processing power, no 3D (or 2D) power to speak of.

Almost nobody used that 3D power. There is not that many coders that like software rasterisation. For 2d gp2x is great, just look at work of emulators and homebrew.


Some may use dedicated 3d capabilities on a handheld, but I don't feel that the focus of the gp2x was really intended for that.

From my perspective, I really enjoy the gp2x. I purchased it last week, and it came yesterday. Is it super powerful? No, it isn't, but it runs what I really want to have run - including the old games that I really care about.

I don't know - everything can be "better" and "more powerful". Personally I think the gp2x fills in the mobile area really well for older games.

I know it did a lot of stuff well, for me personally the lack of keyboard support killed it.

If I had been able to use the Keyboard or a USB gamepad sometime in the first year I think it might have survived. As it is it is really in the same rut as the PSP, no keyboard.

I need a keyboard. Really. I couldn't Bash without one. Ditto the Gamepad, I really couldn't play without one. (I know I know, it is semi supported in many apps, but it is still way too expensive to be affordable, especially for something that should have been built in at any board revision in the 4 board revisions since its release, MK1/MK2/F200/F200 new screen)

And a Li-Ion battery option wouldn't have killed anyone.

 

[TDT]

And a Li-Ion battery option wouldn't have killed anyone.

You mentioned that you need a keyboard. What games do you need a keyboard for? secondly you mentioned the impossibility of using a gamepad. I'm not so sure about that, at least maybe this was a problem in the past. I am currently (well, like 5m ago) playing Bubble Bobble (NES) with my retro-usb adapted NES controller. So...i'm sitting on the couch, with TV out, and playing with this controller.

The keyboard itself is more something I'm curious about. For programming, I can see the keyboard being kinda helpful. for me, I'm just using python and pygame to create my stuff..which I hear should run fine on this system (still developing my first game..so I don't know for sure).

With the battery. I agree the Li-Ion battery could have been helpful. I've kinda grown fond of just the AAs. I use energizer 2450 rechargeable. I just keep an extra set with me. In a day of heavy gaming, I'll go through one set (about 3-4 hours of gaming), whereas on most days one pair last me an easy 2 days. I use a power adapter connected to my dock.

I plan on getting pictures of my entire setup today, so I can show more on what I'm doing if you're curious I'm not saying the gp2x is perfect, it's definitely not. It's what this doctor ordered, though, and fits my needs quite well. The pandora sounds exciting - and in soem ways I wish I waited so I could get a bit more oomph. All the games that I really like, though, run very well on this. Maybe being able to play N64/PSX games would be nice though

 

[quasist]

Keyboard sucks ... Me wants neural interface!

 

[Eclipse]

So they killed the GP2X to come out with this? And what is the advantage? Poor quality 3D (who cares, not like there are going to be games that rival the DS or PSP) a small screen, non replaceable battery, and two pads? So the CPU is faster, but with all of those other flaws I don't see it being worth it.

yeah it looks a real shit, but how do you know there will be a non replaceable battery?

Looks leaps backward the gp2x and even the gp32 design tho, i've seen a lot of cheap chinese nes-on-a-box with a far better design.

 

[n8archer_XI]

Design?! This is the Gp2x 2! It's amazing, and you're both tards...

 

[quadomatic]

prices on ebay seem to have decreased for the f-200, but increased for the f-100, which seems kinda odd.

Woohoo! Then an MK2 with a D-Pad would be good, eh? Too bad I sanded off the logo on accident...that might make some suspicious.

 

[chad78]

The Wiz is being called the GP2X Wiz. So, does that mean the GP2X is *not* dead?

 

[sam fisher]

The Wiz is being called the GP2X Wiz. So, does that mean the GP2X is *not* dead?

I suppose.

 

[quasist]

The Wiz is being called the GP2X Wiz. So, does that mean the GP2X is *not* dead?

I suppose.

Then this thread writted by some panicer should be at least closed

 

[Sphinxter]

It's Alive!!!

 

[DaveC]

The Wiz is being called the GP2X Wiz. So, does that mean the GP2X is *not* dead?

No it means the GP2X is dead, the Gp2X Wiz is not.

They are totally incompatible. You need to port GP2X stuff to it or write new stuff.

 

[quasist]

it means the GP2X is dead

NO! Mine works yet!!!

 

[GernotFrisch]

LOL. Yes, mine, too.

 

[nubie]

You mentioned that you need a keyboard. What games do you need a keyboard for? secondly you mentioned the impossibility of using a gamepad. I'm not so sure about that, at least maybe this was a problem in the past. I am currently (well, like 5m ago) playing Bubble Bobble (NES) with my retro-usb adapted NES controller. So...i'm sitting on the couch, with TV out, and playing with this controller.
I thought I was perfectly clear, BASH needs a Keyboard (AKA the sterm program that let you type as though on a Linux PC). Not to even mention the Atari800 emulator, or all the other PC emulators. File Management (renaming files), not that it even had any file management capabilites beyond near blind copy/delete.

I KNOW that the gamepad "sort of works" I personally built 2 separate interfaces to the USB. You cannot use the gamepad to play the GP2X in a proper manner. Homebrew in particular will not work with the USB interface.

I am highly pissed that there is no USB dongle for the GP2X for mice/keyboards. Doesn't exist. (OK Ok, Art Taylor sells one, in England, for a lot of money. I don't have access to stuff from England for a reasonable price.)

QUOTE
The keyboard itself is more something I'm curious about. For programming, I can see the keyboard being kinda helpful. for me, I'm just using python and pygame to create my stuff..which I hear should run fine on this system (still developing my first game..so I don't know for sure).
Ugh, it doesn't work and there isn't proper support. Sterm would not recognize the SHIFT key for f*cks sake, so it wasn't really possible to pass any sort of useful command without fiddling with the crap joystick on the GP2X.

QUOTE
With the battery. I agree the Li-Ion battery could have been helpful. I've kinda grown fond of just the AAs. I use energizer 2450 rechargeable. I just keep an extra set with me. In a day of heavy gaming, I'll go through one set (about 3-4 hours of gaming), whereas on most days one pair last me an easy 2 days. I use a power adapter connected to my dock.

I personally developed the method of getting 6 hours per charge of your standard Energizer 2600 batteries. I used a third cell on the back of the unit connected in series with the two in the back of the GP2X. (3.7 volts under load for NiMH is perfectly fine, in fact the voltage regulator likes 3.7 volts as it doesn't have to boost the voltage).

You are lucky, most have the power circuit drop a couple capacitors or lose their voltage regulator, resulting in a rattling from the case, erratic operation (poor overclocking, random restarts, corrupted data) , and/or very poor to nonexistent operation with batteries.

QUOTE
I plan on getting pictures of my entire setup today, so I can show more on what I'm doing if you're curious I'm not saying the gp2x is perfect, it's definitely not. It's what this doctor ordered, though, and fits my needs quite well. The pandora sounds exciting - and in soem ways I wish I waited so I could get a bit more oomph. All the games that I really like, though, run very well on this. Maybe being able to play N64/PSX games would be nice though


I can't afford a Pandora, period.

The GP2X (of which I have owned 5 or 6) is a pile of crap. I am happy you find it useful.

The major problems with it are very simple to rectify, but they haven't been in the entire lifespan of the device.

The fault lies with the producers of the device being backwards, and not listening at all to the community.

I am glad the device works for you. But as a person who pre-ordered and waited for his first unit to arrive, which bricked within the month, waiting a very long time for a return unit (the USA store, not Craig), and being promised very many things that never ever happened (movie playback for one. B-Frame divx was crap on the unit. No other codecs were even supported.)

8 hour battery life is a stinking crock, as was 6 hour battery life (at least with 2 cells).

The GP2X deserves to die, it is not the fault of the machine itself so much as its parents are bastards who never gave it a real chance. If the problems had been fixed the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th time around it would have been ok, but they just f*cked with us over and over and over again. Problem noticed, outcry begins. Board revised, problem not fixed. Board revised again, problem not fixed. Complete re-design and addition of touch screen, problem still not freaking fixed properly.

People are cutting open their cases and gluing their direction buttons together to get the proper control scheme, but no, they can't just do it right the first time can they?

I wouldn't need a Dpad gamepad if the freaking unit came with one would I?

If the Firmware had come with a USB keyboard driver from the start and let the "keys" travel through the standard keyboard protocol then all programs would have been compatible as soon as we connected the USB.

The TV-Out was piss poor, we had to wait for the undocumented registers to turn up so that hackers could get workarounds for the terrible video.

2 more traces and we could have had VGA Y/Pr/Pb video out. Pennies worth of components and USB could have been onboard. 3 or 4 AA batteries and Alkaline operation wouldn't have been a joke.

Those NiMH are overheated just running the damn unit (the first edition units even had a coating of white substance on the battery terminals that added so much resistance that run times were very low indeed, there were instructions on this very board on how to use a file or sandpaper on your expensive handheld.)

I am happy it works for you, but it still sucks and is crap. Just because your needs or expectations are low enough that they can be filled by the device does not make it acceptable to me.

They further jerked us around by charging $50 for a crap stand (you must remove your dust caps or it won't seat. It needs 2 power supplies and the cradle covers the side USB jack, WTF?), that needed a power supply that wasn't included. It came with JTAG? WTF was that for? Developers or people with stranded units needed one for sure, but that is no reason for us to pay for it.

The firmware image had the "bad sectors" as part of it. The image came from one unit, every unit will have different bad sectors. Just flashing your firmware could write to a bad sector and the device would die. (and you needed to upgrade the firmware, because as poor as it was each generation functioned a little better than the last.)

Edit: thanks Creature XL, I never bought one because it was so expensive and poorly made, I got the power port and USB port switched.