Why Did You Get A Gp2x?


i bought it mainly for snes and megadrive emulation because playing those games on a keyboard sucks :p
i didn't want to buy a controller for pc and i had to go somewhere for vacation and didn't have much to play for ds so I saw this at first i was a bit disapointed with snes emulation(bought this june 2006) but now i play mostly beat2x and marvel vs capcom :)
 
I bought it for emulation, specifically -handheld- emulation fun.
Been a handheld nut since I got my LYNX back in 1989.

The promise of -handheld- arcade, 8-16bit computer and console fun was just irresistible. It's a bonus that the 2X is a pretty good media player and has an active homebrew scene too.

In short; one happy camper.
 
To play on the train to work.

When I bought it, it was for a combination of emulation and the political thing - I had been thinking about a PSP but got somewhat fed up with the Sony attitude to homebrew, and I was all like "Ha! A handheld console without stuck-up attitude". Since then, I have played more indy games than I expected, watched less movies than I expected (but it served well on a recent trip to Bretagne, where it could play "Wallace and Gromit" for my 3yrold son) and been totally astounded by what the emu coders manage to wring out of it.

But if I was to put a tagline on it, it would be "Final fantasy in my pocket!".
 
I wanted a mobile gaming device and love my C64. So combining these two = GP2X for me ;D
 
demos!

and.. it's the logical (and much delayed) successor of the amiga AGA and atari Falcon machines. i should already have gotten a gp32, i think.

what i really like about the GP2X:

1) that there is an, admittedly small, demoscene for it.

2) it's fixed hardware. no bullshit driver issues or software compatibility API's like on pc and every pseudo amiga or atari clone. you can just hack into the hardware if you want to optimise. fuck PC, generic shit sucks and is only good as a toolbox.

3) emulation. seriously, i'm having a blast with all those megadrive games i missed out on in the old days..

4) the homebrew and commercial games releases. payback, ruckman,vektar, that crazy flesh chasmer thing.. and loads more i didn't try yet!

5) that there are tools and hardware being developed for it. the cradle is just the bomb.. view pdf's the mouse in x windows hahaha. now i saw there is an alternative BoB housing? wtf?! :) also the devkits and libs seem to be rapidly evolving.. it's teh shit!

6) i really like developing on it. the first port of an effect i did was done in 1 hour flat. just use C(++) + SDL and it runs without problems, really sweet. add some assembler? no problem, just use the standard GNU stuff you know already =) remote debugging? also no problem.

7) the efficiency of the design: just take a standard multi-purpose SoC, wire it up to a board with some peripherals, and presto: a cheap and reliable handheld. damn :) with SD cards, instead of custom formats costing zillions and a standard TV out.

8) the whole community is just so damn alive, reminds me to the good old days on ST and Falcon, damn :)) it's a bit less cosy or helpful.. but, it still rules.

disadvantages: not many, but:

1) it's philosophy towards software is open, and maybe a bit too much:
- firmware loading takes -long-, maybe a full linux is too bloated afterall.. i still gotta try open2x, though.
- no led's for disk access and such stuff.. it's a shame they made these led's completely open to the application programmer.. should have been hardwired to some hardware monitoring system. also the volume buttons may be used for any purpose.. annoying.

2) no 3d hardware. this would have made it kick the psp's ass completely.

3) emulation ongoing stuff: no full framerate SNES emulation (yet! i'm still hoping for it). caSTaway emu is nice but i would love STEem or SainT (and both are closed source, bah...) but ok, none of those ST emus on any other handheld, either.. so that's no complaint.
 
I had a GT Pc engine back inthe days (I still have it).
I always wanted to find another handled, but a bit lighter and less power angry (The GT sucked 8X1.5V in 2 hours :) ).
So One day I found the Gp32. Didn't take time to buy it and I was also very busy at this time.
When I saw that the Gp2x will be released, I looked at the news (on this website) every day. Once I saw all the power it has I was convinced (Common' : Amiga, Cpc, Pc engine, Snes... Plus Homebrew, video, mp3...).
Since then I'm really happy with this gear and I think it's the best handled ever made.
 
virusx said:
I had a GT Pc engine back inthe days (I still have it).
I always wanted to find another handled, but a bit lighter and less power angry (The GT sucked 8X1.5V in 2 hours :) ).
Click to expand...
Out of curiosity, did you try the GT PCE with a set of these new high-mAh NiMhs? I wonder if it would beat the GP2X in terms of battery life.

Speaking of battery life, wow. I just tried a brand new set of 2500mAh rechargeables, and the GP2X's battery life is really impressive. I'd say it does 3-4 hours for sure, with speakers and at 200Mhz. It only used to last 2 hours before, so new batteries make a world of difference. :)
 
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Dzz said:
earx said:
what i really like about the GP2X:
Click to expand...
What a great attitude! I like your style!

Seconded, that post bursts with energy and excitement :) It's people like that that make this scene go forward and flourish. It makes me proud and happy to have had the luck to be here with the rest of you guys :)

donegalbeermugvz0.jpg
Click to expand...
 
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Alex. said:
Out of curiosity, did you try the GT PCE with a set of these new high-mAh NiMhs? I wonder if it would beat the GP2X in terms of battery life.

Speaking of battery life, wow. I just tried a brand new set of 2500mAh rechargeables, and the GP2X's battery life is really impressive. I'd say it does 3-4 hours for sure, with speakers and at 200Mhz. It only used to last 2 hours before, so new batteries make a world of difference. :)
Click to expand...
Nop, I didn't tested it with batteries because of three things:
1- I don't have 8 same batteries and it will be more accurate to test it this way.
2- I don't carry it anymore because it's really a huge thing :D and I wanted to have it working till my death :)
3- I broke the powersupply pin of the GT so I managed (long time ago) to plug the powersupply directly on the battery part of the GT.
I can't insert any battery no more.

I would say that it will last 3-4 hours maximum with 8 X 2500 batteries. Kinda crazy.

I use 2800 mAh batteries for my 2X (they are a litlle bit longer than the others) and I have a little more than 4 hours with a little OC on any Emu.
I'm happy with it. I also have good 1900 ones that last 3 hours as far as I can remember.

I'm on my way to buy some MAHA cahrger and batteries. They are looking really good!

+1 for the post of earx. Hand on the heart, lets all sing the community anthem!
 
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I still cannot wrap my head around the extremely cool handhelds they had in the 16-bit era though. A handheld Megadrive and a portable PCE? How immensely awesome is that? It would be unfair to complain about anything, those things must have been top notch back when they hit the market for the first time :)
 
I bought my GP2X because I wanted a handheld that was good for homebrew - both for emulation (NES, Amiga, Genesis and SuperNES mainly as those were the consoles I grew up with) and other homebrew (I love being able to play my LucasArts games on the go).

I'm also really impressed with the community surrounding the GP2X and I feel that it has a lot in common with the Amiga community spirit.

Not to mention the great possibilities as a portable party game machine with the cradle, just hook it up to a TV set, add USB joypads and suitable games, instant hit. :)
 
QUOTE
I still cannot wrap my head around the extremely cool handhelds they had in the 16-bit era though. A handheld Megadrive and a portable PCE? How immensely awesome is that? It would be unfair to complain about anything, those things must have been top notch back when they hit the market for the first time smile.gif


Yep, my father bought it for me in !japan the first time he've been here from an advice of a japanese colleague (this guy should be awesome :) ).
We even didn't hear anything about it in France at this time.
I was amazed. When I saw the price in France I was crazy too.
It gave me the need to find another handled like this.
Nothing beat it until the Gba and Gp32. The Nomade Sega was cool but not cool as the GT (the screen wasn't really good).
My first concern was to find a handled that can play PCE games on Emu at first.
 
specifically for a MAME project that i needed TV out for. i was hacking an old laptop to do the job but it died on me. of course once i got the gp2x i discovered all these other emulators that ran on it. i missed out on everything but gameboy when they were new so its been a great discovery to play megadrive and snes games on it (",)
 
you guys are funny ;)

well, i read about the GP32 a few years back but never got it.
then my DS got stolen and i wanted to buy another one. when researching about games and stuff i discovered the GP2X. I finally got it because it had that underdog thing :)

the only vintage system i played was my C64 i got in 1989 or something and used as my only computer system for many years.
I did know some Amiga games from a friend and played with a NES a few times. I only recently discovered some great games for other platforms.

All in all its a fun tool, i play emulators from time to time, but mostly sqdef nowadays :)
Its also way cool to show off. everybody knows a ds or psp, but if you show them a gp2x, duke3d (we played this in our school network for endless hours), descent, quake, etc. everybody is amazed...no i will go try the wonderswan emu.... :)
 
I'm really into emulation and really wanted to experience some old games again not from portable. c64/amiga

I've been really impressed by this unit. There's so much going on for it. And the tv out hooked up to lcd is great.

There's so many homebrew and games to try that my poor 1gig sd card is crying for an upgrade :D
 
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