Worth Getting The Gp2x Now That Mk2 Is Out?


Muzzaro

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I randomly appear on the boards when i get reminded of the GP2x, and try to find out how it's going. I do want one, (honest!) but at first the whole battery life, screen problems and joystick that doesn't hit diagonals (and has a large dead zone) scared me off. I mean, as i said before, what's the point in buying something "complete", then having to fix various things on it. (i'm not a DIY person either, or i'd have my own arcade cabinet or two by now...*sigh*)

So, i get an email from the Allack site i signed up for and they said...

There's a new version of the GP2X in town. The latest version includes a 275MHz upgrade to the dual processor. The upgrade will deliver a smoother performance when running the 500+ applications and emulators currently available for download over the internet. The enhanced performance also compliments the 64MB of RAM and 64MB of on-board NAND flash memory.

Is this true? I looked back a few pages and no-ones praising or even mentioning a mhz upgrade on the processor.

I did read a post about what the MK2 "fixed" from MK1, but not many people really kept it on topic, and it seemed to break down into a discussion of how much each person prefers the joystick.

Right now i'm trying to shop for an MP3 player (Looking at the Creative Zen Micro, i'm not really into colour screens of video playback, i just want a multi-line screen and decent music quality), but i'm also keeping an eye on multi-function devices such as walkman phones, PDAs with decent music support, my PSP (which sadly isn't an option, i feel like the thing is about to break each time i touch it), and... maybe this. It would also be nice to play the old games, but if i'm honest, although the odd blast on a classic is fun, i'm not that caught up in the retro scene as others are. However new/homebrew games are normally fun, and you can get some very decent quality free games out there too.

Really this is kinda a "Is the MK2 any good" and "would it suit me?". I have the money to put down for one (i'd have to dip into the Wii fund, but i'm not amazingly nuts about that anyway), but if the problems haven't been fully addressed from the Mk1, i'm not someone who's going to be able to fix them, and i'll end up reselling it on Ebay or something.

Sorry if i seem wishy-washy, i'm not a decisive person. You wouldn't believe how long it took me to focus on one single brand of MP3 player, and even then i only need to hear someone mention a positive about another brand and i go "oh no" and have to sit down and relist every mp3 player and their positives/negatives =/
 
Muzzaro posted on Oct 31 2006 at 12:27 PM said:
I do want one, (honest!) but at first the whole battery life, screen problems and joystick that doesn't hit diagonals (and has a large dead zone) scared me off.

I just got one on October 9th 2006, having waited for some of the same reasons. I've been very pleased with the Mk2 version. The screen is great, the joystick is comfortable, and I have no problems with my 2100 mAh rechargeable batteries. The joystick not only registers diagonals, it is actually a 16-way, 8-switch joystick.

Muzzaro posted on Oct 31 2006 at 12:27 PM said:
"There's a new version of the GP2X in town. The latest version includes a 275MHz upgrade to the dual processor." Is this true? I looked back a few pages and no-ones praising or even mentioning a mhz upgrade on the processor.

This is kinda deceptive; there hasn't been a "275MHz upgrade" from the manufacturer. The GP2X has two 200mhz processors. However, some GP2Xs (not all) can be overclocked to 300mhz. Some businesses (like this one) have been selling GP2Xs that have been tested to run at 275mhz. So, as you see, it's not really an upgrade (but may be worth it to you just the same).

Muzzaro posted on Oct 31 2006 at 12:27 PM said:
Right now i'm trying to shop for an MP3 player...

I won't quote this whole paragraph, but nobody can really help you to decide what you want when it's pretty obvious that you are still trying to figure it out. Hopefully some of this info will help you to decide. Buy it from somebody that will let you return it if not satisfied.

Definitely read the information from the link that gnyffel sent you. It's informative and not too long.

saehn
 
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Ok so as long as i get a recent one, i should be fine?

I like people's views on things because then i can constructively use their points to create my own view. When there's hundreds of devices out there, each doing the same thing for different costs, (and the cheapest is not necessarily the best), then it becomes difficult. Also other people's experiences (good and bad) also help.

I'll look into whoever's supplying the UK ones, and see how much it's going to cost. Thanks for the info (although i have to admit that Wiki is a little confusing to read at first glance.).
 
http://gp2x.co.uk is the UK supplier, I recommend buying from there if you are in the US/UK. Make sure you shop around for SD cards, almost all will work as long as it is a real SD card (meaning no fakes). Finally, the GP2X requires NIHM rechargable batteries:

http://7dayshop.com has cheap SD cards and batteries and chargers (for UK). 2500+ mAH recommended.
 
I would say, if you intend to use the gp2x solely for multimedia, it may not be best for you.
A purpose built media player would likely have better battery life, be smaller, and perhaps most importantly, be easier to use.
 
Goemon4 posted on Oct 31 2006 at 05:15 PM said:
just buy one, you wont regret it

if i didn't do that i wouldn't be stuck with a mountain board :angry:
 
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With the new FW 2.1.0 I, for one, will vouch for its capabilities as a media player (especially since any issues with sound playback is somewhat easily correctable by the community in software, something not easily accomplished with vid playback (what with the hardware decoder docs and all)).
 
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