GP2x - V2.0

Looks like the GP2x is coming along very nicely.
A newer model is shipping which includes a much-improved joy cap and non-interlaced LCD screen:



There are lots of good emulators available now.
The video in the link below demsonstrates how well the games play. In particular, Duke Nukem 3D (which was a favourite of mine).

http://craig.gp2x.de/review/GP2XReview.html

I've known about the GP2X for a while in an "oh, one of those other handhelds made by Nobody Special" sort of ways. But in the last couple of days, I've been reading more about it - and specifically version 2.0 of the firmware - and the more I read, the more I like. A lot.

I'm not much of a gamer - they serve a purpose, but only for a very small amount of time at once, usually. But this particular handheld is giving me the same sort of vibe I had back with my Amiga: it's the variety of things it can do above and beyond games that's so appealing to me. Movie playback is cool (if not amazingly likely to be used much), and mp3/ogg playback is cool (yay for ogg!)... but people are coding lil music trackers for it; homebrew DDR-style games; Doom, Duke3D & Quake ports... and the emulators... Handheld Retro... it's just the inherent (geeky) coolness of being able to play C64, SNES, Arcade and goodness-knows-what-else games anywhere at anytime - finally, something to do at the mother-in-law's house!

And the ratio of emulated retro games I wanna play compared to current commerical titles is soooo high that this lil machine is looking remarkably appealing. People comparing it to PSPs, DSs and whatnot are kinda missing the point - it's less of a handheld console and more of a handheld Linux box with built-in Samba for Windows connectivity.

Now I just need it to mature enough for it to become something worth spending that much money on. My fingers are crossed, my hopes are high and my birthday's approaching. :o)

[edit] Oh, and since this is a game developer's forum, how could I forget the however-remote possibility I could code my own stuff for it?! BlitzMax for the ARM processor? No? Oh well - C++ & SDL it is then... :oD [/edit]

[edit2]Here's a Google video showing off a bunch of features from an earlier (and less capable) firmware revision. [/edit2]

The gp2x mark 1 had the interlaced screen, the new one doesnt but its supposed to have fixed the slight shimmer effect.
I ordered mine last week, it's meant to arrive this week.

Yes. The GP2x does seem to emit an Amiga-like spirit.

I did have a play sometime ago with C++ / SDL and found it not too difficult after wrapping some of the SDL commands to give them a 'Blitz' feel:

#include <cmath>
#include "Blitz.h"

//       blitz example #1

int main(int argc, char *argv[]){
    Graphics(320, 240, 0);
    SetTitle("Load/Display image");

    SDL_Surface *image=LoadBMP("testimage.bmp");
    SDL_Surface *brick=LoadBMP("brick.bmp");
    
    float v=0.0;
    int alpha=160;
    SetImageAlpha(image,alpha);
    while (!AppClosed()){
		Cls();
		ScanKeyboard();
		if(inkeys[SDLK_LEFT]){
			if (alpha>0){
				alpha-=1;
				SetImageAlpha(image,alpha);
			}
			}
			if(inkeys[SDLK_RIGHT]){
				if (alpha<255){
					alpha+=1;
				SetImageAlpha(image,alpha);
			}
		}
		TileImage(brick,int(sin(v/4)*125),int(-cos(v/4)*75));
		DrawImage(image,60+int(sin(v)*40.0),60+int(cos(v)*30.0));
		v+=0.009;
		Flip();
	}
	FreeImage(image);
	FreeImage(brick);
	End();
}

If you can dig up this thread and let us know your impressions of the new unit (build quality etc..) I would appreciate it.

Great news :-)
If they get the Bat life up to an acceptable point (10h++, otherwise I could buy a PSP), I'll definitely buy it :-)

Does anyone know if there is a C# compiler for the GP2X?

Really nice, the bad thing is that the people like me who bought GP2x version 1 will be left with a crappy machine.

well I have the version 1 and Im very happy with it. I play it more than the PSP and DS.
The old controller stick is a bit naff but I'll just buy the new one which seems to be a whole lot better. Ive never had any issues with my screen. Battery life too short ?.. Ive not really been that bothered by it. I always carry spare batteries around. My gripes were the time it took to boot up and the flakey USB connectivity. The new firmware is a heck of a lot faster to bootup and USB now works.
I do wish that mobipocket would write a version of thier e-book reader for it as I currently buy all my e-books in that format... but I dont think that will ever happen for such a small market.

All in all though... I love it.

That actually sounds pretty good.

I don't really like the PSP or DS (I havn't played either though), but this is rather appealing.

You can play almost any non-modern game on it, with all the emulators.

Sounds good, too bad I dont have the money to fork out for it.

A question for those who've seen (or own) one:

I've got this fantasy about catching up on my pdf reading on a GP2X, and I know there are a couple of early PDF readers available for it, but based on the screen size, would it even be possible to read a PDF on it? Am I dreaming the impossible dream?

Ive never tried a PDF viewer on it. I did a while ago try reading PDF's on a pocketPC but it wasnt very good. It tried to adjust the page to fit the screen but didnt always do a good job of it. For example a page might refer to several images on the page. You end up having to scroll about to see the image then carry on reading. Plus most images need to be zoomed in before you can see what they are.
It had the option to view the whole page in the original format but then you had to scroll around on the page which again is a pain to contantly scroll left right to read anything,
I guess it depends on how the PDF is formatted. Just like some websites look terrible if you try viewing them on a tiny screen.
Anyway.. I soon got fed up with it.

I suppose it depends on the kind of PDF's you want to read. Straight text should look fine.

That's kinda what I thought. Oh well - I'll wait and see if I can put up with it... it' s not like not being able to read PDFs is a deal-breaker. If it irks me too much, I'll just go back to playing something on MAME. :o)

Oh, and thanks for replying.

Ok, I have a question: Whats up with XGP? (www.gp32.com). I know that the original company of GP32 split into two, one created GP2X and the other is working on XGP. I like XGP much better because of 3D and WLAN support.

Their website though is not complete. Does anyone know any information about it above their choppy website?

From what I read, XGP is almost the opposite - philosophically - to the GP2x. It's being made to directly compete with the likes of the PSP and DS in the handheld console market (the GP2x seems sensible enough not to even try) in that it will focus on commercial releases with homebrew stuff being a much lesser consideration (if any consideration at all).

Again, this is from what I've gathered thus far - as you've seen, the info available is... limited. If any of what I just said is wrong, or changes, then I'll deny everything. :o)

Personally - and for the same reasons I'm not interested in the PSP or DS - I have no interest in the XGP beyond keeping in touch with the state of the industry. I'm saving for a shiny new GP2x. I've already had a little dabble with Fenix (the programming language) and I'm a lil bit goosebumpy at the thought. ;o)

the XGP also cost a lot more than gp2x.

Jim, You should not post threads like this, you made me buy GP2X :D Last gadget I bought was Palm Zire 71, I even managed to code "hello world" to it :) Lets see if I get bit further with a GP2X.. Hmm.. I wonder how well GP2X runs Amiga emulator, as I have lots of little proggies made with Amos :)

Ha. Bang goes your weekend now .. !

The unit does look fairly approachable for developing on.
It depends how much experience you have with C++ and SDL.

To wet your appetite even more have a look at the Development Tutorials section in the GP2x Wiki.

Well, mine (GP2x) is arriving Jun 1st. I hope it lives up to the expectation. I am not looking to replace my PSP or GBA or soon to be DS Lite.

I like these underground stuff and this is their second version so I hope that they will continue to exist. I am wondering how the XGP will be received. The only reason I care about it is WiFi, don't care much about the 3D.

It surely does. And since I have no experience with C++ or SDL (but a little C), and coming from a Blitz background, my nose led me towards Fenix. I'd love to provide a link, but I gotta dash - but for 2D games it seems to combine a chunk of ability with a slab of ease-of-use. Still investigating, but it's certainly easier (for me) than doing it 'properly'.

Still, if you can, DO! :oD

Yeah, I looked at Fenix myself. But I am very interested in actually bypassing SDL/Fenix and just do direct memory access. It is much like Mode 13 from Bios (320x200), you just write to a certain memory location and it displays. I dunno, it brings back the fun I had in dos and direct access to hardware. Oooohhh, I can't wait to get it.