darkman
07-17-2006, 04:12 PM
I only bring this subject matter up because of the fact that this system is Linux and open source. And there might be some around here that are like me, an avid gamer. Or who would like to have an open source handheld multimedia portable.
I recently purchased a GP2X. The recent MK2 addition with the updated OS filmware 2.0.0 that was released in May. There were some real hardware and filmware issues with the first units. It is a portable handheld multimedia system. It is open source using Linux as its operating system. The system is manufactured by Game Park Holdings.
It can play Divx, Xvid, etc movies, mp3 & ogg, display pictures, has a text viewer for E-books, and play games. Being open source it is ideal for homebrew games. Someone has already ported Super Tux, Super Methane Brothers, and Frozen Bubble over to the system, which works great on the very bright 3.5” TFT screen. It also has its share of emulators thanks to the homebrew community, ranging from a wide variety of old computers to console game systems of the past. There is soon to be two commercial games to be released for it. And of course, there is beginning to be a lot of homebrew games available.
It uses an SD card as the medium for files and programs. It also uses two AA batteries as its power source and they have to be NiMH camera batteries! There is a link cable included for hooking up to your computer so that you can transfer files to the GP2X with the SD card inserted. Sort-of like a card reader setup. I learned quicklyt that I needed a card reader as the connection drains the batteries very fast! You really only get close to four hours of charge anyway. There are available, an AC adapter made for it and a cable for “TV-out' using S-video, RCA audio hook ups.
Using the link-up, I had no problem with hooking it up to my desktop which I run SuSE on. I haven't yet tried it on my laptop which runs Libranet 2.8. I have read that some were having problems with Ubuntu, at first, mounting it.
My only issues with the system so far is,
1.The earphone jack seems to be of very poor quality. When I insert my headphones, the plug seems to back out and does not really......hmmm.... how do I put this...fit? It does not turn off the system speakers as most devices of this sort does when inserting headphones. And when you insert it all the way there is no sound to the headphones. This would be a big issue to someone wanting the system for MP3 enjoyment.
2.The link cable seems to be a plus until you learn of the battery drain issue, then a cheap card reader becomes a small extra expense. I have no problem with this, but you would think that they would have used USB 2.0 instead of USB 1.1. I know that some advertisements say 2.0, but believe me, it is not. This is why it is slow and causes the battery drain.
3.The directional pad takes a little getting use to, maybe after a few games you will have it under control. Seem a little analogish in feel.
4.The screen has the same aspect ratio as a TV screen. Great for console gaming and watching old TV programs, bad for letterboxed movies. The ratio is 320x240 and 640x480 for TV out.If you don't have an issue with that then it doesn't matter. I have read that some are using MythTV to record TV programs to put on it. I think it uses Mplayer.
5.The E-book reader! All files have to be converted to a text file format. With it being open source maybe someone will come up with some better readers later. In the meantime this will do.
edit: 6.The SD card has to be formated with FAT 32. This is an issue if all you use is Linux.
Overall I am very satisfied with the system. I mainly use it for playing games, homebrew and emulation. And I do have a few books on my 1 gig SD card. It has a 200 mhz dual core CPU that is over clockable. I overclock mine to 266 mhz. Over clocking varies from system to system. Any one wanting to program for it, I you can use SDL and "it is Linux" so you can use whatever Linux accepts. I love handheld portable gaming and I have around nine different handheld systems. Being a retro gamer and a fan of homebrew, I consider this one to be my favorite. :D
You' ve got to love Super Tux on a handheld!!
edit: I forgot to mention that you can play Doom and ScummVM is available for this system.
I recently purchased a GP2X. The recent MK2 addition with the updated OS filmware 2.0.0 that was released in May. There were some real hardware and filmware issues with the first units. It is a portable handheld multimedia system. It is open source using Linux as its operating system. The system is manufactured by Game Park Holdings.
It can play Divx, Xvid, etc movies, mp3 & ogg, display pictures, has a text viewer for E-books, and play games. Being open source it is ideal for homebrew games. Someone has already ported Super Tux, Super Methane Brothers, and Frozen Bubble over to the system, which works great on the very bright 3.5” TFT screen. It also has its share of emulators thanks to the homebrew community, ranging from a wide variety of old computers to console game systems of the past. There is soon to be two commercial games to be released for it. And of course, there is beginning to be a lot of homebrew games available.
It uses an SD card as the medium for files and programs. It also uses two AA batteries as its power source and they have to be NiMH camera batteries! There is a link cable included for hooking up to your computer so that you can transfer files to the GP2X with the SD card inserted. Sort-of like a card reader setup. I learned quicklyt that I needed a card reader as the connection drains the batteries very fast! You really only get close to four hours of charge anyway. There are available, an AC adapter made for it and a cable for “TV-out' using S-video, RCA audio hook ups.
Using the link-up, I had no problem with hooking it up to my desktop which I run SuSE on. I haven't yet tried it on my laptop which runs Libranet 2.8. I have read that some were having problems with Ubuntu, at first, mounting it.
My only issues with the system so far is,
1.The earphone jack seems to be of very poor quality. When I insert my headphones, the plug seems to back out and does not really......hmmm.... how do I put this...fit? It does not turn off the system speakers as most devices of this sort does when inserting headphones. And when you insert it all the way there is no sound to the headphones. This would be a big issue to someone wanting the system for MP3 enjoyment.
2.The link cable seems to be a plus until you learn of the battery drain issue, then a cheap card reader becomes a small extra expense. I have no problem with this, but you would think that they would have used USB 2.0 instead of USB 1.1. I know that some advertisements say 2.0, but believe me, it is not. This is why it is slow and causes the battery drain.
3.The directional pad takes a little getting use to, maybe after a few games you will have it under control. Seem a little analogish in feel.
4.The screen has the same aspect ratio as a TV screen. Great for console gaming and watching old TV programs, bad for letterboxed movies. The ratio is 320x240 and 640x480 for TV out.If you don't have an issue with that then it doesn't matter. I have read that some are using MythTV to record TV programs to put on it. I think it uses Mplayer.
5.The E-book reader! All files have to be converted to a text file format. With it being open source maybe someone will come up with some better readers later. In the meantime this will do.
edit: 6.The SD card has to be formated with FAT 32. This is an issue if all you use is Linux.
Overall I am very satisfied with the system. I mainly use it for playing games, homebrew and emulation. And I do have a few books on my 1 gig SD card. It has a 200 mhz dual core CPU that is over clockable. I overclock mine to 266 mhz. Over clocking varies from system to system. Any one wanting to program for it, I you can use SDL and "it is Linux" so you can use whatever Linux accepts. I love handheld portable gaming and I have around nine different handheld systems. Being a retro gamer and a fan of homebrew, I consider this one to be my favorite. :D
You' ve got to love Super Tux on a handheld!!
edit: I forgot to mention that you can play Doom and ScummVM is available for this system.