Gp2x F200 First Impressions


zektor

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Feb 1, 2006
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Before I begin, let me start by saying that I am not completely new to the GP2X. I was an owner of the original model about two years ago. While I did like the GP2X then, there were some things that I did not. It kind of felt cheap to me, although I quickly got past that factor. The controller was absolutely terrible IMHO...and I could never really get over THAT. I played with it for quite some time before simply giving up and selling it off...moving on to other devices.

After only recently hearing that a new model was released, I decided to re-visit the old GP2X. The pad looked a helluva lot better, the white color was nice, and the inclusion of the touch screen seemed to seal the deal for me.

I ordered the F200 only this past Saturday, and I am still not sure how the hell it arrived on my doorstep this morning. I live in NJ, and GP2X Store is in CA. Holy cow. Way to go GP2X Store!

Anyway, Got home from work and eagerly opened the package. It was nice to see that GP2X Store also included a card reader...although I didn't order one :) The system is built VERY well. I didn't expect that. I think I was kind of expecting it to be kind of cheap...not building myself up for anything in other words. But no, it is built solid. Let me put it this way: I have purchased PSP Slim units in which the QC was not as good as this out of the box. I am truly impressed.

I booted up and tried the stylus for a second. Ehh, no...I think I'll be using my wife's spare DS stylus for this one :) Not that it is bad, but telescoping styli are just not my cup of tea.

The system's menus are not what I remember, of course due to the new firmware. It is not bad, but kind of seems like GPC are trying to cater to a wider crowd of folks that do not want to play with settings or something. It just seems lacking. I can't find any screen adjustment settings at all...but maybe I am missing something? I also say the earlier due to the fact that the system just "creates" folders for you on the SD card when you enter certain aspects of the menus (ie: enter "game", get a "game" folder). Not a big deal (kind of used to it as the PSP does the same thing when you format a card from within it), and I am sure that newcomers will find the simplicity appealing.

The sound is clear and loud. I remember the old model was loud too, but this is just so much clearer. It sounds absolutely fantastic. The only other device that *might* sound better than this that I have ever owned was the Zodiac.

The controller. I think this is a matter of personal opinion. I can now see why people say you either "love it or hate it"...as it is more of four buttons than a controller. Me? I love it! I popped in a card chock full of emulators and games and played literally for three hours straight. I was able to pull off moves in games as if I were playing with the original controller. I don't know what it is, but I jumped into this controller just perfectly. It is very responsive, and I can finally get into the games on the device.

The buttons are equally good. These buttons are better than my PSP buttons, hands down. It always seems difficult for me to play shmups on the PSP, as the buttons feel mushy. These buttons are great. Much better imho.

The USB function works, although I experience the same problem dozens of others do regarding having to shut down and reboot to get out of the USB screen. Screw it. I'll just use my card reader like I always did anyway.

Videos: As expected, it works great. I popped on a few DivX "Quantum Leap" episodes. Ahh, what a great show!

Battery life: Well, I have Duracell 2650's, and they've been on a charge since Saturday. I played with the unit for a total of four hours, with the battery bar only decreasing by one notch. Either the battery bar is not accurate, the battery life is great, or my batteries are :) We'll see as the days go by, but so far so good!

Everything I tested works. I tested only about half a dozen emulators...from a very old backed up disc I had from the heyday. I will of course be scouring the downloads, updating and testing over the next week (on vacation...thank god!) but compatibility so far seems solid.

That's all for my mini-review. Two big thumbs up for the new F200 model.
 
I recently got an F200 so I could develop for both my F100 and the new touchscreen.

I have to agree, it's actually well built, and feels a bit more solid than my F100. Touchscreen works perfectly. It is not as ridiculously loud as people have made it out to be. Sound is improved, too. Built-in card reader works very well and is way way better at handling file transfers than the F100 (it better, it's really just a card reader chip jammed onto the motherboard rather inelegantly!).

D-pad is quite nice for shooters. I was worried about it but now am not at all. A PSP cap replacement supposedly helps out for fighting games, though I haven't received mine yet.
 
oh it does get "destroy your hearing" loud with some apps

although I have found out that not all my headphones behave the same in it o_O some way louder than other

the touchscreen is decent but I have yet to see something that feels like a PDA.

Built in card reader is 100% reliable as I don't even own an SDHC compatible card reader =)


Now to get that damn serial connection working o_O
 
zektor said:
The system's menus are not what I remember, of course due to the new firmware. It is not bad, but kind of seems like GPC are trying to cater to a wider crowd of folks that do not want to play with settings or something. It just seems lacking.
Just install Gmenu2X. It is a much better and more useable menu than the default one. The default menu is crap. Gmenu2X works better than most menus I have used for any system.
 
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DaveC said:
zektor said:
The system's menus are not what I remember, of course due to the new firmware. It is not bad, but kind of seems like GPC are trying to cater to a wider crowd of folks that do not want to play with settings or something. It just seems lacking.
Just install Gmenu2X. It is a much better and more useable menu than the default one. The default menu is crap. Gmenu2X works better than most menus I have used for any system.



Thanks for the heads up. I installed it and you are right, pretty darn good! That autorun feature is pretty slick I must say.
 
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NickLoTurco said:
How do you install Gmenu2X? Just the usual way of extracting the files to the root of the card and pressing start+select on booting?
The simplest method would be to just copy the Gmenu2x folder and the autorun.gpu to the root directory of the SD card. Make sure to have Auto Run enabled in the GP2X System settings. With this, whenever you turn on your GP2X, it would automatically start Gmenu2x. ;)

If you want Gmenu2x to be in a different location, you have to edit the autorun.gpu to reflect the change in location.
 
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Someone could prepare a file. Zip with gmenu2x or Gpe for F200 already configured and functioning properly because I installed, but I still have problems!
 
Arsenè said:
Someone could prepare a file. Zip with gmenu2x or Gpe for F200 already configured and functioning properly because I installed, but I still have problems!
What problems are you experiencing with it?


(Sorry zektor, your thread got highjacked and was derailed... :p Great post, by the way. :))
 
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Then gpe the start but I quit immediately by the program, while Gmenu2x usually but if I go on the menu explores not make me change and delete or rename files and folders. Qtopia as the start and immediately Gpe exits from the program. A friend has also advised compiare under the root directory of the SD X11 and start Xserver.gpu But then I quit dots on a screen with a cross that I can die with jpad but not allow me to do anything else. I also tried enexfi_v047 but I have problems with this.
I will be a bit unlucky? Can you help me?

Then gpe the start but I quit immediately by the program, while Gmenu2x usually but if I go on the menu explores not make me change and delete or rename files and folders. Qtopia as the start and immediately Gpe exits from the program. A friend has also advised compiare under the root directory of the SD X11 and start Xserver.gpu But then I quit dots on a screen with a cross that I can die with jpad but not allow me to do anything else. I also tried enexfi_v047 but I have problems with this.
I will be a bit unlucky? Can you help me?
 
It sounds like GPH did a nicer job than what some say, and that's great news. The only thing they should do now is fix the firmware, I heard those boot times can be quite long.

I wonder if the delay in current F200 restock is caused by a new firmware or a F200 MK2, wouldn't that be a nice surprise :)
 
The f200 is not bad at all, but GPH did make some pretty stupid decision still, and it's getting frustrating despite the improvements (2 steps forward, 1.5 backword does not make you go anywhere fast!)

Personaly, I think Open2x is the answer to everything =D
 
The boot time is whats annoying me the most. Or rather its al thats really annoying me. Being a bit new to this im really interested in anything that might be quicker. Am i understanding correctly that this might happen?
 
Arsenè said:
Then gpe the start but I quit immediately by the program, while Gmenu2x usually but if I go on the menu explores not make me change and delete or rename files and folders. Qtopia as the start and immediately Gpe exits from the program. A friend has also advised compiare under the root directory of the SD X11 and start Xserver.gpu But then I quit dots on a screen with a cross that I can die with jpad but not allow me to do anything else. I also tried enexfi_v047 but I have problems with this.
I will be a bit unlucky? Can you help me?
Sorry, I can't fully understand your post. As xcen mentioned, I think you should ask this on another thread or start one, instead of continuing it here.
 
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Alex. said:
It sounds like GPH did a nicer job than what some say, and that's great news. The only thing they should do now is fix the firmware, I heard those boot times can be quite long.

Not that long than the F100. I noticed the F200 supports SD cards that were not compatible with my F100 (Transcend 512 MB) and my 4 GB and 1 GB noname cards work fine.
 
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Alex. said:
It sounds like GPH did a nicer job than what some say, and that's great news. The only thing they should do now is fix the firmware, I heard those boot times can be quite long.

I wonder if the delay in current F200 restock is caused by a new firmware or a F200 MK2, wouldn't that be a nice surprise :)

Firmware does need some fixing, that is for sure. I do not mind the boot time really, although I do see a problem that existed on my old unit. The problem is with the SD card contents not being updated sometimes after adding new items. The only fix that I can see is to turn the unit off, remove the card, turn it back on, and then re-insert the card. It doesn't happen all of the time, but it happened to me about four times tonight. A minor annoyance...especially when turning off and on entails waiting for the bootup. Hasn't been fixed since I had the old unit, so I'm not too sure that will ever be fixed knowing GPH :(

On a lighter note, I am having alot of fun with the updated emulators! Man, I never thought I would see the day of full speed w/sound Amiga emulation. So many people have told me that the PSP's UAE emulator was faster....bull. I own a PSP (m33-4 CFW) as well, and I can say for certain that the GP2X port is light years ahead of the current PSP port. Seeing this alone tonight has turned my horrible retail day into a wonderful gaming evening :)

Reesy's PocketSNES is fantastic as well (Cheers man!) Played a good few rounds of the ol' SMW as well.

All in all, a fantastic device as well as a fantastic update to the hardware. Yeah, there are some firmware setbacks, but if I think about it I can find a flaw or two in any handheld I have ever used. Nothing horrible enough to be a deal breaker.
 
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Try the full speed Sega CD/Genesis emulator Picodrive. Full speed Sonic CD at 200 MHz is pretty nice. Of course MAME and GNGeo are great too.

Amiga seems pretty choppy/slow to me though. Maybe I can't overclock high enough or something.
 
I'm liking it. MP3's play very well on CraigAMP. I have to futz around with Video Converting to optimize that. Controls are very responsive, though the D-Pad is horrible for fighting games. I've had no problems with any other game but for fighters and trying to dragon punch for dear life.

That PSP button-pad thing should do the trick for that hopefully. I've had no real problems aside from getting used to exiting and saving in games. My one complaint would be a lack of good homebrew games that aren't puzzle-oriented. Let's see some more freakin' Mario and Contra clones all ready! B)
 
DaveC said:
Try the full speed Sega CD/Genesis emulator Picodrive. Full speed Sonic CD at 200 MHz is pretty nice. Of course MAME and GNGeo are great too.

Amiga seems pretty choppy/slow to me though. Maybe I can't overclock high enough or something.

Yep. Picodrive is awesome (actually on the PSP and GP2X)..although of course as you said, you can get full speed @ 200Mhz....something the PSP's port cannot do (222MHZ is the lowest anyway)

Mame beats any other handheld version easily. I cannot even play much more than Pac-Man reasonably on the PSP. Seems the GP2X Mame can play any of the supported roms I throw at it perfectly, or at least near perfectly.

I have UAE OC'd to 266MHz. I only tested three games, and it ran at full speed (or at least it appears so...old Amiga owner/scener here, and I can smell if a game is not running correctly in most cases). Of course there are many many other games to try and perhaps these will be slower (I am betting so), but even still this is the fastest handheld UAE port I have used to date.
 
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