User Review On The Gp2x


TJFBryant

Island Man with Pandora in my pocket
Joined
Feb 15, 2003
Messages
535
Age
44
When I reviewed the gp32 way back in 2001, I gave it a 8 out of 10. It was an innovative system but it had bugs. First off I had the non flu first edition with that "beautiful" fushia tint glare reducer on the screen, a flickery screen, loose joystick, tight left shoulder button and very unappealing and frustrating firmware. Yet the movies playing 10 fps and ok sound was something I'd never seen before. The games were no better that a game boy color or advanced at sometimes (graphically). BUT the enjoyment of playing DOOM, and SCuMMvm games AND all the homebrew stuff was awesome.
So why an 8 out of 10 for the Gp32 with all the problems.... because I know things could only get better from there. Whatta machine, that gp32...it was nearly my gaming life for 5 whole years and still is.

Now here comes the GP2x. With Bugs. And many concerns along with it. I still remain unchanged in my opinion that this system will in fact be THEE homebrew portable system of the next 5 years. I received the gp2x the day before thanksgiving. I added the sdl-libs for my homebrew gaming goodness, put War of the Worlds (800mb) on my 1 gig sd card and I was up and running.
Now lets get somethings straight. The firmware is not finished. Its not even the true official firmware release. Think of it as a beta version. Here is what works and what doesn't. First ...USE high capacity Nimh rechargables, otherwise you will have many more problems with flickering, screen dimming..etc. I get almost a full 5 hours with 2300mah nimh.
All Divx movies play fine ( I used pocket divx encoder) The screen is bright enough, good color contrast, no flickering during playback. The movie may freeze from time to time when forwarding thru the movie...but it appears just to be tempramental. This will be fixed in firmware upgrade when the Official launch comes in Jan 2006. Otherwise it plays through it its entirety. The games run perfectly on the screen, I have tried all games, ports etc, with the exception of all quake releases.

The only problems I found was just the firmware. Again like what I experienced with the first edition gp32. User friendlyness is lacking, firmware is buggy, and its just not an optimized smooth firmware release. BUT thats NOT to say the day of release you won't get a near perfect transition in firmware from this release 1.0 or 1.1 to say 2.0.

From what I feel in my hand, the Gp2x is very comfortable to hold for long periods of time. For some reason (when I compare it to my PSP) to just really enjoy holding the gp2x more. It feels lighter, and more erogonomic :blink: (yeah I know its a rectangular square) but it fits my large hands better. The joystick intially feels tight, real tight. But once you roll it around a few times it feels better on your thumbs.
Now some find a deadzone in the joystick, I do see and feel that deadzone when running the homebrew games and movies and navagating the firmware, BUT I don't get that same deadzone when playing Donky Kong County 2 on my SNES emu (which runs better 6- 15 fps depending on the game) The joystick feels and works just fine. Perhaps its an coding thing. The four buttons (ABXY) feel great to press. Some believe the buttons are too close together, I think its a very good placement. I have very large hands, and although my fingers fully cover all four buttons, they are very recognizable and tactile to my finger tips. I like the placement, quick responses for gaming. The shoulder buttons feel alot better than the ones on my gp32 and my psp. It just feels right when playing.

Overall it comes down to this folks. What an initial improvment from the first edition gp32 5 years ago. The build, and quality feels better, and its alot less frustrating that the first gp32 ever was. I am going to mention what I said 5 years ago. IF you want to notch portable gaming with major brand names, and mass produced (run of the mill) graphical eye candy games. GET A PSP. But if you truely enjoy retro gaming, homebrew goodness, movies, music, GET the Gp2x. You really won't regret it. If your the type you want things easy for you, you wanna pop the batteries in and go. Then might I suggest to wait until the official Gp2x release comes in Jan. Then perhaps the firmware wil be more optimized, and the known bugs will be fixed.

Otherwise with everything taken into account I give the gp2x a 7.5 -10 for the first edition. Once the newer firmware is released I will give this great little machine an 8.5.
Great quality build compared to the gp32, a little buggy (that was expected).

Notes:
** I used a card reader to upload all software to the Sd card. The USB port was buggy as previously reported.
** I use a 150x My Adata 1 gig card. (The firmware only allows upto 1 gig so far).
** Lik sangs article on its orders of Gp2x because of GPH. Is for lack of a better word, complete fluff. They want to take no responsiblity for the problems that could arise when shipping the gp2x. They don't want another gp32 first edition disaster like 5 years ago (for those who remember).

Finally A BIG THANKS to Craigix for shipping my gp2x. He is truely a standup person, a great company that I have been satisified with for years. I paid 228 USD for my Gp2x (shipping from the UK to NY USA). It was worth every penny. Keep up the good work Cragix. Thanks
 
Excellent, and pretty much sums up my first day of owning a gp2x. One thing you wrote that interested me was this:
First ...USE high capacity Nimh rechargables, otherwise you will have many more problems with flickering, screen dimming..etc.

I picked up a multipack of AA Energizers to tide me over until I can go into town and pick up a proper regulated power supply, and I'm noticing a lot of flickering and wavy lines on the screen. I had guessed that it was something to do with the power output of the crappy batteries, because the flickering only starts about half way through the boot process (therefore, nothing to do with the screen itself). Do you think giving it a good power supply or good quality Nimh batteries would fix this problem?

Once I fix the screen flickering, my gp2x will be perfect.
 
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Mine doesn't flicker at all with the included batteries or with 1300 mAh energizer nimhs, I think my energizers will probably last up to 4 hours but I would recommend them on availability.
 
Excellent review. Now I know those pessimists complaining about all these "major" bugs are just crying over spilled milk. I can trust you, I hope. ;)
 
i also seem to get a bit of interference/flicker type of stuff on the screen
(using 2500mha batteries)
the lines being sortof interence type diaginal across the screen.
the flicker only seems on the menu but people have said that this is normal, and i dont notice it on the emu's so must be the software it is using for navigation.

anyone else having the things i have mentioned ?
 
neosaiad, that's the first time I've heard the term "diagonal" used for interference outside GPH communications... that's an issue they've been aware of and are working on, assuming similar terminology isn't a fluke.
 
Nice review, thanks.

But it seems like you got a bit more carefull. The gp32 got 8 with buggy Firmware, the gp2x didn't?!
 
Excellent review. Now I know those pessimists complaining about all these "major" bugs are just crying over spilled milk. I can trust you, I hope. ;)
I think it's important to be clear that although mine doesn't do everything properly (USB is just a no-no at the moment), there is nothing wrong with it that won't be fixable in a firmware update. The screen is pretty lovely, in my opinion. I can't tell whether or not my display has the problems that others are complaining about - I have the impression that I have a higher tolerance for things than some people here!
 
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I thank you for the kind words on the review. It was a true account to what I experienced with the gp2x. I am in love with the system and have had a good time with it... (YES even without the "tits" my gp32 has). **If you don't know what I mean...don't ask.. :p

I can confirm that it is a safe bet to update the firmware to the newest patch. It plays the divx videos smoother and doesn't freeze up. Again let me repeat, Use fresh high cap. Nimh batteries. I use energizer 2300 mah, they work out just fine.

The SNES port is great, this is a must have, even though its just playable and not yet optimized. My joystick is now more responsive than previously reported (which is a good thing) I believe its because I rotate my joystick a few times a day before playing. (YES I know what I just said and how gross it sounds, but again, I am speaking from a gamers perspective, not a as a geek in my bedroom all alone with vasaline...I am a geek whos married.. B)
 
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