Who Is Going To Wait?


timthepig

Member
Joined
Mar 2, 2003
Messages
298
I've sat here and read many posts about how "poor" the gp2x hardware is.

Is anyone in the same boat as me and waiting until a newer version of the hardware is released. I learnt my lesson from the first gp32 version not having a light and the screen becoming scratched easily. Infact I was thinking of seeking out a BLU, which seems like a huge improvement on the original gp32.
 
It seems that most problems are firmware related, so it doesn't matter if you buy now, or in 6 months, you'll still get the same hardware :)

The only hardware issue I know about is the joystick, and that's really a matter of opinion.
 
i hope i get my gp2x later this week and i really dont care about firmware problems at all. they will release updates that will fix those problems and there is also the hh firmware.
 
I've sat here and read many posts about how "poor" the gp2x hardware is.

Is anyone in the same boat as me and waiting until a newer version of the hardware is released. I learnt my lesson from the first gp32 version not having a light and the screen becoming scratched easily. Infact I was thinking of seeking out a BLU, which seems like a huge improvement on the original gp32.

yeah - i ordered with a company called Allack.co.uk and got pretty poor feedback from them about delivery, then these teething problems have surfaced. Now i dont mind fiddling with things but for my peace of mind i have cancelled my order. Will look again mid-december/january.

Its been rushed out for xmas, understandably, i would have done the same thing. They need the money and there is a massive audience out there who want the unfinished article.

I WILL be buying one, just not yet.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
The thing that worries me is the lack of people saying how great this hardware is.

Usually when a new product ships, you see a load of new users jumping up and down, posting on every forum everwhere about how amazing a product is, however right now I'm not hearing anyone say they're impressed.

I ordered mine because I thought the mplayer on linux software would be more compatible for video than buying a pocket PC and relying on media player and whatever freeware cropped up... however now with the 'xvid doesn't work' and 'two hours max battery life' I'm starting to think I've made the wrong choice.

People keep saying that all this is going to be fixed with new firmware, but I think that's mostly optimism, sure the battery life may improve a bit with new firmware, and the xvid codec will no doubt be fixed in time, but what about the iffy joysticks, the newly reported stereo problems, screen problems, usb problems... and how many new problems are going to be found when all preorders have been fulfilled?

I haven't got mine yet, but I have a very nasty suspicion there will be a 're-released' hardware version in three months time with many of the current problems fixed.
 
What current problems? Name a single hardware problem which is global and effects every unit.

That's right, there isn't any. They're all software based. When GPH releases a new firmware and the source, the problems will be fixed, and all of us with "FIRST EDITION" GP2X's will have bragging rights. :)
 
After 5 minuites with the joystick your used to it, its fine, dont judge until you've actually used one.

Really, its fine.
 
Sure the battery life is urksum but come on. Every joystick I've ever owned had to be "broken in" doesn't make them bad just newly constructed. It seems that most of the problems with the hardware save the audio threads have been resolved with all most childish fixes.

USB fixed by reloading the Windows Drivers -or- replacing the cable -or- is a SD card problem

Screen problems seem to amount to removing the screen covers that are ment to come off.

And as far as people praising its name. It has been my observation that most of the people on this forum are extremely pestimistic and most of those who have their units are more keen to find faults in their gp2x's (and posting them here) then trying to reslove the issue themselves.

Edit:No offense to any pestimists or forum members intended.
 
The thing that worries me is the lack of people saying how great this hardware is.



Okay then, in that case let me be the first to say that I am mightily impressed with the look and feel of the unit, as well as the the brightness of the screen and the video playback. I put a load of skateboarding videos on mine, and have spent the last couple of days showing it off to my friends...every person I've showed it to have all commented on how good the viewing angle on the screen is (there were 6 of us crowded around it while it was sat on the coffee table at one point, no one complained that they couldnt see the screen)...and after I told them how much I paid for mine pretty much everyone said that they wanted one (and these are average joe GTA-playing types who normally dont care for anything unless it has 'sony' written somewhere on it!)

So, yeah. My new toy seems to be quite popular :D
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I've sat here and read many posts about how "poor" the gp2x hardware is.

Is anyone in the same boat as me and waiting until a newer version of the hardware is released.  I learnt my lesson from the first gp32 version not having a light and the screen becoming scratched easily.  Infact I was thinking of seeking out a BLU, which seems like a huge improvement on the original gp32.

yeah - i ordered with a company called Allack.co.uk and got pretty poor feedback from them about delivery, then these teething problems have surfaced. Now i dont mind fiddling with things but for my peace of mind i have cancelled my order. Will look again mid-december/january.

Its been rushed out for xmas, understandably, i would have done the same thing. They need the money and there is a massive audience out there who want the unfinished article.

I WILL be buying one, just not yet.

yeah i cancelled mine from allack and ordered from gbax a week ago. As ive already said, if i get it early december (first fortnight) then i'll be happy. Ive already got a zodiac for movie playback so its just a must have gadget :)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I personally wasn't up for keeping up with updates, and taking the chance of having a machine that might have problems. I just don't have the time right now, I just want something that I can be reasonably confident will work right away and hopefully worry free. For me, I cancelled my order and bought myself a pretty decent pocket pc and couldn't be happier. I'm keeping an eye on the gp2x though, and when most of the issues have been resolved, I'll consider getting a gp2x later on. I'm not going to be a developer, and I don't have the time nor feel like dealing with hardware issues at the moment. Just a consumer that saw all the promises that were made about the gp2x on their official site, and now finding out about all the issues people are having, and that some of it's capabilities aren't even there as promised. It is an untried company and their first product. Again, for me I want something from an established company that's been making their products for a while, can back it up, and has a large user base with tons of software available right away. Thus a pocket pc was right for me, and does everything that I personally was hoping the gp2x could deliver out of the box. Again, that's just me.
 
I'll wait for it, why not? And I'm pretty stuffed up with my work it'll just have to sleep in my room if it comes tomorrow.

Except it'll be difficult to introduce it to my uncle who asked me about getting a PSP for PMP+retrogaming fun if no major firmware updates pop up before Christmas...
 
LOL your all missing out. Did I say that mine had "First Edition" on it, that means I buy you or something.
 
What current problems? Name a single hardware problem which is global and effects every unit.

That's right, there isn't any. They're all software based. When GPH releases a new firmware and the source, the problems will be fixed, and all of us with "FIRST EDITION" GP2X's will have bragging rights. :)
according to a few other posts, there is no audio separation between the 2 audio channels through the gp2x's speakers - could possibly be hardware related
 
Last edited by a moderator:
By all means, if you're concerned about the issues, not planning on developing, and just want a solid, stable PMP+emulation platform+homebrew+toast maker (wait, was that one promised?), and not willing to deal with a few issues while the firmware gets perfected, then pre-ordering is probably not for you.

The device is "released" in January. I'd imagine most (if not all) of the firmware issues will be improved if not corrected (speculation I know) by that point, and by then even more development & programs will be released. The scene should really be kicking at that point. Honestly, there are still a large number of people (myself included) who don't even have the hardware in hand yet, and the firmware definately needs some updates. Thats just the fun of being an early adopter (and the bragging rights that yours says "first edition").

Don't want to deal with the uncertainty, initial bugs, etc? By all means, thats perfectly understandable. I suggest looking into your new handheld (GP2X) for the new year - aka come back in January. By that point there will be fewer bugs, the remaining issues will be more well known, more programs out there, and distributors like Craigix will be more well rested :D

As for me, I'll take my first edition and start messing around with some development projects, and deal with whatever bugs arise.
 
The problem is a few people are highly critcal of the device, often people who have never seen it. I have only seen one negative comment about the device itself. You'll notice that people who complained about power have stops now it can run at 266Mhz, now talk about battery. It is head and toes better than the GP32. Its looking like the GP2X is going to be big. Its good to be in it from the start.

The problems involving the screen, were not physical problems with the screen and fixed straight away(apart from those that hadn't taken the screen protector off :p ).

The joystick is a funny one, because the joystick seems more robust than that of the GP32, but then its tighter.

Problems with playing video is just a little silly as anyone should know who has downloaded codec packs knows, its based on mplayer so should be improved with a new patched mplayer. In reality this means that future codecs will be surported in time. For an initial launch lots of codecs already work.

The Battery Life. Even without power management(ie running full wack+power leakage on TV-out) people are getting results of 4-5 hours, This boads well for future inprovements, esp for movie & mp3 playing.

The reality is of the problems is that the device is not perfect, but by the nature of the device its chasing a never ending goal, as codecs change all the time, people try to get more out of battery life, power out of the machine.
 
Back
Top