Well, today is my birthday. I don't look forward to birthdays as much as I used to, because they remind me that I'm getting old. It also happens to be Mother's Day, so I visited my parents earlier today.

All in all, it's been a nice day. I actually got one of my presents early, and have been tinkering around with it for the last few days. This little gem will probably keep me busy for a long time to come!

What is it? It's a GP2X. A portable game/video/audio player. What makes this unit unique, is that the manufacturer has opened up the machine to the development community. They provide the necessary tools to write programs for it. That's right, they encourage people to do whatever they want with it!

So people are writing emulators that let you play all sorts of games on it. There are versions of MAME, a 2600 VCS emulator, Genesis emulator, SNES emulator, Atari ST emulator, Amiga Emulator, Neo Geo emulator, and the list keeps going.

It also lets you play back standard AVI files without the need to re-encode them to a specific size or format. And it supports MP3 playback.

If you want to find out more about it, the manufacturer's web site is here:
http://www.gp2x.com/
Here's what it looks like:


I made a couple of videos, of me using it to load two games. One is Sundog, on the Atari ST emulator. (You might remember me talking about Sundog before, it was one of the best games for the ST.) The other is Tron 2.0: Killer App, on the GBA emulator!

I decided to get this instead of a GBA, and just bought the cartridge. I had someone with the necessary hardware transfer it over to the GP2X. (Before anyone says anything: if I bought the cartridge . . . what I do with it afterward is my business, right?)

Sorry about the video quality, and the sound. I wanted to keep the videos small. And the camera I used didn't pick up the sound very well at all. It wouldn't have mattered with the GBA emualtor, though. GBA emulation isn't there yet. The game is playable, but slow and there's no sound. So I can't really play the game yet, anyway.

Sundog on ST emulatorKiller App on GBA emulator

So what do you guys think of this little unit? I know I'm going to be putting it to good use whenever I'm on the go, or have some free time where I want to take a break and just have a bit of a nostalgia fix.

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that's great FAQ! is it very difficult to compile a nice collection of games?

Sweet...I want one....

Jademz Wrote:is it very difficult to compile a nice collection of games?

That's a good question.

As far as Sundog goes: it's considered abandonware now, and one of the authors has given his blessing for people to freely distribute and play it.

Re: Killer App. Since I bought the cartridge, I see no problem with creating an image of the ROM and having it transferred over to the GP2X. As long as I don't upload it or give it away somehow, it's my business what I do with the cartridge.

For other games . . . this gets into a legal grey area. Many older games are considered abandonware, and freely available for download. In some cases, the authors or publishers give their blessing to distribute them. In other cases, it's a big question mark. If an old game is no longer being actively developed, supported, or sold, is it okay to download? I don't have an answer for that.

But if you take the case where someone recently asked about getting a copy of WinRez . . . that was clearly wrong. The program is still being developed and supported by the author.

TheReelTodd Wrote:Make sure you post more when the emulators-in-development are a little more powerful. I'd be interested in seeing what this little wonder can really do!

Actually, out of all the emulators I mentioned: only the GBA and Amiga emulators need work. The rest of them are already almost perfect.

If you got the 2600 emulator, you could think of this as a portable Flashback 2 for when you're on the go. And you can buy a cable to hook this unit up to a TV, so it could almost replace the Flashback completely.

TheReelTodd Wrote:The 2600 emulator works well, then?

Yup!

AND you can hook it up to a TV?

Yup!

** drool ** COOL!

Yup!

I don't know about replacing the Flashback - I kinda like the Atari joysticks...

Nah, it couldn't replace the Flashback without the joysticks. But I'll bet you that in a few months, somebody will figure out a way to hook up Atari joysticks to it. I kid you not.

It has a port on it, meant for hooking up external devices like a mouse or keyboard. The company put out schematics for it. So it's only a matter of time before somebody takes a crack at designing stuff, to be hooked up to it.

TheReelTodd Wrote:I was reading up on this thing a little. It only takes two AA batteries? AND has about 4 to 5 hours of life during continuous play? That's pretty good for two AA batteries! It is programmable? Open source - very nice. USB 2.0 PC connection - sweet! If only I had USB 2.0! I didn't see how files/games are stored on it, but I probably just didn't read enough. I also didn't see a price (again, maybe I didn't look hard enough). Looks like a really cool toy - pretty versatile too. I'm adding this to my "maybe" list. You know - maybe the wife will let me get one if I do all my chores and buy her flowers more often and behave myself and stuff.

Does that list include not showing her videos of giant centipeds eating mice Todd?

Sketch Wroteoes that list include not showing her videos of giant centipedes eating mice Todd?

Come on - half the fun of owning a cool toy like this is the ability to show the wife gross, disgusting, or silly videos ANYWHERE and any time!

Better keep that on the low though - or she'll never let me get one. Isn't it odd that I have to check with her before I go spending MY money? Well, all the married guys will understand that one, anyway.

I'm going to hold off on this thing for a little while yet. Must attend to current financial obligations first, and I'd like to see how the support for this thing develops in the near future. It sounds like there are already a lot of enthusiasts contributing to it already and that's a good thing!

redrain85 Wrote:The 4-5 hour claim is a bit of a lie. It depends on what you're doing.

Ahh, I kind of figured that. But two AA batteries don't break the bank when they need to be replaced. Maybe rechargeable batteries might be in good order too.

redrain85 Wrote:It sells for under $200, which is pretty reasonable for what it can do. It's cheaper than some iPod models, yet can do a heck of a lot more.

You know - the big iPod craze is something I just don't get. I don't own one, nor do I feel the need (or desire) to. I'd be far more likely to buy a GP2X over an iPod of similar price.

josh.exe Wrote:YEAH! An Atari Emulater!

From what I've heard - not just an Atari emulator - but an affordable, portable, faithful Atari emulator!
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Woohoo, finally! One of the things I've been waiting for . . . an Intellivision emulator!

Check it out, two INTV Tron games demoed starting at the 2 1/2 minute mark:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMp4xb2M5Xc&search=gp2x