GP2X a COMPLETE pile of CRAP *******

[koolmoecraig]

I just received an email from lik-sang telling me that they are refunding my pre-order of the the GP2X due to serious issues with the unit already delivered. Check out this list:

• Practically many videos are not playable without capping them.
• There are reports of Xvid playing too fast, and DivX sound not in sync with video.
• There is a battery problem, 2 hours battery-life with standard batteries only.
• There is no power supply or charger included with the GP2X.
• Stereo jack sinks on some units, because of poor soldering.
• The speakers are mono instead of stereo.
• Headphone channels are switched, left is not left.
• The action buttons are too small. Your thumb can cover all four.
• There is a large joystick deadzone (that can be fixed with a "mod" according to a distributor).
• Uneven color distribution on the screen and other LCD problems.
• Long boot time (28 seconds).
• Compatibility problems with some brands, types or sizes of Flash Cards.
• USB Connection and incompatibility problems with Windows XP (apparently fixed with latest Firmware).

Talk about a complete pile of Shi*!

Thanks to Lik-Sang for heads-up.

[Minwah]

Oh dear...

[versapak]

ummmmm

Well...


That definitely sucks.

[Scott84]

Sucks.

i was thinking of getting one. that idea flew out the window and got $H!T on by a bird.

[elvis]

Sounds very much like a rushed product.

I do seriously hope GamePark pull their finger out and fix these issues before a proper re-release.  Very disappointing.

[Stobe]

Incompatible with certain brands of flash memory?

Wow!

[Trenchbroom]

SUPPOSEDLY most of these problems are software issues, not hardware (Xvid problem, stereo speakers, battery time, etc).  The lines on the screen and uneven color distribution have already been fixed with updated firmware on the latest units.  The only real hardware issues are the headphone jack & the joystick.  The headphone jack I'm sure will be limited to the first batch, and most opinions on the joystick is that it will just take some getting used to (and the "dead zone" can be changed somewhat per each game or emulator).

That said it really isn't ready for prime time just yet.  I had planned on buying one this February with tax money--hopefully the bugs will be fixed by then.

In the machine's defense, the scene is taking off pretty good.  Good C64 and NES emulators are out there, SNES emulation is progessing rapidly, and there pretty good ports of Doom/Hexen and Quake.  Most early adopters (who went through teething problems with the GP32) are happy with the machine.  As long as it keeps getting better I think it will turn out to be pretty good.

Don't write the machine off yet. 

[BobA]

It is supposed to be out with new software and now running MAME.

[GGKoul]

Glad I didnt pre-order one...

[heemid]

I really wanted one of these, maybe because of the opensource nature, there will be community based solutions to fix it. I may still get one in 6 months, we will see

[versapak]

I really wanted one of these, maybe because of the opensource nature, there will be community based solutions to fix it. I may still get one in 6 months, we will see

I'm still keeping my eye on it, but I was mostly interested in it, because of the GP32 and its reputation.

[Cave]

I got one of the first release models and havn't had any problems, i've got 5 sd cards and they all work fine. You do need good batteries, i got some 2500mah rechargeable energizers and get 4 hours roughly.

Dr.md is a genesis/megadrive emu and runs full speed with sound and has a very high compatability. Mamegp2x runs the complete .34 rom set with most running at full speed even neogeo games, you can play in vertical mode and use the volume buttons so theres no squashed display, and as the resolution is 320x240 most systems fit the display nicely and emulated consoles and such will look totally authentic if you use the tv-out cable.

All units can be safely overclocked to 250mhz, as the chip has been underclocked by default to 200mhz. Nothing is using the second core yet that i know of, but there has been talk of using it for gba emulation but its early days yet. there has been a few firmware upgrades too, mainly for sd drivers and video codecs.

theres tons of stuff allready been released and more popping up every day. I think Lik-sang were just covering their back on this as nearly all problems were software.


http://www.gp32x.com/

I'll try and post some pictures of games running if i get time.

Cave

[Minwah]

I was speaking to someone I know who has one of these the other day...apparently the new firmware updates fix all the problems he encountered, and he's raving about the thing now - Snes / Mega Drive emulators etc..

[Cave]

A few pics of mine, you might notice my stick is different from the standard one, a popular mod at the moment is to replace it with various parts from other control pads(mines from a retrocon pad), the original one is quite small and stiff but can just be pulled off and changed. One of the pics is compared to a NGP and is not much bigger.

The stick is digital, not analogue btw

[Minwah]

Ghosts n Goblins...nice!

Hows the speed/emulation of the arcade games?

[Cave]

Pretty good really,

1943
Alien Syndrome
Arkanoid
Black Tiger
Bobble Bobble
Commando
Hypersports

these type of games all run perfect speed with sound, some later games like King of Dragons and captain commando are a little sluggish, Neo-Geo on the other hand seems very smooth with the games i can get running (puzzle Bobble and Panic Bomber run very nice), there must have been more than just a name change in the past for some roms as running them thru clrmamepro for a .34 set doesn't work and am still missing roms.

[danny_galaga]

yep, i just got one. its amazing what a difference six months and a mk II version makes (",)

the only probs i have with mame so far is that my rom set is rather incomplete after i use clrmame to turn it into a v34 set. and ive gotta have all the old school classics working!