GP2X questions

[stephenp1983]

So I am really considering getting one of these things, but have a few questions.  I see that they have a new one GP2X F-200 that is white, touch screen and has a d-pad.  Would this one be better than the older black one with the analog stick?  I also looked into a psp, but I'm worried if I get a new one I won't be able to downgrade it for emulation.

So how is battery life with the GP2X F-200?  Does it play movies/music well? Will it run the following systems without a problem nes, snes, genesis, gameboy advance?

[whatzcrackn]

http://www.gp2xstore.com/products/Gp2x_F_200_Console-100-0.html

edit:

Overview
The Gp2x is a Linux embedded handheld console that has the ability to play games, movies, and music. Games include action, arcade, puzzle, and so much more! You can also play classic consoles such as Amiga, Genesis, NES, and SNES. The video player supports MPEG, and MPEG4, DivX, XVid codecs and you can listen to MP3, and OGG, WMA files. Developers can express themselves by developing software that they want for the Gp2x with its free open SDK. Whether you are into games, movies, developing, or all of the above, the Gp2x will offer something to you.

[stephenp1983]

I've read alot of that, but I also wanted peoples personal experiences with it and the older one.

[Green Giant]

I have the old Gp2X, and it is lots of fun.

It plays most systems really well including mame.  The only problem is that it doesn't do gameboy advance very well.  I am not sure about movies or music as I have an archos to handle that area, need a harddrive for more storage.

As for the F-200, you really need to check the forums for it to see what sort of development has utilized the new touchscreen feature.  It will probably be slow to start off but pick up in the future.  I am not sure but the newer version might play gameboy advance better than the one I have, haven't looked in a while.

The bonus is that it is under constant development by tons of people all over the world.

[sphetr2]

i don't know what green giant is talking about, i have 50 or more fully-working gba games on my gp2x. nes, snes, and genesis are pretty much flawless, but i haven't tried every game.

battery life: you will have to get rechargeables. i'd say it's around 4 hrs, depending on what you're doing.

movies: native divx/xvid is awesome. not much else to say beyond that, i guess. no choppiness or anything. tv-out is also cool.

music: haven't really used this much because i have a zune (gasp!), but the few tracks i have played are fine.

also check out the homebrew games for the gp2x

[stephenp1983]

Thanks I think I'm going to order one after I get some christmas money.  I just don't think fooling with the psp is going to be worth it for me.

[BORIStheBLADE]

So how easy is it to play NES and SNES roms? Do you just load them on and away you go?

[danny_galaga]

the emulators are really good. some are better set out than others. the SNES emu is awesome (although not all games play properly apparently, never owned a SNES to compare). genesis is great too. original game boy works well, but has a really silly interface so that its easier for me to just turn the machine off and on than to try and navigate back to the main screen! MAME works well, and you can set the clock speed so that you dont use too much power. so you can set the default to, say 133MHZ which is fine for pacman etc and then individually set others higher if needed (i have metal slug overclocked to 225MHZ but it still doesnt run smoothly). MAME is roughly version 37 on the gp2x with a few extras thrown in, so dont expect to see all the games you are used to!

TV out is handy. ive watched 30-45 minute episodes of tv shows on our tv using that and didnt require extra power. batteries were pretty flat after that mind you...

sound isnt brilliant on mine (i have the older model)

[BORIStheBLADE]

So with the tv out how do the emulated games look? Do the fill the screen the way they should?

[danny_galaga]

i had a look a few hours ago. things like genesis look spot on. and in fact, since i have a PAL genesis and the GP2X gen emu automatically selects 60hz it looks better than my original machine on the same tv!

my version of mame is 3.1 (i think) and it has a couple of issues on the tv that dont concern me. i actually bought my gp2x to run a telly in vertical mode, which it does well. in horizontal mode, i notice that some games have a little bit of the top chopped off. i tried robotron and it did this. yet other games, like metal slug 2 are perfect. if you arent in a rush, i might try the latest mame which is v5.1 and see if theyve resolved that issue. so in a nutshell, all vertical games that are run horizontally, and some horizontal games that are run horizontally have a little bit of the top or bottom cut off. like i say, this doesnt bother me because i specifically bought this to run vertical games on a vertical monitor.

the quality of the picture, as far as i can tell is about what you expect from a pc with tv out. again, some of the older games have a bit of bleed (robotron) but newer games like metal slug seem quite clear. other people will be able to tell you why. i think that is a tv out issue in general though and you might want to look at some of the tv versus arcade monitor threads in the monitor section. there might be some pics to compare. i tried to take pics but they really didnt work very well (and yes, i switched the flash off).

[danny_galaga]

oh, and you will want the bob (break out board) to run usb peripherals like joypads. i bought one when they were just a pcb, but i think now you can only buy them as a cradle. but they havent gone up much in price. ive found that some joypads wont work on the gp2x i have. but if you pick up a logitech, youll be ok. others are worth a try if they are really cheap. i had a $10 dual analog that worked until i started hacking it and went a tad too far! so then i had to go and buy a $20 logitech (for my current project). if all you want to do is plug in the gp2x into the tv and play, then you will only need the tv out cable and just use the gp2x as the joypad....

edit: just tried metal slug on the gp2x. it runs fun. apparently metal slug 2 had an issue with slowing down in real life, and so it does in mame...

[BORIStheBLADE]

One more question, sorry stephenp1983 . Can you play two player on these old games?

[danny_galaga]

you're best bet is to try and search here:

http://www.gp32x.com/board/index.php?act=idx

lots of info. you will need strong search skills because a) their search engine sucks and b) they are pretty tough on newbies. we dont know how spoilt we are on byoac until you go to a forum like that!

ive attached the read me for mame. basically for multi player you simultaneously hit a joy direction and select (for multi credit games) and a joy direction and start for multiplayer.

[Sir Auros]

Between TV-out, the ability to use USB gamepads (maybe U360?), and the size...this sounds like it could be a decent alternative for someone building a bartop or cocktail cabinet. Unless it doesn't support an AC adaptor.

[yalborap]

Between TV-out, the ability to use USB gamepads (maybe U360?), and the size...this sounds like it could be a decent alternative for someone building a bartop or cocktail cabinet. Unless it doesn't support an AC adaptor.

It does indeed have support for one.

Also, yeah, you can play two-player on some of the old games. You're looking for the emulator to have USB gamepad support. Then all you need is the cradle, or a homemade cable to get the controllers plugged in, and you're golden.

I'm not sure how well it would work as a bartop/cocktail item due to its less than perfect performance, but it's a damn good little gadget, and more than acceptable as something to take with you to play your old favorites on the go.

[danny_galaga]

yeah, its size would be great for a cocktail, but as far as i know there is no flip in the gp2x mame so you would have to be proficient in linux, or know someone who is to add it. bartop would be great, not just for size but also for the fact that you wont need any cooling fans wizzing away...