Thinking about getting a GP2X....

[Eckostyle]

I did some reading and checked the wiki, and It looks like a spiffy thing to carry around for some emulation on the go. Just have a few unanswered questions.

-Is the unit itself sturdy, and not prone to any defects/easy breakage?
-Are there incompatibility issues with certain SD cards?
-Aside from some games not working, is the emulation perfected enough to enjoy? Something running at 50%-75% with garbled/warped sound I simply cannot enjoy.
-Any issues with certain formats of video?

Thanks.

[sixteen-bit]

-Is the unit itself sturdy, and not prone to any defects/easy breakage?

No and No. I played with a first edition GP2X and unless QC has changed significantly I cannot recommend one. I voiced my opinion way back when but in summary:

-The plastic is crap. Creaky and of poor quality. The battery door doesn't fit properly.
-The headphone jack on the v1 was extremely loose and would never make a consistent connection. It eventually broke off and fell into the console (!) after only three hours use! This may have been fixed?
-The battery contacts flex to much and bend out of shape. They can be re-bent but this eventually causes metal fatigue.
-The screen's so-so: It was interlaced on the model I tried. Ghosted pretty badly, too.

IMO, get a modded PSP. Better emulation scene plus the occasional PSP game.

[Ex-Cyber]

From what I've heard, they did eventually fix the headphone jack (which IIRC was also wired backwards) and switched to a better screen. I wouldn't count on anything else improving a great deal, though.

[MulletMan13]

My friend got a newer one and it felt like a cheap toy. Save your money and go with a PSP

[Egotistical EvilN]

Get a PSP instead, well worth it.

[popley]

I thinks it's great. I bought mine the first week it was released. I've dropped mine a few times and nothing happened. I would not say its cheap plastic, the battery door works fine so does the headphone jack. I have no complains about the gp2x. The emulation is great and most emulators work at near full speed. The scene is really going, new releases daily. I think the movie player and music player rock, and firmware updates are easy to do. I have never had a problem with any sd cards.

[TyBO]

I've owned my GP2X for a couple years and I can honestly say it's a good investment. The screen size is perfect for emulation (unlike the PSP's widescreen) and also, no ghosting.

On the emulation front:

- Genesis/Mega Drive = Perfect (as far as I can tell)
- SNES = Very good (most games run great frameskip 1-2... can achieve fullspeed when overclocked)
- MAME/CPS2 = Very good (Most games are fine up to CPS2 level hardware)
- NeoGeo MVS - Perfect (for most games)
- TurboGrafx-16/PC-Engine = Perfect
- NES/SMS/GB/2600/older = Perfect

There are only 2 major downsides to the GP2X that should be known before buying:

1. The joystick ain't great. If you're playing a game that requires really precise controls, you're gonna get frustrated. There's a prominent member of the GP32x forums who will do a D-Pad mod for you (which - from what I hear -works beautifully) for a fee.
2. Regular AA batteries won't last very long. This problem can be solved however with 2600 mAh rechargable AA's, which should last 6-7 hours.

[firewire1394]

whats the warranty like on a gp2x? my favorite magazine did an overview of the gp2x (its finally being distributed here)

do the buttons press properly?

my psp is about to get the shit kicked out of it. like fuck i'm buying another one (long story) and i'm looking for alternative options... FUCKING SONY

[zero]

I did some reading and checked the wiki, and It looks like a spiffy thing to carry around for some emulation on the go. Just have a few unanswered questions.

-Is the unit itself sturdy, and not prone to any defects/easy breakage?
-Are there incompatibility issues with certain SD cards?
-Aside from some games not working, is the emulation perfected enough to enjoy? Something running at 50%-75% with garbled/warped sound I simply cannot enjoy.
-Any issues with certain formats of video?

Thanks.

Imo you should just forget about the GP2X and go for a modded PSP.
The PSP has a number of great full speed emus (including a very good GBA one),
plus you got full speed PSX emulation on the PSP.
And unlike the GP2x you also have offical PSP games to play.

All in all i think the PSP is the better hand held emulation package.

[Eckostyle]

I'm just going to spring for a PSP instead. Wheres a good site to get some basic information on it? I don't know anything about PSP emulation/modding, or even the PSP for that matter.

[melancholy]

maxconsole.com forums or psp-hacks.com are about the only two places I go to. The former is better for custom firmware, psx emulation, and menu themes. The later is better for homebrew and PC applications for the PSP.

[neoak]

take what you read at maxconsole with a grain of salt. Zeus actually stole the domain and that destroyed the reputation the site had with a lot of people, and well, they've become profit driven.

That is why they post crap like "LOL - insert useless news here". I recommend http://www.tehskeen.com and psp-hacks as mentioned by mel.