GP32, anyone got one?

super_furry

I must admit that I'm very very tempted to buy one, especially after reading about their emulation capabilities? Anyone got anything good or bad to say about them? And what would be the best site to order one from?

shinzon

scuse the ignorance but whats a gp32

shin

super_furry

It's a handheld console from Korea (I think) that has earned a pretty big cult following because of it's versatility. There are very few dedicated commercial games for it, but because of it's ease of link to a PC and the fact that it uses Smart Media cards, there's a huge amount of "homebrew" software available for it it, from PC conversions (Doom) etc, to a host of different emulators (NES, PC Engine, SNES, Neo-Geo Pocket, etc). It's available in both back-lit and non-backlit versions.

Jim

linkeh?

Scruff

hasnt got a big list of dedicated games but theres a load of emulators out for it

good review and can buy from here

its capable of running pretty much all the old classic consoles and computers, even controversially the Gameboy, Gameboy color & Advance! Current emulators include SNES, Sega, Atari ST, NES, 2600, PC Engine, ZX Spectrum, MAME (only some drivers), Commodore 64, MSX, GBA etc etc. the older systems run perfectly with sound (yes, even the Atari ST) and they run at the CORRECT full resolution - the GP32 screen is easily big enough to do that, only the SNES & GBA emus (GBA emu is still private) are a little slow, but this is expected to change as the emulators make more progress.

scoey

Hi, I have a GP32 that I got from play-asia.com a few months ago. Basically ,its a great handheld if you're into emulators but if you aren't then forget it because quite frankly the actual GP32 games are crap . I use mine mainly for Nes , C64 and Mastersystem games , most of which run perfectly . The snes emulation isnt great yet, but give it time and I reckon it'll get to full speed. No Mega-drive emulator out yet, but apparently theres a few in development. Hmm, if you like PC Engine games, they run fine and have decent graphics, but most of the games I've tried are shooters like R-type that I'm not really into. It plays atari st stuff fine too , but since I never had one of these , I'm not really interested in it.

The GP32 plays divx files too , but I've found that for full movies its not really worth it, its great for episodes of tv shows , especially cartoons. The MP3 playback is good too.

Well anyway, I really recommend getting a GP32 if your into handheld gaming, mainly because of the sheer number of things you can use it for. I have to say it helps if you have a bit of a soft spot for 8-bit classics:D


PS: I didn't read that review that someone posted a link to so chances are i just said the same things it did.

scoey

I don't know if you already know about it, but http://www.gp32x.com/ is a pretty good site for GP32 news\downloads and they have a pretty good forum too.

super_furry

Cheers scoey, the PC Engine and NES emulators are the main reasons I want one. Did you get the back-lit version and if so, how much did the whole package cost including delivery?

scoey

Well if you want it for those 2 systems then I guarantee you won't be disappointed since the PC engine (gpengine) and nes(littlejohn) emus for GP32 are great.

I got the non-backlit version but unless you want to play in pitch darkness or under the bedcovers or something it's fine (the screen is much easier to see than the original GBA screen).


As I said I got it a few months ago so prices might have changed but at the time it was 150 euros for the GP32 itself, 8 for delivery and around 35 for a 128mb smartmedia card(which you have to get seperatly) . Play-asia had great service , got to me in about 4 days. Anyway, it was money well spent.

amp

Interesting machine

Official specs:

http://www.gamepark.co.kr/tmp_english/GP32/spec.asp

Rnger

I would definetly consider getting one of these when they improve the snes emulation and I would be getting it for the same price i payed for my gba =/

shinzon

they allow postal orders as well, this looks like a brilliant piece of kit and god it has c64 emulation as well

Sigh heaven sheer heaven

Shin

BLITZ_Molloy

I've been interested in this thing for a while. NES, PC Engine and Master System emulation are a very attractive prospect even if the SNES, MD and MAME emulation never take off.

Is the battery life any good though? Any chance of a rechargable version?

scoey

Is the battery life any good though? Any chance of a rechargable version?

It takes 2 AA batteries. The thing about it is the battery life depends on what program you're using it for, as different programs use the processer to different extents. Anyway , most emulators(those three anyway) use the processer to its full power(about 132mhz). I use rechargeable NI-MH batteries which last for about 6 hours of gameplay(they recharge in about an hour and a half with the charger I got them with in power city for 15 euros)