Talk:GP2X

Tenor of the Page?

Much of the text seems less factual and more opinionated than Wikipedia should be - such as the handling of how many units have been bad, or whether the device handles GNU properly. I suspect this is a result of the fact that those writing about the GPX2 thusfar have had a vested interest in these debates. If they don't like how the GPX2 handles GNU (or doesn't handle it), they're more apt to point out its flaws.

Since the GPX2 has had a 2nd edition released (quietly, with little fan-fare) that fixes many of the criticisms, I think this section needs to be reworked.

Lastly, I don't see how the criticism about the device's intended audience comes into play - the GPX2 is not in locked in mortal combat with an iPod or a Creative Zen.

Agreed. The article reads more like a discussion page. Shoddy.

I think that changes need to be made, especially to the comparison to mp3 players section and the GPL controversy section. That was a big issue, but it hardly caused a "disturbance in the GPL/Linux community as a whole" and it's been mostly resolved now anyway.

--FluffyPanda 17:08, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

The problem with the GPL was mostly a sluggish release of code not complete non-compliance the article needs to point out it wasn't willfull non-complience, especially by Game Park Holdings who weren't the ones responsible for the code in the unit. Abigsmurf

I find it particularly funny that, while the page gripes about possible violations of the GPL, it blatantly mentions one of its uses is to run emulators, and doesn't mention the consequent infringement of the intellectual property rights of the emulated games' copyright holders. (I'm noting that it's funny, but I cannot cast the first stone, IYKWIM.) --68.35.119.56 04:33, 6 May 2007 (UTC)

Not really, the people that wanted the GPL code don't use emulators. Orkie2 16:30, 9 May 2007 (UTC)

Also Boots Windows 95

This nifty little device is also capable of running windows 95. Check it out here

http://elligre.tk/madelman/index.php/gp2x/

(Notice to whoever typed this: Keep in mind thats on an emulator for x86. Infact, its an emulator that runs UNDER linux, making it slow and low on memory.)

I'm not sure if this actually works. After several weeks of browsing community sites, all posts refer to the link above and screenshots the author of the BOCHS emulator posted. One of the posters in a help forum actually challenged if the BOCHS v0.2 emulator works at all and no one has responded with a new screenshot or video of it running.

There are other DOS emulators but the link above referencing Win95 is from BOCHS.

Retrometro 22:10, 14 August 2006 (UTC)

Battery life?

Two hours in video became ten hours in this anonymous edit, with no source cited. I sincerely doubt that. I'll edit it back tomorrow if nobody objects. Socka[[User talk: Sockatume|'''tume''']] 00:29, 18 January 2006 (UTC)

Since it varies so much depending on what batteries you put in and what clock you choose for the movie player, should it really be mentioned at all in a supposed encyclopedia entry?

If it has to be mentioned I think it should be very vague, like

"Battery life varies greatly depending on the type and rating of the batteries and the use of the device. Operational lifetime can be over 15 hours with good NiMH batteries and using only the mp3 player while some brands of alkaline AA don't provide enough power to turn on the device at all"

--FluffyPanda 17:26, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

It is due to the properties of the battery type, not the capacity as such. NiMH handles high current drain much better than alkaline. As has already been said, it isn't contradictory as it only says the 10 hours thing under Audio (as it is apparently this long when playing music). Orkie2 16:47, 1 May 2007 (UTC)

---

2 hours is too short, but someone has now edited to 6 hours with 2850 mAHs. I find that hard to believe. I have tested with 2000 mAH and 2500 mAH batteries and got 2hrs 30 min and 2hrs 50 min respectively. I would believe 6 hrs for general use using 2850's, but video watching uses both CPUs, I don't see how one could get more than 3.5 hrs with any nihm battery set... --15.235.153.102 21:43, 7 February 2006 (UTC)

---

Keep in mind that the lifetime provided by a battery (a set of "cells," to be accurate) is not simply the capacity, often cited in amp-hours or watt-hours, but also the voltage supplied (and the tolerances of the device in question.) Alkaline cells, for example, provide less voltage as they are used, and especially under heavy loads, so even when the cell can provide power it may not provide it at the nominal voltage (the internal resistance of the cell has increased.) This is most commonly mentioned when discussing digital still cameras; alkaline cells of any capacity will only last for a limited number of shots, say, under 100, when compared to cells of other chemistries such as Lithium, or rechargeable Ni-MH. When the DSC powers down, the cells can be removed and usually have plenty of power for other less-demanding devices (or simple analog ones like a flashlight.)

Secondary cells, like NiCd and Ni-MH ones, are traditionally able to provide their nominal voltage for most of their life (in terms of each charge cycle). This is why even though their capacities are less than that of Alkaline cells, they are able to power high-drain devices like DSCs for far longer than Alkalines. The same goes for primary Lithium cells, although they are relatively expensive.

I'll speculate that this device's power requirements are similar to that of a DSC, so we can assume limited life from alkalines, and better life by Ni-MH cells of, I'd guess, 2 or 3 times. Of course, the actual power draw is determined by exactly what the device is used for, so if the unit is playing games, with the volume up, the screen brightness set high, the CPU loaded, and the SD card being accessed, expect poorer life then if the user is simply playing audio, with the screen low or off. 71.201.59.110 02:37, 23 June 2006 (UTC)

I find the battery-information fishy. It is claimed that 10 minutes using alkaline "can" turn into 6 hours with high-capacity NiMH batteries. This would indicate NiMH batteries reach capacities 35 times higher than that of alkaline batteries, which completely fails to be the case in the real world. Besides -- average battery-life is reiterated in the section on multimedia support, there with numbers up to 10 hours. So, the article is internally inconsistent. Anyone object to me tagging it as such ? --Eivind Kjørstad 06:28, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

Misc

GP2x is effectively illegal to sell and distribute because of the GPL violations. People have been complaining about the non availability of the linux kernel, the MPlayer source and other GPL programs used by GP2x. There has been a 'code drop' by the developers albeit it only contains the linux kernel, its months old (prerelease), does not compile and apparently does not even run on the hardware. In the meantime, the company and distributors are making money based on the hard work of the open source community disregarding the license. They are code thieves and they should be treated as such. Ignorance is no excuse.

---

How come nobody has brought up the GPL issues http://bjimba.blogspot.com/2006/01/gp2x-needs-gpl-lesson.html

---

removed "a linux-based firmware system similiar to Apple Computers iPod.", it's not much like an iPod other than that it has firmware which you can upgrade, and the iPod firmware isn't linux based...

reed, pre-orders are available now and this is the official name of the system. I think a merge is reasonable.

---

GPX2 was the original name and was dropped because a printer manufacturer already had trademarked the name GPX, so it was not possible to trademark GPX2. After a name choosing contest, GamePark Holding decided to go with GP2X. The two devices are the same, so a merge under the final name, GP2X is reasonable.

Yeah, merge seems good. Either way, though, rename this page, since the P (and I believe also the X) are supposed to be capitalised. --coldacid 20:13, 30 September 2005 (UTC)

---

Someone keeps changing the article with incorrect information (like saying it uses Windows XP Pro). Also, the RAM is 64 MB not 256 MB!!! The processor speeds are 200mhz, not 333 or 400mhz.

I found the same prob; someone vandalised Overview and I've just reverted the addition of a "Criticism" section which claimed that successive firmware upgrades bricked the system, since that's blatantly referring to the PSP. They do look similar, I guess... 84.65.137.138 11:21, 15 January 2006 (UTC)

---

Somehow there is an introduction text missing, telling what is GP2X (like "is a handheld console produced by ...")

---

I feel like it should be reorganized in a way that separates the use of the device, and the technical & development sides of the unit. Basically, people shouldn't feel that they have to know how to use Linux or code games in order to use the device. While it is very appealing to the technical person, it can just as much be useful and fun to the average person who just wants to watch videos, listen to music, and play games.

  Your more than welcome to feel however you want; do some work instead of passing the ball

---

On Slashdot right now there is a discussion of the Nokia 770 and the GP2x was mentioned. I read there that the GP2x does not have SDIO yet but it would probably happen. But the Wikipedia page says it supports SDIO. Is Slashdot wrong? Is Wikipedia wrong? Or does the hardware support SDIO but no drivers are written yet?

http://linux.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=168348&cid=14035671

  I just found this:
  http://www.gpx2.com/support/support_sugest_view.asp?indexNo=483&page=1&bunho=8&part=02
  I will edit the page to change it from "SDIO supported".

     This page needs so much work that its silly to quible over details like this.

---

I think the gpl issues have been cleared. http://svn.gp2x.com/gp2x/tag/

And now its possible to play wmv and vma files quite nicely with this arm linux app for the gp2x: http://www.gp2x.de/cgi-bin/cfiles.cgi?0,0,0,0,6,1267

needs improvements, but its just an excellent thing to run any wmv and wma files whatsoever.

I understand that support is not builtin, but hopefully GPH will continue to update firmware to users favor. 2.0 shows an extreme improvement, and i hope there next version does too.

--- "The GPL requires for the release of the source code to users of the binary application" No, it doesn't. It requires that it be made available. There is a world of difference between the two terms.

Then change it... Orkie2 15:31, 16 July 2007 (UTC)

Neutrality Dispute

This device seems to carry DRM, according to the people who make it, but its implementation is not known.

Since DRM is technology used to restrict the rights of the owner of a device, making it trust/obey the maker of it or somebody else over the owner of the device, it is not seen as a good thing on the consumers, quite the opposite. GP2X image suffered from it. There's why the company has made statements saying that DRM will only be used to guarantee the security of commercial games made for the system, but that's just a statement of the company, and besides it, nothing is know of what does this DRM consist on.

Therefore, I added a "Besides that statement, nothing is known about this DRM and how it limits the use of the device at the moment." for the sake of NPOV.

Someone [contribs] has erased this statement, and placed some quote to some person he calls "Craig" (Craig who works for the UK distributor of the device says,).

I've tried to cross-verify this Craig's statement with google without luck; it is possible it's entirely made up, so I think we shouldn't quote it until we can verify it. On the other hand, I put that statement of mine back, and a NPOV tag, since it's possible that someone (fan zealotism or maybe a hand from the company itself) is trying to bias the article. -- Roc Vallès^Talk|Hist - 06:53, 3 January 2006 (UTC)

I concur with the above stated position, with the addition that any time a company is unclear, or (though it doesn't seem to be the case here) is deliberately deceptive as to the depth and breadth of DRM they incorporate into a product the chilling effect of such a nondisclosure will only be felt by the consumer. -- Andrew D Kirch^Talk|Hist - 07:11, 3 January 2006 (UTC)

The following was posted on GP2X.Com (the offical GPH homepage) a while ago. I'm working on finding the link again (most of the site seems to be in Korean, so it's slow going).

17 Regarding DRM admin 2005-09-23 62

Dear Consumers,
There have been many complaints about the DRM function with the Gp2x so let me explain exactly the purpose for the DRM
We will only be using DRM for commercial games that we distribute through our website
DRM will not effect anything else, it will be used the same way as the Gp32
There is nothing to be scared of!
Best regards,

Anna [Hong]

Anna Hong seems (I'm still fairly new to the community) to be the main CR person, but she's definitely a representitive of Gamepark Holdings. Still working on finding the link and establishing what credentials Craig has (from personal experience, he knows this machine pretty well, though that's only anecdotal).GeminiDomino 15:43, 4 January 2006 (UTC)

Turns out Craig (craigix) works as a sort of community advisor/helper, right up to submitting fixes and other dev work. Open Source at its core. Geminidomino 22:15, 4 January 2006 (UTC)

Anna Hong is the only person at GPH speaking english and so she's responsible for all english statements. Craigix is the owner of gp2x.co.uk and gbax.com and he has close contacts to GPH.
134.93.56.61 18:37, 4 January 2006 (UTC)

I can't see any real reason for the NPOV tag, aside from the distributors at the bottom (do we really need all of them?!). Suspicious as I am of DRM, I don't think we should NPOV-tag the page simply because it uses the company's own literature as a factual basis for some technical details... Tyrhinis 20:58, 7 January 2006 (UTC)

List of supported audio formats

The list of audio formats that the programming community have added to the GP2X includes "NFS." Is this meant to be NSF, the 8-bit Nintendo Entertainment System binary audio format? I found one dedicated NSF player for the GP32 (Link to forum post) but nothing on NFS as an audio format.

Given that it's in a list with SPC and GBS it's an obvious typo for NSF, so I've changed it. I also had to do some disambiguation since three-letter acronyms are almost always disambig pages on Wikipedia these days. DopefishJustin 16:32, 20 March 2006 (UTC)

photos

photos have a 404 error

u gots teh englishes

call this an encyclopedia entry?

Ok, ok... what n00b is responsible for this section? Someone delete this...

WiFi

It seems that someone got WiFi working for the GP2X (http://www.gp32x.com/board/index.php?showtopic=28012&st=0). I don't know if this is ready to be added to the main article yet, but I thought I'd post it here first. It would really be nice if it supported it out of the box, with drivers for both USB and SDIO. Are you listening Gamepark Holdings? ;o) Willy Arnold

   It does support wifi out of the box now with the latest firmware, as networking is enabled. (just need the hardware, breakout box etc)
   - paradox

cpus are 240mhz, not 200mhz

See http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/05/09/gp2x_linux_console_launch/

    No they aren't. That is wrong. They may be capable of reaching 240, but they are by default, clocked at 200. -- Orkie

Units sold

Article is really missing the number of units shipped/sold. Anyone know where such information could be sourced from? --Oscarthecat 16:46, 21 May 2006 (UTC)

Whoops, found it, [1], will update the article. --Oscarthecat 16:47, 21 May 2006 (UTC)

Actually I think the units sold is wrong.... I read the source referenced in the article and the 30,000 figure is for number of GP32 units sold, not GP2X.

It is wrong -- Orkie

Agreed, it is wrong, the 30k number I found was incorrect. I have removed the bogus 30,000 number from the infobox. --Oscarthecat 13:54, 25 June 2006 (UTC)

Thanks, it's quite funny because that figure ended up in a print magazine in the UK..they obviously do their research on Wikipedia!

Updating page

Just letting everybody know that I'm going to be revamping this page (assuming I continue to have the time). If you disagree with anything I've done, let me know and I'll explain why I've done what I've done. PS: I am the same Orkie from above, but my proper account was created a while ago, I forgot the password and the email address I used no longer exists :) Orkie2 19:03, 22 August 2006 (UTC)

Done. Now try to keep it nice and accurate (relevant is also good). Orkie2 00:13, 23 August 2006 (UTC)

Emulator List

Why would you remove the emulator list? This was very useful to people and has been directly linked in many recent high-profile site links (Digg, etc.). Can someone explain? Absent of that I will replace the list in the next day or two. Thanks.

I admit to only having a passing interest in the system (I kinda want one, but can't justify it yet), but it seems to me that emulation is quite an important aspect of the system, and shouldn't be as downplayed as the new edits make it seem. The lists might have been too much, but certainly more could go in about it. ♫ Melodia Chaconne ♫ 16:14, 24 August 2006 (UTC)

Why did I remove it? Because it was a huge waste of space and not useful at all, that's why. It wasn't actually a list of emulators at all, just a huge list of systems which can be emulated (not providing any further information about the actual emulators). I listed a few of the most popular emulators in the appropriate section. You have to realise that the Wikipedia is supposed to be an encyclopedia: it gives an overview of the topic (which may be in enormous detail if the topic requires it, this doesn't), it *isn't* the ultimate guide to everything about the GP2X: if you want that, go to places dedicated to it (e.g. the GP2X Wiki which is linked to). As for Digg linking to a list of systems it can emulate, well, they shouldn't. That is the nature of the Wikipedia, things get changed around. And as I said before, the list didn't actually provide any information anyway. I also didn't make the decision to remove it by myself. When cutting large sections like that, I did consult the people in #gp2dev on EFnet so get their opinion. I needed to do the clean-up because the article was to be quite frank rubbish. Now I believe it to be fair and accurate (and useful). I'm happy to defend any of my changes :) Orkie2 08:56, 1 September 2006 (UTC)

As a compromise, I've made the link to the list of emulators on the GP2X Wiki more visible (you may have missed it before). It is more complete and more useful than the list here ever was. Orkie2 09:17, 1 September 2006 (UTC)

I do agree that the list was too much (as I implied), just that the use of emulation compared to the reality seems to be downplayed (I could be wrong). ♫ Melodia Chaconne ♫ 12:22, 1 September 2006 (UTC)

I didn't intend to downplay any particular feature of the GP2X, more to give each feature a mention. If I had just written based upon what most people use the GP2X for, it would have become a page about emulators and nothing else. But how much can you say about the emulators on the GP2X other than the fact that there are lots available for it? Wikipedia isn't really the right place for a compatibility list or judgments on how good each individual emulator is, that is the role of the GP2X wiki :) Orkie2 19:09, 1 September 2006 (UTC)

Successor?

So the GP2X has been out for a while now - more than a year? If there's any information on its successor or upgrades or whatever, it'd be good to add that to the article. --Gwern (contribs) 21:10 30 November 2006 (GMT)

Not really, no. They are very quick to deny anything new will be released before a long time. 86.139.83.14 11:40, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

Now comes the GP2X F-200, due out by the end of the month! --Nshapter 15:43, 21 October 2007 (UTC)

Main UK GP2X seller lists it at 240, 266 MHz

Check it out: . Are these merely overclocked standard 200MHz units, or are they newer, updated variants? --LeoO3 04:25, 20 December 2006 (UTC)

The 240MHz models are the standard ones - many distributors seem to believe that they are in fact selling a 240MHz machine (though there has been at least one reported case of a GP2X which wouldn't overclock to 240MHz). The 266Mhz model is again identical, but has been tested by the gp2x.co.uk staff to overclock stably at 266MHz (the validity of their tests has been disputed), but their default clock is still 200MHz. Orkie2 01:36, 1 January 2007 (UTC)

Speculation

I've removed some speculative assertations that are either disputable or have been qualified with weasel words. I've put them here so as to discuss how warranted they are.

It is believed that this is possible because people had had enough from big companies that restrain their consoles or handhelds, while the GP2X is completely open.

and it may also supplant CD+G karaokes [2].

A karaoke program with the ability to emulate disc image data of CD+G discs on solid state media has been made; therefore spawning the first phases of obsolescence on conventional CD+G players [3]. --Admbws 01:47, 23 December 2006 (UTC)

I don't think the bit about CD+Gs was particularly relevant, and it isn't true anyway - I see CD+Gs being used all the time and nobody is going to stop using them due to the GP2X :) The first sentence you removed seems a bit pointless too, it doesn't actually add any content to the article. Orkie2 01:39, 1 January 2007 (UTC)

External Links

I was looking through the article and I saw the developement links, so I checked out the game-creator link. The description here seems a litle off, as it is not only for the gp2x, but supports other platforms as well. And it is a commercial product. (Don't know if it was added as a spam link or not, just saying in case anyone thinks its spam and should be removed) Bombu 22:15, 25 January 2007 (UTC)

Good System?

This seems cool, I like Linux, how much does it cost. Are the games free? Also they shouldn't put DRM on..

This would not be the forum to discuss such topics. Discussion pages are intended to discuss the content of the article. May I suggest a site that focuses on the GP2X? pbryan 02:56, 20 March 2007 (UTC)

for site that for focuses gp32x.com

i used mame the other day with one of these. extremely poor. imo, a bit like running mame on a 486, really... 86.135.161.253 09:40, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

but mame emulator on gp2x is the best on any portal

Gp2x F-200, A GP2X with d-pad and Touchscreen!

http://www.gp32x.com/board/index.php?s=b658c4ed3a566fdea2a3e5a88513bc1e&showtopic=38291&st=0&p=551966&#entry551966 —Preceding unsigned comment added by 219.90.150.7 (talk) 16:25, 6 September 2007 (UTC)