KNC unveils HR-2800 do-it-all handheld

[wraggster]

Via Engadget (http://www.engadget.com/2006/10/06/knc-unveils-hr-2800-do-it-all-handheld/)

If the bevy of PMP / gaming hybrid devices hasn't exactly met your expectations (or came to fruition at all), KNC is throwing down an impressive do-it-all handheld that puts similar alternatives to shame. The HR-2800 may resemble a jazzed-up Sega Nomad at first glance, but beneath the 3.6-inch LCD is some serious potential. Housing a 400MHz CPU and a homebrew GUI to boot, the handheld plays back AVI, MPEG4, DivX, and XviD, while supporting MP3 and FLAC (audiophiles rejoice) on the musical side. Boasting a built-in file manager, portable version of "Winamp," a full-fledged picture / text viewer, and 1.3 megapixel camera, this jack-of-all-trades can even export full-motion video to your television via its video output. In case you're looking to get your retro game on, the unit apparently sports an NES / GBA emulator, and just in case the (admittedly skimpy) 1GB of internal storage isn't roomy enough, you can add the space you need via its SD slot. While the amount of goodies crammed into the HR-2800 may garner praise, the real applause goes to the price -- at just CNY999 ($127), we've got to wonder if these KNC folks aren't just skimming the market.

Screenshots Via Comments

Could this be a future contender for a homebrew scene ?

[porchemasi]

1ST post but not many buttons pfft homebrew my ass

[chiefy]

Well it sounds great but in my opinion the whole thing looks pretty lame. Price is nice though. I dig how they had to include in the 3rd picture "4:20" rofl

[Nikolaos]

whats da catch :D

[Is'lan]

It sounds nice, but it certainly doesn't look it. How are you suppose to use those three oddly-placed buttons for gaming anyway?

[valar]

not many buttons is the most important thing.i can see no future for that.
d pad doesn't look convincing.

[mesosade]

400mhz? blegh

[dejkirkby]

Ugly looking machine. I think it will die a Gizmondo-style death.
Congrats on the 1st post. You're the best!!

Did any hear the sarcasm alert?

[krazyx86]

yeah, what everyone else said.. more buttons would be needed to make this thing successful. on paper it looks nice though!

ps. to whomever made the "4:20" comment, light it up!

[aries2k4]

Eh, as a media device it might be alright but utterly doomed as a gaming device. Not only is it short on buttons, but like someone said, awful positioning on the few it has. the d-pad doesn´t convince me either.

[ACID]

Doesent look like a gamers device thats for sure.

[AtariFreek]

It's pretty ugly lol. I think it might cause Meta-Carpal syndrome with those oddly placed buttons

[crypysmoker]

i think this is fake.... only for these reasons.

It has everythgin that homebrewers could want built in... right there is the "too good to be true" part.

2 buttons for GB/GBA, 4 for nomad, 6 for genesis, 4 for gamegear...... YEt this has 3.. 3?? why 3??

I thinks omeone is screwing with us, or these are not the real pictures of this. I mean, the pic itself is Photoshoped and zooming in you can see that.... But the GUI look easy.

The processor is bigger then the psp and has built in storage yet is less then a psp........

To the guy who said that 400Mhz isnt enough......
a psp only has 333 and only runs at 222 most of the time yet works fine.

[erix2006]

MADE IN CHINA. :D It got many features but no quality after 2weeks it will be dead. They jsut done it quickly so every1 will buy it!

[benn]

crypysmoker - the genesis actually had three buttons and later migrated to 6 for a few games. the key one being SF2CE that was the reason they released the pad in the first place (on a side note i still cannot believe that i pad $100 for that game on release day and now i moan about the current cost of games yet back then i was just a poor schoolkid without a job!?!?!?)

my thoughts on the machine is that it is so cheap in cost because it is cheap in manufacture. just looking at that machine could break it. the thing looks so plastic and ready to explode on one drop.
the main menu is horrid.
the three buttons on the right will give you cramp after about 40 seconds of gaming - unless you are playing tetris (maybe the reason they include Nintendo emu?).
also, i dont get why anyone would now release a handheld without the following:

2 analogue thumbsticks (one being decent for fighting games)
a touchscreen option

[masterpsp2.6]

it will be gone soon

[scottishrew]

hey guys, ive put 2 emulators on ma psp, im version 1.5 and they should work but no joy :( any ideas? i get a message saying 'The game could not be started (80020001)'

[NoQuarter]

Not a buy for me that's for sure.

[F9zDark]

I normally read the whole article on the front page before clicking on the Comments link and boy was I enthused to read about it. It sounded, almost too good to be true, like the perfect device for people wanting more out of a handheld.

Then... I saw the pictures and my 'joys' were immediately relegated to sorrow for the poor souls who ever get gifted one of these.

Hopefully it will never grace our shores.

[IndianCheese]

400mhz? blegh

The PSP is 333mhz and runs at 222mhz unless overclocked with homebrew.

[NeoXCS]

The button positioning is horrid. Also, I dont think they can legally sell a system with emulators on it. They would have to get special rights to do so. :p

[knownX]

When one thinks of all in one there sould be at the very least 4 buttons on the face of the thing 5 buttons dont make us laugh this thiing is cool i guest but does not compare to the number of buttons for and "all in one" i wish they would make and all in one with two analogs sticks 4 buttons on face and four buttons on top that i could call "ALL IN ONE" at least enough buttons to play N64 games on it. maybe its just me

[Vendeta]

Its not on ebay so its not real.....lol ;p

ebays got evrything lol..:D

[The_It]

wow, 3 buttons, thats a big number :)

[PlantationBoss]

Assuming this is real, and I think it is, and looking past the lack useful controls (particularly no analogue stick), for it or a better configured successor to be of serious interest to the homebrew scene it would have gather a community of developers around it so SNES, Neo-Geo, Megadrive emulators, etc. can be ported. This is by no means impossible with the right machine and I think in time it will become inevitable.

For every person who goes to the trouble of acquiring an expensive PSP and knowing how to reflash the firmware or run devhook there must be a hundred people who would like a hassle free handheld emulation console. Obviously the GP2X already fills that role, but is somewhat expensive for what it is, and has no major distribution channels.

When the day comes that a properly configured, specced, and priced handheld emerges from one of these chinese factories and finds its way into Target/Walmart/K-Mart chains then homebrew focus is going to shift from the PSP. So what we'll have is a bigger, albeit fragmented homebrew scene. I am looking forwards to this as currently our hobby is dependent on a single hostile hardware supplier.

PS. Now where has that PSX emulator gotten to? And when will GPSP be updated?

[woods05]

Ugly looking machine. I think it will die a Gizmondo-style death.
Congrats on the 1st post. You're the best!!

Did any hear the sarcasm alert?


I agree with this. Although, I have been wrong before.

-------
Quote from
NeoXCS

The button positioning is horrid. Also, I dont think they can legally sell a system with emulators on it. They would have to get special rights to do so.
---------

I would think you would be right about that.

[GI_Josh]

If you want something like this...go with the far superior GP2X.

[Video_freak]

I fear that the low price will be paid back with low quality. This thing could have had serious potential if they had worked harder on it and put a $175 price tag on it or something.

[Sterist]

420 ;) thats all i see