Gamepark GP2X: English Review of Gamepark's Portable Entertainment Player

If you needed convincing the GP2X was a cool device then this is the article that may push you over the edge, heres what Lik Sang posted:



Korean gadget media site Minivian have published a review of the extremely versatile new handheld by Gamepark, the GP2X. Having a Beta version in their hands to poke at and play with at their hearts content, Minivian came up with a great preview of what can be expected from the final system and shot some fantastic images of the sexy multi-wonder in the process. While the original article can be found here, we at Lik Sang took time to present you with an English translation of this exciting hands-on report further below.

The GP2X sounds almost too good to be true. After Korean manufacturer Gamepark announced a successor to their massively popular handheld platform GP32, gamers worldwide have been holding their breath. Far from being just a portable console, the homebrew and development community is already in awe of its publicized specifications and features. Sporting a powerful Dual CPU core at its heart, the GP2X will prove to be a true multimedia machine with its multiple codecs support (DivX, MPEG, MP3,...) and TV Out capability. Being Linux based, it promises an Open Source environment for loads of garage-programmed games and applications in the future. Not only great for enjoying movies and music on the go, the GP2X is also a fine device to play free emulators on: SNES, NES, GB, Sega Mega Drive, Spectrum, C64, Atari, PC Engine (to just name a few). With a 3.5" TFT LCD Screen and High-Speed USB 2.0 connection, it's portable gadget glory at its best.

Pre-order Gamepark's fresh entry into the handheld market today, the system is supposed to ship in November 2005 for only US$ 179.90.

The Latest item in the Age of Digital Convergence, Gamepark Holdings' GP2X

The trend regarding digital devices goes towards convergence or integration. Simply put, the market offers products featuring music and movie player, image and text viewer and even gaming capabilities. These items, with all the integrated features, attract a wide range of users due to their multi-purpose nature, in contrast to products that emphasize on one main function only. They are favored also because it's simple to use them. Among these products, there is one that particularly appeals to users. It is the GP2X, a new product by Gamepark Holdings that works as a music and movie player, as well as a gaming platform, which usually can be expected only from dedicated game devices. Minivian has previewed the GP2X here, a new item by Gamepark Holdings. Please note that the color or design of the product shown may be different from the final mass produced item, as the preview was written based on a sample.

GP2X - A Stylish Design

At first look, the product seems to be designed for easy operation. Various control parts on the black body are clear and big enough to give the impression that it's designed to make using it easy and simple. The control stick on the left side is big enough to allow for convenient control by users. In addition, operating the device is fun due to the control stick's flexibility and it's very comfortable to click the button to select the menu. In the bottom part, there is a button to adjust the volume.

In addition, when viewed from the front, there's a central part that divides the front and rear panels and is located on the lower part of the product. The POWER LED and BATTERY LED are manufactured in acrylic plastic and the logo etc. are printed in a fresh color so that the user can check the basic operation status easily via the lower part of the product, while viewing the LCD. On the lower left and right part of the front panel there are stereo speakers, and in the center is the LCD of the GP2X. The LCD used for the GP2X is a QVGA grade TFT LCD with 320 x 240 resolution and a size of 3.5 inches. Though the basic specification states that 167 million colors are supported hardware-wise, which is excellent, GP2X supports only 260 thousand colors to guarantee processing speed or more stable operation by controlling the colors through software.

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