GP2X a promising alternative for PSP Homebrew.

So, you want all those cool homebrew applications that Sony shakes its giant corporate head at, but you’re afraid of the potential dangers of downgrading your current PSP Firmware or downloading any Custom Firmware that will allow you to continue to use all those nifty applications and games?

Are you the retro gamer? A lover of the classic PC, arcade, and console games, lamenting the fact that so few have been re-released on the current handheld systems or that you have to own a very expensive piece of Next Gen Gaming technology just to download some of these games?

Maybe you’re just a rebel, living on the ragged edge of the gaming world. You’re looking for a handheld system that isn’t tied down and mired by a large company’s own ambitions, instead letting itself be fully open to developers world-wide thanks to it’s open source Linux OS?

It could very well be that you’re a coder/hacker and you’re looking for a new platform to show off your 1337 skills.

If you’re any of the above, then let me introduce you to Gamepark Holding’s GP2X. The GP2X seems to have been designed as the homebrew lover’s alternative to the PSP. While the GP2x is not as powerful as the PSP and does not enjoy the support of a great number of commercially released games, its open source Linux OS and wide availability of SDK’s (Software development kits) has provided many smaller developers the opportunity to show their stuff. The fact that Linux already has a loyal “fan base” and many ports of PC games as well as console and arcade emulators have been made adds to the draw of this system. Many Linux Programs and ports have already been converted for use on the GP2X with relative ease.

When it comes to emulation, the GP2X is ready for you. Popular emulators for Neo Geo, Sega Master system/Genesis/Mega Drive, The NES, and even MAME are already available for download. Just consider taking your favorite classics on the road with you, Marvel vs Capcom at your fingertips!

In addition the GP2X, unlike the PSP, already has some PDA features and is only a peripheral or two away from becoming a mini computer. Thanks to the USB and a special proprietary EXT port, quite a few hobbyists are creating breakout boxes that allow the addition of even more functions, and ports. You can even add small, self-powered external laptop hardrives for more storage, add a box that allows for more USB connections, a keyboard and say.. a mouse or USB gamepad? Couple those with the TV output and the appropriate software and you have yourself the world’s smallest MAME box/Computer. It’s certainly no laptop computer, but as more and more people begin to understand the source code the potential for this powerful little system seems nearly infinite.


Now some of you reading this article are going to assume that I’ve got something against the PSP. That’s just not true. There are two things I did today aside from sitting here and writing this article: Eat and use my PSP. I like to eat, but I promise you I did more gaming than eating today. I also watched Steamboy while I was away from the house and bored. I absolutely love my PSP. That doesn’t stop me from looking over the GP2X and being so impressed that a PSP-like system could emerge from anyone but one of the superpowers of gaming.

In all fairness I’m ending this article with a decent comparison between the two handhelds. In many ways the PSP easily comes out on top. It’s inevitable, Sony Computer Entertainment has the money to put behind the R&D that Gamepark Holdings does not. Still there’s no doubt in my mind that the GP2X could handle being more of a direct competitor to the PSP if it had more 3rd party support in the way of commercially released games and a more defined distribution here in the United States. The GP2X does have one more, almost inconsequential, advantage over the PSP; it's about ten US Dollars cheaper at $189 - some stores $179.

	PSP	GPX2
Dimensions	Approx. 6.7 in [W] x 2.9 in [H] x .9 in [D]	Approx. 5.66 in [W] x 3.26 in [H] x 1.06 in (excl. joystick) / 34 mm deep (incl. joystick) [D]
Weight	Approx. 280g (including battery)	Approx. 161 g (without battery)
CPU	MIPS R4000-based (globally clocked 1- 300 MHz, overclocked to approx 333Mhz)	200MHz ARM920T host, 200MHz ARM940T (both can be overclocked to at least 300MHz)
Memory	32MB, 4MB DRAM	64MB, 64MB SDRAM
Display	4.3 inch, 16:9 Wide screen 480 x 272 pixel, 16.77 million colors Backlit TFT LCD	3.5 inch, 320×240 pixel, 260,000 colors backlit TFT LCD
Sound	Built-in stereo speakers	Built-in stereo speakers
Main Input/Output	IEEE 802.11b (Wi-Fi) USB 2.0 (mini-B) Memory Stick Duo™ Infrared Port	USB 2.0 Proprietary EXT Port TV Output SD Card (up to 4MB)
Disc Drive	UMD Drive	None
Power	Lithium-ion battery, AC Adaptor	2 AA Batteries( NiMH or Lithium recommended), AC Adaptor
Codec Support	Video: Mpeg4 Audio: ATRAC3plus, mp3	Video: DivX, Mpeg4 Audio: Mp3, OGG