Alternative Games

I remember several years ago, probably 1999 or 2000, I was wandering Kentia Hall at E3 and came across these wacky Koreans with what looked like oversized GBAs with antennas. Intrigued, I stopped to check them out, and they proceeded to show me the early prototype of what eventually became the GP32, a 32-bit Linux-based handheld gaming console. These early Frankenstein’s monster units eventually became a bit more smooth (if never really small) and released to a moderate amount of success, especially among the game geeks and homebrew modders.

Last year the GP2X was announced for the US and the Uk. The official launch has been mired in uncertainty, but American and British orders should begin shipping this month if they haven’t already. At this point, the GP2X seems already much more successful than its predecessor. The system is essentially everything gamers wish the PSP would be: Game Park Holdings is incredibly friendly to hackers and homebrew developers, remaining true to the Linux and FLOSS spirit, and the system is very powerful. Dual 250mhz RISC processors power a customized Linux build. 64 MB of system memory provides plenty of RAM and an openGL graphics processor delivers good visual performance. Of course, storage is always an issue, so the GP2X uses common SD Flash memory cards for media storage. All of this for around $189 USD makes the GP2X a better value than the PSP.

Couple that kind of hardware with a dedicated user community interested in developing homebrew games and apps, and you have the makings of a true cult gaming phenomenon. But Game Park is not resting on its laurels. The GP franchise is set to expand rapidly and determined to become as fashionable as a Game Boy Micro.

Continue reading ‘GP2X Linux-Based Handheld (Coming) Out Now’