“COWABUNGA! COWA-COWA-COWABUNGA!”

That's the sound one would hear when pumping token after token into Konami’s original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the delicious four player bash-o-rama arcade game that defined my early video gaming years. I remember beating the game, start to finish, with three of my buddies at Chuck E. Cheese’s.

Along with a love for all things arcade comes my love for all videogames: Nintendo, Super Nintendo, Genesis, Game Boy... the list goes on and on. Attempting to rekindle my childhood passion, I embarked on a quest many years ago to collect whatever I could get my hands on. The crown jewels of this collection include a Neo-Geo CD with over 30 games; both versions of the 8-bit Nintendo console and over 180 original cartridges; an original Neo-Geo MVS bios board; many JAMMA arcade boards; and an original ColecoVision with two controllers and more than 40 original cartridges.

The problem is this: how will I possibly play all of these titles now? It’s way too much of a hassle to haul them out of storage, plug them ALL in, etc. A childhood dream of mine was to have the ability to take my cartridge games with me, and this dream has carried into adulthood. Emulators now enable you to play different types of games on your home PC and many other devices, but there haven’t been any truly satisfactory portable solutions for this. Until recently, that is.

Along with its many other features, the Gamepark Holdings GP2X offers the emulation capability I've been waiting for, which ultimately led me to purchase it. So let me share my initial experiences with the GP2X and offer some advice for would-be buyers.

Technical Features

• Dual ARM CPU configuration, 200mHz but overclockable in many situations
• NAND flash ROM 64MB
• SDRAM 64MB
• Linux Based OS
• SD Card storage slot, with high-speed USB 2.0
• Powered by 2 X AA batteries
• TV-Out support (with add’l cable)
• Video formats of DivX 3/4/5, XviD (MPEG4) supported
• Audio formats of MP3 and OGG Vorbis supported
• Container files of AVI and OGM supported
• EXT port for use of TV-Out cable or external USB devices

Opening the Box

One of the most sublime experiences a geek can experience is opening up the box. I have to say that this wasn’t exactly a monumental experience, but it was a solid one. Upon opening the box you're immediately presented with the face of the unit itself; contained underneath it are the cables, strap, case, CD, and some rechargeable batteries. The unit itself is good sized but extremely light–so light that I was shocked and surprised.

My initial impression was that it was of low quality because of this lightness, but after using the device, I've concluded that it’s built pretty well. It's not up to speed with the DS or PSP, but it's good enough. (There are some flaws–for example, the rubber pieces protecting the open ports don’t fit in perfectly–but in my opinion, they're minor ones.) With the batteries installed, the GPX2's weight feels more normal.

It comes with a drawstring–style soft case that you should immediately replace to protect the GP2X; I wouldn't suggest carrying it around in the case that's included. The unit also has a screen protector (which I've not yet removed).

Powering On the Unit

When you power it on, you're presented with a nice splash screen; you'll see immediately how sweet the screen is. This had been my major concern when I bought the GPX2, so I was very pleased. The 320X420 resolution, 65,536 color display is bright (but not too bright), clear, and colorful, with no flaws that I could see.

Interestingly enough, there aren’t any built in brightness controls, but that’s fine with me, as I haven't needed to adjust it. The power button feels cheap and I’m worried it might break or fall off–I have my fingers crossed!

Navigation and Software

The menu system works sufficiently but can be frustrating. You have to press the “start” button to go to a previous screen, which sounds okay–until you have to actually do it. You need to think of the GP2X interface as a simple file browser; that’s exactly what it is and how it operates. For example, when you start up the music player it brings you to the file browser, allowing you to choose from the SD storage card, the NAND memory, or an external USB device. You'd then have to navigate to your music folder and select the song you want to play first. If you go to the games option, you have to return to the directory where the executable file is held in order to select the correct file–even for the games that come preinstalled in the unit.

Sometimes, there's a lag when transitioning from one screen to another. This makes it seem like there's something wrong when there really isn’t. The file browser with regular file control functions (i.e., delete, etc.) appears woefully inadequate; I almost never use it. With its simple icons and directory trees, the menu system has a deliciously old-school feel to it. No registry or start button here!

The music and video player are very basic and work well. Video function is smooth and clear, and the music player offers solid functionality. Neither are particularly flashy or fancy but they certainly do the trick. The video player is especially nice; you can dump a video on the card and watch it without jumping through too many hoops, unlike you might have to do on other devices. The external speakers sound cheap and aren't very loud, so I'd definitely recommend a set of headphones. I don't currently have a TV-Out cable so I wasn't able to personally test this function, but numerous personal accounts on the internet testify that the output looks fantastic.

First Impression: Preinstalled Games

Before doing anything else, I loaded up some of the system's preinstalled games. One of them, Noiz2sa, I'd previously played on my Mac; it’s a great homebrew shooter from Japan. It looked and sounded great, playing nicely on the GP2X. I also loaded up Payback, which is a demo version of one of the few commercial games available for the GP2X (it plays like the original Grand Theft Auto). The 3D graphics were nice and smooth, and the game played well. Finally, I tried Vektar, which is a very colorful Asteroids-esque shoot-em-up. I really enjoyed this one, and it’s a great freebie.

The buttons feel solid and respond well when playing the games, although the Start and Select buttons feel somewhat “squishy” and lower quality. The L and R buttons click nicely. The joystick functions well but takes some getting used to; anyone who's used the Neo-Geo gamepads will be familiar with the concept. The system's comfortable to hold in my hands and the screen's large for its size, making for a pretty immersive experience for a handheld. continued on page 2 >>

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Installing and Using Software

This is the part of this review that I'm most excited about: the installation and operation of various software on the GP2X. As I mentioned before, I'm a huge freak when it comes to old-school gaming goodness (namely 2-D arcade games, 8-bit Nintendo, Super Nintendo, and Neo-Geo). Because of this, I was super excited to get these up and running on my new portable arcade and take my favorite games from my collection with me.

There are numerous sources of information on the internet about the GP2X. Most games, emulation software, utilities, and other programs are available for free from multiple sources. The files needed to play games on the emulators need to come from your cartridges, etc. I consulted these sources, grabbed some emulators and a homebrew adventure game called Cave Story, then went to work.

You can organize the SD card just as you would any file system, with directories for your music, videos, game files, and programs. For most programs, a true “installation” isn't required. You merely unpack the file and send the directory to the card, using the file browser in the GP2X to find and run the executable files. You can also use the file browser to read certain text files and documents. I installed a few programs over to the GP2X, namely GnGeo (for Neo-Geo emulation), SquidgeSNES (for Super Nintendo emulation), MameGP2X (for arcade emulation), Fce Ultra (for NES emulation) and Cave Story.

I was able to get all of the emulators and the game functioning, but not ideally. Playing the TMNT arcade game in my hands was truly an awesome experience. This was true with some of my other favorite classics, such as Castlevania and Chrono Trigger. These experiences, however, were marred by–shall we say–“technical difficulties.” Check out the photographs to see the GP2X in action.

I can’t possibly detail my experiences with each individual piece of software as this review would take me months to complete. I will say that, as a mixed bag of good and bad experiences, it's been a bittersweet romance. For example, the version of FCE Ultra that's supported by the GP2X worked beautifully on the first try. However, I'm having nothing but difficulties getting MameGP2X and GnGeo to function properly. I'm sure the problems are almost certainly user error, but they're frustrating nonetheless.

On another note, the included rechargeable batteries, once fully charged, lasted for quite a while–I'm thinking it was at least 4 hours or more–but I didn't time it precisely. Mainly, I was testing software, playing games, and transferring files the entire time. I've heard that regular AA batteries could last as little as 10 minutes, so high power or rechargeable batteries are highly recommended.

Buyer Beware, Or a Bittersweet Romance: The GP2X Experience in a Nutshell

Let me preface this by saying that I'm not a Linux expert, an emulator expert, or a homebrew expert. I love all of those things, and have enough knowledge and experience with them to be dangerous, but definitely couldn't code any of them. I have the utmost respect for the coders who devote their time and energy to building programs that help videogame nerds like me relive their childhood, and who create new games and programs. So unless you're able to write or modify code, expect some frustration and a learning curve as an end user.

Anyone who's struggled through the new installation of a beta Linux distro, wrestling with incompatibilities and motherboard jumpers with old DOS rigs, coded anything that worked, ran a BBS or an internet site, and so on and so forth, will probably understand what I mean. You hate the frustration, but you love the challenge and the finished result; it's a bittersweet love.

Realize that the programs designed to run on the GP2X are sometimes challenging. Not all games will work. Hours of forum surfing are required to learn all the ins and outs of this device. There's hardly any commercial software available, and the GPX2 isn’t a “plug and play” kind of deal. You’ll get lockups, error messages, reboots, and other snafus. There should be a label on the box: “Geeks Only!” For many who value instant gratification, or aren’t very computer savvy, this device could cause a lot of frustration.

But, for those troopers like me–who, if for the sake of nothing other than the challenge of getting the software and hardware to work–this device represents infinite possibility. There are multiple internet communities–small, but thriving–that are devoted to this device. Over time (and many, many weekends spent forum surfing, installing, deleting, rebooting, and forum surfing again) I know I'll be able to achieve what I want with my GP2X.

I want to get one thing straight: if you can see through the device’s shortcomings, are willing to learn a LOT of new information and spend a LOT of time on it, the GP2X could very well be the coolest–and definitely the most flexible–portable gaming system in existence. Over time, more (and better) software will be released for the product. As with many homebrew Linux devices and software applications, it'll be in a constant state of evolution. And I plan to evolve with it!