Wow. The GP2X hasn't been out for two months and look at all the
stuff that is already available for it! With all the ports of great
classics, there is more worth playing than on DS and PSP and if we
count emulators, we can only laugh about every other handheld.
Everyone who does not want a GP2X is a fool. Many people seem to
realize that since Craig (gp2x.co.uk) has reported that the GP2X sold
about 8000 units worldwide already. That is quite amazing. Remember,
it has not yet been officially launched and few effort went into
advertising and press. For comparison: The GP32 sold 30000 units in
it's 4 year lifespan.
That should not satisfy us. We want the GP2X to get BIG. Next month
we need you to make noise. Contact your favourite magazines,
websites, even your daily newspaper about the GP2X! Press is the
cheapest advertisement we can get.
Merry Christmas!
The GP2X.letter team.
Content of this issue:
Homebrew: News & Releases <#homebrew> Press: Reviews & Articles
<#press> Other stuff (Another firmware update and more problems and
solutions) <#other> Multimedia Content <#multimedia> Interview:
Squidge <#interview>
Homebrew
Many new emulators: Mega Drive, PC Engine, Game Boy & Advance, BBC,
Vic20, Spectrum, ...
It is quite amazing how many new emulators were released in the last
days. At this rate we should have every system ever made covered
pretty soon.
The most anticipated and certainly one of the most impressive emus is
DrMDx, a Sega Genesis/Mega Drive emulator. Reesy has ported this
wonderful emulator from his GP32 version.
http://archive.gp2x.de/cgi-bin/cfiles.cgi?0,0,0,0,5,986
Gnuboy Debian is a port of a Game Boy & Color emulator and has been
made by debian, r_sync, sonic-nkt and Chris_r. It runs fullspeed with
sound.
http://archive.gp2x.de/cgi-bin/cfiles.cgi?0,0,0,0,5,1007
There is also a Game Boy Advance emulator available. gp2xvba is a
straight port of VisualBoyAdvance SDL done by domm. It's still slow
running at around 6 FPS and there is no sound. You can tweak frame
skipping and other settings in VisualBoyAdvance.cfg.
Download it here:
http://archive.gp2x.de/cgi-bin/cfiles.cgi?0,0,0,0,5,1018
Another handheld system can now be emulated, the Neo Geo Pocket. Neo
Pop 2X is a port by madelman.
http://archive.gp2x.de/cgi-bin/cfiles.cgi?0,0,0,0,5,1050
Hermes/PS2Reality has released GP2Xengine, a PC Engine emulator.
http://www.gp2x.de/cgi-bin/cfiles.cgi?0,0,0,0,5,1025
Fuse-gp2x, released by bosteen, is a Spectrum emulator. Get it here:
http://www.zen71790.zen.co.uk/
B-EM 2x is another home computer emulator, this one is for the BBC
Micro, done by Matt Jesson aka bohemiath.
http://archive.gp2x.de/cgi-bin/cfiles.cgi?0,0,0,0,5,985
If you still haven't got enough of old home computers, there is also
an early version of VICE2X by Snaff which adds the Vic 20 and C128 to
the list of systems emulated by the GP2X but also plays C64 games with
better accuracy (and slower speed) than Frodo.
http://gp2x.org/gp2x/vice/
Still haven't got enough? Here are some Mame versions:
First it's Mame specifically tuned by Franxis to play the game Black
Tiger on the GP2X:
http://archive.gp2x.de/cgi-bin/cfiles.cgi?0,0,0,0,5,997
Next there is a Mame version by Lazrhog to play Pac Man:
http://www.gp2x.de/cgi-bin/cfiles.cgi?0,0,0,0,27,1026
And then there is a Mame version by Snaff to play games based on the
Williams driver (like Robotron) and another one for Green Beret here:
http://gp2x.org/gp2x/mame/
For a list of the Williams games, check this forum post:
http://www.gp32x.com/board/index.php?showtopic=23058&view=findpost&p=312927
GP2PSX updated
ZodTTD updated his Playstation emulator GP2PSX to version 0.18. Get
it here:
http://archive.gp2x.de/cgi-bin/cfiles.cgi?0,0,0,0,5,976
There is a compatibility list available which needs your help! Just
edit the Wiki entry with your findings:
http://wiki.gp2x.org/wiki/GP2PSX
Full Mame port planned
Wondered about all the specialized versions of Mame? Well, a full
port of Mame is coming soon. It is being worked on by Franxis who
also did the GP32 port. Preview images and information are available
here:
http://gp32x.com/?artc=2040
http://gp32x.com/?artc=2051
http://gp32x.com/?artc=2053
Clones, card games and weirdness.
It's almost surprising that it took this long for a Tetris clone to
appear on the GP2X but thanks to Ozius' Bluecube2x, this isn't an
issue anymore:
http://archive.gp2x.de/cgi-bin/cfiles.cgi?0,0,0,0,25,1021
Pong, on the other hand, has already been cloned the second time, you
can get the new one by wejp here (just click on the link):
http://forum.gp2x.de/viewtopic.php?t=565
Another clone of a popular game is Space Invasion by Andrew Williams.
http://archive.gp2x.de/cgi-bin/cfiles.cgi?0,0,0,0,27,1049
Casual gamers also get their share this time:
MK13 is a card game by PotA.
http://archive.gp2x.de/cgi-bin/cfiles.cgi?0,0,0,0,37,1028
Higher or Lower is another very simple card game by Guyfawkes:
http://archive.gp2x.de/cgi-bin/cfiles.cgi?0,0,0,0,25,989
Then there is Sudoku by tomo which seems to be a huge trend these
days:
http://archive.gp2x.de/cgi-bin/cfiles.cgi?0,0,0,0,25,996
Now for the more original games:
There is the difficult logic game MagiJig by nickspoon which has only
one level for the moment:
http://www.gp2x.de/cgi-bin/cfiles.cgi?0,0,0,0,25,1036
Another logic game is Dabakka by PotA:
http://archive.gp2x.de/cgi-bin/cfiles.cgi?0,0,0,0,25,981
A little more on the weird side is Hector Blanco de Frutos's port of
Debian vs Pimientos. Your task is to "Fly and kill these horrible
peppers!!!"
http://archive.gp2x.de/cgi-bin/cfiles.cgi?0,0,0,0,27,1024
If you want to play a Christmas themed game, there is the Christmas
Tree Game by Andrew Williams. Throw lightbulbs at a tree to decorate
it!
http://archive.gp2x.de/cgi-bin/cfiles.cgi?0,0,0,0,27,992
And last but certainly not least is the GP2X version of Lady Killer
that we have all been waiting for. Including adult content. Great! Oh
yeah, the game is fun, too!
http://www.gp32x.com/board/index.php?showtopic=23226&st=0&p=316040&#entry316040
Tilematch and Pong updated
Tilematch has been updated with sound to make the game more
attractive. Some minor other changes have also been added by miq01.
Get the newest version here:
http://archive.gp2x.de/cgi-bin/cfiles.cgi?0,0,0,0,25,947
Pong (not the new one, the older clone by Andrew Williams) now also
has sound.
http://archive.gp2x.de/cgi-bin/cfiles.cgi?0,0,0,0,27,929
More classics on your GP2X: Ultima VI & VII, Star Control II and
Lucas Arts Adventures
Puck2099 has ported Exult, an open source engine used to run the
famous classic role playing game Ultima VII (both parts and
extensions). Get it at this forum post:
http://www.gp32x.com/board/index.php?showtopic=23510&st=0
You can also play it's predecessor, Ultima VI, thanks to efry, who
ported the Nuvie engine that can be used to run it. It is not
complete, yet, so you cannot get far in the game at the moment.
http://www.gp32x.com/board/index.php?showtopic=23612
Loki666 ported The Ur-Quan Masters, an engine to run the popular Star
Control II.
http://archive.gp2x.de/cgi-bin/cfiles.cgi?0,0,0,0,26,1001
NK ported ScummVM, an engine that runs many old Lucas Arts adventure
games like Maniac Mansion (which it was created for) and Monkey
Island 1 & 2.
http://archive.gp2x.de/cgi-bin/cfiles.cgi?0,0,0,0,20,1009
Remember, for all these games you need the originals to run them on
your GP2X.
Super Methane Brothers and Beats of Rage
Here are two ports of clones of classic games for you:
The first one is Super Methane Brothers which is a port by hc232 of
the remake of the Amiga classic which itself is suspiciously similar
to Bubble Bobble.
http://archive.gp2x.de/cgi-bin/cfiles.cgi?0,0,0,0,35,1023
lemon (canuda10) ported Beats of Rage which is a Streets of Rage
clone.
http://archive.gp2x.de/cgi-bin/cfiles.cgi?0,0,0,0,40,1039
The game got famous for it's many mods that change the in game
graphics to Street Fighter, Nintendo vs Sega or Megaman. You can get
a lot of mods in the GP32 file archive:
http://www.gp32x.de/cgi-bin/cfiles.cgi?0,0,0,0,11
Visual Novels section added to the file archive
Did you like Narcissu? Now you can get a lot more free, translated
visual novels running on the Onscripter engine ported by NK. All of
them are neatly packaged and ready to run. Visit the visual novels
section of the file archive here:
http://archive.gp2x.de/cgi-bin/cfiles.cgi?0,0,0,0,55
Another World updated
The RAW engine used to run Another World has been updated by WinterN
to fix a few bugs. Get the new version here:
http://archive.gp2x.de/cgi-bin/cfiles.cgi?0,0,0,0,20,975
AndLinux with GP2X dev environment
Dynamism have released their first version of AndLinux which runs
Linux on Windows NT based systems and includes a development kit for
easy GP2X development. Read more and get the file here:
http://wiki.gp2x.org/wiki/AndLinux
Draw images and view PDFs
Pybrush by Barnesy lets you load, edit and save images on your GP2X!
http://archive.gp2x.de/cgi-bin/cfiles.cgi?0,0,0,0,8,990
It is based on Python so you have got to have that installed, too:
http://archive.gp2x.de/cgi-bin/cfiles.cgi?0,0,0,0,14,917
theoddbot has released PDFview that should be able to display almost
any PDF file on your GP2X:
http://archive.gp2x.de/cgi-bin/cfiles.cgi?0,0,0,0,8,1046
devkitGP2X buildscript released
This script makes development for the GP2X easy under Linux.
http://archive.gp2x.de/cgi-bin/cfiles.cgi?0,0,0,0,14,1040
Associate rom files with emulators and play mp3s in the background
while playing games
If you are a little experienced with Linux there is now a File
Frontend by Kounch that lets you pass files to an executable with
parameteres. For example you can set it to automatically run Game Boy
roms with gnuboy2x.
http://www.gp32x.com/board/index.php?act=ST&f=42&t=23427
MadPlayergp2x, a commandline MP3-Player by Domm, allows you to play
mp3s in the background while you are running a
game/emulator/whatever.
http://archive.gp2x.de/cgi-bin/cfiles.cgi?0,0,0,0,6,1045
Press
First look by EDGE
In the newest issue (January 06) the highly respected EDGE magazine
takes a one page look at the GP2X. Unfortunately they seem to base
most criticism on stuff they read on the internet and don't seem to
know of the existence of rechargeable batteries making the article a
little unfair at times.
"The philosophy, it seems, is that if the software you want to see
doesn't one day appear on the machine, you have no one to blame but
yourself"
http://edge-online.co.uk/
TJ Hooka interviews theoddbot
TJ Hooka was known for his many great interviews of GP32 developers.
Now he has started interviewing GP2X developers and his first victim
was theoddbot.
"Hooka: What made you decide to get one?Theoddbot: The idea of having
a portable toy that runs Linux. I was also looking at the Nokia 770
tablet at the time, but the community spirit behind the GP2X and the
GP32 was the clincher.""Hooka: Ahh, Dr. OddBot is it? Or is it Dr.
Steal everything from the sacredplanet, Red Mars?Theoddbot: Uhh, It's
Dr. OddBot..."
To find out what that is all about, visit:
http://hooka.gp2x.de/theoddbot.html
To read his old interviews with GP32 devs (many of which are also
active in the GP2X scene) visit:
http://www3.telus.net/public/hooka/
Other
New fimware update
Not everything is fixed, yet, but GPH keeps improving things. They
have now released the firmware 1.1.0. For updating you can use a new
method by Robster. He wrote a program to let you update the firmware
from within the menu which should help people that had problems
previously. Please read all the instructions carefully! It might make
sense to run the suggested testing procedure a few times. You can read
about it here:
http://www.gp32x.com/board/index.php?act=ST&f=42&t=23589
Get the official update here:
http://archive.gp2x.de/cgi-bin/cfiles.cgi?0,0,0,0,42,1051
Remember to use fresh batteries when updating to minimize the risk of
bricking your GP2X! If you somehow mess up, there is still DJWillis'
unbricking guide:
http://www.distant-earth.com/gp2x/2005/11/howto-unbrick-most-bricked-gp2xs.html
After you have updated your firmware to the newest version, you can
activate the TV-Out functionality by using this tool from GPH:
http://gp2x.com/pds/pds_view.asp?indexNo=17&page=1&bunho=13&part=00
In a post in the German gp2x.de forum, EvilDragon has informed us
that planned improvements for the near future include supporting all
SD cards up to 2 GB, enabling TV-Out for games and incorporating
better LCD settings. Also the updating method will be changed because
the present one caused some problems.
http://forum.gp2x.de/viewtopic.php?t=582
Problems and Solutions
Problem: I see scanlines on my LCD!
Solution: A nice little program by Hermes/PS2Reality, Robster and
Vimacs allows you to adjust your CPU & LCD settings to make that
flickering stop:
http://archive.gp2x.de/cgi-bin/cfiles.cgi?0,0,0,0,8,1000
Problem: My joystick is not properly centered!
Solution: Your mainboard is not at the right position. Unscrew the
screws in the back of your GP2X and move it so it fits right. You can
move it by applying pressure to the exterior connectors (USB, Ext).
Multimedia Content
This time we have got something special: A movie of a game! Watch
classic adventure Full Throttle cut together as a one hour movie. It
is available at:
http://mojoart.mixnmojo.com/
Thanks go to Jost von Harleßem for the tip. If you've got
something good to share with us, too, use the "submit news" link at
the bottom of http://gp2x.info/news!
Interview: Squidge
Each issue we ask a developer of the GP2X scene to answer our little
list of six questions. This time we asked Squidge:
Who are you?
Huh? I'm me
Developer extraordinaire 
How long have you been doing this?
Since the age of about eight, when I had my first computer which
could
only do monochrome graphics and be programmed in assembler.
What is your favourite game of all time?
I don't really play games, as I find most of them boring, but I do
play
the odd ones on occasion (usually retro). I still play Donkey Kong
Country on the SNES, so I suppose you could say that's one of my
favourites.
What are you working on for the GP2X?
Various stuff. Currently I'm working on a secret dual core project,
as
well as a USB driver. I'd still like to complete the UAE and PCEngine
emulators, but I think UAE is pretty much burried in the sand now due
to
it's slow execution speed of just over 10 fps.
What do you want to see most on the GP2X?
A full-speed fs0 snes emu, but I don't think that's going to happen.
No Linux or no coffee?
I don't drink coffee as I love the smell but hate the taste. My
caffeine
intake comes from stuff like Pepsi normally. I don't particularly
like
Linux on the 2x either, but hey, at least it makes development a
little
easier, so there's a nice side effect. It won't make much difference
once the homebrew launcher is completed though, as you'll be able to
boot from USB.
Missed an issue of the newsletter? We have set up an archive where
you can view all past issues in all languages they were published. It
can be found here:
http://www.derekscholte.nl/GP2XForum/newsarchive/index.php
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