Android Vita or GPD XD for retro emulation?

[XC-3730C]

GPD's DPAD is FAR better than the shield's. For a retro experience, you want to go no where near the shield's DPAD. It is mushy and soft. The GPD's gamepad is similar to that of a DS

Then why do I keep reading about guys with a GPD XD having to swap out their D-pads with one from a Wii remote? There is an entire thread dedicated to modding/replacing the D-pad...

 

[Xanthe]

Then why do I keep reading about guys with a GPD XD having to swap out their D-pads with one from a Wii remote? There is an entire thread dedicated to modding/replacing the D-pad...

I have spent countless hours, perhaps days, continuously researching the GPD XD and I have seen very few people having these problems. Not sure how these problems would come about anyway.

It's all personal preference. The Nvidia Shield is basically an Xbox 360 controller, which I find to not be as comfortable. The GPD on the other hand, is more like a Nintendo device. If you plan on playing platformers, perhaps the Shield is not the best bet considering the DPad is awful.

The GPD, with the legacy rom, is an absolute beast. Do some research on the legacy rom. You may or may not be pleased

 

[XC-3730C]

Now if an emulator front-end that operated like Hyperspin was available for any non-Tegra Android portable, I would have just gotten a GPD XD.

Does the GPD XD play Android games better? How is the touch screen button remapping for games that don't support game pads? And how does the screen quality compare to a Vita OLED?

I am mostly interested in emulation, but I am sure there are some good Android games. I mostly play platformers, retro looking games, and sometimes an old school style RPG. Not really into FPS games...

 

[Smoker1]

Actually, I Modified my GPD XD and my Win. The 3DS DPad is Compatible with both, and the 2nd Gen Vita Joysticks will also work.

 

[XC-3730C]

Wow how did you do that?

 

[Smoker1]

Very easy if you know what you are doing. For the Skins, I had to Scan the XD and Trim. The Win on the other hand........since Scanning did not seem to work due to Printer Issues, I had to take the Device Apart and slap the Decal on then just cut out where the Buttons/Keyboard is. Looks MUCH better now. When the Skin was in place, I took a Blow Dryer following how Skinomi Decals instruct so they stick. DPad and Joysticks are simple Swap out. Joysticks actually feel much better and move smoother.
DO NOT try to use a 1st Gen Vita Joystick. Will NOT work unless you want to always have the Joystick going Down/Left. LOL. Has to have the 4 strip Ribbon Cable.

 

[Xanthe]

Actually, I Modified my GPD XD and my Win. The 3DS DPad is Compatible with both, and the 2nd Gen Vita Joysticks will also work.
View attachment 87956 View attachment 87958View attachment 87959

My question to you: How did you afford a GPD Win?!

 

[SuperDan]

LOL i still say forget about that silly GPD XD getta shield the D pad is great the whole thing is ruddy rather good indeed if you ask me!! and more importantly it will last its a tough little device my kids have given me small heart attacks by dropping it playing minecraft a few time but its still perfect .. p.s i put that hyperspin on too , funny how i never herd of it before but it's pretty cool i would read some of these 1st if i was you
https://www.google.com/#q=gpd+xd+not+working
like ive said i did like mine alot ...BUT
it died i tried everything to get a refund ...
but simply got blanked ,
i know i harping on a bit about NSP ..lol but 3 on im still impressed with it
as for android games tegra only there is a lot of decent tittles inc Half life 2 ,Portal, i liked asphalt 8 airborn , GTA san andreas, trine 2, & modern combat 4 zero hour ( call of duty style online shooter ) dont get modern combat 5 its free but so laggy MC4 is smooth as butter ect and the in built game mapper is really good for games , with no button mapping ( alot of android games ) then threes PC to android ports half life 1, DOOM 3 , counter strike quake 1,2,3 ect they work really well... & all emulators work of course 100% perfectly & yeah the D pad is fine by me ....

 

[SuperDan]

Actually, I Modified my GPD XD and my Win. The 3DS DPad is Compatible with both, and the 2nd Gen Vita Joysticks will also work.
View attachment 87956 View attachment 87958View attachment 87959

i have to say you did a great job mate ..really nice work i wish i knew you when i had mine ... most impressive sir !!

 

[ov3rkill]

Vita, because you can play all retro games plus PSP and Vita games.
Any Android smartphone would be a better alternative for GPD XD.

 

[XC-3730C]

Vita, because you can play all retro games plus PSP and Vita games.
Any Android smartphone would be a better alternative for GPD XD.

You know, I actually considered using my Android phone instead. I just got a Samsung Galaxy S8*, and I will soon get a Gear VR. Perhaps that + a Bluetooth controller. But I do like the idea of having a dedicated portable...

 

[SuperDan]

You know, I actually considered using my Android phone instead. I just got a Samsung Galaxy S8*, and I will soon get a Gear VR. Perhaps that + a Bluetooth controller. But I do like the idea of having a dedicated portable...

that would work i have a S7 it does the job ! i hate touch screen controls but of course you can grab a pad anywhere ( i have a moga one ) cheaply too & plug it into your tv if u wanted.. but still i like my phone to be a phone ... if u know what i mean ... maybe watch a show or film at lunch break ... but i never really use it for games much

 

[Smoker1]

My question to you: How did you afford a GPD Win?!

Saved up for it. Just wish I hate waited for the later Releases where they fixed a few things in it. Increased Cooling, few BIOS and Software improvements. There are many Pros, but a lot of Cons as well.
Pros:
Windows Device WITH Integrated GamePad and Keyboard. With the ability to change between different Controller Types (DInput for older Games and XInput for newer Games)
Device has a full Sized USB Port so you can have a USB Storage Device AND use a MicroSD Card
Bluetooth
Nice Compact size
Joysticks and DPad can be replaced if they ever start going out on you

Cons:
64GB Storage
Device could have been a little thicker to put the Shoulder Buttons in a better spot. As it stands now, you go to press L/R2, you might also hit L/R1 at the same time
L/R3 are separate from the Joysticks. So if you are running a FPS Game, you got to work some magic trying to Move, Aim, AND be Crouching at the same time.
Device could have been a little bigger/wider to put in a Full Keyboard with NumPad.
Mouse Nub like the N3DS would have been a good idea. That way the Gamepad Switch could be locked on either Input Modes. Wont work for certain Emulators/Games if you move the Switch after the Game is running, and also might be lost if you switch to Mouse Mode, then back to Controller Mode. Would be better with a Mouse Nub with 2 small Buttons for Left/Right Click.
Wish the Device could work with a SPen like the Galaxy Note Devices for increased Accuracy.
Need to be able to have a way to Upgrade/Increase CPU, RAM and Storage

 

[Gamer4Ever]

just got a gpd xd myself recently, ran custom rom on it and it's working great - i also have a vita on henkaku but as its still early days, the hacks on it are steady but slow progress compared to og psp.

main reason getting xd was for dreamcast emulation and portability, so far its been awesome being able to relive classics on such a small device!

hopefully one day, there will portables that have enough horsepower to run ps2 adequately!

 

[XC-3730C]

Thanks for all of the feedback, guys. A buddy of mine is sending me his Nvidia Shield that he doesn't use (as part of a trade).

I will be throwing in a 128gb microSD into it once I get it. I may even put Kodi on it.

 

[SuperDan]

Thanks for all of the feedback, guys. A buddy of mine is sending me his Nvidia Shield that he doesn't use (as part of a trade).

I will be throwing in a 128gb microSD into it once I get it. I may even put Kodi on it.

get kodi, modbro, and movie HD for all your free movies and tv

 

[XC-3730C]

Anyone else here set up Hyperspin on there Shield Portable?

I have it on my Shield TV and it is awesome.

 

[SuperDan]

Anyone else here set up Hyperspin on there Shield Portable?

I have it on my Shield TV and it is awesome.

i did on mine VERY NICE !!! , try happy chick its not as styled but the only way i could get Desume full for free for a handful of DS games i like

 

[XC-3730C]

Which is better for Dreamcast an N64 emulation, GPD XD or Shield Portable?

 

[thealgorithm]

Its a close call. Tegra4gpu is rated at nearly 100gflops with the mali t764 (in the gpd win just behind by around 85gflops) CPU performance is around the same, but the Cortex A17 in the GPD XD is more power efficient and with the custom rom, its possible to run the GPD Win usually stable at around 1.8ghz. Overall performance would be approximately the same but also this is down to drivers etc.