GCW Zero, GBAtemp first impressions

[vanderwaltblackie]

Looks great.If I had some extra cash I would get one, but I am also very interested in other devices, which makes the decision so much harder(want a gamestick, ouya and nvidia shield), I still use my psp for all my emulator fun on the go and my iMac when at home. But would love it if it supports full speed n64 emulation.

 

[GuyInDogSuit]

Not so weird after you try it via wireless.

True, I've only used USB so far. Is there any specific reason why it can't transfer directly via USB? Is it the file system? It could theoretically mount via MTP.

 

[Surkow]

True, I've only used USB so far. Is there any specific reason why it can't transfer directly via USB? Is it the file system? It could theoretically mount via MTP.

Mass storage is impossible as long the internal file system is mounted by the OS of the GCW Zero. MTP is not yet implemented (which will offer a virtual file system).

 

[GuyInDogSuit]

Mass storage is impossible as long the internal file system is mounted by the OS of the GCW Zero. MTP is not yet implemented (which will offer a virtual file system).

Right, it works much like Android. So it's a possible future addition?

I have to say, the battery life on this thing is pretty good. I'd only charged it to probably 90% after getting it and played for several days until it died a few minutes ago.

So far my only gripe is the short and loose power cord. It makes it hard to keep it charging while playing but not a major issue. I also see a lack of options in PocketSNES but that's not GCW's fault. It also seems TV-Out and HDMI aren't implemented at all yet. It'd be nice to have an auto-update option for firmware and OS, too. I understand everything is in its early stages so I'm optimistic that we'll see some features added soon. Does anyone know what they've got planned?

 

[Surkow]

Right, it works much like Android. So it's a possible future addition?

I have to say, the battery life on this thing is pretty good. I'd only charged it to probably 90% after getting it and played for several days until it died a few minutes ago.

So far my only gripe is the short and loose power cord. It makes it hard to keep it charging while playing but not a major issue. I also see a lack of options in PocketSNES but that's not GCW's fault. It also seems TV-Out and HDMI aren't implemented at all yet. It'd be nice to have an auto-update option for firmware and OS, too. I understand everything is in its early stages so I'm optimistic that we'll see some features added soon. Does anyone know what they've got planned?

An option is to charge via USB (I use a USB wallcharger). Check this page for the current status about support of hardware features. TV-Out and HDMI currently aren't end-user ready and are not included in the current firmware. There currently is no scaling and not many TV's work. The feature was previewed at PAX.

 

[MarkDarkness]

My question is, if you can address it in the review, how do the buttons really fare after some real usage. The biggest issues with these systems is how quickly their buttons degenerate (well, most come with problems out of the box).

 

[Hop2089]

I've had mine for sometime, it's perfect for Genesis and PC Engine games (I use Temper and it ran every CD game I threw at it except Ginga Fukei Densetsu Sapphire, but I believe arcade card titles don't work on it), GBA does ok too now. SNES games work except most of the hacks (only the Mario Kart hacks work), I haven't found a single emulator for this that will run the rest of the romhacks, it's funny because there are some for the NES that will run all of those hacks.

 

[fermio100]

what i think would be better is to have the android OS on such devices.
How many emulators have we seen on the android? Even the powerful nds can be played on it at full speeds with Drastic.

ofcourse as this is open source, i'm quite sure he can do it better for games. I hope in the future he does look into it.



have u tried commenting on the kickstarter page too? it may help u there

Did it, sent e-mail to the owner/developer to, with no replies.

Lesson learned...

one of the most common complaints has been the slow production speed. what few seem to know is that GCW is run by 1 person. he is a staff of 1 and it has taken time to get the KS units shipped out. they are going out. many backers have them and are enjoying them. i recommend that you visit their site and shoot them an email. that will be your best bet to get into direct contact with someone involved. you can also join on their official forums and post your concerns. some of their devs, and their marketing manager, frequent gbatemp. i'll be sure to point out your comments to them when i see one of the team on IRC.

-another world

Did it, also sent e-mail to the owner/developer too, with no replies. Didn't try the forum, but I doubt that would make any difference...

Lesson learned. Not backing up anything else.

what i think would be better is to have the android OS on such devices.
How many emulators have we seen on the android? Even the powerful nds can be played on it at full speeds with Drastic.

ofcourse as this is open source, i'm quite sure he can do it better for games. I hope in the future he does look into it.



have u tried commenting on the kickstarter page too? it may help u there

Yep, they told me to try to send an e-mail to the developer. I'd already done that though, with no reply.

 

[shakirmoledina]

try it. try it. try to msg them in the comments.

 

[Another World]

send an email to [email protected] if you have not already.

-another world

 

[GuyInDogSuit]

An option is to charge via USB (I use a USB wallcharger). Check this page for the current status about support of hardware features. TV-Out and HDMI currently aren't end-user ready and are not included in the current firmware. There currently is no scaling and not many TV's work. The feature was previewed at PAX.

Oh, USB charging works too? Awesome.

Another feature I've noticed is missing is screen timeout. It turns off the screen on the home screen but does not within emulators or games.

 

[Surkow]

Yep, they told me to try to send an e-mail to the developer. I'd already done that though, with no reply.

He's literally swamped by emails. If you can send me some of your order info via PM I can ask Justin Barwick about the status of your unit.

 

[GuyInDogSuit]

Is anyone else bothered by the placement of the X and Y buttons? I mean, being backwards. Just wondering.

Also, someone mentioned SNES ROM hacks not working for them, I've been playing Legend of Zelda: Goddess of Wisdom and so far it's had no issues.

 

[Citrus]

he Zero features a 3.5 inch, 320x240, LCD screen. This screen was chosen by GCW as the resolution is ideal for the intended retro gaming and emulation experiences. A larger screen would have required a software scaler, and increased CPU intensity. The decision to go with the smaller screen has translated into lower costs, better battery life, crisper graphics, and an overall more enjoyable experience for the end user.

This is commercial bull**. The GPU has an hardware scaler (= almost 0% CPU used), and I don't see a better «enjoyable experience» when playing CPS 2 games (which has an higher resolution).
People who have tried retroarch on iOS or Android enjoy their games on higher resolution screen while keeping an «enjoyable experience».

 

[Another World]

i wrote it is a "more enjoyable" experience. you are twisting what i said to mean that there is no way to have enjoyment without a 4:3 screen. i have a lot of chinese/clone/retro handhelds and they all upscale. it is not as enjoyable. the graphics lack the proper crispness, there are more blurry artifacts, etc. that doesn't mean i'm not having fun playing games on those systems.

-another world

 

[Surkow]

Most of the current software makes use of software scaling. Using the GPU might only be interesting for rendering to the LCD. Mainly because upscaling to higher resolutions will have a detrimental effect on performance due to memory bandwidth issues (think of output via HDMI). The best solution to this would be using the IPU.

In my opinion scaling will only look great if you can scale a resolution in multiples of integers, the moment you have to resort to non integer scaling the result will look terrible.

 

[Citrus]

Proper upscaling with a good screen is always better than downscaling. What about High-res SNES games, CPS1 CPS2, High-Res Playstation ant N64 games ?
That's why I call it bull*, not for you, but the GCW team. And nowdays, higher screen cost almost the same price.

 

[Surkow]

Sourcing 4:3 screens is hard. You might end up with high resolution screens with wrong dimensions, terrible viewing angles and color space issues. There might even come a time when 4:3 screens will be more expensive.

 

[nodnyl10]

Somewhat a bit late but.. able to PC games and able to plug in some external controller, mouse, keyboard, etc. Can this device actually play Ragnarok Online (PC game) or perhaps some games like YuGiOh Power of Chaos (another PC game) or maybe even Counter Strike?

 

[Surkow]

Somewhat a bit late but.. able to PC games and able to plug in some external controller, mouse, keyboard, etc. Can this device actually play Ragnarok Online (PC game) or perhaps some games like YuGiOh Power of Chaos (another PC game) or maybe even Counter Strike?

It will be possible to use USB hubs, controllers and other devices via the Mini USB 2.0 OTG connector. Currently there is no way to enable it on consumer firmware and is still in development. You can only play games up to the DOS era in DOSbox or zerox86. Normal Windows games will not work on a Linux console with a different architecture. Here you can see previews of things like Quake, OpenArena, Descent and Turrican.