Gaming A Game Boy Advance 1:1 clone with extras.

[mr-volk]

I order from taobao. Same on other roms. Seem's problem only with my device.

 

[TripleSMoon]

Anyway, I think all your suggestion here are very important for us to feedback to the factory. This will help them to improve the quality of K1. At the same time, you guys throw out many good tips for the next version- unfolded one. I appreciated with your suggestions.

I'm actually really looking forward to the K101... I love the features of the GBA SP (rechargeable battery, screen light, etc), but I prefer the form factor of the original, and it sounds like the K101 may have the best of both.

 

[ruilong]

I order from taobao. Same on other roms. Seem's problem only with my device.

The version you bought from taobao is different from the one sold on k1gba.com. You need to contact the taobao seller for this issue because its version is different from ours.( pids are different).The version selling on k1gba.com do not have such sound problem till now. Thanks.

 

[Another World]

pids are different

is the product ID located on the unit or the box somewhere, or is it only in the help menu?

can't do it at all on the K1GBA as far as I know. You play at 320x212 like it or not ... question is, do you like it? Remains to be seen. I'm not stupid enough to say it can't be done and look great ... I'm just not putting my money into one until I hear from some early adopters.

during game play if you press the light button and hit down on the d-pad you can get to the GBA native resolution. hitting the same button combination will take you back to the K1 GBA SP native resolution that does indeed stretch the image a bit.

-another world

 

[pixelelated]

pids are different

is the product ID located on the unit or the box somewhere, or is it only in the help menu?

can't do it at all on the K1GBA as far as I know. You play at 320x212 like it or not ... question is, do you like it? Remains to be seen. I'm not stupid enough to say it can't be done and look great ... I'm just not putting my money into one until I hear from some early adopters.

during game play if you press the light button and hit down on the d-pad you can get to the GBA native resolution. hitting the same button combination will take you back to the K1 GBA SP native resolution that does indeed stretch the image a bit.

-another world

I'd love to see a picture comparing the two resolutions, and to get a sense of size.

 

[Another World]

i probably won't do anything like that for the review, as it will be a review of the k1 gba sp and not a review of how it compares to other devices. how it compares will be left up to the end-user to decide as they conduct their own research. however, for the sake of this thread i will attempt to snap a few photos and post them here. i am no where near the photo snapping phase of the review, so give me about a week and then i will try to get some posted for you.

-another world

 

[pixelelated]

i probably won't do anything like that for the review, as it will be a review of the k1 gba sp and not a review of how it compares to other devices. how it compares will be left up to the end-user to decide as they conduct their own research. however, for the sake of this thread i will attempt to snap a few photos and post them here. i am no where near the photo snapping phase of the review, so give me about a week and then i will try to get some posted for you.

-another world

To clarify, I meant to take two pictures of the K1 playing the same game: one where the game is stretched to the full screen and one where you've pressed the button combination to display the game at the native resolution.

 

[Heran Bago]

I'd like to see this too. It would also be nice to hear a a confirm/deny on the post-sleep mode sound thing.

But focus on the review first.

 

[Another World]

the issue is that if you debug something it doesn't mean it won't be there for someone who buys from another reseller. here are the reasons why: the k-team only produced the software-on-a-chip that makes this all work. they offer firmware support as well but so far only maxzhou's builds have seen firmware upgrades. those builds have a product ID of 00610601, as found in the help screen of the firmware. when a manufacturer builds the units they build them for the buyer (reseller). each reseller gets assigned a PID number. some units will be upgradable, some will not, some will use one type of part, others will not. the k-team has no control over what type of sp shell (and parts) are used with their SoC. so in the end, if the unit purchased from 1 reseller has sound issues it doesn't mean that a unit purchased from another (with a different PID) will. most likely this is also going to affect the price, as PIDs made with cheaper parts will cost less, it may attract buyers who are unaware of the build situation.

i wish the team could produce the hardware themselves so the end-user could avoid this annoying headache. with the k1 gba sp, it is all going to come down to PID. eventually we will see which PIDs are the units to own and which have odd quirks, hardware issues, and can not be upgraded.

HERE is the original posting of the following quote:

Most sellers or manufacturers do not want to provide after service. Plus, re-flashing the device will possibly turn the device into a brick unless they provide a way to prevent this to happen.

As far as we know, maxzhou88 is the only one who provide such service for his machine. That’s why you need to check the PID to make sure your K1-based machine is upgradable. The PID is the Product ID used to differentiate one seller from another. Since the form factors are all the same among all sellers, PID is the only way we can figure out to make things clear.

Believe us, K1 is very flexible but the sellers/manufacturers are not.

the unit i have for review has a PID of 00610603 and a PSN of 120614. I am assuming the 6/14/12 firmware revision is just a port of maxzhou88's last release, as it features the things in his change log. according to the reseller, he has a special deal worked out with maxzhou88. he has assured me that future firmware revisions will be ported to his PID as well. -- good news! =)

if you own a k1 gba sp, would you be so kind as to PM me where you purchased it, what your PID number is, and what your PSN (product software number) number is? The PIN and PSN can be found in the help screen. Press the right shoulder button to get there and then page down to the last screen.

-another world

 

[Another World]

can anyone help me to identify the included embedded emulators?

nes - is pocketnes, but what build i am not sure
gbc/gb/sgb - is probably a code mix between goomba color and goomba paletted (as it features things from both)
pce - is probably PCEAdvance (with k-team custom menu code)
gg/sc - is probably SMSAdavance (with k-team custom menu code)
sms - is probably SMSAdavance as well (with k-team custom menu code)

thanks!
-another world

 

[Another World]

To clarify, I meant to take two pictures of the K1 playing the same game: one where the game is stretched to the full screen and one where you've pressed the button combination to display the game at the native resolution.

here are two quick photos for you. they aren't that great, i couldn't find my mini-tripod.

when in the native resolution the top 14 pixels and bottom 14 pixels display nothing, according to what i read. but the width remains the same. i hope that helps.

-another world

 

[pixelelated]

To clarify, I meant to take two pictures of the K1 playing the same game: one where the game is stretched to the full screen and one where you've pressed the button combination to display the game at the native resolution.

when in the native resolution to top 14 pixels and bottom 14 pixels display nothing, according to what i read. but the width remains the same. i hope that helps.

-another world

It looks like this doesn't actually shift the resolution, but only the aspect ratio. My concern is that the original GBA was lower-resolution, and so the K1 upscales the resolution to fit the higher-resolution display. It looks like the key combination keeps it from stretching to maintain the aspect ratio, but that there isn't a way to play the game unscaled at the native resolution.

 

[Another World]

i am a little confused by what you are saying. firstly, yes - the software appears to scale the screen from 320×240 back to 240×160. the higher resolution and smoother graphics are due to the modern TFT LCD.

with that said, are saying that you would rather see the pixels and the jagged edges of the graphics?

-another world

 

[pixelelated]

i am a little confused by what you are saying. firstly, yes - the software appears to scale the screen from 320×240 back to 240×160. the higher resolution and smoother graphics are due to the modern TFT LCD.

with that said, are saying that you would rather see the pixels and the jagged edges of the graphics?

-another world

I guess it may be the picture. Given the specs of the system and previous info, there should be 3 possible scenarios given that the original GBA was 240 x 160 and the K1 is at 320 x 240:

1. Fullscreen gaming at 320 x 240 (scaled and stretched) which is a 4:3 aspect ratio. This is what I thought the 1st picture was of.
2. Games still scaled to be full width, but was at the proper aspect ratio (so padding is introduced to make the resolution correct). In this case, the resolution is being upscaled but not stretched. This is what I thought the 2nd picture was of.
3. From previous information, the developer had said that they would introduce a 3rd mode, that would display the native 240 x 160 aspect ratio, which would involve pixel padding along all sides.

Is the second picture in fact showing padding along all sides so that the game is not being scaled or stretched? The concern is that upscaling often introduces blurriness and can make the pixels seem more jagged. That's why emulators like gbSP have modes to toggle between all three options.

 

[pyromaniac123]

If there is a chance that a unit you buy can't be upgraded, then it's a no-go for me.

 

[Another World]

it just means you have to buy a unit with a PID that is supported. keep in mind that not all manufacturers want to support the product which is why they requested an upgrade lockout. the lockout also protects them from returns from customers who attempt to flash an update designed for a specific build that is not theirs.

the review sample will see upgrades. i have confirmation from the k-team that it is a design supported by Maxzhou. i have further confirmation from http://www.k1gba.com that the PID of their unit can be upgraded. They are also the first (and so far only) site to offer the device with free shipping and without the need to buy from an intermediate translation proxy. i've been discussing the unit with a person involved with the site, and based on our conversations http://www.k1gba.com is pretty much the only site i would trust at this point.

wait for the review so that you can get a full sense of the device, then make up your mind.

:

1. Fullscreen gaming at 320 x 240 (scaled and stretched) which is a 4:3 aspect ratio. This is what I thought the 1st picture was of.
2. Games still scaled to be full width, but was at the proper aspect ratio (so padding is introduced to make the resolution correct). In this case, the resolution is being upscaled but not stretched. This is what I thought the 2nd picture was of.
3. From previous information, the developer had said that they would introduce a 3rd mode, that would display the native 240 x 160 aspect ratio, which would involve pixel padding along all sides.

i think perhaps you should PM me to explain more of the technical side so that i can better follow what you are saying. my understanding is that you are saying the 2nd mode is not a true 240x160 aspect ratio. the team says that it is, as i am not a hardware expert i am replying with what i have read and been told. up to this point i have read nothing about a 3rd mode. if one was to be introduced it would be done by Maxzhou who is responsible for updating his machines, of which the review sample is one.

-another world

 

[raystriker]

^^^
i wonder if its ruilong.
By the way, anotherworld i am going to get my k1gba sp by sat.
So are you going to review it or should i do it?

 

[Another World]

i'm doing an official gbatemp review of the unit. the 1st impressions post should be completed by today.

-another world

 

[Generation 16]

What about titles with extra stuff in the cart like Drill Dozer, Boktai Series, and Warioware Twisted? Specifically, does it have Rumble, Solar Sensor, and Tilt Sensor?

 

[Another World]

carts will work but roms will not. the unit does not have any fancy stuff to emulate those features. the original sp didn't either and this is designed to be a clone of that system.

-another world