GCW Zero Handheld, pricing announced

[Another World]

An Open Source Gaming Console Built by Gamers for Gamers...​

The GCW Zero kickstarter units are next in line to get set-up and mailed off to backers. Those that didn't get in from the start will be able to grab a production unit in the near future. Our source from the GCW Team has confirmed the price point, which starts at $150 (w/o shipping). Not bad considering what this device can do and the amount of community support it is already generating. Here's hoping someone decides to recompile everything possible from OpenDingux.

GCW Zero Homepage
Kickstarter Page
Discussion at Dingoonity.org
YouTube Vids

 

[Nathan Drake]

Only $15 above the minimum backer amount to get an early system? Not bad at all.

 

[Clydefrosch]

nah... too expensive. I mean, I can get a vita for that price.

 

[eyecat14]

"for gamers, by gamers" jeez that was terrible, you only get one chance at a first impression and they blew it, I'll just get that one android game tablet thing

 

[the_randomizer]

nah... too expensive. I mean, I can get a vita for that price.

Yeah but at least this would have games

Spoiler

 

[Another World]

let's keep it on-topic. keep the EOF stuff where it belongs.

"for gamers, by gamers" jeez that was terrible, you only get one chance at a first impression and they blew it, I'll just get that one android game tablet thing

the was conceived by the dingoo community of gamers and developers, backed by gamers, supported by gamers, etc. you can't say that about the ds, 3ds, psp, vita, etc. those systems are by greedy corporations that hope gamers at a greedy development company want to make games for their systems. while you are bashing their catch phrase, you are missing its simplicity. it explains to you exactly what you are buying into.

nah... too expensive. I mean, I can get a vita for that price.

i'll admit, this system has a niche, its for gamers who enjoy retro consoles and indie development. if you want vita experiences then this won't be the system for you. but consider this, while they aren't officially saying it has emulation, you can bet it has emulation! on day one you'll have the ability to play upwards of 10,000 games. NES, Atari, SNES, Genesis, Master system, DOS, ScummVM, FPS (Doom, Quake, Duke 3D, Hexen, Heretic), TG16, Gameboy Advance, Gameboy, etc. The possibilities of new "retro" experiences is pretty staggering.

-another world

 

[eyecat14]

let's keep it on-topic. keep the EOF stuff where it belongs.

-another batch of bath salts

awwwwwwwww, okayyy

 

[the_randomizer]

let's keep it on-topic. keep the EOF stuff where it belongs.

-another world

That's my cue to exit. It won't happen again.

 

[eyecat14]

let's keep it on-topic. keep the EOF stuff where it belongs.



the was conceived by the dingoo community of gamers and developers, backed by bananas......

-another world

I understand what you're saying but I DESPISE the word "gamer" It ALWAYS leave a bad taste in my mouth, I'd buy this but the design doesn't attract me much, specs?

 

[Another World]

this is the one time i posted news about them and didn't include the specs. =P

CPU: Ingenic JZ4770 1 GHz MIPS processor
GPU: Vivante GC860, capable of OpenGL ES 2.0
Display: 3.5 inch LCD with 320x240 pixels; 4:3 aspect ratio is ideal for retro gaming
Operating System: Linux 3.x (OpenDingux)
Memory: 512 MB DDR2
Internal storage: 16 GB, most of which is available for applications and data
External storage: micro SDHC up to 32 GB or micro SDXC of 64 GB (SDXC cards must be reformatted before use)
Connectivity: Mini USB 2.0 OTG
Mini HDMI 1.3 out
3.5 mm (mini jack) A/V port for earphone and analog TV-out
Audio: Stereo speakers, mono microphone
Other: Accelerometer (g-sensor) and vibration motors
Wireless: Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n 2.4 GHz, can connect to access point or direct device-to-device
Dimensions: 143 * 70 * 18 mm
Weight: 8 oz / 225 g
Battery: 2800 mAh

the devs on irc are already talking about n64 and ps1 emulation. if/when those things are worked on i think they will top out the feasibility of the hardware.

-another world

 

[Nah3DS]

you can get a PSP for less, which (unlike the vita) has games emulates most consoles

 

[Another World]

until you face the fact that the psp homebrew scene is over and with it any possible updates for the emulators it supports.

edit: please don't get me wrong, i have a psp. i love emulating systems on it. i just have to accept that if i want better emulation, better support, and more supported systems, that i have to look towards a new device or hope for a new hack. the problem with new hacks is that you can't guarantee that a bunch of talented devs will flock to the system. where the zero already has a really strong following and large amount of emulators.

-another world

 

[the_randomizer]

Here's hoping Snes9x 1.52 can be ported over, something the PSP wouldn't be able to handle, but this handheld might be able to

 

[Chocolina]

Its an updated Dingo.

But still, specs for the price seem like no one is getting any decent bang for the buck. You know why a Nexus 7 is $200 and not $100 or less? The screen. Screens can take up a substantial chunk of the price when it comes to high-tier ARM devices. LED and AMOLED are not cheap. In comparison, LCD, backlit or not, is extremely cheap. So it begs the question why is this fucker worth $150 apparently? I don't think the CPU is ARM, and the GPU isn't terrible, but you can get an "android computer" with 1.5Ghz quad core, Mali-400MP GPU (Same as the Note II) 2GB DDR3 ram, Wifi, Bluetooth 4.0, for under $90, new, and that's still with the company making them turning a profit. So where exactly is your $150 going in this CGW Zero? I can't conceive that poor hardware, poor screens, no bluetooth, and only 512 of ram is worth $150 just because of some physical buttons? Please.... The only company that should get away with selling under-powered crap is Nintendo, and thats only because they make their underpowered crap sleek, and provide great support with quality games...

Just what the hell kind of homebrew "support" do "gamers" expect out of the Zero? Homebrewers suck. Out of all the years of NDS, all they managed to do is put out one good media app and a few emulators.

The Zero is just an overpriced updated Dingo that no one's going to play due to lack of proper software support. People are going to get bored way too fast, especially if they already own a NDS, 3DS, Android device, or PSP.

 

[Filthy]

I've been following the GCW zero and I want one. The game compatibility and emulation speeds appear awesome from what I have seen. I would buy one in a heartbeat, but I'm gonna wait for reviews of the build quality of production units. $150+ is quite expensive and the last thing I want is to end up with a sticky button, iffy dpad, missing screen pixels or something similar.

 

[RupeeClock]

Its an updated Dingo.

But still, specs for the price seem like no one is getting any decent bang for the buck. You know why a Nexus 7 is $200 and not $100 or less? The screen. Screens can take up a substantial chunk of the price when it comes to high-tier ARM devices. LED and AMOLED are not cheap. In comparison, LCD, backlit or not, is extremely cheap. So it begs the question why is this fucker worth $150 apparently? I don't think the CPU is ARM, and the GPU isn't terrible, but you can get an "android computer" with 1.5Ghz quad core, Mali-400MP GPU (Same as the Note II) 2GB DDR3 ram, Wifi, Bluetooth 4.0, for under $90, new, and that's still with the company making them turning a profit. So where exactly is your $150 going in this CGW Zero? I can't conceive that poor hardware, poor screens, no bluetooth, and only 512 of ram is worth $150 just because of some physical buttons? Please.... The only company that should get away with selling under-powered crap is Nintendo, and thats only because they make their underpowered crap sleek, and provide great support with quality games...

Just what the hell kind of homebrew "support" do "gamers" expect out of the Zero? Homebrewers suck. Out of all the years of NDS, all they managed to do is put out one good media app and a few emulators.

The Zero is just an overpriced updated Dingo that no one's going to play due to lack of proper software support. People are going to get bored way too fast, especially if they already own a NDS, 3DS, Android device, or PSP.

You seriously have no idea, what-so-ever, you are talking about. At all.

The GCW Zero's hardware is far from being poor, it has been specifically chosen to take on certain tasks rather than be yet another Android device.
Yes, you are right this can be considered an updated Dingoo. Or rather, it is a community-driven OpenDingux powered device that is properly open-sourced, hence allowing the developers to get things running as best as feasibly possible compared to closed-source Chinese handhelds or android devices.
The GCW Zero may only have a 1GHz MIPS processor (a worthy competitor to ARM), but it'll be able to make excellent use of it because they can design software to work specifically for this hardware. Compared to previous handhelds of similar design this is the most powerful hardware available actually.
The LCD screen isn't poor either, a 320x240 LCD display was chosen for being cost-effective and suitable to retro gaming tasks, as well as being readily compliant with existing OpenDingux software.
The lack of bluetooth is easily addressed with the miniUSB port, but what do you actually need it for exactly? What do you aim to do with it that can't be done with a miniUSB port or Wireless B/G/N?

The homebrew scene on handhelds like the Dingoo and GP2X systems have put out plenty of good fun games, the GCW Zero even comes pre-loaded with a good selection that I look forward to trying. Although this also encompasses homebrew emulators, and with the support software support that already exists they are actually running better than you may expect, FAR better.
I don't know where you got the impression that this thing has a lack of software support, because that is far from true at all.

 

[reprep]

d-pad and button quality is my first concern. I will wait for the reviews.

Other than that 1 ghz mips should be enough for emulation up to psx and N64 which is more than enough for me.

 

[RupeeClock]

d-pad and button quality is my first concern. I will wait for the reviews.

Other than that 1 ghz mips should be enough for emulation up to psx and N64 which is more than enough for me.

I've heard good things in general about the d-pad and button quality myself, but I wanna see an actual review as well.
This Dingoo A320 user loved the look and feel of the GCW Zero though.

That has been my major concern with the system too though, I've had many an "Open handheld" before and they've often let me down with either the shoulder buttons or directional input, the GCW Zero seems to have resolved that though.
And yeah that 1GHz MIPS processor, along with all the software/firmware optimisation and taking advantage of the hardware could allow for great PSX emulation and possibly N64 emulation too.

 

[Anacobra]

Not super excited for this but I'm glad it doesn't run Android.

Seems like every "game" device be it console or handheld that isn't Nintendo/Sony has Android on it.

It's like, oh goodie, another device to play Angry Birds on just what I wanted. Not like my phone does this already.

I might get one though if the emulators work better than my PSP. The device is certainly stronger than one, so I hope.

 

[chartube12]

Snip

I would like to add that the smaller LCDs are increasing in price nearly every other week. The reason is less and less devices are using them right now. Yeah 2-3 years ago the screen would've been cheaper. However back than the rest of the components were more expensive, if they were available. So overall the price isn't too bad. It is actually right around where I expected to be. Hopefully willgoo or some site similar picks these up in bulk so they can get them cheaper and pass that on as free ship to buyers.