Android and Linux Handhelds - Shield, GCW Zero, GP2X, Pandora, Pyra, JXD, etc.

GohanX

Horrible Goose
20 Year Member
Joined
Sep 28, 2001
Posts
12,490
Funny this should get bumped, I'm actually waiting for UPS to bring me a GPD XD today. I knew the XD+ was coming but I'm impatient.

I got tired of dicking around with Pi handhelds that had various issues, so when I was pricing out parts to build a new one I got north of $100 and thought "Why not just buy a GPD with a better screen and more power?"
 

GohanX

Horrible Goose
20 Year Member
Joined
Sep 28, 2001
Posts
12,490
This thing is fucking badass.
2f8f72490b1d886481452909cf258e4e.jpg
 

Yodd

Iori's Flame
20 Year Member
Joined
Feb 7, 2002
Posts
8,214
!!


Nice!


I have been eyeing a GPD XD, and I might go for the Plus model when it's available.
 

GohanX

Horrible Goose
20 Year Member
Joined
Sep 28, 2001
Posts
12,490
The built in emulators and software was complete garbage, Super Mario World was very laggy. I loaded the Legacy rom which is basically stock Android with Google Play and loaded my own emulators. It's great now that I have it (mostly) configured.
 

geise

Mickey's Coach
Joined
Jul 2, 2011
Posts
582
Nice Gohan. How is the Dpad on the thing for fighting games? I have the GPD win and love it but the dpad is awful for fighting games. Even with that I would highly rexommend the GPD Win. I might pick up a XD if the dpad isany good.
 

GohanX

Horrible Goose
20 Year Member
Joined
Sep 28, 2001
Posts
12,490
The dpad is good for most games, but not fighters. I can't get supers out reliably. I've actually been playing Match of the Millennium using the analog stick, since there isn't much movement it works fairly well.
 

geise

Mickey's Coach
Joined
Jul 2, 2011
Posts
582
Ok, thanks. I figured as much. I do the same thing with fighters using the analogue on the gpd win. Kinda silly but it works like you said. I guess it's the same dpad and membranes used for both handhelds. Glad you're enjoying it.
 

GohanX

Horrible Goose
20 Year Member
Joined
Sep 28, 2001
Posts
12,490
I also found a plastic grip thing that is made for the New 3ds xl but fits this thing perfectly, it lets me play for a long time without old man Arthur bothering me. I need to trim some plastic on the top though since it covers up the headphone jack.
 

Igakajook

Armored Scrum Object
Joined
Aug 7, 2012
Posts
255
From the maker of Raspiboy comes the RetroStone - now on Kickstarter:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/583173617/retrostone-ultimate-retrogaming-console

Seems people didn't like having to assemble the raspiboy themselves, so this one is shipped out completed. Also, it's considerably more powerful than the raspberry pi zero (the pi board used in the raspiboy).

I have no reason to get one now, but I do like the original game boy styling.
 

GohanX

Horrible Goose
20 Year Member
Joined
Sep 28, 2001
Posts
12,490
Interesting, but I don't think I'm going to dick with Pi handhelds anymore until they stop dicking around with shitty composite screens.
 

pixeljunkie

Whilst Drunk., I Found God., Booze = Bad.,
20 Year Member
Joined
Dec 12, 2003
Posts
7,107
Interesting, but I don't think I'm going to dick with Pi handhelds anymore until they stop dicking around with shitty composite screens.

this

From the maker of Raspiboy comes the RetroStone - now on Kickstarter:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/583173617/retrostone-ultimate-retrogaming-console

Seems people didn't like having to assemble the raspiboy themselves, so this one is shipped out completed. Also, it's considerably more powerful than the raspberry pi zero (the pi board used in the raspiboy).

I have no reason to get one now, but I do like the original game boy styling.

I got one of his Raspiboy's and was disappointed in it. The video on the thing was composite and blurry as fuck. This one looks better but meh. I did back Gameshell though and am looking forward to that one. Supposed to be shipping this April. The specs say its RGB...we'll see.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/954662076/gameshell-redefine-retro-game-console
 
Last edited:

GohanX

Horrible Goose
20 Year Member
Joined
Sep 28, 2001
Posts
12,490
I backed the Gameshell too. It's cheap enough to take a chance.

The thing that bugs me with the Pi handhelds is that they can very easily use a 480p HDMI screen, they just don't because it's a little more expensive. With 480p the emulators would line double, and you could either add a soft filter or light scanlines and it would look great.
 

GohanX

Horrible Goose
20 Year Member
Joined
Sep 28, 2001
Posts
12,490
Composite wouldn't even be so bad but the screens are just awful. I put a composite screen in my Game Gear once and it looked pretty darn good, but I don't have the foggiest idea what kind it was.
 

SML

NEANDERTHAL FUCKER,
20 Year Member
Joined
Sep 24, 2003
Posts
11,171
It's crazy what the GPD Win 2 with a fan mod can do.

 

geise

Mickey's Coach
Joined
Jul 2, 2011
Posts
582
I upgraded to the gpd win 2. It's super nice. I did modify the dpad on it with a 3ds pad. Makes games way more playable. It is a lot better build quality than the first one. Gives enough juice with the m3 processor an 8gb ram to allow for some decent pc gaming. I've been rocking kof xiii and xiv with no issues. sf4 plays fantastic, but don't expect sfV to run well. Rez runs like a dream and Area X runs alright with lower settings. Most emulators run fantastic on it as well. I have no issues with running Daytona 2 and SCUD in supermodel emulator. I actually use it more as a portable x68k and pc98 emu with midi on the go than anything, but even the first GPD WIN was good at that.

Like the Shield portable this is really good at streaming with moonlight or steam if you have a good enough connection at home.
 

Yoshi

,
20 Year Member
Joined
Mar 9, 2001
Posts
1,444
What are people's thoughts on the best Linux-based handheld today? If I were to get one, would primarily use it to emulate other portables, so it doesn't need to be bleeding edge in power. I'm more concerned about build, control, and screen quality.
 

-SD-

Camel Slug
Joined
May 10, 2016
Posts
510
The Bittboy v.2 seems to be pretty good for the price. There’s custom firmwares for it too that enable more systems.

Otherwise a GPD XD 2 seems the best bet.
 
Last edited:

Yoshi

,
20 Year Member
Joined
Mar 9, 2001
Posts
1,444
I hadn't heard of the Bittboy before. Thank you for that. I can't shake that I would develop carpal tunnel within about three minutes of using that tiny thing though. Has anyone tried it for extended periods? Also, is it NES/GBC/GB only?

edit: GPD XD 2 seems like overkill. Is there nothing in-between that will handle GG, Lynx, WS, and GBA without paying for power to run relatively modern PC games? CAANOO maybe?
 
Last edited:

GohanX

Horrible Goose
20 Year Member
Joined
Sep 28, 2001
Posts
12,490
I think your thinking of the GPD Win, which is basically a handheld laptop. The XD series are Android based handhelds in a 3DSXL form factor, running equivalent power of a decent cell phone. I've got the original XD, it's pretty good although Android emulators aren't my favorite. It's still probably the best general propose emulator, although I don't really use mine much.
 

Yoshi

,
20 Year Member
Joined
Mar 9, 2001
Posts
1,444
I think your thinking of the GPD Win, which is basically a handheld laptop. The XD series are Android based handhelds in a 3DSXL form factor, running equivalent power of a decent cell phone. I've got the original XD, it's pretty good although Android emulators aren't my favorite. It's still probably the best general propose emulator, although I don't really use mine much.
You may be right, but I'm never going to buy an Android anything, so that's out. That's why I specifically asked for Linux.
 

[OCEAN]

Sakura's Bank Manager
Joined
Aug 14, 2003
Posts
747
You may be right, but I'm never going to buy an Android anything, so that's out. That's why I specifically asked for Linux.

I'm not sure if there are many Linux handhelds being produced nowadays... the Dingoo A320 with Dingux was the last really good one I owned. It emulated consloles up to 16 bit fine and battery life was great.
 

Yoshi

,
20 Year Member
Joined
Mar 9, 2001
Posts
1,444
I'm not sure if there are many Linux handhelds being produced nowadays... the Dingoo A320 with Dingux was the last really good one I owned. It emulated consloles up to 16 bit fine and battery life was great.
Thanks for that. That's the right level of power for my purposes as well. As you said, it does seem to be tricky to track these down these days.
 

GohanX

Horrible Goose
20 Year Member
Joined
Sep 28, 2001
Posts
12,490
The only other thing I can think of that uses legit Linux are Pi handhelds, but there aren't any ready to buy solutions, either you gotta build them yourself or you have to pay someone a ridiculous amount of money for a prebuilt one that frankly, usually isn't very good. It's too easy for most companies to just use some cell phone chipset and throw Android on a device these days, no need to R&D much.
 

SML

NEANDERTHAL FUCKER,
20 Year Member
Joined
Sep 24, 2003
Posts
11,171

^New Dingux-supporting handheld.
 
Top