XGP

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XGP

the doomed xgp
Manufacturer GamePark
Type Handheld game console
Generation Seventh generation era
First available Never Released
CPU Dual CPU:

200MHz Host ARM920T 200MHz ARM940T
Media Secure Digital card
This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards.
Please improve this article if you can. (February 2007)

The XGP (Extreme Game Player) was a concept portable video game system created by the Korean company GamePark as the follow-up to its GP32 handheld. Initially announced in 2005,[1] the XGP was finally announced in March 2006 along with the release of the similar XGP Mini[2] and the XGP Kids.

The XGP was scheduled to be released in three models; the XGP, the XGPmini and the XGP Kids. GamePark says that it does not wish to compete with Sony and Nintendo with this machine. The XGP Kids was aimed towards children and, as such, will have a significantly lower price point. It was designed to run simpler games tailored to an audience besides 'hardcore gamers'.

The XGP was supposed to be one of two successors to the GP32 handheld console. The other is the GP2X, which was created by Gamepark Holdings, a separate company that split off from GamePark in early 2005. It is rumored that all but one of the engineers responsible for the original GP32 joined GPH, however, GamePark's PR department has stated that only one of the GP32's designers/engineers went to GPH.

While the GP32 was only available in select markets (Korea and parts of Europe and Asia), or had to be imported, it was thought that the XGP will be marketed worldwide.

Since Gamepark reportedly declared bankruptcy on March 8, 2007[3], the XGP will probably never be released.

Contents

[edit] Models

GamePark was planning on releasing three models of the XGP; the high-end XGP, the middle-range XGP mini, and the low-end XGP Kids.

[edit] XGP

The XGP system focuses on downloadable commercial games, as well as on free homebrew content.

The ability to use Linux on it has been officially announced, as well as Windows CE and Gamepark's own minimalistic operating system GPOS. The system was designed for multimedia content such as movies, MP3s, and the mobile television standard T-DMB. It may feature a 4" 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio screen with a display resolution of 480 x 272.

Specifications

  • Based on the MagicEyes VRENDER-3D System-on-a-Chip (SoC)
  • Screen: 480*272, 1.6 million colors, 4 inch TFT LCD, Widescreen (16:9) aspect
  • Main CPU: ARM920T advertised as 266 MHz (actual VRENDER-3D SoC contains a 200 MHz ARM920T)
  • OS: Updated GPOS, Linux, and possibly a WindowsCE "option" as well.
  • Graphics Accelerator: 1.5 million polygons per second (OpenGL ES supported)
  • Sound: 64Polys 44.1 kHz, 16 bit stereo sound
  • Network: WiFi - 802.11 b/g, WiBro
  • NAND Flash Memory: 64 MB
  • RAM: 64MB DDR SDRAM (128MB at release time was rumored)
  • Storage: Secure Digital card
  • Battery: Built-in Rechargeable Lithium ion battery
  • Other Features: TV-Out, USB 2.0, open sdk
  • Customer Target Price: $300

[edit] XGP Mini

The XGP Mini's specifications are similar to the XGP's, but it was much smaller than the XGP (much like the Game Boy Micro as compared to the Game Boy Advance). In contrast to the XGP, it features no wireless connectivity and half the DDR SDRAM at 32MB.

Specifications

  • Based on the MagicEyes VRENDER-3D System-on-a-Chip (SoC)
  • Screen: 2.2" 320*240, 256k colors, 4:3 Aspect Ratio.
  • Main CPU: ARM920T Advertised as 266 MHz (Actual VRENDER-3D SoC contains a 200 MHz ARM920T)
  • OS: GPOS
  • Graphics Accelerator: 1.5 million polygons per second (OpenGL ES supported)
  • Sound: 64Polys 44.1 kHz, 16 bit Stereo sound
  • NAND Flash Memory: 64 MB
  • RAM: 32MB DDR SDRAM (Rumored to be 96MB at launch)
  • Storage: Secure Digital card
  • Battery: Built-in Rechargeable Lithium ion battery
  • Other Features: USB 2.0, open SDK
  • Customer Target Price: $150

[edit] XGP Kids

The XGP Kids was technically similar to the GP32. The two consoles differ in screen size and resolution, available memory (Kids adds 2MB NOR Flash memory), processor type, and storage. Though there have been conflicting reports in the past, these differences prevent the console from being backwards compatible with the GP32. However, GP32 software can be reprogrammed relatively easily to work on the XGP Kids. It was intended to be relatively inexpensive and to give a chance to those who missed out on the GP32 (which had a limited production run) to get something very much like a BLU+. The XGP Kids, like the XGP Mini, will have a smaller screen (at only 2.2 inches) than the XGP and GP32.

Specifications

  • Screen: 2.2" 220*176, 65k colors, 4:3.
  • Main CPU: ARM940T 140 MHz
  • OS: GPOS
  • Sound: 64Polys 44.1 kHz, 16 bit Stereo sound
  • Storage: Secure Digital card
  • RAM: 8MB DDR SDRAM + 2MB NOR Flash
  • Battery: 2 AA Batteries
  • Other Features: USB 1.1, open sdk
  • Customer Target Price: $75

[edit] References

  1. ^ EnGadget announcement.
  2. ^ EnGadget report on redesign and Mini version.
  3. ^ Gamepark files for bankruptcy (2007-03-13). Retrieved on 2007-09-09.

[edit] See also

  • GP32 - The predecessor of the XGP
  • GP2X - The unofficial successor of the GP32, designed by GamePark Holdings
  • GamePark Holdings - The creators of the GP2X
  • GamePark - The creators of the GP32 & XGP

[edit] External links