Portable homebrew system?

[369WIERDO369]

Hello, everyone.
I've been looking for a portable game system that will play homebrew games, emulators, etc.
I've researched quite a few systems already, but I can't be sure which ones work the best, especially with emulation.
So any help from you guys and gals would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance. =)

[dnehthend]

how modern of games?

you can get a tapwave relatively cheap, they can run snes and genesis pretty well

[HappehLemons]

psp is the best portable homebrew system hands down.

[InsaneDavid]

I love my GP2X F100. I play SNES, Genesis, SMS, Game Gear, NES, Atari 2600 and TurboGrafx / PCEngine on it. A few SNES games are a little slow but everything else is great.

[369WIERDO369]

how modern of games?

you can get a tapwave relatively cheap, they can run snes and genesis pretty well

I'd be fine with just 8-bit games.

[Tupin]

Try getting a Dingoo A320, it does NES emulation on its base hardware perfectly.

[phreakindee]

PSP2000 is the best I've used. I got an Ice Silver and modded it for a total of $65, played everything from the 2600 up to PS1 and GBA games near flawlessly. Seriously, with the power of the machine and variety of things it can do, playing all PSP and PS1 games is a great extra, it is the best deal IMO. Plus it has that classic Sony feel.

I've heard great things about the Dingoo though, and the GP systems seem to be nice as well, but for the low cost of the PSP and ability to play Sony games, it's my pick.

[369WIERDO369]

PSP2000 is the best I've used. I got an Ice Silver and modded it for a total of $65, played everything from the 2600 up to PS1 and GBA games near flawlessly. Seriously, with the power of the machine and variety of things it can do, playing all PSP and PS1 games is a great extra, it is the best deal IMO. Plus it has that classic Sony feel.

I've heard great things about the Dingoo though, and the GP systems seem to be nice as well, but for the low cost of the PSP and ability to play Sony games, it's my pick.

I considered going the PSP route, but I wouldn't know how to mod it to play homebrew...

[retroman]

i agree psp with a mod...

[Dreamstate]

PSP good and the screen is big, but not the right dimentions. I love my Dingoo, though. Very easy to use and good price as well. Designed to do just what you want.

[josekortez]

I vote for the GP2X. I got one from a forum member recently, and I love it. The homebrew scene is still decent for the system too when you get tired of playing emulated games. Reword on the GP2X is one of the best puzzle games I've played lately, and it's a homebrew.

[silkd]

I think the Pandora finally started shipping too.

[kupomogli]

PSP is the best I think. If you happen to want to pick up a few retail games you can also do that. Just about every 32bit system and prior is full speed.

Genesis, TG16, GB, SMS, Capcom CPS, CPS2, Atari, NES, Neo Geo, Wonderswan, and Amiga work full speed. There are others that are that I don't use.

Sega CD has most games working full speed. SNES has most games full speed(only a couple not full speed.) TG16CD have very few games full speed(Ys and Ys3 are full speed outside of voice audio atleast.)

[ImBob]

Is there anything out there that can be hooked up to a tv?

[josekortez]

Is there anything out there that can be hooked up to a tv?

The GP2X has a TV out cord sold separately. Some PSPs are able to connect to composite connections, others are able to connect to component connections. Those cords have to be purchased separately. Depends on the model number with the PSPs. I don't know about the Dingo or the Wiz.

[InsaneDavid]

The GP2X has a TV out cord sold separately. Some PSPs are able to connect to composite connections, others are able to connect to component connections. Those cords have to be purchased separately. Depends on the model number with the PSPs. I don't know about the Dingo or the Wiz.

I've heard of building a homebrew adapter and hacking a couple things to get TV Out to work on the Wiz, but it's really not something that is feasible for normal usage. I've always thought those who chased after TV out on the GP2X / Wiz were missing the point of the system.

I was thinking of picking up a Wiz later this year, you can get one for $150.00 now.

[BacteriaInfection]

Of all the ones listed, which one is cheapest?

Price ranges for each?

[josekortez]

I've heard of building a homebrew adapter and hacking a couple things to get TV Out to work on the Wiz, but it's really not something that is feasible for normal usage. I've always thought those who chased after TV out on the GP2X / Wiz were missing the point of the system.

I was thinking of picking up a Wiz later this year, you can get one for $150.00 now.

Well, the screen on the GP2X is only 3 inches wide. I like it because it's bright enough, but not the greatest for looking at for hours at a time. Also, if you want to play your favorite games on your TV, at least you have an option to do that.

Of all the ones listed, which one is cheapest?

Price ranges for each?

I can't give you exact price ranges, but an original fat model PSP is about $99 at Gamestop. Those are the ones that are most easily flashed, but you have to get certain games to step down the firmware to run emulators. You would also need a Memory Pro Duo stick of appropriate size for the games. I would Google PSP emulation to find out whether or not it's something you're interested in going through before you start.

The GP2X doesn't have to be flashed. It runs its emulators and homebrew games from SD cards. That system is not longer being produced, so you'd have to get it from Ebay or from a forum member. I traded for mine so it's hard to put a cash amount on it, but it's still totally worth it.

[kupomogli]

The PSP3000 is $169.99, you could always look for a CFW PSP2000 on Ebay for cheaper.

With the PSP3000, the Locoroco 2 demo, and the half byte loader, you can load homebrew and emulators. It's not a custom firmware but it's a loader that can be used on official firmware through an exploit, so you can still play all the newest games. Basically. Homebrew and emulation will cost you nothing else but a memory stick which a 2GB card is dirt cheap now days and should cover anything you could want from 8bit to 16bit.

With the PSP 2000, if it's a certain firmware, you can downgrade it with the Pandora battery. They're available on ebay for fairly cheap or if you have a friend who has one. Downgrading is easy if you can follow instructions. Or if on Ebay you happen to find a system that's already downgraded. More than likely you'll find a custom firmware system for less than $169.

PSP Slim systems have composite and component out cables that you can get. GP2X has a dock station that you can plug controllers in and play multiplayer on the system itself. The GP2X dock station and controller accessories are pretty cool, but the PSP is better system altogether.

[InsaneDavid]

The GP2X doesn't have to be flashed. It runs its emulators and homebrew games from SD cards.

That's my favorite feature of the platform. Once you get your firmware set up and squared away (which if you have a fresh set of batteries and read the instructions you won't have any problems) you can't screw up your system. (And you do want the 4.1.0 firmware since it adds SDHC compatibility) Everything is on the SD card. If a game doesn't work right or settings get screwed up for an emulator, you just drag a fresh version to the SD card. Also means you can easily keep a full backup of everything you have on your computer, then if anything gets messed up you just copy it back over to the card. I use an 8GB card so there's really no limit to how much retrogaming I can carry with me. Vektar, Cave Story and LadyKiller are all good homebrews for the system as well.

I got my GP2X F100 locally off craigslist for $40.00 but I see them on eBay for around that range. If you're patient you can get one for that price.