The GP32 (GamePark 32) is a ARM-based handheld game console developed by the South Korean company Game Park. It was released on November 23, 2001, in South Korea and distributed in some parts of Europe.
History
The GP32 was shown at annual E3 conventions from 1999 to 2002. At one point, GamePark produced an unreleased unit with cellular functionality. The GP32 is based on a 133 MHz ARM 9 CPU and 8 MB of SDRAM. Unlike other handheld gaming systems, which tend to be proprietary cartridge-based, the GP32 uses SmartMedia cards (SMC) for storing programs and data, making it accessible for amateur developers as no further development hardware is required.
The console has an eight-way microswitch based mini-joystick controller, two main buttons ('A' and 'B'), two shoulder buttons on each side of the SMC slot ('L' and 'R') and two other menu buttons on each side of the screen ('SELECT' and 'START'), the GP32 BLU model was released in three European markets, including Portugal, Spain, and Italy, being distributed by Virgin Play on June 15, 2004, with a price point of €199. There were official distributors in the United Kingdom and Sweden as well. Game Park, however, did not release the console in America.
Despite not being released worldwide, the GP32 has a large international community of users and developers. About 32,000 or 30,000 units were sold by the end of 2007.
Hardware
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Dimensions
|
|-
! Weight
|
|-
! Display
| TFT, 16-bit colour, 320 × 240 pixels
|-
! CPU
| Samsung S3C2400X01 (ARM920T core), 20 (and under) to 133 MHz (overclockable to 166 MHz+ in some cases. Some have even reached 256 MHz (not always stable, low battery life). Overclocking ability is random, however, all GP32s were supposed to reach 133 MHz. A few early "bad" units maxed out at 132 MHz.)
|-
! RAM
| 8 MB SDRAM (16-bit wide)
|-
! ROM
| 512 KB (8-bit wide)
|-
! Sound
| 44.1 kHz 16-bit stereo sound<br />four-channels and up software WAV mixing (it is up to the coder, but four-channel is built into the official SDK)<br/>16-part polyphonic software MIDI (in official SDK) <br/>Earphone port<br/>Stereo speakers
|-
! Storage
| SmartMedia 2–128 MB 3.3v
|-
! Power Supply
| 2 × AA batteries or 3-V DC adapter. Batteries last between 6 and 12+ hours, but the actual amount depends on a number of factors.
|-
! Wireless
| GP Link was a wireless dongle that could be inserted into the external socket. It allowed users to chat and play online games.
Up to four wireless units could be connected at once within 10m. Frequencies were reported to be 300 MHz. The games supported for multiplayer were Little Wizard, Dungeon & Guarder, Treasure Island, and Rally Pop.
|}
Successors
- GP2X - dual-CPU unit produced by new company GamePark Holdings.
- GP2X Wiz - Successor to the GP2X
- GP2X Caanoo - Successor to the GP2X Wiz
- XGP - a never-released system developed by Game Park
See also
- Comparison of handheld game consoles
References
External links
- GP32 File Archive (all free software written for the system)<!--Note: As the GP32's success was due entirely to the unofficial software written for it (emulators, apps, games), this is the most relevant link that can be here. Please do not remove it without discussion on the talk page.-->
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