Recently I had a discussion with Nick about open source handhelds. Reason for this discussion was the upcoming release of the GP2X Wiz. As with many other things it looks like we disagreed with each other about the GP2X.

Nick argued that these kind of handhelds are slowly becoming obsolete as small notebooks such as the Asus Eee PC are becoming increasingly more affordable. Considering this fact he called devices such as GP2X pure luxury. I understand why he feels this way. After all, why wouldn’t one buy an Eee PC for a little bit more money? Although, I don’t think you can compare the GP2X with an Eee PC. The GP2X is in a completely different market than the Eee PC. The GP2X is just a simple game/media handheld.  It doesn’t claim to be more than that.

If you consider that the GP2X is a game/media handheld, it becomes a lot more interesting. Especially the fact that the GP2X is open source is interesting. This makes it a lot easier for developers, especially unproven developers, to develop applications for this handheld. I think this is a great way for hobbyist developers to get into handheld game development. This would be a lot harder if only the Nintendo DS and PSP were around; those platforms are very closed. So, it’s very good that there is an open alternative.

But the GP2X isn’t the only open source handheld out there. Besides the GP2X there is also the Pandora. Ironcally, Nick’s argument seems to apply completely to this device. Unlike the GP2X the Pandora isn’t only a gaming handheld. In fact, it offers a complete OS. It’s also a whole lot stronger than the GP2X. Unfortunately, the Pandora doesn’t really attract me. I’m not looking for a handheld that has the same functionality as a simple notebook. If I wanted something like that I would buy an Eee PC. No, I want something simple. Besides that I don’t really like the control scheme of the Pandora.

Nick says:

Just look at the thing! It’s so small… Okay, so maybe it isn’t really obsolete, at least it’s not my cup of tea. The eee would be a way cooler handheld, but it won’t really be an handheld. You can just put in your controller and play any game for example. Combine that with the huge offer of games that are already available through Ubuntu’s apt-get and you have a wicked gaming console. Kinda like that mini PS1 there used to be, but with a long batterylife and a high resolution screen too.  I don’t see people in the train playing on their handheld, I see people in the train with their laptops. So yeah, in that way, it’s quite obsolete. When will you play this and actually have a better experience then you would with an eee and a nice controller? Maybe in the back of the car/bus/public transport, but I am more of a music listener when traveling and if I really want to play a game, my handheld is my phone.

I think Michael and I actually agree over that the Pandora is rather useless. Just buy an eee.

Picture to the right is a GP2X by the way, not the GP2X Wiz which admittedly looks more comfy. Maybe just as comfy as the PSP or DS, but those aren’t exactly comfy now are they?

I fired up my gameboy (the first, big, gray one) recently and played Castle Chess. Wicked soundtrack. Don’t tell anyone.

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