GP2X Gaming Handheld Officially Released In UK

Officials from new company GP32/2x Distribution Ltd. have announced that GamePark Holdings' Linux-based handheld console, the GP2X, is now officially available in the UK, at a price of £124.99 ($236). Previously only available from Asia, where South Korean manufacturer GamePark Holdings is based, the original GP32 console from the company still managed to sell 32,000 units worldwide in local and import markets. The new GP2X console uses a 240MHz dual core processor, 64MB of RAM and 64MB of on-board NAND flash memory. Alongside game, music and movies playback, the device can read e-books and store and view photos. It incorporates SD memory cards and runs off two AA batteries for up to six hours. GamePark Holdings claims that the console delivers higher quality audio and video playback than the Sony PSP on its 320x240 3.5” LCD screen. Although the console has little in the way of traditional publisher support, it has a significant homebrew and emulation community, with more than 500 games and applications having been developed for the console and its predecessor, the GP32, which are not cross-compatible. “We sold almost 3,000 consoles in the first 24 hours through word of mouth alone, we could not believe it, at one point our servers crashed under the load”, claimed Craig Rothwell, Director of GP32/2x Distribution Ltd. With no plans for a North American launch having been announced, this is the second new portable console to have its Western debut in the UK, following last year’s Gizmondo. This is despite the UK market being traditionally resistant to portable consoles, where even Nintendo’s Game Boy consoles enjoyed relatively less success than in the rest of the world.