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Ben Heck's Gameport


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Ben Heckendorn, the famed modder behind such creations as the Xbox360 laptop and one-handed xbox controller, has lent his name and design talents to a new product dubbed the Gameport. This new handheld is a platform specifically designed for emulation. From Ben Heck's website:

I’ve been helping with the case design of a new product called the Gameport. (I also named it.) Basically it’s a portable, multi-system emulator which you load games onto via a USB port, kind of like a digital camera in reverse. Currently it runs Atari 2600 and Colecovision cores, and other systems are possible through software upgrades. Currently the size is 3.5″ x 5″ x 1″, the final product will probably be a bit smaller on the X-Y and not as thick.

 

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The device will take SD cards for storage (2GB max), and will also work as a PMP for music and videos. It will support Atari 2600, Odyssey 2, Intellivision and Colecovision to start, with possible Apple II, SMS, NES and other systems emulation in the future.

Currently the device is only a prototype. Also, according to their FAQ, they do not plan to provide game roms, or at least not commercial game roms. Apparently the company sees itself like an mp3 player manufacturer who leaves it up to the consumer to find their own songs.

More information available at the Gameport website.

Edited by Sultan
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This is what the GP2x is for. I don't know about this. :angry:

 

Didn't that turn out to be not all it was cracked up to be?

The GP2x plays all the consoles listed in Ben Heck's GamePort and probably more. And yes, I expected more from the GP2x ... you can read my review (do a forum search) if you want to find out why. ;)

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I think this is designed for less computer savvy people to use, as the systems will all come pre-installed. Although you'll still be required to find the roms yourself and in some cases the bios. I'm not sure this company's hands-off approach to roms is the best sales strategy. Price and availability will probably be the determining factor with this handheld's success. The GP2X is too hard to get ahold of here and too expensive for what it does. If this thing is under $100 it should do well. And putting Ben Heck's name on it wouldn't hurt. Who doesn't want their own custom Ben Heck system?

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I think this is designed for less computer savvy people to use, as the systems will all come pre-installed. Although you'll still be required to find the roms yourself and in some cases the bios. I'm not sure this company's hands-off approach to roms is the best sales strategy. Price and availability will probably be the determining factor with this handheld's success. The GP2X is too hard to get ahold of here and too expensive for what it does. If this thing is under $100 it should do well. And putting Ben Heck's name on it wouldn't hurt. Who doesn't want their own custom Ben Heck system?

Purchasing a GP2x is easy from places like Play-Asia. (purchase link)

 

I'll be very surprised if this "GamePort" will be under a $100 ... but if it is, there's a strong chance it can do better than the GP2x.

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I'm betting the processor is much less impressive than a GP2X or any other modern handheld. Notice none of the systems slated for emulation are more advanced than an NES. If that's the best they want to emulate, then they could get by with some really cheap processors. Then it would just come down to production quantities to determine the price. Based on the specs so far, and if quantities are high enough, I'd guess a price around $100 is feasible.

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