Welcome to GP2XTouch!

The purpose of this blog is to keep fans and owners of the GP2X F-200 unit informed with updated news and information. But that's NOT to say that owners of the original GP2X F-100 are not welcome here -- much of the info on new homebrew games, apps, emulators, etc. that I'm going to be posting here will benefit ALL GP2X users! But I must admit, there will be a special focus on the aspect of the F-200 that sets it apart from the F-100: Touchscreen support (as you might have noticed from the title of this blog :-D). There will be up to date listings of "all things touchscreen" that the dedicated members of the GP2X community cook up for the F-200. There may not be a TON of touchscreen compatible goodies available just yet, but you have to consider that the F-200 has only been available for about a month and a half. So keeping that in mind, it's pretty amazing that a nice selection of touchscreen enabled programs have been created already -- Especially when the source for ALL of those programs is not some huge gaming company, but individual coders who do it for fun, and to enhance the GP2X user community.

OK, it would be easy to assume that by reading this you already know what the GP2X is (and you probably own one as well), but on the off chance that you landed here by accident, I'll give you a brief rundown and a list of links so you can find out more. The GP2X is a Korean handheld system created by Gamepark Holdings. Even though it is manufactured in Korea, it's marketed around the world, mainly through dedicated online retailers. The GP2X is essentially a "personal media player", allowing you to play videos, music and view ebooks (and with a 3.5" [320x240] screen that displays 65,000+ colors, it's quite pleasing to the eye). But the feature that sets it apart from other PMP's out there is it's Linux-based open source architecture which allows for easy customization and programming -- particularly when it comes to gaming: emulation, homebrew games (both original and ported), and much more. The GP2X was originally released in November, 2005 (as the F-100), as a successor to the GP32, another game-friendly media player created by Gamepark (Gamepark Holdings split from that company before releasing the GP2X). Almost two years later (at the start of last month), the F-200 was released, part update and part makeover for the system. Changes included: A new white shell, replacing the original black that the F-100 sported; a D-Pad instead of the F-100's mini joystick; and the most interesting new update - the touchscreen. All this is just a simplified description. There's a lot that can be said for the GP2X and what it can do. Here's a list of sites where you can find out more:

GAMEPARK HOLDINGS' OFFICIAL GP2X SITE
WIKIPEDIA ENTRY: GP2X
GP32X: THE MAIN SITE FOR THE GP2X COMMUNITY
THE GP2X WIKI
THE GP2X FILE ARCHIVE
DCEMU'S GP2X NEWS SITE

Well, there ya go! In the next few days I'm going to start posting GP2X news (new programs that are released to the community - particularly any touchscreen stuff :-) ), create an ongoing, updated list of all touchscreen compatible programs for the F-200, and generally share my thoughts and experiences regarding the GP2X unit. Again, welcome!