Getting Started
From wiki.gp2x.org
Ok, so you just purchased this thing called a GP2X. What do you do next?
Contents |
Opening the box
Inside you should find the GP2X, a CD, a documentation manual and a USB cable. If you got a value pack you'll also find headphones, a console pouch (not a carrying case), a wrist strap, and four Ni-Mh batteries. The batteries are most likely dead, so throw them in your battery charger for now. Note that the AC adapter for the GP2X will not charge the batteries in the handheld. Grab some regular alkaline batteries for now, and put them in the console. Now peel off the plastic lining on both the screen and the lower bar (the thing with the power and battery lights on it). Now you're all unpacked.
Preparing an SD card for the GP2X
The GP2X has an SD card slot on the top of the unit. Yes, you can put your own SD card into the unit. The GP2X MK1 and MK2 can support most standard non-SDHC cards up to 4GB. The MKII F200 (White Model) can support SDHC cards up to 32GB, and people have reported success so far with cards that are 8GB. For more information on compatible SD cards, see SD card compatibility. So you have your SD card out. If it's a brand new SD card, get a card reader (not the GP2X) and plug it in, and insert the SD card in. Make sure you format the card using FAT32. This varies among operating systems, and is covered in depth here.
Starting up the GP2X
There is a power switch on the left side of the unit. To turn it on, pull the switch towards you. It will take a few seconds to turn on. Then you are presented with the main menu. Navigate with the joystick, select an item with the B button or by pushing on the joystick until it clicks, and go back with the start button, and sometimes the X button. After knowing these concepts, it is pretty easy to figure out what everything does.
Going into disk mode
The GP2X has the ability to act as a USB mass storage device. It can use the onboard memory or the SD card when doing this. To do this, plug your GP2X into your computer with the USB cable provided, or use your own. Then go to the "Settings" menu, and select "USB". It will ask you to choose between internal memory (labeled "Built-in") or your SD card. Once you select which medium you want, it will then appear on your computer.
Installing Themes
The first thing you are probably wanting to do is switch the current theme with your own theme. More information about this can be found on the Skins page. If you are running the latest firmware, all you need to do is grab a theme (in the GPS format), put it into a folder called "skin" on the internal memory, and you're set. You can switch between themes by going to "Settings", then "System", and going to "Skin/Theme".
Installing Games
Ok, let's finally install some games. Put your GP2X into disk mode with either your SD card or internal memory, or if you're using your SD card, you can use a card reader. Grab a game, and make a folder on the medium for the game. The game is most likely to come in a zip folder. Extract it, and navigate to the dir containing the GPE file. Copy the entire directory, and put it into the folder you just created. Now unmount the card, and go to "games". Your game should appear. To play the game, select the game's folder, then the game's executable file. Note that you can install multiple games at once.
Problems
- My game brings up a black screen, and then I'm at the main menu.
- You might need to install an extra library such as SDL (if your are using firmware older than 2.0) or aditional software (such as X11 or Fenix) .
- You haven't put the game on the right directory, see the readme file that come with the game.
- The game might not be stable.
Replacing your startup sound
For some people, the stock startup sound is very annoying, and as this is supposed to be a hackable device it is of course possible to change it. All you need to do is either create a startup file yourself (You make or edit a .wav to be 2.70 seconds long, Stereo, 22kbs and rename it to "gp2xsound.wav") or use one of the pre-created ones available at the archive. I use a "silent" startup sound, download it from http://archive.gp2x.de/cgi-bin/cfiles.cgi?0,0,0,0,59,1497 and extract the wave file to the root of your SD card. Then, power off the GP2X and when you power it on, hold down the start/select buttons. You should see a "firmware updating" screen. Then, when you reboot, you can enjoy the silence.
Other startup sounds can be downloaded from http://archive.gp2x.de/cgi-bin/cfiles.cgi?0,0,0,0,59
If you hold down the volume control when you switch the F200 on, then it stops the startup sound being played.
There's a discussion thread on one of the forums which includes links to lots of pre-made wave sounds which is at http://www.gp32x.com/board/index.php?showtopic=27981
Some other things to look into
- If you want to use USB devices with your GP2X, you will need a USB Host adapter.
- If you want to get Wi-Fi on your GP2X, see WirelessUSBTutorial
- You can also use most USB storage devices with a USB Host adapter
