The GP32 (GamePark 32) is a handheld game console developed by the South Korean company Game Park. It was released on November 23, 2001, in South Korea and distributed in some parts of Europe.
History
The GP32 was shown at E3 in 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2002. At one point GamePark produced an unreleased unit with mobile phone functionality.
Features
The overall design is not unlike the original version of the Game Boy Advance. The GP32 is based on a 133 MHz ARM 9 CPU and 8 MB of SDRAM. Unlike other handheld gaming systems, which tend to be proprietary cartridge-based, the GP32 uses SmartMedia cards (SMC) for storing programs and data, making it accessible for amateur developers as no further development hardware is required.
The console has an eight-way microswitch based mini-joystick controller, two main buttons ('A' and 'B'), two shoulder buttons on each side of the SMC slot ('L' and 'R') and two other menu buttons on each side of the screen ('SELECT' and 'START'), made from a softer, translucent rubber. The console also has a USB 1.1 port for connection with a host computer, a serial expansion port, a 3.3 V power adapter input, a headphone connector and a rear compartment that holds two AA-sized batteries.
Variants
There are three main commercial versions of the unit characterized by different display types. Commercial units are white in color with either grey or white buttons and trim. There are also a number of differently colored promotional units and several prototype units with different designs.
GP32 NLU
The original GP32 was the no-light unit (NLU) which relied on an external light source to view the screen.
GP32 FLU
In late 2002, Game Park introduced the frontlight unit (FLU) as a factory-modified (by Hahotech) version of the NLU. It provides its own illumination via a transparent panel between the LCD display and the plastic screen cover. The extra hardware resulted in a slightly raised display frame when compared to the NLU and BLU variants. The front light could be turned off with a switch mounted on the back of the GP32 case (to save battery). The GP32 FLU's name was derived from a sticker added to the front of the GP32 packaging differentiating it from the standard non-light versions.
GP32 BLU
In mid-2004, Game Park introduced the backlight unit (BLU). The new BLU LCD was compatible with the NLU (and FLU) and provided a superior screen display in poor lighting conditions. At the end of 2004, Game Park also released a second version of the BLU, which had a different LCD from the first version of BLU units. The new BLU+ LCD was not 100% compatible with the original LCD screen and so software required special handling to support both LCD versions. The backlight could be disabled by holding the SELECT button for 5 seconds. The BLU models also had a slightly different USB port connector and better quality micro switches for the controller.
BLU+ Compatibility
A backlit GP32 (released in December 2004) was given the name BLU+ by the community. The backlit unit featured a different LCD display (Taiwanese manufactured instead of Samsung), which led to some compatibility problems with certain applications, and problems such as white lines across the screen. However, nearly all applications were fixed once it was found that the new screens had better contrast than the old ones. The backlit GP32's were commercially named "BLU". The BLU+ was, as stated, a name that the community gave to notice the difference between the two models.
There were many applications that worked with the BLU+ and other models. Mirko's SDK could autodetect which version one had. All the applications such as emulators, movie players, and the like worked as well on the BLU+, as on other models.
Software
Built In
The original Game Park firmware had three main functions: to launch applications, provide a means of linking to a host computer and play music in MP3 format. Later versions of the Game Park firmware removed the MP3 music capability.