Gamepark's other handheld

Last week we told you about Gamepark Holdings' competition to name the GPX2 - the successor to the GP32 handheld with a more advanced feature-set, larger screen and open source development objective.

However, following the division, earlier this year, of Gamepark into two separate companies with confusingly similar names, we're actually to be blessed with a pair of handhelds - and the other half has now demonstrated its version, called XGP (which rather worryingly stands for eXtreme Game Player). You can see it pictured on GP32x.com, a site that covers both.

Although they're clearly renders, the shots suggest that the goal is a system that draws inspiration from the PSP's sleek, shiny design and also from the Nintendo DS's clamshell effort. The single screen will be four inches across, compared to 3.5" on the GPX2, and capable of a 480x272 16:10 resolution, which should be sharper therefore than the GPX2's 320x240 4:3 effort. It also appears to swivel so it can be laid down flat like a traditional Game Boy Advance or PSP-style device - a nice idea for those of us sick of scratching our screens. It will also support 802.11b/g wireless networking.

Whether it will be open source or not is another question - and the answer, according to those who follow Gamepark's movements closely - is apparently no. That would mean much less in the way of free downloadable, user-made content available on the Internet, and potentially other restrictions. Anything that came about would have to be hacked in in a manner similar to the mods people have made to Sony's PSP.

It's interesting nonetheless. GP32x.com also has a side-by-side comparison of the two units listing known specifications and comparing screen sizes.