GPD Win

GPD Win is a Windows-based palmtop computer equipped with a keyboard and gaming controls. It is an x86-based device that runs Windows 10. It is capable of running any x86 Windows-based application that can run within the confines of the computer's hardware. First announced in October 2015, it was crowdfunded via Indiegogo and two other crowdfunding sites in Japan and China. The GPD Win was released in October 2016.

History

GamePad Digital (GPD) is a technology company based in Shenzhen, China. Among other products, they have created several handheld video game consoles which run Android on ARM architecture; for instance, GPD XD. GPD Win was meant to be a way to play PC games, PC-based video game console emulators, and hypervisors (such as VMware and VirtualBox clients) on a handheld device.

GamePad Digital first pitched the idea of GPD Win to the community in October 2015 as a concept for market research, with further planning in November. By December, the physical design and hardware specifications were determined. By March 2016, initial prototypes were finished, debugged, and shipped to select sources. GPD started accepting pre-orders in June 2016 through several online retailers, including the Indiegogo page. Pre-order backers are offered the device for a discounted price of $330, with an estimated final retail price of $499, but settling on a price of $330 after release. The initially stated goal was $100,000. By August 2016, a small batch shipment to industry personnel was shipped, and by September, the pre-order promotional pricing ceased. GPD started shipping the final product by October 2016, with pre-order backers receiving their devices first.

Software

The GPD Win runs Windows 10 Home and is able to run most x86 Windows applications that can be run on desktops and laptops.

As of April 2017, several patches are available for the Linux kernel that allows mostly complete functionality of the Win with a full desktop Linux distribution like Ubuntu. There are also ways to run Android on the GPD Win.

Technical and physical specifications

The computer has a full typical QWERTY keyboard, which includes 67 standard keys and 10 expanded function keys. For gaming, the controller has a stylized similarly to the OpenPandora and DragonBox Pyra style keyboard and controller layout of one D-pad, two analog sticks, four face buttons, and four shoulder buttons (two on each shoulder).

It was initially intended to use the Intel Atom x5-Z8500 Cherry Trail CPU.

The graphics processor is an Intel HD Graphics integrated GPU with a base clock speed of 200 MHz and a turbo boost of up to 600 MHz.

It uses 4GB of LPDDR3-1600 RAM, with 64GB of eMMC 4.51 ROM. It has a single microSD slot that can support up to 128GB of storage, however, it can support cards up to 256GB.

The device is 15.5×9.7 cm in size. It has a 5.5-inch 1280×720 (720p) H-IPS multi-directional touch screen in a 16:9 ratio, reinforced by Gorilla Glass 3.

The audio system consists of a built-in speaker using the Realtek ALC5645 driver, and a microphone jack. It supports typical audio/video/image formats, such as MP3, MP4, JPG, PNG, and GIF.

The device has a 6700mAh polymer lithium-ion battery with a USB-C charging interface (5 V/2.5 A). It has support for Bluetooth 4.0 and 802.11 b/g/n/ac (5 GHz and 2.4 GHz) WiFi.

GamePad Digital has continued to support the device's past release, taking user feedback into account, with driver and hardware updates. As of January 10, 2017, GPD revised Win's hardware, providing a fix for Intel graphics driver stability issues, fixing the AC charging/boot-up bug (described in the reviews section), improving cooling, as well as improving the tactile feedback of the D-Pad, buttons, and keyboard. This includes a software update that improves the buttons' responsiveness and makes changes to the functionality of the built-in pointer.

Release and reception

GamePad Digital began shipping the GPD Win to backers in October 2016. JC Torres of Slashgear gave the Win a 7/10. Stating that it is "Well-rounded and has solid technical specs per expected needs, it is ambitious for being a Windows 10-based handheld console in an industry dominated by Linux-based handhelds, but he also noted an inconsistent build quality among models, and mediocre sound quality ("loud, but low")." Ultimately, he called it an "exceptional device".

Linus Sebastian made a video review of the GPD Win on his YouTube channel Linus Tech Tips, and stated that it's gaming and multitasking capabilities and was happy with the hardware specifications, hardware design and features overall. He stated that deciding whether it was worth the price was up to the user and that Win made him excited about the prospect of what UMPCs will be capable of in the near future as the hardware progresses further.

GPD Win 2

GamePad Digital announced the GPD Win 2 in early 2017. It has an Intel Core m3 with Intel HD 615 integrated graphics, 8GB of LPDDR3 RAM, a 128GB M.2 solid-state drive, as well as the same I/O ports as the GPD Win. There are a few external hardware changes, including moving the analog knobs outwards from the frame, the removal of the D-pad, and an additional shoulder button on each side, for a total of six. The price for crowdfunding backers is $649, with a stated retail price of $899. The Indiegogo campaign launched on January 15, 2018, and the GPD Win 2 was released in May 2018. The Indiegogo campaign was successful.

See also

* Comparison of handheld game consoles
* Dragonbox Pyra
* GPD XD
* GPD Win Max
* GPD Win 3
* Pandora (console)
* PC gaming
* Handheld gaming

External links

GPD Win homepage

GPD Win Indiegogo page

References

{{Handheld game consoles

Handheld personal computers
Indiegogo projects
Windows 10
Subnotebooks