If you’re a fan of retro handhelds (you’re on this website, so we’ll assume that you are), then the news about the upcoming GPD XD 2 may very well stop you dead in your tracks.
If you’re reading this breaking news article while walking across a train line or crossing a road, then find somewhere safe to sit and take a load off because the content of this story could change retro gaming forever!
Some of you may have read our last couple of features on the GPD XD Plus, a handheld that we still have mixed feelings about today, but for anyone who hasn’t heard of Chinese tech company GPD or the XD Plus, we’ll give you a quick lowdown so you have all of the facts.
The design, controller set up, folding outer case, and screen size are all very reminiscent of the Nintendo DS, though the XD Plus plays all of your favourite retro games via an SD Card instead of using individual cartridges.
On paper and in practice, the XD Plus worked very well but felt a little underwhelming. This handheld should have been a game-changer, but to this day it still has that marmite ‘love-hate’ factor.
GPD primarily creates laptops and tablets. In the same way that Hard Kernel created the ODROID GO handheld and the updated ODROID GO Advance, GPD used their computing wizardry to create a clamshell handheld with an Android operating system, the GPD XD Plus.
We’re big fans of the shape of the console and it emulates many games perfectly, giving retro gaming fans a chance to relive some of their favourite titles at home and on the go. But, having said that, there were and still are some major firmware issues, and the Android software the console uses is now way outdated.
It couldn’t quite emulate all of the consoles that it boasted on the menu selection screen, and the build quality didn’t instil the same level of faith that you get when whipping out your 3DS and cruising through your collection of epic 3DS titles.
So, when we received a secret tip-off about the XD 2, it grabbed our attention and hooked us in like nerdy-trout.
Could we be about to see an updated, streamlined version of this retro handheld that excels where the other two failed? We spoke to GPD very briefly on Twitter and they informed us that the XD 2 is in fact “coming soon”.
Now, we’re not sure how soon, but they also informed us it would be this year, so we’re sure it’s either summer or late 2020, but here’s hoping we can play this thing while we’re doing a bit of tiny home exploration in July. We tried pulling some more information out of them, but they weren’t having any of it.
There’s even been some ‘leaked’ images that show off a clamshell that flips all the way over the back, allowing you to stand the handheld up when watching movies, or playing games with a Bluetooth controller.
There’s also this image below leaked by a website called “liliputing” which allows you to see some of the face buttons and analogue sticks alongside its backports. It looks as if not much has changed.
As of October, there has been even more leaks of the potential “GPD XD 2” and even though there have been lots of rumours, this is what everyone is betting on to be the legit handheld.
As you can see it looks very Nintendo Switch like, but instead of two removable controllers, they have added one. The left side of the GPD XD2 is static, but the right hand side has a removable section that allows yout to add different controllers for different games, and different emulators.
Perhaps it will be able cope with Nintendo Switch emulation in the future? Who knows?
With each removal of the side controller, the on-board software recognises this and changes the key mapping automatically while in game, this will be very useful!
You can also see on these renders that the GPD XD 2 does have a very nice ergonomic design, with each detachable controller having different shoulder buttons and layouts.
These renders also show a lot more than just ergonomic. You can see the shoulder buttons lip out at the back, especially the “original” controls. The fan is located on the top, and the huge 6.8″ display covers most of the handheld.
We’re hoping it has USB-C, perhaps wireless charging, but for now, this is all unreleased information. The 2020 release date mentioned in the twitter chat we had with GPD seems a little early, and perhaps COVID pushed back production, so we can imagine this will be in our hands by mid-2021, for sure.
Table of Contents
GPD XD 2 Specifications
The following specs are currently rumoured but are the community’s best guess at what the XD 2 specs actually are, we will update this as and when we get the full facts!
- Octa-Core 2.2GHZ Arm Cortex-A55/A75
- IMG PowerVR GM 9446 GPU
- 8GB RAM
- 6.8″ IPS Display (2520 x 1080 Resolution)
- 6000MAH Battery
- 24MP + 16MP Cameras
Firmware
One of the main problems that the GPD XD 2 needs to overcome is the firmware it uses to play the vast catalogue of games available to it.
The outdated Android OS on the first model makes it impossible to play games without lag or dropped framerates in 2020, and that’s a serious setback that GPD needs to get right in their new model if they want to compete in the big leagues.
The notion of having a retro-inspired DS is a great one, but with a price tag of $250 which is around the same cost as a Nintendo Switch Lite Accessories + Console bundle, the XD 2 must be able to be updated regularly and do what it says on the box.
If the OS stays current and the gameplay smooth, then this will be an absolute beauty to play. The original XD Plus came with an MT8176+PowerVR Hexa-core processor, 4GB RAM and 32Gb Storage, which twinned with the right OS would make for the kind of super-smooth play that dreams are made of. We think that we might see the RAM increased to 8GB as stated above if the info we have is true and the storage increased to at least 64GB for holding all of your favourite titles.
Console Emulation
The original XD Plus handheld had a lot of available emulators on it, though you do have to download the ROMs themselves onto your SD card.
With excitement building over more mini consoles dropping and remakes of their favourite games on the horizon, people want their retro handhelds to be able to recreate their favourite home console adventures of yesteryear with ease.
The XD 2 needs to deliver where the previous consoles fell short of the mark, bringing smooth emulation of games like Ocarina of Time and the other iconic Nintendo 64 titles to life with ease.
Button Layout
The button layout on the XD Plus was pretty good in all honesty, though it felt a little cramped, almost as though the designers didn’t want to encroach on the space where their touch-screen might have been if this were a DS.
There is so much unused space on the lower half of the console shell, so moving towards a large Switch-like handheld console is certainly the best way to go about it.
A lot of people wanted to see a touch screen or dual-screen layout on the GPD XD 2, but we’re confident that this won’t be happening. There’s no real need unless you’re playing DS/Switch games, apart from maybe having the map of the world that you’re exploring on the bottom. But as most games aren’t set up for 2-screen action, we’re going to debunk this rumour right now.
Charging
With a built-in 6000MAH battery, the XD 2 could more than handle a long gaming sesh without cutting out mid-way through a boss battle (if it could manage it without buffering), but for a console that costs $250+, you would expect USB-C charging to come as standard.
We would be willing to bet on the fact that the new handheld will come with USB-C fast charging and an increased battery size of maybe 8000MAH, falling in line with the battery size of the PSP.
It might even be able to act as a power bank for other USB-C devices too – now that would be something.
WiFi Capabilities
Many people will be buying the GPD XD 2 to play old games, but it will also have WiFi connectivity so that you can hook up to the web to play Fortnite and PUBG. To be honest though, the XD Plus didn’t do this very well, which was again down to the OS not pulling its weight.
With a faster and smoother operating system, online play will be perfect. Come on, GPD; this Android OS needs to be spot-on this time!
Final Thoughts. . .
The XD Plus has sold lots of units since its release and has enjoyed relative success, but we know that GPD can do and must do better. For a console with a similar price tag to the Creoqode Lyra, it has to be on top of its game not just on release day, but two, three, and even four years afterwards.
Get the gaming emulation right, and this handheld may just shoot to the top of our list of must-have retro gaming handhelds by the end of the year.
