GCW Zero Final Payments Made, Release Date Announced

The GCW Zero slipped its late August release date as most people thought it would, but just a couple of days ago invoices were sent out requesting the final payments for the device. We are told that the Linux driven handheld will now ship on October 1st from the USA. The GCW Zero is a project led by Justin from the Dingoonity forums and all of the software has been written or ported by the old Dingoo A320 community. It’s a 1GHZ Ingenic JZ4770 device that promises a much improved performance boost over the old Dingoo with the strong possibility of PS1 and N64 now being playable. The device runs Linux with Gmenu2X as the front end, it has WIFI and a fully functioning analogue stick too.

The final cost including $20 shipping to the UK came to around $140, which is a lot considering the price of Chinese Android handhelds. But the difference is that this device will be supported by talented and enthusiastic community members for many years to come. I expect great things from this machine and I cannot wait until mine ships.

25 thoughts on “GCW Zero Final Payments Made, Release Date Announced”

  1. looking really forward to this, so much that i have reed all the comments here.. *gg* finally i can play the old ff games of my childhood again on the go and good looking, on this size. the caanoo sadly failed (3d battles to slow, crashes on some spells on bof3). here it will run just fine : )

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  2. This should be a good device, and I was interested when Justin offered me a prorotype back in July after my Dingoo 380 never turned up. What i got was a scratched up prototype with a non-working analog stick, USB issue thr prevented me from adding my own roms, and an ability to read roms from microSD. Unfortunately, Justin took weeks to get me a replacement. That wasn’t scratched but had the same USB/SD card issues so I returned it the same day. The whole sorry process started with my 380 order in January, and culminated in me returning both prototypes in July. I have not been given a refund, and Justin refuses to respond to my messages. I wouldn’t order from him based on my experience.

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  3. I don’t know why, but I just can’t get excited for the GCW Zero. Not to sound like a troll, but when looking at the $140 GCW Zero and comparing it to, say, the $50 JXD S603, there are many more compelling things about the S603. I think it’s fantastic that the community banded together to create a next-generation handheld like this, but I’m just not hyped for it. I don’t know though, maybe I just haven’t seen enough of it.

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  4. I sold my JXD S5110 and put the money down on the GCW. The JXD really felt like crap in my hands. I hated the screen aspect ratio. I really hated the lack of a real analog nub. For gaming JXD just didn’t get it. I’m stocked that people who actually use handhelds for gaming designed a console. This isn’t just a successor to the dingoo but the GPH consoles as well. I can’t wait to get my hands on my pre order. Any word on what emulators are shipping with the devise?

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  5. October, huh? That’s not bad at all. I’ve been waiting longer than most people for a device like this – probably 8 years or so.

    I’ve been following portable, open-source consoles since the PSP days (because of how there was a new exploit for the PSP every other week, and still the emulators were pretty flawed), and this is the first time I’ve actually pulled the trigger on one. Up to now, they’ve either been not powerful enough (e.g. GP32, but this even applies to the Dingoo to some degree), overkill for gaming (e.g. Pandora), or they have a horrible interface (weird round discs and crap instead of a normal d-pad). I’m still a little wary of this one’s Start/Select button placement, but otherwise it looks amazing.

    Paid the final invoice last night. Here’s hoping for a great portable. 🙂

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  6. This is effectively an upgrade for people who’ve enjoyed the Dingoo A320 and want a little bit more (PS1/N64), also people from the community highly respect Justin and trust that the device is worth the cost.
    If you just want flawless NES/SNES emulation then you could just get a Dingoo A320 for $60 less.
    As for Android, it crashes too much and the emulators are sluggish Java monstrosities. I’d pick a well designed device running native emulators any day and you’d struggle to find an Android device that’s cheaper than a Dingoo A320 anyhow. Android is for browsing and little else.

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    • Have you ever used Android?

      I do – everyday – and I do a lot more than “Browsing”. Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, Pandora – Full-fleged Office suites, calendars, note takers – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram – Skype, GTalk, Google Voice – online shopping, online banking – comic reading, book reading, offline reference apps… Not to mention the thousands of Android games, since someone interested in a NES emulator probably likes games, Angry Birds series, Plants vs Zombies, Hero of Sparta, NOVA, Where’s my Water, Cut the Rope, etc…

      On top of all of that – this is 2012, how much of what you use your primary computer for is little more than “browsing”?

      It’s not even just the software, you also get hardware that lets you do more. I mentioned some things that you need WiFi, speakers, and a mic for (the voice chat programs) – but you can also video chat if your Android device has a camera. You can also record video, voice memos, and take still pictures, obviously. But there are QR scanners, price checkers, and credit card payment taking apps that also let your Android device do more than just play Super Mario Bros.

      I haven’t come across any games from the NES/SNES era that do not work perfectly on my Android game system (Yinlips YDPG18A). I’ve never once had it crash while I was playing. Actually I’ve had a couple of apps crash – but never the entire OS. Not to mention that it can run N64 / PS1 games as well. It is limited by the controls (no true analog stick) but the power and software is there.

      If you aren’t sure you would ever use any of the Android features – I’d still suggest a cheap Android game system over a device that can only play games. Because that one time you might want to run Shazam or look something up real quick, or take a photo, or price check that cool gadget…. whatever – it has paid for itself.

      Especially when the Android device is cheaper. ($66 for JXD S602 – $119 for Yinlips YDPG18A – willgoo.com )

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      • Just goes to show that users really feel compelled by the quality and response of the hardware and controls. Enough to live without all the software that comes with android handhelds. Enough to pay almost double. Personally I would have liked to see those features with the zero, but the theme of third party handhelds is consistently compromise.

        That’s why I pre-ordered a GCW Zero, because it’s a design that decided not to compromise with at least one thing, the hardware and controls. It may not answer all the questions but it’s a step in the right direction.

        I’m sure there will be a handheld(s) that can harmonize it’s software, communication, and design at some point soon. But personally I am thoroughly enjoying all these new handhelds coming out.

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      • Sounds like you want a swiss army knife and not a gaming console. I’ve used these android consoles for gaming and haven’t found one yet that I liked. As far as how much of what I use a computer for other than browsing? I’d say I never use a full blown pc for browsing. I use my tower for lots of intense tasks not shopping for shoes.
        P.S.
        Clearly if you’re playing angry birds the GCW isn’t for you

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      • That’s the thing my “Swiss Army Knife” can play NES games just as well as – if not beter than – any other handheld I’ve ever used – including dedicated game consoles (PSP, Dingoo, DS, GB Light II, others). The questions was specifically about someone who wants to play NES/SNES games. You don’t need an analog stick for either for those.

        And – yes – if I’m going to spend $100 on something to waste time on – then I want it to do more than what my 5 year old modded PSP can do.

        I think the Archos GamePad will be the shiznits. Two true analog sticks – lots of power – by a company who has been making tablets longer than Apple. I am much looking forward.

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      • I am a developer who routinely builds and runs Android on prototype hardware and on the latest devices.
        I do know there are a few reasonable Android implementations around if you’re willing to pay but you’re unlikely to see these on Chinese devices and a quick look at the market place will easily show you how bad Android is for games.

        There are various bugs and issues which mean that in my spare time I would never choose to develop for Android. The most obvious being that it requires Java (at least to some extent) and the fact that most of the API’s are so buggy that you can’t guarantee anything will run on more than one device without significant testing.

        As for browsing, leave that to tablets and phones which is what Android is for. At the end of the day Android is just a bad linux distribution, but then I’m looking at this from a developers point of view, not the average user.

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    • If money wasn’t an issue, yes I’d buy this over an Chinese Android device. The emulation of NES and SNES will probably be similar but in the GCW Zero you get a real d-pad instead of 4 seperate buttons.
      Also, a fully fledged mobile operating system with email and web browser etc is overkill for a device that is only required to play 2 old consoles on.

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      • Thanks! I like the idea of Android handhelds, because the emulators likely are well-polished, but it doesn’t seem like anyone has gotten the hardware design quite right. So yeah, count me interested in the Zero. That high-res pic sure looks like some quality plastic.

        Will you do an objective review when you get one?

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