Those of you who were eagerly awaiting the latest and greatest portable Android game system, well wait no more, introducing the GPD XD Portable Android Gaming Console. This is one of the latest game consoles developed by GPD that was launched back in 2015.
On the outside you would think you were looking at a Nintendo 3DS XL gaming system. However when you open the clam shell game system you will see a beautiful array of keys on the lower slab and a gorgeous 5-inch screen on the upper slab.
The GPD XD Portable Android Gaming Console comes in various colors such as red blue and black. Just so you know, my favorite color is red.
When you turn on the device it boots up and presents you with a colorful menu, which kind of reminds me of a Windows 10 interface, where you can get access to many of the pre-installed emulator programs and software that comes with the system. There is also a Chinese version of the Google Play Store called Happy Chick which is also pre-installed on this device which gives you access to hundreds of great game titles that you can download and play.
This game console is pretty much designed to run emulated games as well as all of the popular graphic intensive games that you would normally find on the Android platform that you can get from the Google Play Store. Thanks to our friends at GPD, they realized that “yes” today’s smartphones are powerful and “yes” they have gorgeous screens, but unfortunately there are no physical key controls when you want to play Metal Slug while on your 2 hour train commute home from work. That being said, they’ve given us a portable game console that has the look and feel of a Nintendo 3DS XL but has the added advantage over its incumbents like the Sony PSP and the Nintendo portable games systems in that it can play a huge library of Android games as well as the thousands of emulated games from past decades.
Looking at the technical specifications in a bit more detail GPD XD Portable Android Gaming Console comes with a Rockchip RK3288 Quad Core ARM Cortex A17 processor. Now in order for this gaming unit to be able to play those graphic rich games and give us that gorgeous viewing experience which has far evolved from the pale green pixelated graphics of the Game Boy days, there is a separate graphics processing unit (most commonly known as GPU). This GPU is the Arm Mali – 2764 600 megahertz processor.
The GPD XD Portable Android Gaming Console also comes with 2 gigabytes of onboard RAM and as far as ROM is concerned you get a choice of 16 gigabytes or 32 gigabytes. There is also an expansion port for memory cards which can handle microSD cards up to a maximum memory capacity of 128 gigabytes.
Now this little clamshell game system comes with an array of ports located in the back, which really make this model stand out when compared to other traditional gaming systems like the Sony PSP and PS Vita. On the back side you will find a micro USB 2.0 Port which is used for data transfers and of course for charging the built in battery. There is also a 3.5 millimeter headset interface and of course your micro SD card slot. There is also a mini HDMI 2.0 multimedia interface which you would use to connect to a large screen TV. Imagine playing an old school classic like Super Mario Brothers on the 70 inch living room television. When you do not have the luxury of connecting to a large external screen you can still play your games on the GPD XD’s 5 inch capacitive touch screen which has a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels.
The key layout is pretty much standard as it is similar to what you would find on any of today’s modern game pads like the Xbox One or PS4 controllers, for example. Starting on the top left-hand side you have your analog joystick and going across the top you have your L3 button which is supposed to be the third shoulder button and then there are two volume keys (one to lower the volume and the other to increase the volume of course). The power button is located right in the middle of the control pad.
As you move along to the right hand side of the control pad there is a function button as well as a button mapping function button. Now, let’s look at the role of the power mapping function button in a bit more detail. Today, when you are playing games on your smartphone there are normally virtual keys that you see on the screen and it sometimes can be a pain in the you-know-what when trying to play your favorite game of Contra, when you have to continuously look down at the screen to see what button you are pressing, seeing that it’s pretty much a virtual button on the screen. What’s great about the button mapping function key is that you can physically map the physical controller keys of the GPD XD Game Console to the virtual keys on the screen and now your gaming experience is greatly enhanced because now you can play all of your favorite Android and emulated games just as you would normally play games on your Sony PSP or Nintendo 3DS XL.
There are also keys located on the top right-hand side of the gamepad which are your third shoulder button and right analog joystick. Then in the middle of the keypad on the left hand side there is the Nintendo-looking 8-direction D-pad. On the right hand lives four action buttons labelled X, Y, A and B. My only pet peeve is that with all of this game pad real estate – where, for example, a second screen would exist if it were a Nintendo 3DS XL – it would have been great if the GPD designers had given the GPD XD six action buttons as opposed to 4 because when playing fighting games like Street Fighter for example, traditionally 6 action buttons are needed to successfully execute all of the fighting moves. Along the lower part of the controller, located between the two speakers, on the left hand side there is the “start” and “select” keys. On lower right hand you have your “return” key and “home” button.
In summary there is a large selection of mashable buttons on this thing which is suitable for pretty much anything out there. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention that the GPD XD has double shoulder buttons on the back of the unit which equates to two on the left and two on the right.
The GPD XD also has a built-in microphone which is great for doing Skype calls and stuff like that, and there is also a little hand strap socket or vent on both sides of the unit where you can put your wrist strap, perfect for avoiding those awkward instances where you drop your $200 GPD XD on the hard concrete floor.
The GPD XD is very slim when it’s closed and can easily fit in your pocket. The dimensions are 15.5 centimeters long, 8.9 centimeters wide and it stands at about 2.4 centimeters high when in the closed clam position. It also does not weigh very much as it is a mere 300g.
In addition to being a gaming console the GPD XD also doubles as an Android tablet because of the 5-inch multi-touch capacitive touch screen and the fact that the operating system is Android 4.4.4 (KitKat).
Those of you who are wondering how long you can play all of your favorite games without having to charge this thing, well, the good folks at GPD have included a very large 6000 mAH Lithium Ion rechargeable battery inside the unit.
As I mentioned earlier this device is designed to play all of the old school games using the multitude of emulator programs currently available in the market today. There are quite a few emulators that come pre-installed on the GPD XD. You also have the capability to download other emulators as well as the thousands of compatible applications that are available on the Google Play Store. Some of the available emulators that can run on this device are the Nintendo 64, the PSP, arcade, NDS, Gameboy, Gameboy Advance and Gameboy Color emulators as well as the Sony PlayStation One.
The GPD XD can be configured to work with a wireless Gamepad like the PS3 controller, for example. All you would need is an OTG cable to connect to a USB wireless key for your controller. You can then play all of your favorite games using your wireless PlayStation gamepad or Xbox One controller, as it does not matter. Connect the GPD XD to a large screen television set via the mini HDMI port and you now have a mini home game console.
You can also configure more than one wireless controller to connect to your GPD XD at the same time which is perfect for multiplayer games.
There are also different flavors of GPD XD when it comes to built-in memory options. You can get the GPD XD with 16, 32 or even 64 gigabytes of internal built-in storage.
So all-in-all if you love gaming on the go and you also have a soft spot for the old school games from back in the Eighties and Nineties, and you like the clam shell design of the Nintendo 3DS XL, then I would definitely recommend you get your hands on one of these cool game systems from GPD.
The retail price can range from $160 all the way up to about $200 depending on how much internal memory you want with your GPD XD.
There are many ways today that you can play your favorite Android games on your smartphone. One example is by using a separate gamepad or separate gamepad with a built-in holder for your smartphone, but when it comes to portability you now have to walk around with a gamepad as well as your smartphone which can be quite inconvenient at times. The GPD XD is ultra-portable, and with the clamshell design, the screen is always protected.
If you want to get your hands on one of these lovely items feel free to check out the Amazon store here to get your hands on one today.
Also checkout my initial review of this cute little device as I recently got my hands on one which was shipped to me all the way from China. Enjoy!