If you’ve been following me on Twitter, you know that I just got my GPD WIN 2. If you don’t know what that is, well, it’s this.
The GPD WIN 2 is a handheld computer with an integrated gamepad that can play AAA games at 60 FPS and I’m pretty excited about it.
So let’s talk about this thing’s specifications. It has an Intel Core m3-7y30 processor, Intel HD 615 Graphics, a 6 inch IPS touchscreen display at 1280x720, a replaceable 128gb SSD, and 2 4900mAh batteries.
In terms of IO, the back of the device has an array of shoulder buttons, a USB-type C for both data and charging (it uses the USB 12v Power Delivery standard), a headphone jack, one USB 3 port, a microSD card slot, and the tiniest HDMI port I’ve ever seen in my life.
On the bottom of the device, there’s a door that gives you access to the SSD.
Despite the screen’s low resolution, it looks absolutely fabulous and works well. The touchscreen is responsive and good. I do not like using the right analog stick to control the mouse cursor. I find it incredibly cumbersome for even the most basic tasks. The touchscreen is a much better alternative.
The keypad is serviceable, but it’s not something I want to type on long term. The most I did with it was set up an ssh server so I could configure it from my laptop.
The gamepad feels good, though the dpad is not what I’d call ideal. It’s a bit mushy and diagonal presses occur when I’m not intending them. Though, weirdly, playing N++ on this machine was the best experience I’ve had with the game.
I bought this machine during the IndieGoGo campaign back in January and I just recieved it last week. I’m super stoked about this, since I paid $649 and it’s compatible with my favorite Linux distros!
The first thing I did with this machine is delete the Windows partition. Because Windows is terrible. I immediately set up Fedora on the machine, but configuring the touchscreen and gamepad was eluding me.
I tried a few different distros and Manjaro was the one that seemed the most compatible with the hardware. I upgraded to the latest kernel and the touchscreen and gamepad just worked. For those wondering, I’m using kernel version 4.14.52 from Manjaro’s repos.
There are a few strange things to note about this device. First of all, the screen is natively a portrait-mode display. So when screen tearing happens, it happens in a way I’ve never seen before. Spanning from top to bottom of the screen.
Another strange issue is that the switch that toggles between gamepad and mouse will cause different behavior on different distros. On Linux Mint and Manjaro, the transition between the two was instant, however on Fedora, it took a while for the system to realize the mouse had been connected.
Many of the games I tried worked great, though less-optimized titles definitely didn’t fare too well.
For example Portal 2 worked great without having to mess around with settings. Rocket League worked decently, but only after fudging with the settings. But titles that used Unity Engine were played poorly no matter what I tried.
But to be honest, I’m more of an indie and retro gamer, and that’s where the GPD WIN 2 really shines.
As I mentioned earlier, this is my favorite way to play N++ and the game works great on this system. Similarly, games like Stardew Valley, Axiom Verge, Hyper Light Drifter, Celesete and others worked great as well.
And let’s not get me started on RetroArch. This machine is capable of playing some awesome games. SNES, N64, PSP and even GameCube support on this device make for a satisfying purchase.
Overall I’m super stoked about my purchase, and with the changes coming to GNOME because of the Librem 5 Phone, I’m really excited to see how the software and support for the GPD WIN 2 evolves!
But I want to know what you think. Did you pick one of these up for yourself? What do you think of it? Did you have issues getting everything configured? Leave me a comment and let me know or hit me up on Twitter @ The Linux Gamer. If you believe in the work that I do here on the channel, you can support the show with a monthly contribution over on Patreon (or Liberapay). Or you can pick up a teeshirt over on teespring.
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