Most of you have probably herd of this thing by now. It's the best kept secret on the internet. At first this console looks like nothing special, a handheld with GBA level graphic and sound capabilities. Most of the first party software is weird Korean RPGs that don't make any sense, although some games from some famous 3rd parties is starting to surface (like Capcom.) But then you get into the good stuff.

First off the best thing about this machine is it's ability to run emulators. The GP32 runs fabulous emulators of nearly every pre-Playstation console out there, everything from the Atari 2600 to the SNES, as well as a Game Boy Advance emulator. This means you can download an otherwise $50 game and play it for free. There are also conversions for popular PC software, like Doom, Hexen, Decent, and Lucasfilm games like Day Of The Tentacle. All software is stored on standard flash cards, so the bigger the card you have the more junk you can use at once.

Second you can watch Dvix movies on it. Imagine waiting in line to get your driver's license renewed and watching Matrix Reloaded on your GP32.

Third all the development software for this machine is free and open source, which has allowed all the cool emulators to come about in the first place. There are tons of useful programs for this machine. Somebody has even made a Windows-style desktop for it, essentially turning the machine into a makeshift PDA (with pretty good capabilities.) All of this for about $160 plus shipping. I am definitely going to get one of these in the next few months.

Pretty sad because this machine will never officially be released here in the U.S. because of Nintendo's virtual monopoly on the handheld market (although it seems to be selling fabulously everywhere else in the world, in particular the UK where a very hardcore group of GP32 users are continuously comming up with nifty new programs and utilities.) Get it now fellas before it disappears.

There are two models, non-backlit version and a slimmer, cooler looking edition with a backlit screen. Available on Lik Sang and usually pops up on Ebay for around $150 - $200.