PMP / console emulator breaks a whole bunch of laws

Have you been searching for a device which will unify all of your complicated technological needs into one hideously ugly, totally generic package? Well, your search is over, because some completely unknown team working for an anonymous company which is definitely located in the heart of China has created the "Portable Media Player". While you're gestating on that name, get a load of what this "system" can do: NES, SNES, Sega MD and SMC support, AVI, MPEG-4, DivX, XviD, MP3, WMA, and FLAC playback, built-in 1.3 megapixel MPEG-4 video camera, MP3 voice recorder, E-Book reader, SD card support up to 4GB, and holographic multi-phasic projection mode (okay, we made that one up). Sure, you could carry around 12 or 13 separate devices to do all of the above, but why go to the trouble when one of these confused little puppies can be yours for just $109.68?

[Thanks, Craig]

[Ratchet the Lombax @ Jul 14th 2007 12:15AM]

I don't think it breaks any laws since emulators are not illegal just the roms. Now if it comes bundled with roms for those consoles then that's going to be trouble. Otherwise it's a cool little device and kinda cheap too.

[Chris @ Jul 14th 2007 12:32AM]

That's just a pretender to the gp2x's throne...

www.gp2x.com

[Guy @ Jul 14th 2007 12:43AM]

What do you guys think the failure rate of these devices is? Above 30%? Chock full of features, but I'm guessing NO support. Looks like for $110 it might be worth a shot regardless. And I think it's "illegal" because it's not licensed to play any of those formats.

Anyway, anybody know where I can get some good ROMs?

[ddaw735 @ Jul 14th 2007 12:43AM]

Engadget GO TO SLEEP.
Kidding then I would be lonely.

[jaalin @ Jul 14th 2007 12:43AM]

how does it support SNES with only 3 buttons

i want my money back

[Ratchet the Lombax @ Jul 14th 2007 1:00AM]

I looks as if it has two shoulder buttons too, so maybe you have to hold one of the shoulder buttons along with one of the three face buttons for it to have six buttons.

I guess they could get around the whole roms thing by saying you can play homebrew roms for the emulated systems.

[smoke_tetsu @ Jul 14th 2007 3:32PM]

The SNES had two shoulder buttons and four buttons on the face of it... and also a start and select button. So in reality it had eight buttons and a d-pad.

[Christopher Price @ Jul 14th 2007 12:54AM]

My legal analysis: No laws were broken in the making of this device. It may sound funny... but it continues an inappropriate stigma around emulation, which has caused folks like Nintendo to make millions on re-selling video games through Virtual Console.

- Christopher Price
http://www.phonenews.com

[lassi @ Jul 14th 2007 11:24AM]

99% likely they took some gpl'ed code and don't offer source.

or pay license fees for mp3..

those are the obvious I could think of.

[Big @ Jul 14th 2007 12:57AM]

I buy PMP's and MP4 players from Chinatown (Manhattan) wholesale and sell them at flea markets as a hustle.

The major problems I see are:

#1 the devices tend to have shitty user interfaces. They are ok for playing music but when you play NES roms the system usually experiences OS freezing making it impossible to access other functions of the player.

#2 None of the devices are focused. If they designed a player the size and shape of PSP with a controller layout like the Genesis' pad, they could concievably play NES, GENESIS, GAME BOY and GAME GEAR, Turbo Graphyx 16 and Master System ROMS on the same 3 action buttons + D-Pad. They never do this though. Instead they try and make a Genesis game fit on a 2 action button control setup.

#3 To the touch, quality is CRAP. Thing feels like it will fall apart.

[Mat Brady @ Jul 14th 2007 4:54AM]

When you say a button layout like the Genesis do You mean like this? http://www.sirlin.net/.blog/SuperPad8.gif

Or like this? http://img.shopping.com/cctool/PrdImg/images/pr/177X150/00/01/a7/74/32/27751474.JPG

Or like this? http://www.sega-16.com/Features/Genesis%20Accessory%20&%20Peripheral%20Guide/Genesis-original-pad.gif

[Water @ Jul 15th 2007 3:10PM]

Yo! I live in lower NYC too. Where can i buy this in chinatown?

[Zzephyr @ Jul 14th 2007 12:59AM]

If it doesn't play Sudoku, I'm not interested.

[Jacob Buck @ Jul 14th 2007 1:16AM]

just spend a little more for a psp. it can do all that with homebrew, plus it has great, graphics intense games.

[Logik @ Jul 14th 2007 1:39AM]

As soon as your hands begin to sweat after a retro-game marathon; the poisons from the plastic will seep into your skin, and you will be turned inside out.

[Comacozi @ Jul 14th 2007 1:42AM]

it can do all that, but can it play doom?

[Catdogburger @ Jul 14th 2007 12:53PM]

It can play SNES games DUMBA$$, doom was a SNES game.

so yes, It can play doom ;)

[smoke_tetsu @ Jul 14th 2007 3:34PM]

A cut down version that doesn't do t justice. =P

[Nate @ Jul 14th 2007 1:47AM]

GP2X does kinda beast this, except for the price comparison...

[davidgilmour @ Jul 14th 2007 4:36AM]

which 12 emus are playable on PSP? Mame as well?

[Dewayne @ Jul 14th 2007 3:15AM]

The PSP is a much better buy than this or the GP2x, it has 12 great working emulators running with only one hiccuping a little bit and that would be snes. Other than that there are at least 5 more that are in the alpha stages

[davidgilmour @ Jul 14th 2007 12:08PM]

which 12 emus are playable on PSP? Mame as well?

[Dewayne @ Jul 14th 2007 1:22PM]

gameboy advance...gpSP
Neo Geo...MVSPSP
Atari 7800...psp7800
Atari 5200 and 800xl...pspatari
Atari 2600...psp2600
TurboGrafx 16...Hue for PSP
NES..>NesterJ nes emulator
Sega Master System and Game Gear... SMSPlus
Genesis...DGEN
Super Nintendo...Snes9xtyl
Intellevision... pspint
Capcom PlaySystem 1...cps1psp
Capcom PlaySystem 2...cps1psp
mame...Mame4all
That is just the tip of the iceberg with the psp. psparari is capable of 5 systems emulated, smsplus also does 2 systems, Atari Jaguar and Nintendo 64 are nearly playable, look for the website quickjump you should be able to find more info.

[Big @ Jul 14th 2007 9:16AM]

A true Geneis game only requires 3 Action buttons.
Most other 1980's systems required 2 buttons.

A 6 button settup like described would be unnescessary, but a 3 button would be perfect.

[Goemon4 @ Jul 14th 2007 6:09AM]

@ Mat Brady - he means the original 3 button Genesis controller layout

@ Dewayne - the psp is more powerful, but the 2x is better, i have both and the 2x has much better homebrew, and some better emus. The psp dosnt even have a good mame emu, or sega cd, or duke3d, or wolf3d, or marathon etc. both are good imo. This tho, is meh, 2x is teh pwn, as is the psp.

[Rob @ Jul 14th 2007 8:51AM]

This is one fugly looking PSP clone.

[anon @ Jul 14th 2007 10:40AM]

So, let me get this straight. It's phone, internet, AND a widescreen iPod in ONE device??

[Dan @ Jul 14th 2007 8:05PM]

There's a camera too!

[Rahul @ Jul 14th 2007 10:57AM]

There's one thing (or 2 things if u want more granularity) if included would make this a near complete mobile package. That's right, I'm talking about either GSM or CDMA or both bundled into it to make it a Portable Media/Communication device. Oh yeah, you could also throw in all the other neat stuff that the N90 has.

THAT I'd buy.

[lassi @ Jul 14th 2007 11:28AM]

what n95 is missing is that designer would have thought of gaming when designing the pad and the music buttons. the rest is just software.

the 3d acceleration is wonderful in games that support it(there's hw accel on e90, n95 and n93).

[Brandon @ Jul 14th 2007 11:25AM]

I think there was a snes version...

[Brandon @ Jul 14th 2007 11:28AM]

That was meant to be a reply to Comacozi's "it can do all that, but can it play doom?" Damn reply button.

[Christopher Price @ Jul 14th 2007 6:37PM]

As to GPL'ed code... we'd have to find a web site first :)

As to MP3... the international law on that patent could not apply to where it was made... again, we'd have to figure out where it was made first.

My point however was that the vague statement of "breaking a whole bunch of laws" continues the (false) stigma over emulators. Someday... emulators will be a necessary part of life, but that's going to prompt more speculation than I'm going to give today.

- Christopher Price
http://www.phonenews.com

[Dewayne @ Jul 14th 2007 1:38PM]

@Goemon4 Mame4all really sucks on the psp because of all the resolution clipping, but its play at full speed. The there were only 2 great games on sega cd sonic cd and Phantasy star. Nukem is available the replay value is not great to me. The nicest selling feature on a great deal of psp emus is the ablility to wifi connect to another psp for 2 player games.

[Dewayne @ Jul 14th 2007 1:48PM]

@Goemon

Yes psp doesnt have a league of first person engines. That hardly disqualifies it from being KING of emu. Last I checked it has the GP2x beat 20-7 and that is a conservative estimate

[The ZeroCorpse @ Jul 14th 2007 8:05PM]

Here's my question: WHY do you guys want to emulate or play 20-year-old games, anyway? I mean, yeah, a rousing 8-bit or 16-bit game is a nice trip down memory lane, but even the most basic free demos today are more complex than full versions of these old games.

Yeah, nostalgia is neat, but are you really going to play Legend of Zelda, or Sonic the Hedgehog again?

Honestly, I think some of you do the retro thing because you're either trying to hang on to your youth, or you think it's cool to find obscure ROMs and show them to your friends.

[Edgar & Sabin Figaro @ Jul 15th 2007 3:04PM]

Because most of the games from past era's play better then the games that are made today. These games still hold up.

Games today are just visual eye candy, nothing more. IMO anyway

I still play these games all the time. There better than most of the shit that's made today. IMO

[The ZeroCorpse @ Jul 15th 2007 3:32PM]

That's bull.

You can't seriously tell me that you'd rather play a simple game like Legend of Zelda instead of a complex, detailed game like Oblivion.

You can't tell me that you'd rather play Pole Position than Forza II.

And so on. Eye candy counts for something, but modern games have SO MUCH MORE in terms of gameplay, content, length, depth, sound, AI, and everything else. Name any old game and I can probably name a game that uses the same formula today but does it better.

Why not just skip the graphics altogether and go back to text adventures?

Maybe I'm just not the type of person who likes to play the same games over and over for twenty years... But I really have a hard time understand why anyone else would want to do this, either.

No--- I think on portables like this, the goal is to show off what you can do, and to screw the big guys out of their ROMs for some sort of deep, personal satisfaction. It's the thrill you get when you realize you can download and play a game that you used to have to pay for... That's what makes the emulation scene so popular. It's the illicit part of it... Not the games themselves.

[Dewayne @ Jul 15th 2007 6:51PM]

Classic games are far less complex and they have much better gameplay than the new eyecandy of today. I certainly don't wish to relive my very poor and impoverished childhood... I didnt really like being a child and love being an adult. I have the greatest wife on the planet and 3 great boys.

[Kal-El @ Jul 14th 2007 9:30PM]

Is it just me, or does it look like the secret love-child of the PSP and GBA?

[Big @ Jul 16th 2007 12:11AM]

they only sell thems wholesale where I buy. Try SONA

[MikeLee @ Jul 15th 2007 6:48PM]

I'm buying to see how well it actually works. I only have an ipod nano so the video playback will be pretty sweet. Reading ebooks will also be pretty sweet on the 1.5hr commute to and from work. Roms are just an added bonus and probably won't be the main thing used on my pmp.

[Matt @ Jul 16th 2007 4:15AM]

It's OK, guys! This copies the OLD PSP design, and sony has just released the new PSP! I hardly think that they would kick up a fuss ab... wait, what? The new PSP has the exact same design?

Oh, what a crock of horse s***!