[Author Prev][Author Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Author Index][Thread Index]

Re: [pygame] Pygaming on the GP2X



On Wednesday 04 January 2006 01:15, Simon Wittber wrote:
> Hey, has anyone bought a GP2X?

I have one sitting right next to me - I received it about 10 days before
Christmas. What probably helps is that they seem to be shipping second
generation systems now which have a number of firmware updates. I
have a friend at work who has a 1st gen, and hasn't updated the firmware
yet and has a few issues.

> I am considering purchasing one, but am wondering about the
> programming possibilities of the unit.

The python and pygame installation work very nicely. Indeed it's a very handy 
thing to have on the device. Indeed, from a personal perspective this gives 
us another platform for our code (kamaelia.sf.net) to run on.

Thanks to python & pygame "just working" (as they always seem to do
so :), I had our stuff basically ported in 1 day, which is actually
faster/easier than the windows port :) (I suppose really this is due
to it really just being python on linux)

I've got a simplified/optimised version of Kamaelia in testing as well which 
might help simplify development for the GP2x since I've got a mode for 
slowing down the system/simulating the GP2X runtime on the machine.

If there's interest I can release code sooner rather than later... 

(This means of couse that I can develop completely on my desktop and just use 
on the GP2X)

In short I'm having fun with my new toy. One word of warning: use
rechargeable batteries with rating of 1700mAH or higher. (I've recently
bought a large pack of 2000mAH). You can happily watch a 2 hour film
then on 2 AA batteries. It will eat any non-NiMH batteries for breakfast and 
ask for seconds.

> I've seen that pygame has already been ported to it, has anyone in the
> list actually written code for it, and seen it run on the GP2X? If
> so... what is the performance like?

I'm getting about 10-15 fps, which doesn't sound much, but on the small
display seems OK. (For reference Quake runs at about the same speed,
and is highly playable IMO) I think I have good reason to believe this will
get better.

> Is it possible to use any of its  2D gfx chips to accelerate 2D ops from
> python? 

At present no. However there are people working on optimising the SDL
implementation for the GP2x which should provide free benefit for people
like python users.

For a device that's about the same cost as an ipod nano, that can play
music & films *and* run my python code, well, I think it's a great little
device :-) (Oh, and be able to look at photos from my digital camera
without needing a PC on a nice screen... Hmm... That reminds me, if I
put a python install on my memory cards for my camera I could get the
images auto resized on the GP2X before previewing... )

It's a VERY fun toy :) (but very useful IMO, if you're a programmer)


Michael.
-- 
"Coffee is a slow poison. It has to be. I have drunk eight cups a day for
 fifty years, and I am still not dead." -- Voltaire