Looking for an alternative to Nvidia’s Shield Portable? There aren’t a lot of options stateside, but fortunately Chinese OEMs are happily c...
Looking for an alternative to Nvidia’s Shield Portable? There aren’t a lot of options stateside, but fortunately Chinese OEMs are happily churning out new models all the time — models like the GPD XD, which looks an awful lot like Nintendo’s new 3DS XL.
The maker, GPD (Game Pad Digital), left out quite a few details that keep it from being a true knockoff. There isn’t a 3D display, and it lacks the secondary screen on the bottom half that puts the D in DS. It’s fairly XL, though, with a five-inch diagonal and the control layout is pretty much bang on.
You can pre-order the XD right now on a site called Willgoo. For $160, you get a system powered by a quad-core Rockchip RK3288 processor that maxes out at 1.8GHz. A Mali-T764 GPU handles the rendering, and it has 2GB of DDR3 memory. The base unit comes with 16GB and there’s a 32GB version in the works, but you can also expand via micro SD.
GPD opted for Android 4.4 instead of 5.0+, which is kind of a bummer. The XD also lacks Bluetooth support and cameras, but on the upside it does come with a speedy 802.11ac Wi-Fi adapter. So it has that going for it. They also threw in a nice, big battery — 6000mAh — which allows for an estimated eight hours of gaming. That’s probably a bit on the generous side, but it should at least be able to outlast your phone.
This isn’t GPD’s first, let’s call it “homage,” to another handheld gaming system. They have another one that bears a striking resemblance to Sony’s PS Vita. GPD has even built one with a seven-inch touchscreen that seems to have been inspired by Nintendo’s Wii U GamePad.
Source: Geek.Com
