Handheld game console
The GP2X Caanoo, more commonly known as Caanoo, stylized CAANOO, is an open source, Linux-based handheld video game console and portable media player developed by the South Korean company GamePark Holdings. It was released on August 16, 2010 in South Korea and was also sold throughout Europe. It is the successor to the GP2X Wiz, and was showcased at the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2010.[1] The device's launch price was about US$150, which didn't reach any retail stores in North America.
The Caanoo is not a direct competitor of handheld consoles like Nintendo DS or PlayStation Portable, but rather an alternative open source device. Because of that, any software that is compatible can be run without the need of creating custom firmware or other homebrew applications. This is the last open-source gaming device by GamePark Holdings, as they ceased production and development of gaming hardware to focus solely on software.[2]
Hardware
Specifications
- SoC (System on a Chip): MagicEyes Pollux VR3520F
- CPU: ARM926EJ 533 MHz embedded on SoC (architecture version ARMv5TEJ)
- GPU: 3D hardware[3] engine embedded on SoC (OpenGL ES 1.1 support)
- 3D performance: 133M Texel/s and 1,33M Polygon/s
- main RAM: 128 Mbytes[4] DDR SDRAM 133 MHz (peak memory bandwidth: 533 Mbytes/s)
- video buffer: about 16 Mbytes of main RAM are reserved for the video/texture information
- Operating System: Linux based[5]
- Flash memory: None (128 Mbytes reserved to the OS)
- Connection to PC: USB 2.0 High Speed through EXT Port
- USB Host: USB 1.1 standard socket
- Supports SD / SDHC memory cards (up to 32 Gigabytes)
- Accelerometer[6]
- Vibration Motor[6]
- High precision analog stick
- Display: 3.5 inch OLED[7] 320×240 pixel (resistive touchscreen)
- Stereo audio DAC: Wolfson Microelectronics WM1800
- Embedded Microphone and stereo Loudspeakers
- Power: Internal 1850mAh Lithium Polymer Battery (approx. 5/6 hours game/video playback)
- Dimensions : 146 by 70 by 18.5 millimetres (5.75 in × 2.76 in × 0.73 in)
- Weight : 136 grams (4.8 oz)
- WiFi via adapter (USB dongle – Purchased separately)
- Colors: Black/Blue, White
NB: the CPU embedded on Pollux has a good tolerance to overclocking (until 750 MHz the system shouldn't have problems, just a shorter battery autonomy.)
Not all CPU/SoC are created equal and these results are theoretical. Some may not be able to push much past stock frequency. Overclocking will vary between each Caanoo.
Games/Applications
The Caanoo had only four commercial retail games:[8]
- Asura Cross
- Propis
- Rhythmos
- Wiz Party
The Caanoo can run several applications that emulate consoles[9] or computer systems, such as DrPocketSnes for the Super NES, GnGEO for the Neo-Geo, Hu-Go for the PC Engine, PCSX ReArmed for original PlayStation games, MAME4all for arcade games and Picodrive for the Mega Drive/Genesis and its add-ons, as well as freeware homebrew games/applications. These applications are created by the community itself and not by the manufacturers. Most, if not all of this software can be found at OpenHandhelds, a community-driven website.
Gamepark Holdings also had a website focused on downloadable content named FunGP. It sold commercial Caanoo and Wiz games, as well as some retro Arcade games. It has since ceased operations.
Caanoo is not compatible[10] with software built for previous GPH devices (such as the GP2X Wiz) without an application to allow it to do so. A compatibility layer named Ginge allows for most software to be compatible, and most applications have already been ported.
External TV output
The SoC Pollux embeds (besides to the primary LCD controller) an NTSC/PAL encoder with internal DAC to manage an external analog video signal (CVBS output: 720×480 or 720×576 pixel interlaced, respectively 60/50 Hz vertical sync and 15 kHz horizontal sync).
