To the people who own or have played both systems running the Scumm application,which is better?I'm debating on getting either a DS or PSP and just want to know all around which system is the most capable of recapturing the PC expierence.I have been playing my old games on my PC
for almost 2 years with SCUMM,and it would be my top reason for buying one of these systems.Any input or help is greatly appreciated.
DS or PSP?
Moderator: ScummVM Team
I own neither device so this here probably isn't worth a penny. Anyways, isn't PSP's bigger screen much closer to the PC desktop experience already? Then again stylus input kicks mouse emulation's butt. Get a second hand PocketPC to enjoy both qualities of the screen, the reasonable size and the touch sensing.
Here's some input from another user who has neither a PSP nor a DS but opinions on them nonetheless. 
Both machines are very closed, and in order to run ScummVM on them you will have to flash them with altered BIOS images, a risky process at best as you might easily brick your unit.
If ScummVM is the main thing you want to run on a portable, I agree that there's no beating a PocketPC. Just remember that most PocketPC devices today, and definitely older ones, often run a 320x240 screen which means you might not be able to run 640x480 games like COMI. But the touch screen is a winner compared to mouse emulation. If you have the money, go for a newer 640x480 device.
If you also want to enjoy other older games that were designed for joypad/stick controls, I'd go for a GP2X or possibly an XGP which are both joypad devices similar to the PSP and DS (which means ScummVM must use mouse emulation). The GP2X is way cheaper than the XGP will be (but make sure you get a Mk2 device, the Mk1 and First Edition had some hardware flaws), and has the advantage of actually existing today (the XGP is still in the design phase). The XGP has the advantage of speed and 3D accelleration, but has a widescreen ratio that may be unsuitable for many older games. Both machines are designed with opensource development in mind from the ground up, so you don't have to modify them in any way to run ScummVM or any other ported program you might want to use.
Both machines are very closed, and in order to run ScummVM on them you will have to flash them with altered BIOS images, a risky process at best as you might easily brick your unit.
If ScummVM is the main thing you want to run on a portable, I agree that there's no beating a PocketPC. Just remember that most PocketPC devices today, and definitely older ones, often run a 320x240 screen which means you might not be able to run 640x480 games like COMI. But the touch screen is a winner compared to mouse emulation. If you have the money, go for a newer 640x480 device.
If you also want to enjoy other older games that were designed for joypad/stick controls, I'd go for a GP2X or possibly an XGP which are both joypad devices similar to the PSP and DS (which means ScummVM must use mouse emulation). The GP2X is way cheaper than the XGP will be (but make sure you get a Mk2 device, the Mk1 and First Edition had some hardware flaws), and has the advantage of actually existing today (the XGP is still in the design phase). The XGP has the advantage of speed and 3D accelleration, but has a widescreen ratio that may be unsuitable for many older games. Both machines are designed with opensource development in mind from the ground up, so you don't have to modify them in any way to run ScummVM or any other ported program you might want to use.
Then again, a NoPass cart isn't free, and I'm sure the big N has something to say about the legality of such a cart in many countries (like, all of the US and the EU). I'd go for either a PocketPC or a GP2X simply because those units are inherently more opensource friendly. Of course, hardware wise, the DS has both a pad and touch screen, so if it was more open it'd be the ultimate compromise between a GP2X and a PocketPC.agentq wrote:Flashing the DS BIOS is not necessary. You can just get a NoPass cart, and stick that in to run ScummVM. With many of the modern card readers, it's as simple as putting the executable and the game on a flash card, and turning on.
And you can't beat the price of the DS.
A NoPass can be had for about £10. It's legality is probably a grey area, but the good old Sega vs Accolade might make it legal.
But then you could argue that copying a game that you own onto a portable device is illegal anyway, since not all licences allow for fair use copying.
Still, I probably don't understand the legal situation, and it shouldn't stop anyone trying DS homebrew, there's a lot of good stuff out there.
I do fancy a GP2X though, I may get hold of one at one point since it looks like a really powerful device.
But then you could argue that copying a game that you own onto a portable device is illegal anyway, since not all licences allow for fair use copying.
Still, I probably don't understand the legal situation, and it shouldn't stop anyone trying DS homebrew, there's a lot of good stuff out there.
I do fancy a GP2X though, I may get hold of one at one point since it looks like a really powerful device.
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David Threepwood
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Wed Oct 04, 2006 8:31 am
- Location: Sacramento,Ca
I'm awaiting delivery of my GP2X system right now, I'll post results when I've had some time to play around with it. I'm also sure DJWillis must have one as he's the official ScummVM GP2X porter.David Threepwood wrote:Ok thankyou everybody for the helpful replies.Recently I have been heavily considering buying the GP2X based on how open-ended it seems.Does anybody here own it?Also is there anybody that has tried running Lucas games on it,and how satisfied were you with the experience?