GamePark Holdings
Encyclopedia
GPH, formerly known as GamePark Holdings, is a South Korea
n company responsible for creating the GP2X
that was founded by former employees of the game maker GamePark in 2005.
, its maker GamePark began to design their next handheld. A disagreement within the company about the general direction of this system prompted many of the staff (including the majority of engineers) to leave and create their own company, GamePark Holdings, to create, produce and market a 2D handheld system that they saw as the evolution of the GP32. In contrast, GamePark began developing the XGP
, a 3D system similar to the PlayStation Portable
. The XGP was never released and in March 2007, the old company filed for bankruptcy.
The name of the 2D console was conceived as the GPX2. Eventually, GPH would run into difficulty with it due to a possible trademark violation with the name of a Japanese printer, the GPX, being considered too similar. Potential confusion with a "second generation printer" needed to be avoided, so a contest for a new name was announced on August 3rd, 2005. Around 1500 names were submitted by the deadline of the 15th day, but trademark issues hindered the registration of the fifteen selected names. Eventually, GamePark Holdings simply decided to swap some letters and name their handheld GP2X
, finding it an available trademark.
By the time it was discontinued in August 2008, 60,000 GP2X units had been sold. In May 2009, the GP2X Wiz
was released, the successor to the GP2X.
In August 2010 GPH launched a new handheld console, Caanoo, as a successor to the GP2X Wiz
, with games purchased through GPH's simultaneously released online app/game store called FunGP. The Caanoo failed to sell well, and in September 2011, GamePark decided it would not develop any new hardware.
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
n company responsible for creating the GP2X
GP2X
The GP2X is an open-source, Linux-based handheld video game console and portable media player developed by South Korean company GamePark Holdings. It was released on November 10, 2005, in South Korea only....
that was founded by former employees of the game maker GamePark in 2005.
History
Several years after the release of the GP32GP32
The GP32 is a handheld game console developed by the Korean company Game Park. It was released on November 23, 2001, in South Korea only.- Overview :The GP32 is based on a 133 MHz ARM CPU and 8 MB of RAM...
, its maker GamePark began to design their next handheld. A disagreement within the company about the general direction of this system prompted many of the staff (including the majority of engineers) to leave and create their own company, GamePark Holdings, to create, produce and market a 2D handheld system that they saw as the evolution of the GP32. In contrast, GamePark began developing the XGP
XGP
The XGP was a concept portable video game system created by the Korean company GamePark as the follow-up to its GP32 handheld. Initially announced in 2005, the XGP was finally announced in March 2006 along with the release of the similar XGP Mini and the XGP Kids...
, a 3D system similar to the PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
. The XGP was never released and in March 2007, the old company filed for bankruptcy.
The name of the 2D console was conceived as the GPX2. Eventually, GPH would run into difficulty with it due to a possible trademark violation with the name of a Japanese printer, the GPX, being considered too similar. Potential confusion with a "second generation printer" needed to be avoided, so a contest for a new name was announced on August 3rd, 2005. Around 1500 names were submitted by the deadline of the 15th day, but trademark issues hindered the registration of the fifteen selected names. Eventually, GamePark Holdings simply decided to swap some letters and name their handheld GP2X
GP2X
The GP2X is an open-source, Linux-based handheld video game console and portable media player developed by South Korean company GamePark Holdings. It was released on November 10, 2005, in South Korea only....
, finding it an available trademark.
By the time it was discontinued in August 2008, 60,000 GP2X units had been sold. In May 2009, the GP2X Wiz
GP2X Wiz
The GP2X Wiz is an open-source, Linux-based handheld video game console and portable media player developed by South Korean company GamePark Holdings. It was released on May 12, 2009, and was also the first console from both Game Park and Game Park Holdings to be also released outside South Korea...
was released, the successor to the GP2X.
In August 2010 GPH launched a new handheld console, Caanoo, as a successor to the GP2X Wiz
GP2X Wiz
The GP2X Wiz is an open-source, Linux-based handheld video game console and portable media player developed by South Korean company GamePark Holdings. It was released on May 12, 2009, and was also the first console from both Game Park and Game Park Holdings to be also released outside South Korea...
, with games purchased through GPH's simultaneously released online app/game store called FunGP. The Caanoo failed to sell well, and in September 2011, GamePark decided it would not develop any new hardware.
External links
- GamePark Holdings
- About GamePark Holdings
- GP2X FAQ - a FAQ covering everything about the GP2X
- wiki.GP2X.org - The GP2X Wiki