Although the handheld console market seems completely dominated by Nintendo with its Switch, it is actually more competitive than it seems.
[Esto no es una Game Boy, sino una consola que cuesta menos de 50 dollars]
The key lies in the large number of models launched by small manufacturers taking advantage of the “crowdfunding” trend and the low prices possible with the latest chips and software. One of the best examples of this trend is the original GPD Win, which was born primarily as a mini-laptop but evolved into a console that continues the legacy of the best.
New GPD Win 4, the legacy of PS Vita
The new GPD Win model is perhaps the best example of this philosophy. Whichever way you look at it, it’s clearly inspired by the PS Vita and PSP, Sony’s handheld consoles that tried to wrest the market from Nintendo with some success. These models are remembered because they did not follow the philosophy of traditional handheld consoles, giving an obvious leap in quality.
The GPD Win 4 has a design inspired by Sony’s PS Vita
Due to the low power of handheld consoles, needed to extend battery life, games made for these systems were very limited and had nothing to do with the home console releases. The PSP and PS Vita changed that, offering a very similar experience to the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3 respectively.
The GPD Win 4 follows this philosophy of sacrificing nothing to deliver the best gaming experience, since it is processor-based AMD Ryzen 6800U, with overwhelming power considering the console’s portable format; the key is its integrated Radeon 680M graphics card, based on the same computer graphics RDNA2 architecture. It comes with 16 or 32 GB of RAM, and we can choose between 512 GB, 1 TB or 2 TB of internal storage, although it is expandable with the microSD slot.
The GPD Win 4 can be connected to a dock to gain connections and more possibilities
Consequently, it is one of the most powerful laptops you can get today; the GPD Win 4 can run anything you can think of, such as the latest games released on PC as well as the latest emulation programs. The GPD Win 4 is compatible with Windows 11, but it also allows the installation of SteamOS and its creators claim that it surpasses the Steam Deck.
The design of the GPD Win 4 is obviously inspired by that of the PS Vita, but it hides a surprise: if you mount the touch screen, you will find a full keyboard, and it has optical sensors to control the mouse cursor , so It can perform the functions of a laptop without problems. That aside from the built-in buttons and joysticks, of course.
The GPD Win 4 has a physical keyboard under the screen
Thanks to the USB4 connectivity we can use the GPD Win 4 as a desktop console, connecting a monitor or TV, but we can also connect an external graphics card if we want more power; a ‘dock’ will be offered to recharge the batteries or connect peripherals. Speaking of connectivity, it has WiFi 6, and is compatible with a 4G module to play anywhere with a SIM card.
The GPD Win 4 seems to be one of the best portable consoles of 2023; Like the previous versions, it is offered in ‘crowdfunding’ on Indiegogo but it has already far exceeded the money needed to finance it. You can still get one for 927 dollars, with a launch scheduled for March 2023.
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