The world of mobile gaming gets pretty weird once you get outside of the bubble of both iOS and Android devices (and even including the Switch). While I’ve never actually seen one in the wild in the USA, it seems these micro-computers are reasonably popular in Eastern markets where people might not have desktop gaming PC’s but are still very much interested in PC games. The GPD Win (short for “GamePad Digital") was released in October of 2016 and overall was a pretty neat device. Unlike other GPD gadgets which ran Android on ARM processors, the GPD Win was an x86-based handheld PC that ran Windows. On paper it was a real cool gizmo but ultimately suffered from loads of tiny issues and annoyances that came from a device that tried to do so much with so little actual processing power. They announced the GPD Win 2 last year and it features several major improvements.
First off, instead of the anemic Intel Atom processor of the original, it’s coming with an Intel Core M3-7Y30 which is paired with an Intel HD 615 GPU. It’s not going to knock your socks off, but it should be more than enough power to run most modern PC games on the 6" 720p screen. Also, while the original used absurdly slow eMMC storage, the new iteration comes packed with a proper 128GB SSD that you can even upgrade yourself if you’re looking for more space. Other tiny quality of live improvements like changing the location of air vents and loads of other things have been tweaked as well.
You can pre-order the GPD Win 2 over on Indiegogo, which is also where you’ll find loads more information about the device. The cheapest you’ll be able to get one through this crowdfunding campaign is $649, which is pretty cheap when you consider the specs of the device (particularly compared to a $1,000 smartphone). For a Western gamer, I’m really just not sure where the GPD Win 2 fits into your gaming lifestyle, particularly with the momentum the Nintendo Switch has gained when it comes to being home to ports of so many other indie and AAA games.
I guess if you played some super specific PC games like World of Warcraft and other titles that’ll likely never leave PC, a GPD Win 2 makes a lot of sense. Maintaining a pocket-sized install of Windows 10 seems like a hassle, but, if you have a massive Steam library and aren’t really interested in the Switch or modern mobile games, the GPD Win 2 might be a slam dunk? I’d love to try one of these out to see where it possibly fits into my life as a gamer, as it’s real hard to imagine myself doing much more than fiddling with it, saying “Huh, that’s neat," and going back to my iPhone and Switch.
