The sequel to GPD's PC gaming handheld is officially here. The company recently launched a crowdfunding campaign for the GPD Win 2 on Indiegogo, and it has already surpassed its goal with two months of crowdfunding left to go.
The Win 2 is a followup to the GPD Win, a handheld PC that our own Jez Corden found to be quite impressive in his review – if a little on the expensive side. For the Win 2, GPD has upped the specs of the device, which it says has helped it to achieve some solid performance and framerate increases in a variety of popular games. Here's a look at the hardware particulars included with the GPD Win 2:
- Intel Core™ m3-7Y30
- lntel HD Graphics 615
- 6 inches H-IPS Technology
- 8GB Memory
- M.2 SSD 128GB, Replaceable, No Capacity Ceiling
- 162×99×25mm
- ABS + Aluminum alloy
- 2×4900mAh, In Series
- About 6~8 hours of battery life, it should depend on the actual working conditions
According to GPD, these specs were enough to help the device push Grand Theft Auto 5 to an average of 38 fps at maximum settings. Heroes of the Storm performed at an average of 49 fps at low settings, while DOTA2 managed to hit 70 fps at maximum settings. Each game was tested at a resolution of 1280 x 720. You can check out how the Win 2 compares to the GPD Win, at least according to GPD's own testing, in the chart below:
As far as inputs are concerned, the GPD Win 2 comes with a miniature keyboard, as well as twin joysticks, a D-pad, and your standard array of gaming buttons. Aside from slight design changes related to the device's accents, the biggest outward design change is the position of the thumbsticks, which are now closer to the edges of the interior. The device also features a slightly larger screen and double the RAM of its predecessor.
The GPD Win 2 obviously won't be for everyone; running full Windows 10 on such a small screen presents its own challenges, and playing full PC games on a diminutive device is a niche market anyway. Further complicating things is the price, which comes in at $649 during the Indiegogo campaign. That'll shoot up to an $899 base price once the device launches later this year. However, the GPD Win 2 is certainly an interesting product and, judging by its backing so far, there's clearly enough interest for it to hit the market.
If you're interested, you can back the GPD Win 2 now at Indiegogo. Units are expected to start shipping in May.
