New handheld sighted in Japan
GamePark's GP32 is a GBA-beater, but don't expect to find one in your local Game...
A handful of Tokyo-based retailers are stocking a new handheld today. GamePark's GP32 has only been officially released on the Korean market, but its popularity is growing through Asia with certain retailers securing imports for the Japanese market. GP32 is similar in style to Nintendo's GameBoy Advance, but it can also playback MP3 music files. The system is driven by a 32-bit CPU - hence GP32 - with 8Mb of SDRAM. The colour LCD screen is larger than Nintendo's, and apparently backlit according to images of the unit at Core Magazine. There is no word on battery life, but software-wise the console boasts RPGs including Dungeon & Guarder, Little Wizard, Highmoss and Battle Mage. The interesting thing is that software and MP3s can be stored on SmartMedia cards, which go up to about 128Mb. GamePark has no plans to release the console in America or Japan domestically, and none of the local importers we spoke to this morning had even heard of the console. Here are some images at Core Magazine to whet your appetite anyway.
