Is the cradle any good?
and is there anything extra I need to buy with it?

If you have USB devices that you want to use with the GP2X then yeah its great.
It allows you to have 2 player games as you can plug into the tv with an extra joypad.(emulator/game needs to allow it)

If you dont have any usb stuff that you want to use it pretty pointless.
Extras needed are probably a plug for your GP2X and maybe an extra one for your cradle depending on the usb devices you want to use. eg: usb harddisk requires extra power fo the cradle

If you have USB devices that you want to use with the GP2X then yeah its great.
It allows you to have 2 player games as you can plug into the tv with an extra joypad.(emulator/game needs to allow it)

If you dont have any usb stuff that you want to use it pretty pointless.
Extras needed are probably a plug for your GP2X and maybe an extra one for your cradle depending on the usb devices you want to use. eg: usb harddisk requires extra power fo the cradle
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What joypads does it support?
and what power supply do I need for the cradle?

I dont what it actually supports. I know that the joypads I use worked with no problems what so ever. Mine are Genius pads.

I dont think extra power is needed for joypads. But if you do need it , it is advised that you get an official cradle adapter probably from where you get your cradle.
Im using a multi adapter with a voltage changer and it seems to work alright

see this thread http://www.gp32x.com/board/index.php?showtopic=37659&hl=

umm so wat games and emus have 2 player support?

To be honest I dont play the homebrew games. Im more interested in emulation.

The emulators I know for definate that have 2 player support
Picodrive
Mame
and it looks like Vice will have it very soon.

Others might have them. The snes ones dont

Last NES emu supports two gamepads.
PicoDrive supports only one USB gamepad(other players should play on gp2x itself)

But it should work just great to work with DosBox and other apps since Keyboard Support.

I think there just could be written gamepad-mapper untility that maps gamepad buttons over gp2x standart controller. That is to be solution.

P.s: Now I'm writting a game for 1-4 players multiplayer supported by Cradle.

so only 2 emus are supported thats kinda of lame... wat about quake duke doom rott...but mame is supported awesome.

Emus that support joysticks:
Picodrive
GPFCE (NES)
MAME
GP2Xpectrum
Vice (c64) should too.

Quake supports mouse and keyboard
ScummVM supports mouse
Beat2x support joystick
x11 supports mouse & keyboard
Qtopia supports mouse & keyboard

There's keyboard and joystick (and probably mouse) code in duke that's left over from the original linux sdl port, but to be honest I've never tried seeing if it all still works.

Are you sure?? Im ure the newest version has the option for 2 pads

I can confirm Picodrive and FCEultra both have 2-player USB support

I suspect that the cradle could be nice if you wanted to make a mame cabinet with out the PC. Imagine having a huge video cabinet to play retro games with your mates. When you open it up all that's inside is a screen and your cradled GP2X.

Does Mame have mouse support for analoge games? That would be a nice feature.

Well then I suggest not opening it while your friends are watching.

So can I confirm that I WON'T need a seperate Power Supply for the cradle if:

1) I am running no more than 2 usb control pads

2) I am using a MK2 GP2X (which I already have a Power Supply for)

You should be alright, because as I understand it, only the MK1 requires the cradle to be powered. I can confirm, however, since I am using the cradle with a MK1, that the cradle most certainly needs it's own power source.

The cradle doesn't need to be powered with a mk1, but I don't know how much (or if anything) will work unless the cradle is powered. All the mk1 needs is something stuck into the cradle power socket and it will boot fine.

Emulators with usb support (taken from wiki):

Alexkidd2x (2 joypads)
GPFCE (2)
Picodrive (4)
CPS2Emu (4)
MAME (4)

Personally, I won't know for definate myself till I get the cradle at somepoint this week (although I'm certainly picking up a USB bluetooth and ir port to play Quake2x!!)

I must say that the cradle has been something of a disappointment. Firstly, I had to dismantle it just to get the thing to plug in to my 2X. Then I found that only one of my controllers worked (so have had to order another of the same make and model) – the other 3 controllers I tried did nothing. Finally the picture quality is average at best, not as good as I was expecting.

Hi guys,

I noticed that GPH shows a composite video out cable in the official cradle pictures. This is obviously false advertising as only s video out is supported.

Also, this unit wouldnt be good for a Mame Cabinet as you cant emulate the best shmups and other more advanced fighters. Battle Garegga, Armed Police Batrider, etc. Not a good choice for a 3000$ arcade caibnet.

If you knew anything about video standards, you´d know that it is very easy to convert S-Video to composite. all you need is two wires and a 470pF capacitor. S-Video has the same signal as composite, it´s just that Y and C are assigned to two different wires instead of just one.

So any device that outputs S-Video also supports composite, it´s just a matter of the plug.

Yes, because I dont have a video cable that converts s video to composite, that means I know nothing about video standards. If you knew anything about me, you would be wrong.

It is false advertising when the product doesnt natively support composite. There are many video cable adapters for different outputs, that does not validate misleading advertising.

Also please watch your language, your tone was very offensive.

the specs clearly indicate s video, hardly false advertising - and what pictures are you moaning about? - non of the pictures i've seen have shown the back of the cradle

Not really up for debate. The fact that it appeared that way to me is proof of false advertising. I'm going to contact GPH site to inform them to change the preview clip and pictures of the cradle which feature a composite video output.

If nothing is changed, a BBB report will be filed.

I dont think GPH cares about the better buisness bureau And you probably saw the left right audio out plugs next to the svideo. Not reading up on things dosen't give you room to complain. Psps are going to have tv out you should buy one and complain to BBB about sony not supporting emulators because you saw it on youtube.

It appears to me that you are sadly deluded if you think GPH (not renowned for listening) will take the blindest bit of notice. Especially when your point is, at best, dubious.

Where does it show that? It does show 2 RCA sockets, for audio.