Author Topic: Bring on the RG-350 (jz4770 based) handheld  (Read 112228 times)

gameblabla

  • Posts: 1451
Re: Bring on the RG-350 (jz4770 based) handheld
« Reply #40 on: August 12, 2019, 08:24:20 pm »
GCW Zero still doesnt have some perks available, like HDMI.?
Why this should be different, since it is similar HW? Am I wrong?
Nope, you're right to point that out. I believe they did add analog output in the upstream branch if i'm not wrong
but looks like this device will still use the old GCW0 kernel 3.4 code instead for now.
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Reds

  • Posts: 117
Re: Bring on the RG-350 (jz4770 based) handheld
« Reply #41 on: August 13, 2019, 05:33:47 am »
Supposedly HDMI-out will be implemented shortly after launch, but I'll believe it when I see it.

exorio

  • Posts: 382
Re: Bring on the RG-350 (jz4770 based) handheld
« Reply #42 on: August 14, 2019, 06:17:56 am »
Looking sweet

but I bet this device is at somewhere $100 range

I'll have to pass then

Xaijiqq

  • Posts: 450
Re: Bring on the RG-350 (jz4770 based) handheld
« Reply #43 on: August 20, 2019, 05:26:51 am »
'3.5 inch IPS screen at 320x240 resolution, 4:3 aspect ratio' this really should be the standard for all retro handhelds. although, the dpad/button layout or the sticks can't decide which the bigger deal breaker is

But, no removable battery?
well thankfully someone mentioned it this time ;)
« Last Edit: August 20, 2019, 05:44:31 am by Xaijiqq »

gameblabla

  • Posts: 1451
Re: Bring on the RG-350 (jz4770 based) handheld
« Reply #44 on: August 30, 2019, 07:47:10 pm »


https://retrogame300.com/products/rg350
Don't order from them, some people got their refunded via paypal.

Looks like it's available for pre-orders for 79$. If you want to give it a shot well... now you can.
It's that or getting a switch lite for a little more than double that price huhuhu...
« Last Edit: September 26, 2019, 11:20:40 am by gameblabla »
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iball

  • Posts: 196
Re: Bring on the RG-350 (jz4770 based) handheld
« Reply #45 on: August 31, 2019, 06:33:40 am »
Meh, what the heck - I "pre-ordered" one.
I love my GCW0 and it still stomps on the all the current batch of Chinese retro handhelds so I'm curious enough to pay to find out if the 350 is an improvement on the GCW0.
I'm curious if the GPU on it has been fully utilized since I don't think it was on the GCW0.

gameblabla

  • Posts: 1451
Re: Bring on the RG-350 (jz4770 based) handheld
« Reply #46 on: August 31, 2019, 03:52:38 pm »
I'm curious if the GPU on it has been fully utilized since I don't think it was on the GCW0.
OpenGLES acceleration was available on the GCW0 since September 2013... However the drivers at the time were complete crap.
It's possible to update the rootfs with buildroot (and the Mesa drivers along with it) but uclibc does not have perfect backward compatibility... well at least not completely..
I'm assuming it will use the stock GCW0 firmware with a modified kernel.
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exorio

  • Posts: 382
Re: Bring on the RG-350 (jz4770 based) handheld
« Reply #47 on: August 31, 2019, 09:13:07 pm »


https://retrogame300.com/products/rg350

Looks like it's available for pre-orders for 79$. If you want to give it a shot well... now you can.
It's that or getting a switch lite for a little more than double that price huhuhu...

tempting :o

Imma keep watching over this device

thanks for the link

iball

  • Posts: 196
Re: Bring on the RG-350 (jz4770 based) handheld
« Reply #48 on: August 31, 2019, 09:29:24 pm »
OpenGLES acceleration was available on the GCW0 since September 2013... However the drivers at the time were complete crap.
It's possible to update the rootfs with buildroot (and the Mesa drivers along with it) but uclibc does not have perfect backward compatibility... well at least not completely..
I'm assuming it will use the stock GCW0 firmware with a modified kernel.
Thanks for the reminder, I remember reading about the OpenGLES and driver issues somewhere long ago.
Does that mean the RG350 will be using newer/better drivers than the GCW0 was using or is this basically a GCW0 with L2/R2 buttons and two thumbsticks since it *might* be running the stock GCW0 firmware?
Were better graphics drivers ever released for the GCW0? 
Wasn't there something about it needing stuff upstreamed into the mainline Linux kernel first or whatever?

Surkow

  • * Administrator
  • Posts: 696
Re: Bring on the RG-350 (jz4770 based) handheld
« Reply #49 on: September 01, 2019, 01:33:53 am »
OpenGLES acceleration was available on the GCW0 since September 2013... However the drivers at the time were complete crap.
It's possible to update the rootfs with buildroot (and the Mesa drivers along with it) but uclibc does not have perfect backward compatibility... well at least not completely..
I'm assuming it will use the stock GCW0 firmware with a modified kernel.
Thanks for the reminder, I remember reading about the OpenGLES and driver issues somewhere long ago.
Does that mean the RG350 will be using newer/better drivers than the GCW0 was using or is this basically a GCW0 with L2/R2 buttons and two thumbsticks since it *might* be running the stock GCW0 firmware?
Were better graphics drivers ever released for the GCW0? 
Wasn't there something about it needing stuff upstreamed into the mainline Linux kernel first or whatever?

Firmware development mainly depends on efforts from developers targeting the GCW zero.

The GLES driver was sufficient at the time. The GCW Zero was the first commercial device to ship with (an alpha version of) the reverse engineered Etnaviv GPU driver which targets Vivante hardware. Newer driver developments required a move away from the framebuffer which had been postponed until recently.

There have been efforts to upstream drivers into the Linux kernel and switch the firmware to depend on devicetree and DRM/KMS. DRM/KMS support means a more up to date Etnaviv driver can be used.

The RG-350 will most likely launch with a firmware based on the last stable GCW Zero release. Which makes it unlikely any of the bleeding edge development work from the GCW Zero firmware will be included.

Nikojiro

  • Posts: 245
Re: Bring on the RG-350 (jz4770 based) handheld
« Reply #50 on: September 02, 2019, 01:29:35 pm »
Do we know at this point if the firmware will be open sourced ? It wasn't with the GCW Zero if I remember correctly. It would be a real issue to go with closed source when most other recent Ingenic devices have gone the open source way...

Also, are there already preorders online? This site (https://retrogame300.com/products/rg350) has already been relayed, but I've never heard about it, not sure about its reliability.

CSX

  • Posts: 59
Re: Bring on the RG-350 (jz4770 based) handheld
« Reply #51 on: September 02, 2019, 02:42:57 pm »
Will we be able to use this firmware on GCW Zero?

gameblabla

  • Posts: 1451
Re: Bring on the RG-350 (jz4770 based) handheld
« Reply #52 on: September 02, 2019, 06:45:04 pm »
Do we know at this point if the firmware will be open sourced ? It wasn't with the GCW Zero if I remember correctly. It would be a real issue to go with closed source when most other recent Ingenic devices have gone the open source way...
This is very wrong, the GCW0 was open sourced, down to the bootloader.
The RG-350 will use the exact same firmware (rootfs) and bootloader as the GCW0.
The only difference is a different kernel to support the right analog stick and the IPS screen.
(Said kernel is open sourced, link is at page 2 or something)

Will we be able to use this firmware on GCW Zero?
It is 100% identical to the GCW0 firmware. (i do believe they will remove the Wifi configuration tool though since the RG-350 doesn't have Wifi unlike the GCW0)
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tonyjih

  • Posts: 29
Re: Bring on the RG-350 (jz4770 based) handheld
« Reply #53 on: September 03, 2019, 03:31:49 am »
Please don't spread false information, thank you.

Both bootloader, kernel, rootfs have to modified before they can work.

gameblabla

  • Posts: 1451
Re: Bring on the RG-350 (jz4770 based) handheld
« Reply #54 on: September 03, 2019, 06:46:41 am »
Both bootloader, kernel, rootfs have to modified before they can work.
I did say that the kernel and rootfs would have to be modified.
Didn't know that the bootloader also needed some changes too... Well i don't have the device yet on my hands so i had to make some assumptions.

EDIT: I completely forgot that the RG-350 is using 512MB of DDR2 rather than SDRAM so yes, the bootloader does require some modifications.
I thought that it used SDRAM like the GCW0 but looks like not.

It seems that the changes are fairly minimal though :
https://github.com/tonyjih/RG350_linux
https://github.com/tonyjih/RG350_UBIBoot

Seems like you are also translating most of the stuff (in Gmenu2x) to Chinese.

I don't know why they would sell their devices internationally with the device set to Chinese by default  but maybe there's something lost on me.
« Last Edit: September 03, 2019, 06:57:12 am by gameblabla »
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wen_nug

  • Posts: 13
Re: Bring on the RG-350 (jz4770 based) handheld
« Reply #55 on: September 03, 2019, 07:02:03 am »


https://retrogame300.com/products/rg350

Looks like it's available for pre-orders for 79$. If you want to give it a shot well... now you can.
It's that or getting a switch lite for a little more than double that price huhuhu...

The STRAT button looks legit tho ;)

slaanesh (OP)

  • Posts: 569
    • Slaanesh Dev
Re: Bring on the RG-350 (jz4770 based) handheld
« Reply #56 on: September 05, 2019, 02:41:38 am »
The STRAT button looks legit tho ;)
I dunno why consoles have "SELECT" and "START" buttons anyway. They're never used as dedicated buttons anyway!

They just should be another generic button like "C" and "Z"

slaanesh (OP)

  • Posts: 569
    • Slaanesh Dev
Re: Bring on the RG-350 (jz4770 based) handheld
« Reply #57 on: September 06, 2019, 12:50:35 am »
Also, are there already preorders online? This site (https://retrogame300.com/products/rg350) has already been relayed, but I've never heard about it, not sure about its reliability.

The website states that the RG350 would be available at the end of September which is only 3 weeks or so.
Does that mean the RG350 will be available for general release at around this time?
Who is this retrogame300 company/owner anyway?

Surkow

  • * Administrator
  • Posts: 696
Re: Bring on the RG-350 (jz4770 based) handheld
« Reply #58 on: September 06, 2019, 02:09:03 am »
Also, are there already preorders online? This site (https://retrogame300.com/products/rg350) has already been relayed, but I've never heard about it, not sure about its reliability.

The website states that the RG350 would be available at the end of September which is only 3 weeks or so.
Does that mean the RG350 will be available for general release at around this time?
Who is this retrogame300 company/owner anyway?
Apparently the distributor or manufacturer is Anbernic. I expect the domain to be registered by one of their resellers.

xdplus fanatic-oopsy

  • Posts: 1314
Re: Bring on the RG-350 (jz4770 based) handheld
« Reply #59 on: September 06, 2019, 03:34:21 am »
http://ylmchina.com/en/product.asp

This is their official website.

 

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