GPD XP: Nintendo Switch Like Gaming Console Is Here

The niche provider GPD, which actually specializes in ultra-compact gaming and office laptops, is bringing an Android-based “gaming tablet” onto the market for the first time with the GPD XP, the form factor of which is strongly based on the Nintendo Switch or the Steam Deck from Valve.

The GPD XP is to be introduced as a kind of Android-based gaming handheld, whereby the manufacturer relies on an eight-core ARM SoC in the form of the MediaTek Helio P95. So far, the company has almost exclusively sold devices with Intel processors and Windows.

A 6.81-inch LCD panel is installed in the GPD XP, with six gigabytes of LPDDR4x RAM and 128 gigabytes of UFS 2.1 memory being installed in addition to the MediaTek SoC. They also want to use the 4G modem included in the SoC to ensure mobile connectivity in addition to ac-WLAN.

Anything Special?

In addition, the manufacturer integrates a 7000mAh battery to guarantee decent runtimes. The special thing here is not necessarily the hardware basis, but the form factor. The screen will apparently be held in a stretched format and a fixed gaming controller is installed at one end. This offers a D-Pad, an analog stick, and three action buttons.

At the other end of the new GPD gaming tablet is a slot into which various additional devices can be inserted. In this way, you can optionally insert another “Joy-Con” -like controller pad, which also offers an analog stick, action buttons, and other additional buttons. Alternatively, there is a narrower insert that offers a button panel that can be assigned various actions thanks to the appropriate software from GPD.

When and at what price GPD will bring the XP to market is still open. Presumably, a kind of advance sale is to begin from September, whereby the manufacturer is likely to rely on a crowdfunding campaign as with many other products.