This week GPD announced it’s giving the GPD Win 2 handheld gaming PC a spec bump that includes a newer processor and more storage. But the company is also working on a next-gen compact gaming PC called the GPD Win Max.
Earlier this year we learned it would be powered by an AMD Ryzen Embedded processor and that it would have a larger screen and keyboard than earlier models, making touch-typing possible.
Now we have the best look yet at what the GPD Win Max will look like, thanks to a leaked image shared to the gpd_devices discord channel (and to reddit).
The first thing to note is that we seem to be looking at a prototype, so it’s possible some things could change before GPD officially launches the Win Max later this year.
The second is that this isn’t so much as a replacement for the pocket-sized Win or Win 2 as it is a larger, more powerful option for folks that are willing to carry around a tablet-sized device that probably won’t slide into a pocket.
It’s expected to feature an AMD Ryzen processor with Radeon Vega graphics, a 1280 x 800 pixel display, and it looks like the company has completely overhauled the keyboard to make this feel more like a full-fledged computer.
If the new keyboard design looks familiar, that’s because it seems to be very similar to the one GPD used for the GPD P2 Max mini laptop. That means you should be able to touch-type with 10 fingers on the Win Max rather than two-finger (or thumb) typing as you would with smaller members of the GPD Win family.
The keyboard is still small enough that GPD had to make some compromises. The Del and Backspace buttons are on the same keys. The number keys are half-height, and the punctuation keys are half-width. But this is definitely a step up from the tiny keyboard used for the GPD Win and Win 2.
While the GPD P2 Max is meant to be a general purpose computer, the Win Max is designed for gaming. So there are left and right analog sticks above the keyboard, X, Y, B, and A keys on the right, and a Playstation Vita-inspired D-Pad on the left.
There’s no room for a palm rest, but GPD will place a touchpad above the keyboard (between the game controllers). In the image above you can see an empty spot where the touchpad will go. That may not be the optimal placement for productivity, but it could be a good solution for games that require mouse or touchpad input.
We’ll likely have to wait a few months to see the final design and learn more about the specs and pricing. GPD doesn’t plan to start shipping the Win Max until early next year, and it probably won’t go up for pre-order until after the company’s crowdfunding campaign for the P2 Max is completed and that models starts to ship this fall.
OpenGL and give it 32 anti tare @ 960×865 would look like a crystal
Why haven’t you guys talked to Nvidia. LoL those integrated graphics are nice .. and it really only ‘works’ because the screen is so small. Even, if you put a dedicated 2001 gpu would out perform integration.. given the soze of the screen. Could easily perfect 960×865 ..
Shouldn’t the controls be more towards the middle on the sides? That doesn’t look comfortable to hold…
I have the first GPD Win. One thing that can be annoying about it is that you need to switch between the integrated gamepad input and the keyboard/mouse input. That is annoying when you need to use both at the same time.
For instance, if you want to configure controls on an emulator – and the emulator wants you to select the button you are remapping, you need to be in mouse/keyboard mode to select that input. But the emulator doesn’t know that there is a gamepad while you are in that input mode. So the option to choose the gamepad as an input device isn’t there. Switching back and forth between the two input types becomes a hindrance.
So, if you haven’t already set up your configurations with an external input device connected, it can be a pain when trying to do so on the go.
Maybe that has already been addressed in the WIN2 (haven’t tried it), but I hope this new one allows for simultaneous integrated gamepad and KB/M inputs.
One nice thing about the Win 2 that the Win 1 didnt do (if mem serves… I have both but havent touched the first gen in some time) is the gaming buttons also the register as keys. So most of the time, i either use controller mode for a game with native controller support, or keep it in m/k mode and just assign the buttons as keys. Keeps me from needing to use something like Joy 2 Key or Controller Companion, too.
I love the look of the keyboard, and the fact that they’re putting the touchpad somewhere that doesn’t compromise it.
I have never used a GPD Win and am not even in the target market for it, but I’m curious about the following: Does this look comfortable to game on? The game controls are so far up the device and it looks to be decently hefty.
com’on Ice Lake please.
Really not sure how I feel about this form factor. The Win 2 is already on the heavy side to hold for prolonged gaming sessions…and this looks much more awkward.
Wow, neat. They fixed the thing that I didn’t like about the GPD Win 2, they swapped the location of the ABXY buttons and right-analog stick.
GPD needs to stop innovating so fast. One GPD model isn’t even fully released before they announce a better one. I haven’t bought any GPD products because I’m always being promised a better product.
Well, after the Win Max it’ll be a long wait until the Win 3, so maybe now is a good time to buy? And if GPD will be using the new 9W Y-series Ice Lake chip for the Win 3, expect similar (maybe higher CPU and less GPU) performance compared to the Win Max, so you could wait even longer for an upgrade.
With a d-pad placed like that, the arrow keys are technically unnecessary. Nice to have them while typing, but that space could be used for something else, like more ports.
Pretty cool. I think for this one they should abandon the mini sticks for something a little bigger. Personally I’d rather have connectable joycon type controls for this and have the controls outside the keyboard area. Im sure it’s pretty hard to do something like that, but being able to connect and replace broken ones or improve upon them would be awesome. Problem with keeping the mini sticks is you don’t get clickable analog sticks.
The 8Bitdo N30 Pro has clicky sticks that are a similar size to these. I believe it was confirmed that these sticks would be clickable, hence no separate L3/R3 buttons on the back like on the Win 2.
Clicky sticks (or L3/R3) buttons is a design-choice that really should have been killed off the market. It is by far the leading cause of issues on controllers, and wears-out the joysticks much quicker than they need to be.
A part of me wants it to be the way GPD Win2 does it. Because when they fail, its difficult to open up the system and attempt to fix the hypermobile component, only to be susceptible to failure later on.
Please have at least 2 thunderbolt ports…
It’s Ryzen-based, it’s not going to have any thunderbolt ports.
No chance for external gpu then…
yea hopefully an Ice Lake variant, it has thunderbolt built in the cpu…
That touchpad is great news. I’m honestly pretty excited about this thing. Hopefully they don’t skimp on the RAM, since that can massively affect the embedded Vega’s performance.
Also on the RAM configuration. 2 X 4 GB RAM > 16 GB RAM. Dual channel is an absolute must.
Pretty sure they’re either doing 2×4 or 2x8GB. 16 GB would be best .
The amount is less important than the speed. I can’t remember if it was in a discussion about this or the Smach Z, but someone pointed out that the difference between 1800MHz and 2400MHz was massive for embedded Ryzen, to the extent that they’d be better off going with less overall RAM if it meant getting faster RAM.
Well, yes its not only for productivity tasks on the CPU, but regular usage feels more snappier with Faster RAM on Ryzen. Not to mention the built-in iGPU which benefits directly as well.
However, I think the combination of 14nm, first-gen Ryzen, and baby-Vega don’t make for a good mobile unit. Perhaps as an Office PC, but I found that laptops are still better going with Intel iGPU or Nvidia for the efficiency. Which bodes badly for the Smach Z additionally.
Maybe GPD is being smart, and giving us the GPD Win 2+ now to tide us off until 2020 or 2021, where they expect AMD SoCs that have 7nm, Zen2, and baby-Navi as appropriate micro-APU solution for handhelds, tablets, and laptops.