Potential Screens for FB2 Portable?

[Jacob Rose]

My SO noticed some 5-inch "Zenith" branded LCD displays for sale for $50 at the Best Buy store attached to her office building. I'm tempted to get one to build into a portable system. Does anybody have any experience with them? Here's a link to one that looks the same:

 

http://joystores.com/product_info.php/products_id/1878

 

The image quality looked pretty good, but I can see why they wouldn't sell; they attach to PS2 and XBOX with a rather clumsy looking adjustable clamp. The GameCube version looks moderately better, having a fitted frame that snaps onto the top of the unit.

 

More relevantly, the GC version also takes power and signal from the GC, while the others have DC and 1/8" AV inputs.

 

So would it be easier to use the XBOX or PS2 version rather than having to work with the GC pinouts? Or does the GC provide a nice voltage level that would be friendlier to the FB2 (the input on the XBOX display model was 7V)? Anyone know?

 

EDIT: Also just noticed this on eBay:

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...&category=48609

Edited August 19, 2005 by Jacob Rose

[scrummy]

How about a GameBoy Advance SP color screen, backlit, energy efficient. offcourse it would cost around $69, but it will get cheaper.

[jsoper]

How about a GameBoy Advance SP color screen, backlit, energy efficient. offcourse it would cost around $69, but it will get cheaper.

916978[/snapback]

I already posted about this. A GBA can't display a video signal unless you use an AV converter cartridge, but those only show half the video frames so you have problems like invisible rocks in Asteroids and invisible bricks in Yar's Revenge. Plus a FB2 is incompatible with many games itself, especially 16k carts.

I'd estimate an FB2 mated to a GBA screen would correctly play maybe half the 2600 library and it would be the duller half. Building a GBA sized 2600 portable is still tempting me though....

Edited August 23, 2005 by jsoper

[SteveW]

Well, if you didn't use the GameCube LCD screen for the Flashback2, it would also work with the N64 and SNES, which would be nice if you liked those consoles and wanted to take them on the go.

 

There are some third-party LCD screens made for the PSOne that have composite inputs on them. I have one, bought originally for $50 new. There's a weird bit of Chinese and graphics slightly burnt-in to the screen, though. From what I've read, they were recycled LCDs from Chinese slot machines. Anyhoo, it works great with anything I plug into it, except my Jakks Pacific Atari joystick. It would only work in black and white with it.

[jsoper]

Then it wouldn't be pocket sized. Bigger screens mean bigger batteries, so the size and weight keep growing and growing, kinda like rocket design. Some of those homebrew portables out there are getting pretty big. IMHO, you might as well buy a laptop and emulate classic games, buy pc versions of modern games at that point.