Good for
Game Boy, NES
Support listed to
Genesis
OS
Palm OS
Released
Jan 2003
The Tapwave Zodiac is a budget horizontal retro handheld from Tapwave with a 3.8-inch 480×320 TFT screen, WiFi and Bluetooth, and runs Palm OS. It is best suited for Game Boy, NES, with support listed up to Genesis.
Played on the Tapwave Zodiac
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Emulation
Supports 6 of 18 tested systems: 2 at excellent, 3 running well.
Mid-generation systems
Unsupported0 of 5 systems listed as playable or better
Modern systems
Unsupported0 of 4 systems listed as playable or better
Classic systems
Mixed6 of 6 systems listed as playable or better
Sixth-generation systems
Unsupported0 of 3 systems listed as playable or better
Emulation source notes
- DS: Nintendo DS: Either cannot run any games at all or games are unplayably slow
- 3DS: Nintendo 3DS: Either cannot run any games at all or games are unplayably slow
- GBA: Nintendo Game Boy Advance: Most games playable at full speed, a few games have lower frame rates but still mostly playable with frameskip
- N64: Nintendo 64: Either cannot run any games at all or games are unplayably slow
- NES: Nintendo Entertainment System: Almost all games playable at full speed without frameskip
- PS1: Sony Playstation: Only the easiest to emulate games are barely playable
- PS2: Sony Playstation 2: Either cannot run any games at all or games are unplayably slow
- PS3: Sony Playstation 3: Either cannot run any games at all or games are unplayably slow
- PSP: Sony Playstation Portable: Either cannot run any games at all or games are unplayably slow
- Wii: Nintendo Wii: Either cannot run any games at all or games are unplayably slow
- SNES: Super Nintendo Entertainment System: Most games playable at full speed, a few games have lower frame rates but still mostly playable with frameskip
- Wii U: Nintendo Wii U: Either cannot run any games at all or games are unplayably slow
- Saturn: Sega Saturn: Either cannot run any games at all or games are unplayably slow
- Switch: Nintendo Switch: Either cannot run any games at all or games are unplayably slow
- Genesis: Sega Genesis / Mega Drive: Most games playable at full speed, a few games have lower frame rates but still mostly playable with frameskip
- Game Boy: Game Boy / Game Boy Color: Almost all games playable at full speed without frameskip
- GameCube: Nintendo GameCube: Either cannot run any games at all or games are unplayably slow
- Dreamcast: Sega Dreamcast: Either cannot run any games at all or games are unplayably slow
Specifications
Display
Screen
3.8 inch
Aspect ratio
3:2
Resolution
480 x 320
Pixel density
151.81 PPI
Panel
TFT
Refresh rate
60 Hz
Performance
Chipset
Motorola i.MX-1
CPU
ARM920T
CPU clock
200 MHz
CPU cores
1
CPU threads
1
GPU
ATI Imageon W4200
GPU clock
?
RAM
10 MB SDRAM
Storage
32 MB (Zodiac 1)
Architecture
ARM
Build
Battery
1540 mAh
Weight
180 grams
Dimensions
142 mm x 79 mm x 14 mm
Material
Plastic
Charge port
Proprietary
Controls
Thumbsticks
Single
Extra buttons
Bluetooth, Home, Power, Reset, Select
Features
FAQ
- What systems can the Tapwave Zodiac emulate?
- The Tapwave Zodiac plays systems up to Genesis well. It is at its best with Game Boy, NES.
- Can the Tapwave Zodiac play Genesis games?
- Yes. Genesis performance on the Tapwave Zodiac is rated good in our catalog. Sega Genesis / Mega Drive: Most games playable at full speed, a few games have lower frame rates but still mostly playable with frameskip
- Can the Tapwave Zodiac play PS1 games?
- Not well. PS1 performance on the Tapwave Zodiac is rated poor. Sony Playstation: Only the easiest to emulate games are barely playable
- What operating system does the Tapwave Zodiac run?
- The Tapwave Zodiac ships with Palm OS.
- What screen does the Tapwave Zodiac have?
- It has a 3.8 inch TFT display with a 3:2 aspect ratio, running at 480 x 320 at 151.81 PPI.
- When was the Tapwave Zodiac released?
- Tapwave released the Tapwave Zodiac in January 2003.
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