In late 2002, Game Park introduced the frontlight unit (FLU) as a factory-modified (by Hahotech) version of the NLU.

The extra hardware resulted in a slightly raised display frame when compared to the NLU and BLU variants.

The new BLU LCD was compatible with the NLU (and FLU) and provided a superior screen display in poor lighting conditions.

The BLU models also had a slightly different USB port connector and better quality micro switches for the controller.

The original Game Park firmware had three main functions: to launch applications, provide a means of linking to a host computer and play music in MP3 format.

Game Park planned their system to be powerful and useful, but they also wanted users to be able to create homebrew software.

GP32 users could register the unit on the official website and get a free suite of development tools to create their own programs.

Downloading the games effectively reduced the cost to the consumer, who was no longer paying for the manufacture of the cartridge.

Most commercial GP32 games could be bought in two ways: boxed or downloaded through the internet through Gamepark's online JoyGP store (typically for a much lower price).

In addition to this, a wide range of free, public domain games were created by amateur developers.

The modification of Ericsson Chatboard micro-keyboards to work with the system has seen a new flourish of software development, including countless attempts at ports of Linux, and keyboard support being added to many emulators.

The GP32's relatively powerful ARM 920T CPU and freely available 'C'-based SDK have allowed many emulators to be specifically developed or ported from other platforms.