TechCrunch is running a story about the prevalence of scams and shady monetization techniques in popular social games on Facebook and MySpace. As an alternative to buying in-game currency with real money, many games make use of lead-generation offers — letting players sign up for a trial service or take a survey in exchange for the currency. The system is rife with scams, and many game developers turn a blind-eye to them, much to the detriment of the players and the legitimate advertisers — not to mention the games that rightly disallow these offers and fall behind in profits. The article asserts that Facebook and MySpace themselves are complicit in this, failing to crack down on the abuses they see because they make so much money from advertising for the most popular games.
It's not quite as delicious when Sony (in a rare move) has actually confirmed its console for a release to market, but just because we know the 250GB PS3 is landing in the US on November 3rd doesn't mean we can't derive any enjoyment at all by the fact that it's been spotted at a Best Buy in Houston, all primed for the shelves. Since the shipment's obviously already been made, we suppose we'll be seeing a few instances of early stocking of the console over the next couple of days, unless Best Buy has considerably cleaned up its act when it comes to launch dates -- doubtful!
Why confine your nerdy sloth to your living room, where large robots mime fake guitar and serve you sloppy mixed drinks? Take that zest for the sedentary life with you on the road by having one of your robot ninjas steal this iPhone Rock Band robot from its ingenious creator, Joe Bowers. The Arduino-based device uses ambient light sensors to detect the falling notes and then taps out the music with some conductive foam attached to some squeaky fake fingers. Joe did a fairly detailed write-up, and even uploaded his code, so there's presumably nothing stopping you from actually doing something with your life and building one of these with all that free time you've saved up by hacking your way through all the console-based guitar games. Video is after the break.
[Evow04] has been working hard to run Android on a Meizu M8 smartphone and we’re beginning to enjoy the fruits of his labor. The Meizu M8 is a Chinese cell phone very similar in appearance and hardware to the iPhone. The factory firmware runs Windows CE 6 but there is no official support for Android. It looks like [Evow04's] upgrade method is fairly easy; copy an IMG and BIN file to the root of the phone, backup the Windows CE portion, and then use the upgrade mode to flash the two files.
We’re pretty impressed with Android, especially the potential that it represents. Having another device that runs the OS is a good thing but at $350-$400 this isn’t any cheaper than just buying an Android phone.
As mentioned in last week's preorder news, Persona 3 is porting to the PSP with more characters and an improved system. See the Persona 3 world through the eyes of a girl, for those who have beaten the game already with the male protagonist, play again with a female.
Build different relationships around the girl and see how you can save the world with her. The game makes use of Persona 4's system, so you can command your player characters directly during battles.
Novices can use the beginner mode while the veterans can use the Maniacs mode (which far surpasses the Hard mode in the difficulty department.)
The International version of Dissidia has updates and adjustments that the original Japanese version lacks. Don't worry, though. Here, with Universal Tuning, all gamers can enjoy these new functions.
There are more than 100 minor and major adjustments, characters have new abilities and strengths and these changes the rhythm of your battles. There is a new Arcade Mode where you can engage in time attack battles. Those who have beaten the game, use your save data to access the new aspects of the fighter.
Hear the English voice actors play your favourite characters. Subtitles will be in Japanese and you can choose between English and Japanese voices during the battles.
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Final Fantasy, the game is created as a crossover between installment I to XII. Characters from all these 12 games make their appearances along with updated character music themes and maps.
Spend your brave points and launch familiar skills and plan your battle strategies by equipping the many abilities and items. This is a battle you have been waiting for in the last 20 years, join today.
Today has seen an almighty amount of Accessories for the PSPGo:
Heres the list:
Adaptors
PSP PlayStation Go AC Adapter US US$ 19.90
PSP PlayStation Go AC Adapter JPN US$ 24.90
PSP PlayStation Go AC Adapter ASIA US$ 14.90
PSP PlayStation Go Car Adaptor JPN US$ 24.90
PSP PlayStation Go Converter Cable Adaptor JPN US$ 24.90
Cables
PSP PlayStation Go Component AV Cable JPN US$ 34.90
PSP PlayStation Go Component AV Cable ASIA US$ 29.90
PSP PlayStation Go Component AV Cable US US$ 34.90
PSP PlayStation Go D-Terminal Cable JPN US$ 34.90
Headsets
PSP PlayStation Go Bluetooth Stereo Headset Receiver JPN US$ 52.90
PSP PlayStation Go In-Ear Headset US US$ 24.90
PSP PlayStation Go In-Ear Headset ASIA US$ 19.90 Cradles
PSP PlayStation Go Cradle JPN US$ 48.90
PSP PlayStation Go Cradle ASIA US$ 29.90
PSP PlayStation Go Cradle US US$ 33.90
Cases
PSP PlayStation Go Leather Pouch & Strap (Black) JPN US$ 44.90
PSP PlayStation Go Pouch & Strap (Black) JPN US$ 14.90
PSP PlayStation Go Pouch & Strap (White) JPN US$ 14.90
PSP PlayStation Go Pouch (Black) JPN US$ 19.90
PSP PlayStation Go Pouch (Gray) JPN US$ 19.90
PSP PlayStation Go Soft Carry Case ASIA US$ 14.90
PSP PlayStation Go Soft Carry Case US US$ 19.90
PSP PlayStation Go Traveller Case (Black) ASIA US$ 19.90
Accessory Pack
PSP PlayStation Go Accessory Pack (Black) ASIA US$ 19.90
PSP PlayStation Go Accessory Pack (MSmicro 8GB set) JPN US$ 54.90
PSP PlayStation Go Accessory Pack (White) ASIA US$ 19.90
Protection Film
PSP PlayStation Go Display Protection Film JPN US$ 12.90
PSP PlayStation Go Privacy Film JPN US$ 14.90
Pre-paid Cards
PlayStation Network Card / Ticket -PSP Go- (200 HKD / for Hong Kong network only) HK US$
Come on, let's move it! Fun for the whole family, Madagascar Kartz is a kart/racing game set against the backdrop of the popular DreamWorks animated franchise of the same name. Experience the zany characters and unique locations of the Madagascar movies wrapped in the over the top fun of arcade style kart racing. Put the pedal to the metal Madagascar style with wacky karts, wild tracks, tons of powerups and crazy kart racing action.
The Sony Playstation Network Card can be used to download games, movies, and more from the Playstation Store. In the past, a credit card was required for purchases from the Playstation Store. With the new Playstation Network Cards, users can shop the Playstation Store without needing a credit card. These cards can be used in the Playstation Store on both the PC and the online browser of the Playstation 3.
Download Games, Videos, and more for the Playstation 3 and PSP
Loaded with GBP 50 to spend in the Playstation store; no credit card required
For use with Playstation Store for PS3 and on the PC
The Sony Playstation Network Card can be used to download games, movies, and more from the Playstation Store. In the past, a credit card was required for purchases from the Playstation Store. With the new Playstation Network Cards, users can shop the Playstation Store without needing a credit card. These cards can be used in the Playstation Store on both the PC and the online browser of the Playstation 3.
Download Games, Videos, and more for the Playstation 3 and PSP
Loaded with GBP 50 to spend in the Playstation store; no credit card required
For use with Playstation Store for PS3 and on the PC
I don't want to be one who tries to tell Apple what to do.
And fortunately, I don't have to. A new study published by shopping site Retrevo does it for me. And I think it's safe to say most Apple fans would agree with the consensus presented.
The study, of which a summary was published this morning by eWeek, presents that $600 is the "pricing sweet spot" of the upcoming Apple tablet to help ward off consumer considerations of the ever-popular netbook.
Mancala is a board game familly, originated in East Africa. The word "Mancala"
came from arabic word "naqalah" that means literaly "To move".
Dingux-Mancala is the "Awari" variant, and even if the rule of this game is simple,
the complexity can be compared to chess Game.
The AI is based on the source code of H. Huseby & G.T. Lines, for their
implementation of the classical Minimax algorithm.
How to use it ? Everything is in the README.txt file.
Sources are included, and this package is under the GNU public license,
read COPYING.txt file for more information about it.
How to play ? Here is the rules available from awari.cs.vu.nl :
Awari is played on a board where each player owns 6 pits. In the initial
position, all pits are filled with four stones, thus the initial position has
48 stones.
The player to move chooses one of its own, nonempty pits and removes all
stones from the pit. The player then sows the stones, counterclockwise, over
the remaining pits.
If the last stone is sown into an enemy pit that contains 2 or 3 stones
after sowing, the stones are captured.
In this case, if the second last pit is also an enemy pit that contains 2 or
3 stones, they are captured as well, and this process is repeated clockwise,
until the own pit, or an enemy pit containing less than 2 or more than 3
stones is reached.
The player who captures most stones, wins the game. The game end when a
player cannot move, however, to avoid such a situation early in the game, it
is not allowed to do a move that leaves the opponent without countermove,
unless all moves eradicate the opponent.
Here is a full working binary version : on my blog
byuu has released a new version of its SNES emulator bsnes for Windows and Linux.
Quote:
bsnes v0.055 released (2009-10-31)
Happy Halloween, this release adds full Super Game Boy support ... but is it a trick, or a treat? ::cough::, lameness aside ...
The Game Boy emulation core is courtesy of gambatte, and excellent, accuracy-focused, open source, and lightning fast Game Boy Color emulator. Now I know what you´re thinking, using a Game Boy Color emulator with the Super Game Boy? The truth is, gambatte was just such an amazingly perfect fit that nothing else compared. I fully believe that even as a CGB emulator, gambatte will do a better job than any pure DMG emulator could.
The emulation of the ICD2 chip (aka the Super Game Boy) was fully reverse engineered by myself. Eventually I´ll get an updated document put up explaining how it works.
The next question might be, "why emulate the Super Game Boy when existing Game Boy emulators do?"; well, they can only simulate part of the SGB. Features such as custom SNES sound effects, hand-drawn borders, multi-tap support and custom SNES code execution can only be accomplished by a true SNES emulator. Space Invaders is perhaps the most impressive demonstration, as it contains an entire SNES game embedded inside the Game Boy cartridge.
bsnes´ SGB emulation supports virtually every command, full sound mixing from both the SNES and Game Boy sides, both BIOS revisions, etc. The only thing that is not fully functional yet is the multi-player support, but it should be in due time. Save state support is also planned for a later date.
Changelog:
added Super Game Boy emulation (thanks to gambatte for the Game Boy core)
extended hybrid scanline/cycle PPU renderer to support Mode7 register caching; fixes scanline flickering on NHL ´94 title screen
all windows (other than the main window) can be closed with the escape key now
file dialog path selection now accepts typed paths; can be used to access hidden directories and network shares
file dialog´s game information panel can now be disabled
fixed a crashing issue when the file dialog was given an invalid path
fixed screenshot capture save location
added screenshot capture option to tools menu
state manager now auto-closes when loading a state; it can be reopened quickly with F3
fixed GZip archive loading
fixed NTSC off-by-one filter bug on hires screens
extended Scale2x, LQ2x and HQ2x to properly filter hires screens
The Linux version of the Sega Master System and Game Gear emulator Osmose has been updated.
Thanks to Emu-France.com for the news.
Quote:
What´s new in Osmose 0-9-1:
-Uses users home .osmose directory for saves and config file.
-Fix several code ambiguous parenthesis that make GCC 4.4 complain..
-Remove various debugging traces.
-Makefile few changes.
-Rewrite portable FPS calculation.
-Use a larger sound buffer since SDL 1.2.14 uses ALSA instead of OSS when
possible and is more CPU intensive. This caused a big CPU load.
-Bug fix in the save state system:
* Cpu flags and flags copy weren´t saved.
* Memory mapping was restored by fake writes into mapping register, which
is wrong. Now pointed areas and bloc numbers are saved. Drawback : the
previous save are not compatible with this osmose version.
-Defaut P1 A/B are mapped on W/V Key. This avoid virtual desktop changing while
playing P2 A/B are now j/m
-inline a few methods for performance increase in FIFOSoundBuffer.
Spiller released a third beta version of his Lynx Emulator for the Dingoo Handheld. The Emulator runs on the native Firmware and doesn´t need Linux.
Quote:
This beta disables a render hack which was present in the Handy port I used as a base for LynGOO. This hack is responsible for almost all graphical glitches found with previous betas. The render hack may now be enabled from the menu for special cases. The sound has been improved a lot as well.
Please note that this beta may feel a lot slower than previous betas. This is mostly because previous versions were running at max speed (mostly somewhere between 115% and 130%). The new version tries to run at exactly 100% of the real Lynx speed. Auto frameskip has been added to help accomplish this with somewhat slower games. There is some debug display onscreen which tells the speed percentage, number of FPS and frameskip chosen. This display will be removed in the final version ofcourse.
This will be the last beta for this emulator. I plan on fixing the freezes which some people have encountered and then release the final version 1.0. I am not sure yet whether the ´render hack´ option should stay in the menu. Therefore I´d really like some opinions on this new version compared to the previous one.
Heres an update from the Hackimii Team courtesy of Bushing and like most newsposts its better to comfrom the coder than some uninformed person posting the news:
I keep getting questions along the lines of “should I update to 4.2? Are you guys going to make a ’safe boot2 updater’?” (The answer is ‘no’, but keep reading.)
Somewhere in the noise about this most recent update the point I was trying to make got lost. Let me recap the facts:
The most recent system update was the largest update ever done — 32 titles were added or updated, and each system downloaded approximately 50MB of data.
A certain firmware graybeard tells me that, on average, 1 in 1000 updates (of any software, on any system) will fail.
The Wii performs updates atomically on a per-title basis. What this means is that the system menu downloads each title from the Nintendo Update Server and feeds the data directly to IOS/ES. As each chunk of data for a given title is downloaded, IOS writes it into /import, and then once the entire title has finished downloading, it renames the files in /import to overwrite the older version of the title (in one step, “atomically”). That rename step probably only takes a second or two for each title.
Contrary to Nintendo’s claims, an update will not start over from the beginning if interrupted. Rather, the updates will be downloaded and installed in this order: boot2, IOS of the new system menu, a new system menu, and then everything else. If the update is interrupted after (for example) the IOS is installed but before the System Menu has finished downloading, the partially downloaded System Menu will be deleted upon the next reboot. You will still be told “an update is available”, and it will restart the update — but since it won’t reinstall the same version of something that’s already there, it will skip over boot2 and the IOS and restart downloading the system menu.
Any failed update on three of those pieces (boot2, system menu, IOS) will cause the system to irreparably brick.
Any failed update on another part of the system (for example, another IOS) could either cause strange behavior (certain games won’t launch) or could cause the system to brick (if it damaged the filesystem in NAND).
As far as updating boot2 goes:
The 1-in-1000 number applies to boot2, although there are some protection mechanisms in place to try to mitigate that risk. There are two separate copies of boot2 stored in flash, and if one is corrupted, it will try to boot the other — this is the only real “safety mechanism” in the entire device.
The boot2 update code is completely separate from any other update code, and has never been used before on any retail Wiis. That does not mean it’s necessarily broken or buggy, just that it has been nearly as well-tested as any of the other updater code.
During the development of BootMii/the HackMii Installer, I ran into a bug where the ECC data was not always written when writing boot2. Let me be clear here — this is not a huge bug. It only applies to the boot2-area blockmap page, and when it happens, the effect is generally harmless — if there is a bit error in that page, it will not be detected or corrected, but there are three copies of that data in that page and boot1 will choose the best 2 out of 3. (The only real indication you will see of this is if you find the message “Ninty forgot to write spare data for page xxx” in your installer.log file after installing BootMii/boot2.) I don’t really think this will cause a system to get bricked, but it’s evidence that the code has not been thoroughly tested.
Our boot2 updater code presumably carries the same 1-in-1000 risk of failure, but a failure there will still allow at least one of the two old copies of boot2 to work. (We do something mildly clever there to avoid overwriting each copy, and to prevent problems with BC/MIOS.)
There is no benefit or pitfall to installing boot2v4, other than the fact that if you don’t install it, it will keep trying to install it whenever you update, and if you had BootMii/boot2 installed, it will overwrite it.
Various employees of Nintendo — from lowly tech support staff and forum moderators to executives — have made the claim that “most of the bricked systems were a result of other modifications to the system.” This is a lie, and I’m disappointed in Nintendo for trying to make this claim. It’s not supported by evidence — how could they possibly get that kind of statistic? (There hasn’t been time for them to get bricked units back and do much analysis, and even in the case where they do have a bricked console in their hands, there’s nothing they can do to see whether it was modified or not.) It’s not supported by logic, either — the reason why this update “kills homebrew” is because it overwrites EVERYTHING, but the same is true for unmodified Wiis. It’s not even supported anecdotally — there were comments on Nintendo’s official Tech Forums from people who had bought a new Wii that day and had it brick the first time they did their connection test and system update.
If we were to write a boot2 installer, there’s no guarantee that it would be any safer than Nintendo’s. We sincerely believe it to be safe — we’ve tested it as much as we possibly can, we have an unreasonable number of safety checks in there, and I have yet to hear of a single case of bricking in somewhere between 10-20,000 installs — but then again, I’m sure Nintendo feels the same way about their code.
The distinction here is a more subtle than “whose code is buggier”. When you run the HackMii installer and install anything we’ve written, you are taking some risk. The difference here is that
For the (say) 20,000 people that run the HackMii installer, each one of them has done so deliberately and with some goal in mind — tinkering with their system, playing homebrew games, whatever. In the case of BootMii/boot2, we even give you a strong defense against bricking your console through updates (oh, the irony). If you run into problems, you can be mad at us, you can be mad at yourselves, but at the end of the day, you took a calculated risk.
For the 55 million people who own Wiis but did not run the HackMii Installer — yet are forced to update anyway — they run the risk of bricking with no tangible benefit to them whatsoever, and no choice in the matter.
If we take this 1-in-1000 statistic of failed updates, and say that 1-in-100 of those failed updates will result in a bricked system, and then extrapolate that over the top two groups — you end up with maybe one or two homebrew-running people with bricked Wiis, and 550 unmodified, bricked Wiis. If you have one of those, go to Nintendo and ask them to fix it for free. If you haven’t updated, there’s no good reason to — other than to stop it nagging at you to update. If you do feel compelled to update, your chances of running into problems are no better and no worse than anyone else’s, and they wouldn’t be much different if we wrote the update code instead of Nintendo.
This is the reason why it’s a big deal when anyone releases a bootloader update — it’s inherently risky, and for most people, it’s not worth the risk.
Qtopia is a platform for embedded Linux-based mobile computing devices such as personal digital assistants and mobile phones. It was developed by Trolltech.
I've added F200's touchscreen support for NK's Qtopia F100. It's for F200 only.
* 2009.10.31 : Modified touchscreen code for F200 Firmware 4.0.0/4.1.0/Open2X
http://openggs.romanhoegg.ch/ http://openggs.romanhoegg.ch/news/
October 2009
A new version of OpenGGS has been release (version 0.111). Apart from a couple of bug fixes the main new feature is the level editor which is now included in the package. But please don’t expect the editor to be very userfriendly.
You can download OpenGGS from the project’s sourceforge page.
Sonic Master proposes a new homebrew for the DS Metal Slug Battle. Two players compete on the same console in a duel to the death, you can choose between 4 characters, 15 maps and have 3 weapons, all left the world of Metal Slug.
Gannon offers BootOpera, Utility for the launch of the Internet Channel Opera directly from the homebrew channel. Provided you have previously installed the Opera Internet Channel on your Wii
Quote:
bootOpera will boot the installed Opera channel for those who do not want to exit their loader to boot it. The source can easily be edited to boot installed other channels.
The coder Bubbletune has released a new update for its famous Game Categories plugin, prx that will enable you to sort the homebrew / ISO present on your memory stick, for each category of membership that comes with version 9. This new release introduces a new mode Content Browser that revolutionizes the way to catalog Homebrew and ISO in the game> Memory Stick, making the menu similar to the Photos folder.
Fans of hardcore child-rearing sims will no doubt find 505 Games' Wii-exclusive "Baby and Me" to be a day-one purchase this year, promising a revolutionary new peripheral in which you stick a Wiimote inside a baby.
OK, not a real baby. A baby doll, of course. But it takes doll-playing to the next level by incorporating motion control (and balance board support!) into 18 game modes designed to test even the most darling little girl's resistance to saccharine depictions of parenting.
Not only that, this hellspawn will actually cry through the Wiimote's speaker. You quiet baby down by rocking, burping and teaching him/her/it to walk. There's even a feeding exercise. I'm sensing a Wiimote breast pump attachment down the line. And way to make everything creepy, Owen ...
This is the special edition, by the way. The regular game comes with a "holster" so you can attach the Wiimote to any other implement or household pet and pretend that is the baby, I guess. Baby and Me, developed by 505 Games, releases Nov. 10. I'm sure Luke will review it when he gets back.
Nokia is to cease support of the N-Gage gaming platform, choosing instead to concentrate on its Ovi Store.
The company will keep the N-Gage site, where users purchase games, and the N-Gage Arena running until September 2010, it announced, after which the community features of purchased games will no longer function. Nokia will stop publishing new games for the format immediately.
"As mobile gaming evolves and begins to encompass social gaming, we want to offer one store front with an even broader portfolio of games - games for everyone," said a company spokesperson, via the N-Gage blog.
"It's much more convenient to have one place to get all your mobile games, and this is what Ovi Store provides."
In the future, Nokia will offer similar community elements incorporated on N-Gage platforms through the Ovi Store, it added. "We understand how important community is to our gamers."
And handsets with the N-Gage application pre-installed will continued to be sold "for some time", however the company will no longer ship devices with the application.
Following the poor sales performance of the original N-Gage handset launched in 2003, Nokia announced, in 2005, it would move the platform's capabilities instead onto a series of smartphones. The full N-Gage service was subsequently made available to the public in April of last year.
Activision and Infinity Ward faced another backlash over the weekend, as the latest video promotion for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 caused offence almost immediately after being aired.
The video featured spoof interested group the Fight Against Grenade Spam – or ***S – punning on one of many offensive slurs regularly thrown around during online play.
"I think the core gag is great, the end is a bit too far from the intent of the joke and can appreciate the concerns. Pulled," wrote Infinity Ward's Rob Bowling on Twitter after removing the video.
Phillip Kollar of US site Game Informer was offended by the tone and language of the video, in which Call of Duty fan and Philadelphia Phillies player Cole Hamels describes the tactic of throwing random grenades in the game as "for pussies".
"I'm not organising a mass boycott or even saying I won't buy the game. I'm just pointing out that their decision to become complicit in one of their communities most oppressive slurs in a not-terribly-fun ad campaign is stupid and makes me reconsider my purchase more than any other controversy surrounding the game thus far," wrote Kollar.
Bowling responded that, "I think it was more of a social commentary joke of that stereotype than it was a fist-bump of acceptance to it".
Infinity Ward seems to be struggling with the tone of Modern Warfare 2 – only last week it received criticism for a scene in the game in which innocent people are murdered, which Activision said "is designed to evoke the atrocities of terrorism."
The switch from realism to college humour is doing nothing to endear it to fans of the game or outside commentators, and is just one of the latest controversies that are tarnishing the game before release.
PC gamers are still in uproar over a lack of dedicated servers for Modern Warfare 2, while the price hike on the console version of the game is still a huge sticking point for many consumers.
"While a lot of us would not be offended by it, there are plenty that would and I don't see how this wasn't considered prior to posting given that they are already losing pre-orders on lack of dedicated servers and a controversial airport sequence," wrote one commentator on Game Informer.
Activision's DJ Hero has entered the charts at number 20 in the UK on its first week of release.
The company had originally said that pre-orders for the game were impressive, with the release to be a "tent-pole" title for the publisher. The game sells for around GBP 89 – 129 in the region.
Elsewhere in the charts, Sega's Football Manager 2010 took the number one position, beating Nintendo's Wii Fit Plus which opened at two.
Sales of FIFA 2010 rose 3 per cent as it sits in third place, while Konami's PES 2010 dropped from number one to number five as sales fell 54 per cent.
Take-Two's new Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City entered the charts at six, while Tekken 6 made its debut at number eight.
The GfK Chart-Track top 20 follows:
01 Football Manager 2010
02 Wii Fit Plus
03 FIFA 2010
04 Forza Motorsport 3
05 Pro Evolution Soccer 2010
06 Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City
07 Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games
08 Tekken 6
09 Borderlands
10 Wii Sports Resort
11 WWE Smackdown Vs RAW 2010
12 Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
13 Need for Speed: Shift
14 Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising
15 LEGO Batman: The Videogame
16 Professor Layton and Pandora's Box
17 Wii Fit
18 EyePet
19 Super Smash Bros. Brawl
20 DJ Hero
Wii Sports Resort has sold nearly seven million units since its launch earlier this year, and the original Wii Sports has now topped sales of 50 million, Nintendo has told investors.
In a supplementary note that follows its earnings report last week, the company said that Wii Sports Resort has now sold 6.97 million units worldwide while Wii Sports' 4.83 million sales in the last quarter have pushed the game's sales to date up to 50.5 million since its launch in November 2006, as reported by Eurogamer.
Elsewhere on Wii, Wii Fit sales stand at 22.5 million, Mario Kart Wii at 18.4 million, Wii Play 24.4 million and Wii Fit Plus has reached 2.13 million.
Nintendo also listed sales figures to date for its best selling DS titles, with New Super Mario Bros coming out on top with 19.94 million units sold.
The DS's most recent success was Pokemon Heart Gold/Soul Silver, which stands at 2.27 million, while Pokemon Platinum has reached 6.39 million to date.
Mario Kart DS sales have hit 16.1 million, Tomodachi Collection 1.45 million and Professor Layton and Pandora's Box is at 1.26 million.
Last week Nintendo cut its full-year profit forecasts to JPY 230 billion (USD 2.53) from JPY 300 billion (USD 3.30 billion) following lower then expected sales of Wii hardware.
Seems like there might be a revolution in the works, as far as VoIP software for Linux is concerned. After mailing Skype support about Skype providing Mandriva RPM packages, Olivier Faurax got an answer which suggests that the Linux Skype client will be open-sourced. After asking for verification of whether that was the case, the tech support answer claimed it is going to happen, and that it's supposed to happen 'in the nearest future.' Now, this probably only means the client (the underlying protocol will probably be handled by a binary-only library), but even if that's the case, it seems like there is still reason to celebrate
In a sign that ebooks are rising in popularity, a recent survey by mobile analytics company Flurry revealed that users may be using the iPhone for more intellectual pursuits, and not just the visual sizzle. The 'book-related' apps on the iPhone overtook games in terms of new apps released. According to the post, 'Book-related apps saw an upsurge in launches in September ... So much so that book-related applications overtook games in the App Store as a percentage of all released apps. The trend isn't an aberration. In October, one out of every five new applications launching on the iPhone was a book ... from August 2008 to the same month in 2009, more apps were released in the 'games' category than any other and, as a result, the iPhone (and iPod touch) became a new handheld gaming platform, one that impacted the Nintendo DS.
Virtual Wi-Fi was going to be a cool Windows 7 feature to turn PCs into a Wi-Fi access-point, so devices could share a connection without special software. It missed the cut, but this free app finishes the work Microsoft abandoned.
Alright, would you look at this, Apple? We know you require your employees to pay in blood for every single button or moving part that makes it onto a shipping product, but would it really kill you to work in some proper Bluetooth keyboard support for the iPhone so we could enjoy the magical freedom of external QWERTY pads if we so choose? Take this particularly stunning KIRF, for example. Sure, you might find the iPhone-miming handset it's paired with offensive, but is there really so much wrong with this flip-out QWERTY action? Do you enjoy our suffering? Please? iTwinge just isn't cutting it
Could a future version of the Nintendo DS hardware use 3G for digital downloads? Nintendo president Satoru Iwata says the company could take a cue from Amazon's Kindle business model.
Unlike today's smart phones and mobile 3G cards, which require monthly fees to access the network, Amazon's Kindle eBook reader figures in the price of 3G into the initial hardware cost, so the customer effectively pays one fee for the device and a lifetime of 3G access. Speaking at a analyst briefing following last week's lowered financial outlook, Nintendo's president called the Kindle's price plan an "option for the future."
"Only people who can pay thousands of yen a month [in mobile phone subscriptions] can be iPhone customers. That doesn't fit Nintendo customers because we make amusement products," Mr Iwata said. The Kindle's one-off cost would better suit Nintendo's customer base, he said. "In reality, if we did this it would increase the cost of the hardware, and customers would complain about Nintendo putting prices up, but it is one option for the future."
I don't see any problem with the handheld's current Wi-Fi access, but then again I rarely go anywhere that doesn't have an access point these days. I suppose if you want to be able to download new games nearly anywhere, 3G is certainly one way to go. Would you pay more for a 3G-enabled Nintendo DS?
Command and Conquer: Red Alert for the iPhone is now available in the iTunes App Store, with an optional skirmish map pack and more paid DLC on the horizon.
The Xbox 360 version of Modern Warfare 2 won't allow gamers to be in Party Chat while playing some modes of the game, according to a screen uploaded by a NeoGaf poster.
If your Xbox 360 controller is losing some life, its time to administer some First Aid. The First Aid Kit includes new rubber mats for your controller, as well as replacement thumbsticks with potentiometers.
Bring your old controller back to life. This first aid kit fixes two basic problems. Fix the problem with "dead buttons" by replacing the rubber pads that the buttons rest on. After several years of heavy gaming, these pads can wear out and not provide the "spring" back that they onces did. Replacing the rubber mats is easy and requires on the most basic skill. This kit also includes replacement thumbsticks assembly. This includes the mechanism for the thumbsticks plus the potentiometers that work with the mechanism. Repalcing the thumbstick mechanisms requires intermediate soldering skills.
Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter has said that global sales of Activision's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 will exceed USD 500 million (EUR 336.9m / GBP 304.2m) in its first week on sale.
The analyst expects the highly-anticipated game will "easily" sell over 10 million units in the fourth quarter. The original Modern Warfare title sold 7 million copies in Q4 2008.
Back in June this year, Janco Partners' Mike Hickey suggested the game could sell 11.1 million units during the fourth quarter.
Expectations are high for the title - to be released next week worldwide - with US retailer GameStop suggesting it could be the best-selling game of all time.
Pachter said Activision could also sell between 12 – 16 million Blizzard PC games next year, when it releases the sequel Starcraft II. The publisher will announce its financial results for the third quarter on November 5, with Wedbush expecting revenue to reach USD 760 million (EUR 512.09m / GBP 462.5m).
Smart consumers are taking advantage of various offers at retail to buy Activision's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 for less than half the recommended retail price.
The publisher has been heavily criticised for pushing up the console RRP of the latest from Infinity Ward to £54.99, but a cut-throat retail market is providing consumers with a number of options to avoid paying the inflated price.
UK retailer Gamestation is currently offered the game for £4.99 if a consumer trades in two games from a list that includes WET, Overlord II and Sacred 2: Fallen Angel. With Play.com selling Overlord II for just £9.99, users on website hotukdeals have already begun buying two copies of the Codemasters' title and trading it in for a pre-ordered copy Modern Warfare 2.
Online retailers are currently offering the basic Modern Warfare game for around £45, but all eyes will be on the supermarkets, which have already slashed two big releases – FIFA 2010 and Operation Flashpoint 2: Dragon Rising – in order to grab sales.
Last week, ASDA admitted that it sells some games at a loss because "customers continue to tell us that computer games are an expensive product in today's economic climate so we are working hard to try and offer them consistently good value for money within the games category".
Sony has declined to confirm reports that Gran Turismo 5 features a track editor.
"We haven't confirmed this and aren't offering any other comment at this time," a spokesperson for the platform holder told Eurogamer this afternoon.
Over the weekend, E4G reported that the ambitious, long-in-development PS3 racing game would have one.
"Yes it will have a track editor," the site was reportedly told by developer Polyphony Digital. You will be able to rebuild a track from scratch or edit the tracks that are already put in Gran Turismo 5."
Were it to include the option to edit track layouts, that would certainly give GT5 a boost over its main competition, including Forza Motorsport 3 on Xbox 360.
It wouldn't be without precedent either - the Project Gotham Racing series on Xbox 360 didn't let you design tracks from the ground up, but it did allow you to plot your own courses through cities mapped by the developer.
GT5 is due out exclusively for PS3 in Japan next March, with a European release expected around the same time.
Nintendo is feeling the sting of competition from the iPhone,' writes Peter Smith in a recent post. 'At least, that's the feeling one gets when reading Nintendo president Satoru Iwata's thoughts on the future of Nintendo handhelds. According to a Financial Times piece, Iwata suggests the next Nintendo handheld (and to be clear, he isn't talking about the big screen DS launching in Japan next month) might include free 3G wireless, much like the Amazon Kindle does. The challenge is to offer the immediacy of downloading an inexpensive new game, anywhere, anytime, without forcing the user into some kind of monthly data plan.' From the FT piece: 'Only people who can pay thousands of yen a month [in mobile phone subscriptions] can be iPhone customers. That doesn't fit Nintendo customers because we make amusement products,' Mr Iwata said
This morning a videogame literally forced me to say "I love you", enunciating every syllable perfectly, clearly enough for a computer program to register, before it would allow me to progress.
I don't use that word lightly. Maybe that's why I have all this money and no one to use to make it happy. I'm not going to lie: I had to close my eyes in order for the words to come out. It was that creepy. Eyes closed, lips pressed close to the microphone so as to minimize the already-minimal chance that the girl sleeping in the other bedroom sixty feet away wouldn't hear me and think I was talking to her, I said "I love you" to my Nintendo DS. (In Japanese: "a-i-shi-te-ru".) My god; I shuddered. That was the first god damn time I ever said those words to anyone, real or not. The sickening implications of this — the causes, the effects, the explanations — made me suddenly dizzy.
The girl in the DS then said, "Now say it 999,999 more times". The microphone icon displayed again. Was this a bad dream? Well, certainly, in the game I was playing — Konami Digital Entertainment's Love Plus — it was being presented as a bizarre nightmare of the main character's. I had been living out the simulated life of a high school student for 81 days — ten hours or so in the real world — and the game was just starting to recognize that I had preferred this one girl from the start. The thing is, she was finally starting to like me. The main character realized this, in much grimmer terms, minutes after I saw the figures and crunched the numbers from the comfort of my giant oak bed, here on a beautiful, crisp October morning. Hence the nightmare. The master bedroom in my current palace-like apartment doesn't have a lock. If it did, I would have done like the time the "Eyes on Me" scene came up in Final Fantasy VIII. Back then, I was a college student living in a dormitory, and there was a football game on TV. I could have been decapitated.
I told the game "I love you" one more time, finally feeling like I was doing the second worst and terriblest thing I have ever done in my life. The worst was way too terrible. I have occasion to remember it, maybe, once a week. It took maybe three years after doing the worst thing I ever did in my life to even realize how terrible it was to say such a thing to someone, so unthinkingly. With Love Plus, the guilt came immediately. We can get into that part later, if you'd like.
Thankfully, it let me off the hook at the second "I love you".
Orange will begin selling the iPhone 3G and 3GS from 7am on 10th November in the UK, the operator has announced.
The handset will be available on monthly and pay-as-you-go tariffs. The iPhone 3GS will be free on all £45 monthly tariffs, while the iPhone 3G will be free on £30 plans - in both cases, users will have to sign up to 24-month contracts.
There's also a high-end 'traveler' option costing £125 a month, which includes roaming call and data allowance. UK data allowance is "unlimited" (although that's unlimited in the limited to "fair usage of 750MB per month" sense).
Meanwhile, Orange will sell the iPhone 3G for £333 on a pay-as-you-go tariff, as long as users top up with £50 when buying the device. They'll get 250MB of data a month as part of that.
Orange has also struck a deal with BT Openzone to give its iPhone users free access to the latter's UK network of Wi-Fi hotspots, matching O2's deal with The Cloud.
Orange will be selling the devices in its 400+ UK stores, as well as online, and through its HMV concessions. The operator will also sell in Apple retail stores, as well as Carphone Warehouse and Phones4U.
Players of online games are increasingly becoming the target of virus writers, reveals research.
More and more malicious programs are being written to steal the login credentials of popular online games.
The Microsoft research revealed a family of malicious programs aimed at titles such as Lineage, World of Warcraft, Maple Story and many others.
Hijacked accounts are plundered for in-game booty or sold on through the net's underground market places.
Loot and booty
Cliff Evans, head of security at Microsoft UK, said its latest look at the software threats facing Windows revealed a strong growth in one family of malicious programs known as taterf.
In the last six months, Microsoft has seen more than 4.9m infections caused by Taterf - a figure up 156% on the total seen in the last six months of 2008.
Mr Evans said the virus used a variety of tricks to steal login names and passwords for the most popular online games.
"It's all about getting login credentials," he said. "The question is what might they do with those credentials."
"They might sell them because they are worth something," he said. "By using them they can obtain certain things within the game or they can buy services through some sort of market place."
"There's clearly a financial angle to it that makes it worthwhile," he said.
Steven Davis, chief of game security firm Secure Play, said: "Online game account information has been an increasingly lucrative target for crooks as they can steal the account or loot game currency."
"Crooks also use stolen credit cards for gold farming which has become a much more serious problem," he said. "They are attacking games because it is easy and there is no real interest from law enforcement."
Mr Evans from Microsoft said gamers could follow some simple steps to avoid having their account stolen.
"Never log onto a game account unless you are on a machine that you trust," he said. "And never download cheats or cracks from websites."
Version control
Other trends revealed in the research were a move away from fake security software aka scareware. Statistics gathered by Microsoft show that the number of machines it found with such programs installed had fallen from 16.8 million machines to 13.4 million.
By contrast, said Mr Evans, worms that travel networks independently looking for victims were seeing a resurgence. Such self-guided programs were now the second biggest security threat to Windows users, he said.
Mr Evans said the trends revealed in the survey gave grounds for hope.
"At the moment we're holding things at bay," he said. "There's constant change in terms of the cyber criminals changing their tactics. It's a question of keeping on top of that."
Every significant update of Windows or new version showed a decrease in the number of infections per thousand machines, said Mr Evans.
The first version of Windows XP had about 35 infections for every 1,000 machines scanned, said Mr Evans. By contrast, he said, only 4 in every 1,000 of the machines running the first version of Vista needed disinfecting.
The statistics cover the first six months of 2009 and data comes from several sources.
It includes Microsoft's Malicious Software Removal tool which runs on 450 million machines worldwide; 100 million machines using Windows Live One Care, malicious webpages scanned by search engine Bing and corporate security services run by Microsoft
PSPgo sold 28,275 units during its first day of availability in Japan, according to data from Famitsu publisher Enterbrain.
The new Sony handheld went on sale in the country yesterday, a month after launching in Europe and the US.
According to Media Create, PSP sold 32,865 units during the week ended October 25. PSPgo's first day sales are encouraging then, although Andriasang points out that Nintendo's DSi sold 170,000 units in the two days following its launch last November, while PSP-3000 managed over 140,000 sales in four days when it released in October 2009.
Japanese PSP sales stood at 12,797,180 units as of October 25, 2009.
Ever wondered what to do with your NES that's at the back of the wardrobe? If you have, here's some handy tips on cleaning the aged console, replacing the 72 connector pins and modding the controllers.
GamesRadar's put together a lengthy walkthrough that covers topics such as How to clean your NES cartridges, How to clean your NES console and replace the 72-pin connector, How to take your NES apart and How to make a USB NES game controller. They look like they know what they're doing as well.
Chances are your warranty's out of date by now, so if it's sat in a dark corner of the attic wasting away, now (or the Christmas holidays) might be the perfect time to put the sparkle back into your retro gaming.
Japan Studios has had little impact on the PlayStation software library this generation. The platform's greatest hits so far have, instead, come from America and Europe. Titles like Uncharted, Killzone, LittleBigPlanet, Ratchet & Clank, Resistance, God of War, and WipEout all come from various studios at SCEA and SCEE. But what has Japan Studio created thus far? Siren, Trash Panic, and The Eye of Judgment -- noteworthy games perhaps, but hardly a collection of system-selling blockbusters.
Sony Worldwide Studios boss Shuhei Yoshida explained to Gamasutra that "their focus was shifted onto the PSP, which reflects the success of the PSP as a platform in Japan ... It's completely opposite of the way how US and European teams moved onto working on the PS3 and we see the fruits of those efforts, while Japan studios shifted their focus onto the PSP." Of course, handheld owners have much to be thankful for: system-defining hits like Patapon and LocoRoco were created out of Japan Studio's dedication to the platform.
However, the next year (and beyond) should be very different for Sony's Japanese developers. With The Last Guardian and Gran Turismo 5 coming from Sony's other Japanese studios, the pressure is on for other developers to follow suit. "We are now re-energizing teams and coming up with new ideas for PS3 development," Yoshida said. "We'll be able to show fruits of this work sometime next year."
description
Episodes from Liberty City is the brand new Grand Theft Auto, containing two complete games – “The Ballad of Gay Tony” & “The Lost and The Damned” – together in one box.
The Ballad of Gay Tony - The Ballad of Gay Tony injects Liberty City with an overdose of guns, glitz, and grime. As Luis Lopez, part-time hoodlum and full-time assistant to legendary nightclub impresario Tony Prince (aka “Gay Tony”), players will struggle with the competing loyalties of family and friends, and with the uncertainty about who is real and who is fake in a world in which everyone has a price.
The Lost & Damned - In The Lost and Damned, experience Liberty City as Johnny, a veteran member of The Lost, a notorious biker gang. Johnny has been creating business opportunities for The Lost in Liberty City but his first loyalty must be to the patch he wears on his back and to Billy Grey, the club’s President. However, when Billy returns from rehab hell-bent on bloodshed and debauchery, Johnny finds himself in the middle of a vicious turf war with rival gangs for control of a city torn apart by violence and corruption. Can the brotherhood survive?
features
Sequel to the award-winning Divine Divinity and Beyond Divinity Role Playing Games! Following the lineage of these two much-acclaimed RPGs, Divinity II: Ego Draconis has adapted many of the most famous elements that made these two original games classics. Divinity II: Ego Draconis makes use of the same classless system that was incorporated in Divine Divinity, which allows you to choose your own path as you become a Dragon Knight.
Fight as both a human and a dragon. Don't settle for taming and riding a dragon when you can be the Dragon! For the first time, an RPG unleashes the very power of the Dragon on you! Climb high and vaporize all that stands in your way as you strategically use both your human and dragon forms to defeat Damian and become the ultimate Dragon Knight!
Dynamically unfolding storyline depending on your choices and skills. Divinity II : Ego Draconis gives you a wide range of moral choices when deciding on how to act on quest objectives. When you make these choices, the consequences of your actions appear throughout game play. Consequences such as up to 20 possible quest solutions, new quest chains, NPC reactions, vendor pricing and other experience-altering consequences make Divinity II: Ego Draconis very interesting and engaging.
Use your powerful Battle Tower as base of operations. Looming like a colossal stone claw over Sentinel Island, stands the Battle Tower, a vast citadel built many centuries ago by Maxos, the Dragon Mage. Become bound to the Battle Tower through a mystical relic known as the Dragon Stone. The Dragon Stone allows you to teleport to the Battle Tower at any moment so that you can utilize the powers within.
Build your very own ultimate fighting creature. Conjure the spirits to bring to life a creature made from body parts you have collected during your battles. This creature?s power is literally the sum of its body parts; the composition of various limbs determines its strengths and abilities. Once you are able to assemble this abomination, you may summon it to support you in combat.
description
In Divinity 2 – Ego Draconis, players find themselves once again in Rivellon, a timeless world full of awe and magic, shattered and frightened by the apocalyptic wars of the past. No one knows why so many people had to give their lives. Everything seems to be over, but the peace was deceptive, for the demon has returned and the horror once again runs its course.
Players begin as a Dragon Slayer, hunters whom travel the countryside determined to rid their lands of Dragons. As the story of Divinity 2 -- Ego Draconis unfolds, the player will discover new abilities and possibilities as they evolve into a legendary Dragon Lord. In addition, the player character's abilities can be steadily improved over the course of the game and specialized in specific areas. The world of Divinity 2 – Ego Draconis is filled with humans and fantasy creatures, each having special combat abilities. Players will need to use every skill, potion and hidden trick to their strategic advantage to reclaim the lands of Rivellon.
features
Hilarious black-humour-slapstick-comedy-gore setting
Fantastically designed fairytale world with cute popular fairytale characters
Real time "Dynamic Slicing" - a true cutting-edge technology: slice and dice your enemies any way you like in real time
Intense hack 'n' slash platform action with many puzzle elements
"Drop-in / drop-out" co-op play mode: enter and leave the game at any point during play, and help your friend to complete his quest… or make his life miserable by working against him!
Watch up close your slicing and dicing fury with a realtime picture-in-picture zoom
description
Play your favorite fairytale character, regain your lost fame and save the fairytale world from certain doom! Luckily, a vast variety of deadly weapons lie around, which you can use to shoot and carve up evil villains, bloodthirsty rabbits and many more terribly cutesy characters roaming the lands… and this is where the fun begins!
Fight your opponents to the death and fulfill challenging quests while leaving behind a big trail of blood!
With Playlogic's unique “Dynamic Slicing” technology, players have the ability to slice up an enemy in any way they like, using intuitive controls. In addition, the game will use the tested powers of the Unreal 3 engine.
features
Hilarious black-humour-slapstick-comedy-gore setting
Fantastically designed fairytale world with cute popular fairytale characters
Real time "Dynamic Slicing" - a true cutting-edge technology: slice and dice your enemies any way you like in real time
Intense hack 'n' slash platform action with many puzzle elements
"Drop-in / drop-out" co-op play mode: enter and leave the game at any point during play, and help your friend to complete his quest… or make his life miserable by working against him!
Watch up close your slicing and dicing fury with a realtime picture-in-picture zoom
description
Play your favorite fairytale character, regain your lost fame and save the fairytale world from certain doom! Luckily, a vast variety of deadly weapons lie around, which you can use to shoot and carve up evil villains, bloodthirsty rabbits and many more terribly cutesy characters roaming the lands… and this is where the fun begins!
Fight your opponents to the death and fulfill challenging quests while leaving behind a big trail of blood!
With Playlogic's unique “Dynamic Slicing” technology, players have the ability to slice up an enemy in any way they like, using intuitive controls. In addition, the game will use the tested powers of the Unreal 3 engine.
features
Your favorite Madagascar characters are here: Alex, Marty, Gloria, Melman, the wacky King Julien and the crafty penguins, plus unlock BONUS DreamWorks characters Shrek and B.O.B.
Over 20 wild tracks based on your favorite movie scenes including the plane wreck, the New York City Zoo and the volcano, with bonus tracks to unlock for Shrek's Swamp and the Mother Ship
Crazy Kart Action - High flying jumps, flips, rolls and stunts. Earn special rewards for crazy maneuvers
Tons of Pick-Ups - Power boosts, mines, missiles and more all capturing the personality of the Madagascar movies
Head-to-Head Multiplayer - take on up to four of your friends. Submit and download times on the Leaderboard
description
Come on, let's move it! Experience the zany characters and unique locations of the Madagascar movies wrapped in the over the top fun of arcade style kart racing. Put the pedal to the metal Madagascar style with wacky karts, wild tracks, tons of power-ups and crazy kart racing action!
features
3D environments and characters
Traditional "2D" Street Fighter six-button gameplay
Classic Street Fighter characters re-imagined for a new generation of gamers, including the original cast of Street Fighter II
New brawlers: female super-spy Crimson Viper, lucha libre wrestler El Fuerte, mixed martial artist Abel and more!
New special moves that go beyond any Street Fighter fan's wildest imagination, including Focus Attacks, Super Combos, and the revenge-fueled Ultra Combo system.
Amazing locations never seen before in a Street Fighter game
New gameplay elements provide challenges for both newcomers as well as the most seasoned Street Fighter pro.
description
Street Fighter IV brings the legendary fighting series back to its roots by taking the beloved fighting moves and techniques of the original Street Fighter II, and infusing them with Capcom's latest advancements in next generation technology to create a truly extraordinary experience that will re-introduce the world to the time-honored art of virtual martial arts.
Everything that made the legendary Street Fighter II a hit in the arcades, living rooms and dormitories across the globe has been brought back in Street Fighter IV. Players will be able to play their favorite classic characters, such as Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li and Guile, along with new characters, including Crimson Viper, Abel, El Fuerte, and Rufus. Characters and environments are rendered in stylized 3D, while the game is played in the classic Street Fighter 2D perspective with additional 3D camera flourishes. Six-button controls for the game return, with a host of new special moves and features integrated into the gameplay system. Street Fighter IV brings a brand new fighting game to fans the world over.
features
Your favorite Madagascar characters are here: Alex, Marty, Gloria, Melman, the wacky King Julien and the crafty penguins, plus unlock BONUS DreamWorks characters Shrek and B.O.B.
Over 20 wild tracks based on your favorite movie scenes including the plane wreck, the New York City Zoo and the volcano, with bonus tracks to unlock for Shrek's Swamp and the Mother Ship
Crazy Kart Action - High flying jumps, flips, rolls and stunts. Earn special rewards for crazy maneuvers
Tons of Pick-Ups - Power boosts, mines, missiles and more all capturing the personality of the Madagascar movies
Head-to-Head Multiplayer - take on up to four of your friends. Submit and download times on the Leaderboard
description
Come on, let's move it! Experience the zany characters and unique locations of the Madagascar movies wrapped in the over the top fun of arcade style kart racing. Put the pedal to the metal Madagascar style with wacky karts, wild tracks, tons of power-ups and crazy kart racing action!
features
3D environments and characters
Traditional "2D" Street Fighter six-button gameplay
Classic Street Fighter characters re-imagined for a new generation of gamers, including the original cast of Street Fighter II
New brawlers: female super-spy Crimson Viper, lucha libre wrestler El Fuerte, mixed martial artist Abel and more!
New special moves that go beyond any Street Fighter fan's wildest imagination, including Focus Attacks, Super Combos, and the revenge-fueled Ultra Combo system.
Amazing locations never seen before in a Street Fighter game
New gameplay elements provide challenges for both newcomers as well as the most seasoned Street Fighter pro.
description
Street Fighter IV brings the legendary fighting series back to its roots by taking the beloved fighting moves and techniques of the original Street Fighter II, and infusing them with Capcom's latest advancements in next generation technology to create a truly extraordinary experience that will re-introduce the world to the time-honored art of virtual martial arts.
Everything that made the legendary Street Fighter II a hit in the arcades, living rooms and dormitories across the globe has been brought back in Street Fighter IV. Players will be able to play their favorite classic characters, such as Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li and Guile, along with new characters, including Crimson Viper, Abel, El Fuerte, and Rufus. Characters and environments are rendered in stylized 3D, while the game is played in the classic Street Fighter 2D perspective with additional 3D camera flourishes. Six-button controls for the game return, with a host of new special moves and features integrated into the gameplay system. Street Fighter IV brings a brand new fighting game to fans the world over.
features
101 games… Endless variety—Whether you’re a racing fan, a sports nut, an old school arcade gamer, an action addict, a casual gamer, or a fan of brain-teasing puzzles, you’ll find something to like in 101-in-1 Party Megamix!
Fun for the whole family—The easy to pick-up-and-play games are accessible for people of all ages; most of the games can be played in multiplayer mode with up to four people!
Keeps you coming back for more—The more you play, the more games and content you unlock. Take on the challenges alone and see if you can access every last game, or make it a family competition, seeing who can unlock the most games!
description
101-in-1 Party Megamix is a collection of 101 games set in a broad range of themes, featured as a series of TV shows. As the player progresses throughout the games, new TV stations and shows are unlocked, containing new mini-games and game modes. Whether you like racing games, sports games, puzzle games, arcade games or action games – you will definitely find something for your taste. Furthermore, since you can play with your friends, there are tens of hours of gameplay that await you in 101-in-1 Party Megamix!
features
Feel chills run down your spine while exploring crime scenes, dissecting a victim’s body, or following the twists of the story. CSI: Deadly Intent is an all-new immersive experience thanks to intriguing cases written with CSI show writers, a new rendering engine allowing for more realistic graphics, improved lighting effects, and enhanced character acting and lip sync with the voices of the actors from the show
Join the new CSI Family and partner with the cast of the new CSI Season 9. For the first time, team up with new characters such as Ray Langston (Laurence Fishburne) and Riley Adams (Lauren Lee Smith). Be prepared to work with your partner as a real team, working together on the crime scene or helping each other during tough suspect interrogations
Put your expertise to the test as you play one of the most skillful forensic experts to join the Vegas CSI team. For the first time ever, help other detectives in their investigations and gain their respect through your actions and teamwork
description
For the first time ever, team up with the new cast of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation™ Season 9 to solve Sin City’s most gruesome crimes. Explore five brand-new, shocking cases written with CSI writers and bring the guilty to justice.
features
Draw your own hero and create over 100 unique items though out the game such as vehicles, a sword and wings
Explore your artistic freedom with robust drawing tools that provide you with many templates, colors, brush types, guides and stamps. You can quickly draw a simple figure or create a masterpiece
Draw objects directly into the game-play to help you advance through the levels. Special ink powers mean drawing with certain colors gives your creations unique properties
Journey through 4 unique worlds, each with a different style of play including skating and flying
Draw your team’s players, equipment and more as you compete against friends and family in multi-player mini games including Soccer, Hockey & Basketball
description
Experience an all-new Drawn to Life adventure in the first Wii game that lets you create your own hero! Play as your hero and use the Wii Remote to draw customizable weapons and tools designed to help you stop an evil thief before it’s too late!
features
Your favorite Madagascar characters are here: Alex, Marty, Gloria, Melman, the wacky King Julien and the crafty penguins, plus unlock BONUS DreamWorks characters Shrek and B.O.B.
Over 20 wild tracks based on your favorite movie scenes including the plane wreck, the New York City Zoo and the volcano, with bonus tracks to unlock for Shrek's Swamp and the Mother Ship
Crazy Kart Action - High flying jumps, flips, rolls and stunts. Earn special rewards for crazy maneuvers
Tons of Pick-Ups - Power boosts, mines, missiles and more all capturing the personality of the Madagascar movies
Head-to-Head Multiplayer - take on up to four of your friends. Submit and download times on the Leaderboard
description
Come on, let's move it! Experience the zany characters and unique locations of the Madagascar movies wrapped in the over the top fun of arcade style kart racing. Put the pedal to the metal Madagascar style with wacky karts, wild tracks, tons of power-ups and crazy kart racing action!
features
Interact with an array of exotic animals in the wild. Tame zebras, rhinos, hippos and more with fun personalities and special abilities to discover
Explore Savannas, Jungles, River Deltas, Volcanic Deserts & more! Discover the ultimate secret of the wild kingdom!
Complete goals to open unexplored lands. Unlock animals and rare items! Use your wit and the animals’ abilities to create water sources, protect wildlife, and do everything to keep your kingdom happy and healthy
Your kingdom is full of animals, bugs, plants, and rare items you need to find! Stow everything in your rustic backpack then move animals and items from land to land, customizing each area as you please! Earn badges for completing collections!
You and your pal can both get in on the fun with 2- player co-op play! Tag team missions, trade items, and experience the wild together
Talk to the parrot and it will repeat back what you say in parrot voice! Create wind to shake trees & blow dandelion seeds
description
Journey to the heart of Africa where you control the wild kingdom! Interact with exotic animals in the wild including lions, elephants, gorillas and more as you explore the jungles and savannas of Africa. Discover the animals’ secret abilities. Solve challenges to earn new items, animals, and levels. Collect unique items to receive badges. Get in touch with your wild side and discover the ultimate secret of the kingdom with SimAnimals Africa!
features
Use all of Astro Boy’s powers to battle hordes of enemies and colossal bosses: super strength, flight, arm cannons, and drill attacks
Unique 2 ½ graphics and introduce gorgeous platforming action and air combat to a new generation
Live the story side-by-side with 2 player co-op mode
description
Become the ultimate young robot hero from Astro Boy: The Movie. Use all his super powers- lasers, arm cannons, super strength, and flight- on the ultimate adventure to save Metro City. Set in futuristic Metro City, Astro Boy is about a young robot with incredible powers created by a brilliant scientist. Powered by positive "blue" energy, Astro Boy is endowed with super strength, unbelievable speed and the ability to fly. Embarking on a thrilling tale of a true hero in search of acceptance, Astro Boy must gain the strength to embrace his destiny, and marshal his awesome super powers to save everything he cares about.
features
Specifically designed with DS users in mind, CSI: Deadly Intent makes the most of the touch screen for an all new pick-up-and-play experience
For the first time, team up with new characters Ray Langston (Laurence Fishburne) and Riley Adams (Lauren Lee Smith). Put your expertise to the test as you have deeper control of the investigation thanks to an enhanced questioning system and game mechanics ideally suited for Nintendo DS
In each case, collect hints of a larger, sinister conspiracy and finally link all the cases together to unveil the shocking truth
Thanks to stylish visuals, heart-pounding interrogations, and unique touch gameplay, be prepared to feel like a real CSI
description
For the first time ever, team up with the new cast of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation™ Season 9 on your Nintendo DS™ system to solve Sin City’s most gruesome crimes. Explore brand-new, bizarre cases written with CSI writers and bring suspects to justice.
features
Your favorite Madagascar characters are here: Alex, Marty, Gloria, Melman, the wacky King Julien and the crafty penguins, plus unlock BONUS DreamWorks characters Shrek and B.O.B.
Over 20 wild tracks based on your favorite movie scenes including the plane wreck, the New York City Zoo and the volcano, with bonus tracks to unlock for Shrek's Swamp and the Mother Ship
Crazy Kart Action - High flying jumps, flips, rolls and stunts. Earn special rewards for crazy maneuvers
Tons of Pick-Ups - Power boosts, mines, missiles and more all capturing the personality of the Madagascar movies
description
Come on, let's move it! Experience the zany characters and unique locations of the Madagascar movies wrapped in the over the top fun of arcade style kart racing. Put the pedal to the metal Madagascar style with wacky karts, wild tracks, tons of power-ups and crazy kart racing action!
features
Experience incredible layers of gameplay depth with excitement of first-person action and vehicular combat
Features life-like character animations, impressive real-time physics, and customizable vehicles
Players can freely join or leave the game at anytime
Game creates thousands of unique, randomly generated missions, weapons and situations
Allows multiple players to share same game experience simultaneously online
description
A sci-fi / action RPG from acclaimed developer Gearbox, Borderlands combines the best in first-person action with player customization and vehicular combat for incredible layers of gameplay depth.
FluBBa has released a new version of his excellent Master System and GameGear emu for DS, heres whats new:
Features:
- Added R as FastForward.
- Fixed Bios handling on MD (Frogger proto GG2SMS works).
- Fixed "Border Off" for GG.
- Sprite collision is now "On" by default.
- Changed R as GG start to X as GG Start.
The Hackmii team have posted a request for bricked Wii`s, heres the full sp from Bushing:
To continue with the theme of my last post on updates and bricking:
I don’t have an actual explanation for any of the 4.2 bricking, and I suspect Nintendo doesn’t really, either — I don’t think they keep a copy of the NAND keys for each device, and I doubt they have any readily-available way of retrieving them. As a matter of personal curiosity, I would be interested in doing a post-mortem on such a Wii myself.
If you have a bricked Wii that fulfills the following requirements:
Worked just fine before the 4.2 update
Is now unusable after the 4.2 update (black screen, error message from system menu, etc)
Has an old, vulnerable boot1 (such that BootMii/boot2 could be installed), or
Has a known set of keys (either from a BootMii NAND backup or running xyzzy at some point in the past)
Did not have anything too odd done to the system menu or boot IOS (but I’m a bit flexible on this point)
… please let me know. I would be interested in getting a dump of the NAND from the system so I can figure out exactly what caused it to die — if you already had such a dump (and the keys), that would be great, but if I not I could dump it myself (again, assuming you have the keys or it’s old enough that I could install BootMii/boot2 with a flash programmer.)
It looks like Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata has managed to make a mention, in some capacity, about Nintendo's next generation console to follow Wii.
Inside Games posted its regular Morning Edition Check column today. This daily column summarizes game-related stories from morning financial papers.
One of the recaps is from today's Nikkei Industrial Daily, which has an article about last week's Nintendo earnings report. During the briefing, Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata apparently touched upon the specifications of Nintendo's next generation console, indicating that the console would likely make use of HD visuals.
Yes, I'm aware this is all extremely vague. What you're reading here is a summary of a summary of what was probably a vaguely written article in the first place. If I manage to get my hands on the paper, I'll post a more detailed summary. Alternatively, it's possible that the Nikkei article sourced the Q&A section of the briefing, which Nintendo will likely post in full to its official site some time this week.
The Inside recap also mentions that Iwata promised to lend Nintendo's full backing to the overseas release of Dragon Quest IX. He did not share specifics, but this is something Nintendo has indicated in the past.
DQIX has already sold 4 million copies here in Japan, but the series has in the past been far less successful in overseas markets.
A new study from the UK (via The Independent) has shown what many piracy-advocates have been saying for years. While the average person spends around £34 a year on music, people who self-identify as pirates spend an average of £77. The pirates are also the ones buying music in greater quantities. For years, piracy advocates have claimed that most users only pirate as a way to 'test' new bands and seek out more music to buy.
While no study can prove that fact 100%, this is certainly more evidence in favor of it. More importantly, this news should be a sign to the labels that, by punishing pirates, they're only hurting their biggest customers. I'm no fan of illegal downloading, but it's not something any corporation of government entity is ever going to be able to erase. Pirates will always find a way.
So, will news like this get the labels to stop suing their customers? Probably not. At this stage of the game, the companies that want to adapt already have. What we're left with are a few dinosaurs. They're big, scary, and powerful, but not very long for this world. The climate has changed too much to support them.
SquidMan, yellow.wood.goblin, and Normmatt have updated LibELM to 1.3x
LibELM is a FAT driver, like libFAT. However, LibELM is based on the amazing ELM FatFs driver by ChaN. LibELM has a devoptab so you can use stdio functions (fopen, fread, etc.)! Directories and LFN filenames are supported! Completely usable for everything! 1.3 is the True Final release, if there are any bugs, please report them on the talk page, and I will fix them A.S.A.P.
LibELM is Wii only at the moment, and supports SD card, USB stick, and should support SDGecko, but SDGecko has not been tested. DS support is coming soon.
In order to use LibELM, you must also have µSync linking with your project (unless you disable reentrancy). You must also call uSyncInit() before using LibELM!
Revision History
1.3x
Fixed a few fatal flaws that rendered 1.3 unusable.
Requires the newest version of µSync.
µSync is a small, lightweight mutex/synchronization library written in C. It is meant to be as small and fast as possible. It is used in LibELM for reentrancy support, but was released as a separate library, as it may have other uses.
ChangeLog
0.1x
Fixed a fatal flaw in uSyncRelease that set the data to NULL if we are holding the data.
The Yabause team of which our very own DCEmu admin Bluecrab is a part of have released a new alpha version of the Sega Saturn Emulator for Nintendo Wii:
Heres whats new:
Unofficial 0.9.10 alpha8 - Nov. 2, 2009
add submenu of setting cartridge
not compile high resolution version (highreso.dol) because of bugs
Unofficial 0.9.10 alpha7 - Oct. 31, 2009
can play repeatedly
fix displaying more
high resolution version (highreso.dol)
Download Here and Give Feedback via Comments (couldnt upload to forums sorry)
Kukulcan, Author of many of our beloved homebrew DS has created a new site for CPC entitled CPC-POWER.COM. Grand fanatic Amstrad, Kukulcan has preserved the heritage of this computer RETROGAMING.
Robert Morley allias Azenris proposes a new version "Krexblibos"That the passage becomes"Red Temple". The idea of the game is to collect cherries / melons and advance in levels, but for this you must solve puzzles. This new frame is seen very accomplished, see for yourself the huge changelog.
Quote:
Hi, got another update to The Game, not sure if ill do another. Ive kinda been on the one thing a while and would like to try summit different / new. So anyway I decided to upload the source code to.
I renamed to The Game Red Temple, mainly Because the other name sounded weird.
CONTROLS:
D-PAD: movement
START: Pause menu | continue
SELECT: suicide, lose a life and restart level
A: Action | Continuing
B: use special | back
X: drop current special
L-Shoulder: Special prev
R-Shoulder: next special
touchpen: only one titlescreen, for press start button
Save / Load
The Game will now keep a savefile. The savefile is auto updated after completing a level. You can load the savefile
Using continuous on the start menu. Only 1 savefile is maintained.
Particles
I started writing a simple particle engine for some special effects, not done much yet but you can move
the pen on the upper screen during the titlescreen to move the water drops.
Grabbing
* You can now grab trashcan and pull them. Grab one by facing it and press A. I added this because trashcan would Constantly
get stuck against walls. So now you can pull it away!
Bosses
* Boss 1 added to The Game. Be careful of his bullets, turrets and suction move.
Screen Scrolling
Levels can now be bigger than the screen. Allowing for more possible designs of levels. Old level size is 16x12 tiles, new design is
50x20. It could be bigger, but i dont want it to be so big it makes levels too hard. This should be enough.
Level Storage
I redesigned levels were stored how to try and Reduce the memory needed for them.
Sounds
I added some sound effects, currently using maxmod, all sound effects are me being an idiot in a mic No Music tho: /
Demonstrations
Demos are now in the options and are not played during The Game. So if you dont know how to play
You can watch the demos to learn some ideas of The Game. Demos are currently disabled, if you dont know how to play
you could play version 2 of The Game, Which has demos in it.
Item mixing
Having collected some items in your backpack will cause them to mix
* Potion + Map = Spell Powder. Spell Powder is used by clicking on a totem. It will teleport you to the starting point levels.
* Europe = + stick Fishing Rod. Fishing rod can be used in ice water to catch a fish.
* Gun powder + Metal = Dynamite. Dynamite Can be used for destroying enemy spawn points.
Turrets
Both the player and enemy can stand on switches Allowing you to take over a turret. Turrets fires bullets at intervals
killing the opposite side. By pressing the turret switches multiple times will upgrade the firing speed of the turret.
Turret levels are 0, 1, 2, 3.
Description Box
On the lower screen is a box will descriptive text may be displayed.
Example: "Your invincibility wore off" or "You have been hit. 5 Damage."
* After taking damage the player will lose its vision, it will be restored over time
* Medals are awarded per level instead of the entire game scores, different levels have different requirements
* Keycards and Metal Doors.
* Cracking Ice. Stepping on cracking ice will cause it to crack, not Allowing movement over it. Basically you get one pass over
* Short invincibility after taking damage
* Spikes on floor will cause damage to you
* If your carrying a totem you can press A in the middle of a blood circle killing all enemies.
* Carrying a poison sample will allow you to to it on keycard doors, opening them.
* New item added healing, recovers some of your lost health
* New Heart Item, Granting a life to the player
* Enemy Spawn Points - Continue to spawn enemies until destroyed with dynamite
* Destroying Enemy Spawn Points will destroy all enemies created by it
* Added a new item invisibility, making you invisible for a short period
* Eye Doors will show up when you get close to them, blocking your path
* When the invisible screen is shown as black and white
* When invisible enemies can not track your movement and you are able to avoid eye doors closing on you
* Enemies will no longer stand on each other
* You can now push trashcan where doors used to be
GUI
* Inventory is now only 9 slots in size
* Lives are shown as hearts and not a numerical value
* Health is shown as both a numerical value and health bar
* Level is also shown on the lower screen
* Remaining cherries are shown
New Specials
* Fireball - collecting the fireball you allow you to shoot deadly attacks killing the enemy.
* Rubber Gloves - having rubber gloves will allow you to collect samples from poison poison tubs. Poison can burn some locks.
* Fur Coat - stops you losing health on snow.
* Shield - Temporarly make the player invincible.
* Invisibility - Temporarly make the player invisible.
* Light - While holding this special wont decrease your vision.
Specials Changes
* Trainers will now in addition to Allowing free movement on convayer belts allow passage through enemies (does not avoid damage).
Interacting (Pressing A)
Pressing A on certain items when facing them may cause a description or some text
to show on the lower screen within the text box.
Example:
Clicking on a pole without the required spell powder will cause a description telling you
what you need to collect.
When in doubt of what an item is, try pressing A, it may help you.
wollw proposed " 'SynthGBA"Synthesizer four octaves for the Game Boy Advance.
Quote:
I started working on this project to help learn ARM assembly and I ended up putting more effort into it than I intended. It's a four octave synth that can play any major or minor scale that starts on the third through sixth octave. It is not anything fancy as it just maps the keys to the notes of the scale and lets you play but I've found it fun to play around with.
If you're interested in playing around with it you can download it and its source code here.
The source code is a bit of a mess but I really do not want to clean it up at the moment. For what it's worth it does run in No $ GBA with no errors.
Mancala is a board game familly, originated in East Africa. The word "Mancala"
came from arabic word "naqalah" that means literaly "To move".
Dingux-Mancala is the "Awari" variant, and even if the rule of this game is simple,
the complexity can be compared to chess Game.
The AI is based on the source code of H. Huseby & G.T. Lines, for their
implementation of the classical Minimax algorithm.
How to use it ? Everything is in the README.txt file.
Sources are included, and this package is under the GNU public license,
read COPYING.txt file for more information about it.
How to play ? Here is the rules available from awari.cs.vu.nl :
Awari is played on a board where each player owns 6 pits. In the initial
position, all pits are filled with four stones, thus the initial position has
48 stones.
The player to move chooses one of its own, nonempty pits and removes all
stones from the pit. The player then sows the stones, counterclockwise, over
the remaining pits.
If the last stone is sown into an enemy pit that contains 2 or 3 stones
after sowing, the stones are captured.
In this case, if the second last pit is also an enemy pit that contains 2 or
3 stones, they are captured as well, and this process is repeated clockwise,
until the own pit, or an enemy pit containing less than 2 or more than 3
stones is reached.
The player who captures most stones, wins the game. The game end when a
player cannot move, however, to avoid such a situation early in the game, it
is not allowed to do a move that leaves the opponent without countermove,
unless all moves eradicate the opponent.
And Being as no other Homebrew site has posted this as of writing you seen it here first.
Heres whats new:
What's New:
-Collision Detection Added!
-Dynamic Camera Added!
-Character Selection Screen Complete!
-Stage Select Added
-Custom Font Added
-Timer Added
-Basic Character and Stage Attributes System Added (Makes adding them easier and unique)
+See how Luigi moves slower but jumps higher than Mario
-Save System Added (No use for it yet)
-21 Characters Added!
+If you pick a character and it loads Diddy, it means they don't have a strip yet!
-2 Stages Added!
-Lots of Issues Fixed!
-Basic Control Added!
You can only play as one player, no cpus yet. Don't fret though, the next demo will definitely have cpus (and hopefully some AI).
CHARACTERS YOU CAN CHOOSE FROM:
Mario
Luigi
Animal Crosser
Deoxys
Diddy Kong
Geno
Ike
Jigglypuff
Knuckles
Link
Marth
Olimar
Pikachu
Shadow
Snake
Sonic
Stafy
Tails
Toon Link
Waluigi
Yoshi
Nearly five months, the coder Xfacter returns with a new update for his homebrew-game Battlegrounds III game with full 3D graphics, where your goal will be to remove the tanks on your way. In this release, the 0.4x, you can configure the controls to your liking and also fixes some bugs in previous version. The coder then also released the source code of the program are available in the archive.
In track, apart from the changelog, you will also find a video that shows the homebrew in action.
Changelog v0.4x:
Quote:
- Configurable control
- E 'can now save their statistics
- Fixed some bugs
Although a slight delay, the team in January released the awaited update of the Custom Firmware 5.03GEN B, reserved for holders of PSP-2000 with TA-088v3 and PSP-3000 with official firmware 5.03 and then be able to execute arbitrary code certified by the ChickHEN Team Typhoon. With this update you can start UMD / ISO require at least firmware 5:55 without recourse to any procedure patch.
More in full.
Installation - Notes:
Quote:
Requirements:
- 2000 with TA-088v3 PSP or PSP-3000 with firmware Journal 5:03
- ChickHEN R2: For installation you can refer to > THIS < Help
.: Installation:.:
• Extract the contents of the PC
• Copy the folder 5.03GEN-B in PSP / GAME
• Start the Quick Updater 5.03GEN-B present in the Game> Memory Stick
• Once the update program will have three options:
-- install the update
-- to restore the original version.txt
-- to exit the
• Press the button then 5.03GEN to install the CF-B
• After installation, press to restart the PSP
.: The novelty of 5.03GEN CF-B:.
• Compatible with PSP-3000 and PSP-2000 firmware v3 with official 5.03.
• Compatibility with titles PSX (POPS).
• Compatibility with the UMD / Backup protected.
• Compatibility with the UMD / Backup that require FW 5.55 +
• Available on Jan VSHMenu.
• Access to Recovery through the VSHMenu.
Known bugs:
- The demo of Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker still does not work (note: there is talk of the first demo)
- The recovery was not fixata, as in the GEN-A
.: Functions of the Recovery Menu:.
- Toggle USB (working)
- Configuration:
• Skip Sony Logo (not working)
• Hide Corrupt Icons (not working)
• Game Folder Homebrew (working)
• Autorun EBOOT (working)
• Fake Region (working)
• Use VSH menu (working)
• XMB USB Device (working)
• USB Charge (working)
• M33/GEN Network Update (working)
• Use Version.txt (working)
• MAC Address Hide (working)
- Game Categories (working)
- Reboot with OFW (not working)
- Run program at Advanced Menu
- Advanced CPU Speed
- CPU SPEED Plugins
- Plugins Registry hacks
- Registry hack Suspend device
- Suspend device Reboot en firmware officiel
- Reset system Quit
Zodttd, the developer for the iPhone and iPod Touch most famous for all his emulator such as GBA4iPhone, has announced that he is working on a Nintendo 64 emulator for the iPhone 3GS and iPod Touch 3rd generation!
He says that Apple’s latest iDevices are finally fast enough for a Nintendo 64 emulator so he has decided to start working on one.
Naturally there are all the doubts about how fast it will play and how you will control the joystick plus all those buttons (such as the Z-button) but regardless, if this comes out it will be simply awesome!
Here is a copy of the original announcement:
Yup, you heard correct. I am currently working on a port of N64 for the iPhone 3gs and iPod Touch 3rd Gen. Why only these two models? Two reasons:
* They’re the fastest Apple handhelds in term of raw CPU performance.
* They both have a faster GPU (Graphic Processing Unit) which allows for OpenGL ES 2.0 specifications.
So yes you may soon see N64 on your favorite Apple device. But I can’t promise it will run games top notch just yet, as things are too early to say. There’s hope though, with a 3D accelerated graphics plugin, as well as an ARM dynarec. If you have a previous generation device, I can use software rendering, but it will slow things down further, along with the slower CPU.
I’m somewhat light on details at the moment due to wanting to balance the hype. Things look good for this project though. Only thing I’m concerned about is currently software based controls. I would like to keep my current software based controls with overlays in use, if possible. And also, if icontrolpad.com finally managed to mass produce and release the controller for your iPhone 3GS, this could become the greatest thing ever!
In this morning's Wall Street Journal, the venerable financial newspaper touched on the study published this weekend by DFC Intelligence that predicts that games for the iPhone and iPod touch will be the" principal drivers for growth in the overall portable and mobile gaming market" within a period of only five years.
Although Apple and its designated spokespeople have always offered the left-hand compliment that portable gaming devices like the DS and PSP are awesome yet strikingly inferior to the iTouch, for example, Apple is yet to truly back up that confidence with an all-out push for mobile gaming dominance. I guess you could say that portable gaming just hasn't been their "thing."
GeoHot's decision to take on the iPhone 3.1.2 unlock was criticized for coming after Jody Sanders' offer of $10,000 - especially given that he had previously said he would not work on it. Today, in a scathing post on his blog, GeoHot said that though the unlock will be released on November 4 he was turning down the money, because Sanders "and the rest of the iPhone unlock sites out there are scum."
GeoHot is the pseudonym of 20-year-old George Hotz, the illustrious hacker behind the iPhone jailbreaks
bootOpera will boot the installed Opera channel for those who don't want to exit their loader to boot it. The source can easily be edited to boot other installed channels.
Source is included with the binary file.
Boot To URL
To boot to a specific page, place a file in the directory you are loading bootOpera from titled "url.cfg" with the URL you wish to load written in it.
Version History
0.3: Added support for booting straight to a given URL. Thanks to Yossi the idea and SifJar for letting me know about the Nintendo Channel.
So after a little bit longer than I expected (or hoped) it’s time for a hands on review of the Sony PSP Go. I’ve avoided many of the issues already discussed in the show and focussed on the hardware and what the PSP Go (or the PSP-N1000 if you trust the label) can actually do.
It’s a nice machine, but nice doesn’t always win the race. Listen to the show to find out my thoughts, and to get the latest news and views on the Sony Playstation Portable world.
We present you the first gameplay of invizimals on PSP! The initially release is set on 16th November, but we allready have the UMD!
Fell free to comment and rate. The video is sent to us by user Ricky! Sorry for poor image quality!
Sony has signed new production companies up to its PSN video delivery service in the US, securing content such as Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Texas Chainsaw Massacre and the TV series Leverage for users to purchase or rent.
Lucasfilm, Cinetic FilmBuff, ContentFilm International, Image Entertainment, MPI Media Group and New Video have all been added as content partners for the service.
Their addition to Sony's existing providers will bring a range of new films, such as Management, Powder Blue and Hurly Burly, as well as television episodes to the service. More entertainment content from the companies will be added over time, Sony has said.
Official Sony figures put the amount of downloadable content now available through the service at over 10,000 hours, which includes 2300 full-length films and 14,400 TV shows.
40 studio and network content providers are now delivering media via PSN, which encompasses a selection of films, TV, sport, anime and other original entertainment.
China Ontrade calls this the iPhone 4 Generation Midboard. Not very exciting, but the last time they announced a next-generation iPhone part, they were right. A month later, the iPhone 3GS appeared with exactly those parts. What could this mean?
Many of us have jailbroken our iPhones, but did everyone remember to change the default root password? Those guilty of that oversight are vulnerable to the simple intrusion method this guy used to hold iPhones hostage in the Netherlands.
Today's the day that a GameStop listing had Microsoft's Xbox 360 Wireless N Networking Adapter going live for retail. So how's that $100 worth of throughput treating you? What's that... it's not actually for sale? Indeed: the entry has been pulled from GameStop and a Google Shopping search reveals only a single Buy.com entry showing the adapter as "temporarily sold out." That's wishful thinking. While Microsoft has confirmed the adapters' existence they have not officially announced a street date or price. We'll let you know if that changes.
Microsoft is to begin a "revised rollout" of the Sly Player service for the Xbox 360, and will add tens of thousands of users per day in a 'turning on the tap' approach until it's available to everybody.
That's according to a statement released today on the Xbox website, following a series of problems which have seen the high profile UK launch of the TV and movie player put on hold since its original launch last week.
While the service did launch on time as planned, the company blamed a technical fault - later revealed to be far higher than expected demand - as it disappeared from the 360 dashboard.
"As you may know, we have been experiencing some technical issues with the Sky Player on Xbox 360 since launch last Tuesday morning," reads the statement. "It is important to both Sky and Xbox that we give customers as much information as possible about why the service is not working and when we expect this to be resolved.
"As we said last week, some customers have been unable to experience full use of the service due to the initial demand for the service at launch, when so many people tried to access the service all at the same time.
"Right now we are implementing a revised rollout which will see Sky Player become available to all Xbox 360 customers gradually. While unfortunately some customers do not have access to the service, tens of thousands more will be added each day, until the service is available to all.
"We are taking this phased approach to ensure that consumers experience a high-quality experience. The Sky team has contacted the affected Sky Player TV subscribers on Xbox directly with further updates."
When the service does become available it will offer users the opportunity to watch live or on-demand television and film content. A full breakdown of the costs is available in our original launch story.
Jalopnik is all over this week's SEMA car show in Vegas, where Toyota and Microsoft are parading their crazy Tacoma All-Terrain Gamer concept. Four Xbox 360 Elites hooked-up to four swing-out 24-inch Samsung LCDs? Check. Energy drink dispenser? You betcha.
Virtual pet simulator Nintendogs remains one of Nintendo’s most successful DS titles, but in the years since its release there’s been no hint of a successor – until now.
Talk of a new game in Nintendo’s pet series will be no surprise, but what is interesting is that it seems man’s best friend might make way for cats in the still mysterious follow-up title.
Speaking in a Q&A posted on Nintendo’s Japanese site, translated by Andriasang, Miyamoto admitted that: “Recently, I’ve been caring for cats. That is all.”
A fairly innocuous comment in isolation, but president Saturo Iwata’s following comment, “He just gave a big hint”, suggests the statement was far more meaningful.
Sony and the PlayStation 3 were saved by the success of the Nintendo Wii, says marketing research group DFC Intelligence.
Speaking in its piece, 'is it time for the PlayStation 3 to shine?', the group claims that the success of Nintendo's console in this generation ultimately blocked Microsoft from snatching the top slot from Sony. So in a way, Nintendo did Sony a favour.
"While Sony's strategy was to crush Microsoft, and ignore what it considered to be an out-of-the-race Nintendo, consumers had other ideas," it says.
"The lowest priced system, the Nintendo Wii far outsold the others. In North America, the PlayStation 3 was soundly outsold by the Xbox 360. Even in Europe, a market normally dominated by Sony, the Xbox 360 slightly outsold the PlayStation 3. The past few years, Sony's very existence in the game business seemed to be in peril."
It continues: "The main danger Sony faced was that the Xbox 360 would become embedded as the system of choice. Instead consumers flocked to the Nintendo Wii.
"The Xbox 360 had solid sales, but they have not been enough to give Microsoft anywhere near a breakout market position. In many respects, Sony was saved by the success of the Wii."
“Right now our sights are trained on Natal," says Studio head
Developer Rare has revealed in an interview with MCV that it is "hopeful" of creating an FPS for new Xbox platform Project Natal.
The firm, best known for its work on GoldenEye, Banjo-Kazooie and Perfect Dark told MCV that it is focused on Natal – which it saw as a "great opportunity".
“Right now our sights are trained on Natal, which is a great opportunity to break new ground with content and gameplay," said Rare's head of studio Mark Betteridge.
The revelation follows previous hints from inside Rare that Natal was being used to reinvigorate old IP.
“One [IP] I think we can do an absolutely phenomenal, absolutely phenomenal version on with Natal," the studio said in August.
"The interface, the way you interact with it... it would be an absolutely world-beating product. But we need to explore a little bit more in that direction.”
Speaking in MCV's special feature on the evolution of the FPS genre, Betteridge said that Natal was "an opportunity to exercise some genre evolution, so hopefully we’ll be able to develop something on that front.”
Betteridge also discussed the creation of GoldenEye on N64, which broke new ground in terms of the populairty of FPS games on console.
“The final product was a more traditional FPS than we’d first planned – it’s well-documented that the original design was all on-rails,” he added.
“As the work progressed we realised that it made sense to shift development in that direction, both as a game and as a potential asset for Nintendo.
"It turned out to be a great tool for attracting a different type of gamer to the N64. Up to that point the consoles had never been able to field many serious competitors to the PC FPS market.”
Nintendo top honcho Satoru Iwata has said that Wii's situation in Japan "cannot be defined as healthy". It's probably not as bad as it sounds, they have sold ba-zillions after all.
"As you probably know, the current situation of Wii cannot be defined as healthy," he said, detailing this year's decline in Wii sales in Japan to well below the 50k unit sales mark per week.
A spike to almost 100k sales one week in the summer failed to last, and despite a price cut in September, Iwata says: "The price cut seems to have the least impact here than other parts of the world."
He adds: "It is our urgent mission to recover the momentum of Wii during the holidays utilising Nintendo's strength."
DS is propping up Nintendo's bank balance though, as Iwata says the portable continues to do well, thanks to Dragon Quest and Pokémon games.
Transformers 2, Harry Potter, Hannah Montana and James Bond spearhead new films-on-demand offering
Though the exact launch date and pricing remains a tightly guarded secret at SCEE, Sony has at least revealed a little bit of information about its PSN movie and TV rental service, which is due to go live in the UK next month.
Dubbed the “PlayStation Network Video Delivery Service”, Sony’s new offering will be headlined with Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, Hannah Montana: The Movie, Angels & Demons, Casino Royale and The Hills Have Eyes.
Studios already signed up to the service include 20th Century Fox, Disney/ABC/ESPN, Lionsgate, MGM Studios, Paramount, Sony Pictures, Universal and Warner Bros.
A November launch is scheduled for the UK, France, Germany and Spain with other continental territories lined up for 2010.
Activision was ready to back Modern Warfare 2 with massive funds
The studio behind this year’s biggest game was offered a “ridiculous” development budget from the world’s biggest publisher; a budget big enough for the team to politely decline.
In the first half of an extensive interview with Develop, Infinity Ward community manager Robert Bowling revealed the extent in which Activision was willing to go to ensure Modern Warfare 2 hits its marks.
“Early on – when we decided to make a sequel – Activision estimated out a ridiculous budget. And we were like: ‘No, we don’t need that’,” he said.
Though Bowling didn’t go into numbers, his description of the handsome budget is a telling sign of how important the franchise is to Activision. He added, however, that Infinity Ward was typically “pretty tight” with its development budgets.
Bowling was philosophical on the value of high budgets, discussing how they can even impede on the development process:
“Much like we don’t let ourselves get distracted by hype, if you have excess you feel like you should use excess,” he said.
“So we said ‘let us design a game the way we’d always design a game. And let us focus on that.’ So we didn’t let the budget affect our mentality. We would only put stuff in the game that is right for the game, and not because we can.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Bowling discusses how extraordinarily high expectations affect the development process, admitting to the pressures placed on the studio with Modern Warfare 2.
But Bowling added: “very early on we decided to shelter ourselves from being distracted by the hype. We are focussing on making a game that we can be proud of and our fans will like. We approached it like we would any other game.”
As the studio ponders new IP after Modern Warfare 2
Infinity Ward has ruled out development on Nintendo’s Wii console after stating that the platform cannot meet the studio’s ambitions.
As part of a wider interview with Develop, Infinity Ward community manager Robert Bowling implied that the Wii’s humble hardware specs are at odds with the studio’s aim to deliver cinematic experiences.
“If we felt like we could deliver the cinematic experience we were going for on other platforms, then we would gladly move to that platform,” said Bowling.
“Right now, we don't think the Wii can deliver the exact experience that we’re doing. We like to be very equal across all platforms, and if it’s not equal then we won’t do it.”
Bowling also suggested that Infinity Ward could work on new IP after the release of Modern Warfare 2, though at the same time insisted that the studio was still enjoying making Call of Duty games.
“We never worry about the future too much,” he said. “Right now we wanted to make a sequel, so the entire team is hands on deck for making Modern Warfare 2.
“Then once this is done, maybe we’ll see about doing something new. If we do want to do something else, then we will do it. We don’t feel tied to making Call of Duty games.
“We still make Call of Duty games because we’re having fun doing it. And when it stops being fun, we’ll move onto something else.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Bowling mentions the “ridiculous” budget Activision offered it for MW2 development, as well as discuss the pressures of hype.
There's no stopping the eternal tug-of-war between the powers that be and the hackers that will, and for the time being it looks like things are back in the hands of the hackers. As of noon today giddy jailbreakers can take the next step and go full-on with blacksn0w, the unlock for the latest 05.11.07 baseband (with tethering enabled to boot). And if that weren't enough, it looks like blackra1n RC3 is alive as well, with Mac and Windows support. What are you waiting for? Hit the read link to get started, if that's your thing. And the battle for the iPhone's immortal soul continues...
It's gianormous and should be on sale sometime between never and ever. As seen on Gizmodo Japan. Bonus, original screengrab from Mike Fahey after the jump.
We've already announced that Microsoft has launched its Xbox LIVE Rewards pilot program. One thing to note — not all pilot programs are created equal.
As website Gaming Target points out, there are three tiers for the pilot program: Gray, Green and Orange with Orange being the highest tier. Compare for yourself.
Early last month, we brought word of a spot in Akihabara called "Refresh Club" where folks can shell out to play Wii with Japanese ladies dressed as maids. Now, website AkibaMap took one for the team and checked it out.
According to Enterbrain, the folks who publish Famitsu magazine, the newest PlayStation Portable sold 28,275 units on its first day on the Japanese market. Good? Bad? Probably somewhere closer to the former.
That sales data doesn't tell us too much about the PSPgo's reception in Japan, considering Enterbrain only tracked one day, November 1—the platform's launch day—as part of its weekly sales monitoring window. As for how that compares to weekly figures, the most recent data we have is from sales tracker Media Create, which put non-go PSP sales at 32,865 for the week of October 19 to 25.
We'll have to see how the rest of the week shakes down, but won't have that info for a while, since Media Create's window tracks the same period
Enterbrain did note that the PSP had sold 12,797,180 units in Japan since the console's launch in December of 2004.
Some may have been up in arms about arguably disturbing material and unarguably juvenile advertising in and for Modern Warfare 2, but it doesn't seem to be showing any signs of stifling anticipation for the game. In fact, GameStop told Game Hunters that Infinity Ward's baby is the most pre-ordered title in the company's history. Like ... ever. GameStop VP Tony Bartel told the site, "As of today, the number of pre-order reservations we've taken for the game is the highest for any title we've ever sold in our 6,200 store network."
So feel free to grouse all you want, but unless Activision replaces the FPS gameplay with first-person putting puppies into a wood chipper and renames it Osama bin Laden Pushes Jesus Christ Down a Flight of Stairs Made of Baby Skulls, we're not sure there's any amount of controversy that's going to slow Modern Warfare 2 down.
Bundled with the newly designed blue NERF Switch Shot EX-3 blaster and attachable decoder lens that will deliver a blend of covert operation elements with over-the-top blasting missions, NERF: N-Strike Elite features a classic rail shooter style of gameplay and equips players with a cache of fresh features. With the Wii-remote snapped into the NERF Switch Shot EX-3 blaster and the red reveal lens engaged, players will be able to detect enemy weak spots, solve puzzles and decode secret messages as they blast their way to victory.
16 different NERF blasters, both real and fictional
Enjoy a classic rail shooter packed with arcade style shooter action
a detachable decoder lens through which special codes and enemy weaknesses can be seen
2-player offline multiplayer co-op functionality
Four different characters to play as
From BioWare, the makers of Mass Effect, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and Baldur's Gate comes Dragon Age: Origins. An epic tale of violence, lust, and betrayal, Dragon Age: Origins is a single player role-playing game (RPG) set in a fantasy game environment, and featuring three playable character classes, accessible in the form of three races. In addition, the game features extreme character customization, a new game engine, party-based gameplay utilizing non-player characters and a built-in personal history system for each hero character rooted in a variety of possible origin stories.
Travel across the vast and varied lands of Ferelden
Decide the fate of nations, people and, ultimately, yourself
Scalable combat options that let you decide the level of control you have over your party
Your Origin Story will define how you see the world and how it sees you
Customize your car, take corners at 200 mph, and own your opponents. Need for Speed Nitro delivers the fun and exhilaration of high-speed racing with deep and challenging gameplay, where racing skills are not the only way to victory.
Own the World
Pick Your Ride
Battle to the Finish Line
Extreme Customization
Coop World Tour Campaign
From the publisher: In 1931, Winston Churchill was hit by a taxi in New York. In the real world, he survived, and went on to rally the British people to fight the Nazi threat. But what if he hadn’t?
It’s from this premise that Fall Of Liberty takes it’s theme - without Churchill’s leadership, Europe and the United Kingdom have fallen to Hitler’s forces. By 1951, using crushing technical superiority, the United States is invaded and defeated by the Third Reich.
With this setting, Fall Of Liberty will be an FPS experience like no other; a game that’s both a World War 2 FPS and something different. Fighting not as a soldier, but a resistance fighter in a United States of America that’s under the rule of a foreign power.
Exclusive to next-generation platforms and PC, Fall Of Liberty breathes new life into the FPS genre.
Never take freedom for granted, fight for it! Turning Point: Fall of Liberty is our weekly special. Available for the unbeatable bargain price of US$ 14.90 only, the Asian version of the game is region free and completely in English.
DA:O is BioWare’s return to its roots – a dark heroic fantasy game that combines original storytelling techniques with classic roleplaying.
Origin stories are a major feature of the Dragon Age experience. You choose your origin, and from that starting point, your story begins. You play through your character’s early days, defining his or her background and motivation and begin to learn more about the world of Ferelden from your own distinct perspective. Your choice of origin defines how you will view the world and how it views you. Choose a sneaky, disrespected commoner and you will play a story that focuses around subtle skills and careful wordplay. Choose a noble origin and the world will be much more positive and helpful, but those jealous of your status will not be afraid to take what you have, violently if necessary. More will be revealed on these stories soon…
In Dragon Age, your choices change the world and affect the people around you. Certain situations, storylines, and conversation options will change drastically depending on your origin and your motivations.
Winning Eleven, or Pro Revolution Soccer 2010 season has started, form your team and take them to the fields.
Origins determine your paths to success, be the commoner born hero or the chosen one from noble families in Dragon Age: Origins.
From the publisher: Pro Evolution Soccer is a video game built on pride, the pride that comes from making the most realistic soccer experience one can have within the world of gaming.
Pro Evolution Soccer 2010 does not disappoint and this year, the voices of fans world-wide have been heard.
Based in Japan, Winning Eleven Productions has instituted a host of anticipated changes that make PES 2010 the best yet.
In PES 2010 you'll find yourself on the largest stage in digital soccer: The Champions League. Imagine you're in a 1-1 tie in stoppage time against Manchester United.
You've broken their defense and are sprinting full throttle into a man to man match of wits and reflexes with Edwin van der Sar... Do you have what it takes to punch it in for the win?
The Japanese versions are coming this Thursday while the Asian versions are coming later:
Xbox360™
Pro Evolution Soccer 2010 US US$ 64.90
World Soccer Winning Eleven 2010 ASIA US$ 59.90
World Soccer Winning Eleven 2010 JPN US$ 79.90
PlayStation3™
Pro Evolution Soccer 2010 US US$ 64.90
World Soccer Winning Eleven 2010 ASIA US$ 59.90
World Soccer Winning Eleven 2010 JPN US$ 79.90
Nintendo™ Wii
Pro Evolution Soccer 2010 US US$ 54.90
World Soccer Winning Eleven 2010 Play Maker JPN US$ 68.90
World Soccer Winning Eleven 2010 Play Maker (w/ Classic Controller Pro Black) JPN US$ 89.90
PlayStation2™
Pro Evolution Soccer 2010 US US$ 34.90
Winning Eleven 2010 ASIA US$ 44.90
World Soccer Winning Eleven 2010 JPN US$ 59.90
Sony PSP™
Pro Evolution Soccer 2010 US US$ 34.90
Winning Eleven 2010 ASIA US$ 44.90
World Soccer Winning Eleven 2010 JPN US$ 48.90
PC Game
PES Pro Evolution Soccer 2010 ASIA US$ 34.90
Users began grumbling about the 750MB cap on Orange's so-called "unlimited" data plan as soon as it was announced. Close reading of the Terms and Conditions of Orange's service, however, reveals even more restrictions, which poses the question: how many limits can you put on a plan and still call it "unlimited?"
The word "unlimited" in Orange's rate plan listing is followed by an asterisk, which points to a notification that “Fair Usage policy of 750MB/month applies.” Somewhat misleading, but entirely legal in the United Kingdom, where a court ruled last January that a Blackberry data plan with a 250 MB cap could still be called "unlimited."
NES emulator for Windows has been updated recently.
Changes:
- The 2.1.2 release that fixes some bugs of 2.1.1, increases game compatibility, launches a new PPU core, and adds usability enhancements to the windows port.
GameGuha is a new Nintendo Game Boy and Game Boy Color emulator for all Systems with a Java VM for a project for a Computer Science 2 class at the University of Central Florida.
Quote:
GameGuha is a Nintendo GameBoy (and eventually GameBoy Color) emulator for a project for a Computer Science 2 class at the University of Central Florida. It is open source and written in the Java programming language, thus running on any machine with a JVM installed. Planned features include sound, save states, pixel scaling algorithms, and high compatibility and speed.
r71
Another optimization. BTW, I can´t work on it much next week, but after that I´ll be busting out the big optimization guns (tile caching). Also will work on drawing the window and more CPU debugging.
r70
Some minor optimizations. Laying the groundwork for a very large optimization.
r67
Even more games compatible (Castelian, Kwirk).
r66
Fixed a bug in opcode 84. Also, added full screen support (hit ´F´).
r65
More compatibility (Boxxle II, Motocross Maniacs)
r64
Sound update
r63
More sprite stuff. Check out Bubble Ghost and Bomb Jack.
r62
Partial sprite implementation (enough for Tetris, Minesweeper, and Crystal Quest to work). Also, allow LCD control to turn off (prevents screen glitches while loading).
[!] Temporary fix for Banjo Kazooie freezing during the intro.
Revision 440
Forgot to commit changes on gspMacros.cpp
Revision 439
[!] Opps removed horrible typo on roms.ini
[+] Finished merging improvements and fixes on roms.ini (props to Yamagushi and Destroyer5150) [*] We shouldn´t cull front (Mortal Kombat 4 is playable now)
Revision 438
[~] Refactor/Cleaned up ModifyVtx, now only one function is needed for GBI1 and GBI2, and moved various functions to PSPRenderer.
[~] Moved FiddledVtxDKR to PSPrender.h
[+] Various changes to roms.ini (thanks Yamagushi and Destroyer5150)
[!] Removed mpRender hack and just use PSPRenderer::Get() directly.
Aeon Genesis has released a complete patchf for Holy Umbrella - Dondera’s Wild!! It’s a silly action/rpg platformer game! The main character gets transported to an alternate world when he picks up an umbrella, and he has to save it to get home. The game is full of all sorts of cliche plot elements and jokes. It’s a total camp overload, but it’s a still a lot of fun. Script’s been fully translated by the intrepid Hexafire, and has been edited by yours truly. So enjoy!
WiiWare is slowly becoming packed with content, especially in Japan where the service often sees four titles released in a single week. Wouldn't it be great to be able to try out some of those games before handing over your precious WiiPoints? Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata appears to think so!
During the Q&A session at a recent earnings briefing, Iwata told investors that Nintendo would begin a test program for WiiWare demos some time this month. The test will cover just a few titles.
According to Iwata, Nintendo is undertaking this test to see if it can get more players shopping on the Wii Shopping Channel. He admitted that the market for WiiWare and DSi Ware is currently small, with the Wii Shopping Channel and DSi Shop browsed only by people who already know the game they want to get.
Iwata also said that he doesn't feel demos are necessarily the solution to the problem. He may or may not be right, but we're sure some players would appreciate being able to try out certain WiiWare games in advance.
Nintendo hasn't officially announced this WiiWare demo program just yet, so we don't have specifics on titles or a start time frame. It's also unclear if the test will be limited to Japan, or if Nintendo will let the entire world take part.
Once we hear the specifics, we'll be sure and pass along the info to you.
Gannon offers a new utility for the Wii, "MemView" allowing you to explore the contents of the memory in your Wii.
Citation:
What's new?
0.2a: Shows 140 values per page. Use the wiimote to point at a value to get its address and the ascii representation of the value. Page now shows the address range at the bottom.
0.1a: First release. Showed 40 addresses and values per page.
The coder Arnold issuing another plugin for our PSP, after Volume VSH Remap which allowed the console to change the volume using the directional buttons. This is VSH Home Remap and will allow you to assign the function of the HOME button, in this case it is accidentally broken, the Square button of the PSP.
The lepoete coder has just released a plugin that will be indispensable for all those who use the Custom Firmware 5.03GEN-B. This is Sedna, a simple prx which allows you to maintain this on custom firmware after switching off the console. Unfortunately it is not guaranteed to work 100% and sometimes you may need to repeat the procedure to install the Hen.
In track you will find more information on plugins and even a mini-guide for installation.
Installation:
Quote:
Installation:
- Copy the file in the folder seplugins Sedna.prx
- Copy the text string ms0: / seplugins / Sedna.prx 1 files VSH.txt and GAME.txt
The functions of Sedna:
- Patch to restart the PSP will not need to restart the HEN
- Patch off the PSP
- Hides the icon Update on UMD
- Patch access to Flash 0,1,2,3 to avoid problems like the cancellation of the same
- Redirect the version.txt to ms0: / PSP / SYSTEM / version.txt
Welcome to cueplayer for PSP.
To play cuesheet file with flac, you need to place your cue file and flac file or ogg file in the same directory. It is like this
The cue file and flac file should be the same name.
Here is the button summary:
NOTE, you should press and HOLD button to use any button. It is designed to avoid accident press.
When in file selection screen:
CROSS: select file or ascend directory.
TRIANGLE: Go back to upper directory.
CIRCLE: Start over
When playing music:
TRIANGLE: Goto file selection screen and stop player. It will automatically BOOKMARK now.
CIRCLE: Pause/ unpause player. DO NOT SEEK WHEN PAUSED. It is buggy.
CROSS: Goto the first track, or the starting point of the file.
SQUARE: Load bookmark.
HOME: Turn on/off backlight
L_TRIGGER: Previous track
R_TRIGGER: Next track.
To exit player, press home button. It will not bookmark though.
CHANGELOG:
Changelog 0.20
1. Fix the file selection bug: if dir is not exist, when starting the program, the program will halt.
2. Now the files are sorted in the dictionary order.
Another Homebrew Idol blast from the past: The Underminer’s PReSS v0.4.1. PReSS is a full-fledged RSS reader that will change your whole perspective on the way PSP handles really simple syndication. I’ll let the video do the talking:
First off a massive thanks to Allan_Cesar for giving me news of an emulator for the PSP that no other site has posted news of yet.
The emulator in question is from Bootsector a rather great coder from the PS2 Scene, anyway heres the readme file with all the info in it
FCEU-PSP is an attempt to port FCEUltra, a great Nintendo Entertainment System
emulator, for PSP. This is the first project of a "newbie" in the PSP
programming world, so there will be always something to be improved
FCEU-PSP is opensource and you can help me to make it better. If you wish so,
please, get in touch by sending me an email.
:. Basic control pad support
:. 44100Hz Sound
:. SRAM support
:. Save state support
TODO:
:. Improve sound buffering/quality
:. Add pad turbo support
:. Improve video render speed/quality
Controls:
During ROM selection screen:
:. UP and DOWN: Move around the filesystem.
:. X: Select ROM
:. O: Quit emulator
During gameplay:
:. UP, DOWN, LEFT and RIGHT: NES D-PAD
:. []: NES B button
:. X: NES A button
:. Select: NES Select button
:. Start: NES Start button
:. L: In-Game menu
:. R: Toggle screen size
Have fun!
(my observations)
Runs on 5.50gen-d2 CF
Runs zipped roms
A very good compatibility
As Windows 7's market share passes 3.6%, up from 1.9% the day before launch, llManDrakell notes an experiment they did over at Sophos. They installed Windows 7 on a clean machine — with no anti-virus protection — with User Access Control in its default configuration. They threw at it the next 10 virus/worm samples that came in the door. Seven of them ran; UAC stopped only one baddie that had run in the absense of UAC. "Lesson learned? You still need to run anti-virus on Windows 7."
The other day wraggster posted about a new server that was going to replace the old DCEmu server. The plan was to have the new server up and running this past weekend but the server move has taken a bit longer than expected.
However, the move is finally complete and you're seeing DCEmu hosted on a brand new server with the following specs:
AMD Opteron 1356 QuadCore 64 Bit, 4 x 2.3 GHz
8 GB DDR2-RAM
2 x 1000 GB SATA-HDD in RAID
Debian 64 Bit
100 Mbit/s connection
I'm also looking to update vBulletin to the latest version ASAP.
Hopefully this should speed up the delivery of pages when the traffic is high.
Sony's slow roll out of the PSPgo has been "by design" and the story is far from over for the digital handset, according to Gamestop exec Tony Bartel.
Following the release of figures from the console's Japanese launch over the weekend - it sold 28,000 units in its first day - Gamestop's exec VP of merchandising and marketing told IndustryGamers that Sony had never planned a big launch for PSPgo.
"I think that, by Sony's admission, you can tell by the small marketing that was done for this, that their mentality was more of a slow roll than a major launch. This was clearly different than the way that Nintendo approached the DSi, and I think that was by design.
"I think the story is far from over and being written on the PSPgo. I think Sony knew it was going to be more of a slow build as opposed to a right out of the gate huge release. I'm not sure that anyone that spent a lot of time working with Sony on the launch was really surprised by the way that it's gone so far."
Official figures from the US launch of the handheld are yet to be confirmed, but Sony has said it led to overall PSP sales growth of 300 per cent.
US sales of the PlayStation 3 are in far less dispute, with the console reaching the hardware sales top spot during the month of September.
Nearly 500,000 units were sold during the month, reports IndustryGamers, while in Japan the console's sales have grown by 707 per cent since its price was dropped.
And in Bartel's opinion, its success in the US won't be limited just to September.
"We continue to see the [price drop] giving strong momentum to the PS3," he said. "Obviously we had a strong surge when they initially dropped the price, and there was a lot of excitement around that, but we still see PS3 sales as very strong through October as well."
Sony of Japan has announced five new PSP bundles for the region, all for the PSP 3000 hardware.
Four are 'Value Pack' bundles which will include the PSP 3000 and accessories - but no game - for JPY 19,800 (USD 219.50). The consoles will come in Vibrant Blue, Piano Black, Pearl White and Radiant Red colours.
The fifth is a special Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G bundle, which will include a copy of the 3.5 million plus selling Capcom title and retail for JPY 18,500 (USD 205).
The bundles will all be released in December. There's currently no confirmation of their release outside of Japan.
The App Store is now home to over 100,000 apps, while downloads have surpassed the two billion mark, Apple has announced.
At the end of September, the number of apps stood at 85,000, with over 125,000 developers signed up to Apple's iPhone Developer Programme. A breakdown of category content on the store found that games are by far the most popular type of app available, accounting for 19.6 per cent of the Store's content.
"The App Store, now with over 100,000 applications available, is clearly a major differentiator for millions of iPhone and iPod touch customers around the world," said Apple's senior VP of worldwide product marketing, Philip Schiller. "The iPhone SDK created the first great platform for mobile applications and our customers are loving all of the amazing apps our developers are creating."
"The App Store has forever changed the mobile gaming industry and continues to improve," added Travis Boatman, EA Mobile's VP of worldwide studios. "With a global reach of over 50 million iPhone and iPod touch users, the App Store has allowed us to develop high quality EA games that have been a huge success with customers."
Apple's digital store is now available in 77 countries. A new App Purchase feature recently introduced by the platform holder now allows developers to sell content, subscriptions and digital services directly to users from within their applications.
Pre-order numbers for the forthcoming Ubisoft priority release, Assassin's Creed II, are up 80 per cent on numbers for the original game, according to the publisher's CEO Yves Guillemot.
That is set against an expectation that the company will sell around 15-25 per cent higher total sales of the sequel, although he refused to be drawn on specifics speaking in a conference call to investors.
By contrast pre-orders of Avatar remain relatively low, although not wholly dissimilar to those for the publisher's prior movie tie-in King Kong.
Guillemot also revealed that a deal was signed at the beginning of 2009 with Sony on marketing of Assassin's Creed II, which will see TV adverts relating only to the PlayStation edition of the game - an agreement that will see more activity "than would have been possible otherwise," he added.
id Software co-founder John Carmack has made known his ambitions for developing iPhone games, but at the same time revealed that his studio hasn’t quite got the resources to match them.
Carmack, whose longstanding studio was acquired by Zenimax earlier in the year, revealed in a blog post that id will dedicate just two of its whole workforce to full-time iPhone game development.
“Everything is still an experiment for us on the iPhone,” he said, “and we are learning lessons with each product.”
Carmack revealed that he wants to build a Rage-themed iPhone title to coincide with the release of the PC, PS3 and 360 edition of the game in 2010.
But the studio co-founder explained the studio doesn’t have “a firm direction or team chosen” to work on such a title.
“I was very excited about doing a really-designed-for-the-iPhone first person shooter, but at this point I am positive that I don't have the time available for it,” he added.
“I doubt I will be able to personally open Xcode again for a few months, but I do plan on trying to work out a good touch interface for Quake Classic and the later 6DOF games.
“I also very much want to make at least a tech demo that can run media created with a version of our idTech 5 megatexture content creation pipeline. I'm not sure exactly what game I would like to do with it, so it might be a 500 mb free gee-whiz app...”
CEO Simon Fox puts plan put in place for firm to become 'entertainment hub'
Those who enthusiastically condemned the High Street to history at London Games Conference were wide of the mark: Because entertainment retailers aren't actually reliant on boxed product to survive.
That was the view from HMV this week, as the retail firm unveiled a revolutionary strategy to ensure it is still thriving in a decade’s time.
CEO Simon Fox – speaking after the company had launched its first cinema in Wimbledon, London – told MCV that the firm was not moving away from recorded product, but that "it is moving away from us”.
“I am very optimistic that the HMV brand will still be represented on our High Streets in ten years’ time,” said Fox.
“Our stores will have been transformed away from being one-dimensional retail outlets, selling just packaged media, and are more likely to be entertainment hubs in a much wider sense, catering to a broad range of demands and offering access to music, film and games in all its forms – including a greater focus on the live experience. Such hubs will work in tandem with our music and other live venues.”
Fox’s confident comments come after luminaries of games’ digital distribution sector predicted the death of games retail as we know it at LGC last week.
However, Fox told MCV that there was one area of physical product was still growing at HMV – its pre-owned Re/Play division.
“Given that games content probably hasn’t had the same depth of more recent years, Re/Play has bit of a bonus,” he said. “The added-value it gives customers in these recessionary times has gone down well.”
Spam volumes climb 24% in a year, with denial of service attacks rising
Internet spam, malware and other net-based threats have reached record levels in the past three months, according to a report from internet security firm McAfee.
The group also found that “cybercriminals” are now more regularly threatening website owners with Denial of Service attacks.
McAfee’s research, documented in its Third Quarter Threats Report, confirmed that internet threat levels surpassed the previous records set out in the group’s second-quarter report.
In fact, the group said that spam levels broke its previous levels by as much as 10 per cent.
Over a year, spam has climbed 24 per cent to cover 92 per cent of all email.
Meanwhile, McAfee is claiming that web-based attacks are “the newest hot threat vector”, with the popularity of phishing scams and denial of service attacks on the rise.
Torrent search engines rose 300% in the 24 hours Pirate Bay was down
The number of illegal file-sharing sites rose by 300 per cent as a Swedish court ordered the closure of The Pirate Bay, according to new research.
Internet security group McAfee claimed in its Third Quarter Threats Report that the internet was “awash” with new piracy search engines as owners of The Pirate Bay were told to close operations back in August.
McAfee went on to claim that those new file-sharing sites disappeared rapidly as The Pirate Bay re-opened, just 24 hours after it closed, due to the site’s owners allegedly signing up to a new ISP immediately after the Court’s decision.
“[Pirate Bay] users began creating their own sites to support The Pirate Bay community when the site was in the process of being shut down,” said a statement from McAfee.
The security vendor also spotted that numerous malware writers had created websites that pretended to be torrent-hosting sites, but instead offered links to malicious programs.
“Many of these sites sprang up to scam users of The Pirate Bay who were looking for a new place to download copyrighted material” McAfee said.
There are more than 50 million Wii systems worldwide. Logically, the audience for a wide range of games and interactive experiences should be rather big, but based on the evidence so far, either that's not true — or publishers have been hedging the wrong bets. No one has conclusively proved the case for (or against) the viability of mature games on Wii, but 2009 was a litmus test on a number of fronts, including the DS. The results aren't encouraging.
Jared sends word of Ars Technica coverage of Net Applications' monthly browser share numbers. What's significant this time is that Firefox has finally passed IE6 in worldwide share.
"Internet Explorer remains ahead of the rest of the competition, but since month after month it continues to lose ground to all other browsers, Firefox has now finally surpassed IE6, which is easily the most hated version of Microsoft's browser. ... In October, all browsers except for IE and Opera showed positive growth. Between October and September, Internet Explorer dropped a significant 1.07 percentage points (from 65.71 percent to 64.64 percent) and Firefox moved up a sizeable 0.32 percentage points (from 23.75 percent to 24.07 percent). ... Although IE's decline seems to be unceasing, the real shame is that the old versions have more share than the newer ones (we can only hope that as Windows 7 gains popularity, this trend will reverse)."
Ars presents a graph with their own site's browser share picture, and as you might expect it's very different from the general population's.
The leaks were real. This weekend, Walmart is kicking off pre-Black Friday deals, including a $199 Xbox 360 Arcade that comes with a free $100 gift card, effectively dropping the price to $100. Other deals are just as good:
What was once an unverifiable rumor from an anonymous source has now, sadly, become a confirmed fact. Intel won't be integrating USB 3.0 support into its chipsets until at least 2011. Motherboard makers such as ASUS can still opt to add discrete 3.0 controllers at an extra cost, but Intel -- already accused of dragging its heels on the standard's development -- won't be. NVIDIA spokesman Brian Burke has expressed, in no uncertain terms, his company's disappointment with Intel, while also claiming that chipsets by NVIDIA are more feature-rich and just plain better than Intel's own efforts. We'll add this to our ever-growing collection of things NVIDIA doesn't like about Intel, but we also hope that the immature outburst doesn't obscure the real issue. NVIDIA is correct in noting that Intel needs competition in the chipset space, and the new interconnect's dependence on Intel's whims demonstrates the market-altering powers that reside in Santa Clara, CA. Unless another chipmaker gets serious about competing with Intel, we could face plenty more of these seemingly arbitrary delays in tech rollouts.
Palm device owners have little to complain about when it comes to webOS; not after enduring Garnet and empty Access promises for so long. Still, that OS which relies so heavily upon web technologies like HTML 5, JavaScript, and CSS can be surprisingly sluggish when compared to other smartphone OSes. Now we have a hint as to why thanks to Palm's Ben Galbraith and Dion Almae who made an interesting admission Tuesday related to the Pre's UI latency compared to the iPhone 3GS -- a phone based on the same ARM architecture. According to the duo, "the path to the GPU didn't exist" in webOS, something that will be solved in the "immediate future" using CSS transforms to modify visual elements thus freeing-up CPU cycles for other tasks. Hmm, immediate future sure sounds like a webOS update to accompany the Palm Pixi release on November 15th.
It's not exactly the native unlock we've been waiting for, but those of you in Europe dying for a Pre unshackled from O2 will be happy to know that the Rebel Simcard II is now compatible with Palm's first webOS device. The £10.99 / $17.95 accessory card slots in between your carrier's SIM and the Pre's SIM slot, bypassing the Pre's network locks and allowing full access to voice and data services including 3G. Sadly, the Pre doesn't have the radio support to make this work in the States on anything but EDGE, but at least it's a start, right? Video after the break.
Microsoft's Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb discusses the recent string of Xbox Live piracy console bannings, delivering an important caveat to those purchasing used machines in the process.
Last week Microsoft launched a string of Xbox Live console bans on Xbox 360s that had been modified to play pirated software, which naturally cause an uproar among people who have modified their Xbox 360 consoles to play pirated software. Go figure. Major Nelson explains that it's all for the sake of the community members that actively spend money on games.
As you may have read online, we've been actively banning consoles from Xbox LIVE that have been modified to play pirated games. Our commitment to combat piracy and support safer and more secure gameplay for the more than 20 million members of our Xbox LIVE community remains a top priority. All consumers should know that piracy is illegal, and that modifying their Xbox 360 console to play pirated discs, violates the Xbox LIVE terms of use, will void their warranty and result in a ban from Xbox LIVE. The health of the video game business depends on customers paying for the genuine products and services they receive from manufacturers, retailers, and the third parties that support them.
It's all common sense, really, but then the Major raises a very important point.
This would also be a good time to remind you that the warranty on an Xbox 360 console is not transferrable and if you purchase a used console that has been previously banned, you will not be able to connect to Xbox LIVE.
Since most game retailers don't check to see if a 360 can connect to Xbox Live prior to taking it in used, you very well could wind up with a system that is unable to connect to Xbox Live at all. Luckily most retailers return used consoles without much hassle. Just make sure you check your Xbox Live connection within the return period and you should be fine.
Due out early next year, Easy Piano lets you play piano with a 13-note, full-octave external keyboard that plugs into the Gameboy Advance slot of your DS. DSi owners need not apply.
As with the Playstation Portable, you can connect your PSPgo to a television to watch movies, listen to music, browse the Internet and play video games. But unlike a standard PSP, you can use a PS3 controller to do all of that.
Because of its unique plug, to do this you'll have to buy a special set of component AV cables for your portable. Sony sent a set to me yesterday to check out, so I plugged it into our 42-inch high definition LCD in the living room to give it a spin.
The first thing I noticed is that the image typically takes up a relatively small portion of my screen, but thanks to the settings on my television I was able to zoom and stretch the picture to pretty much fill the TV without much resolution loss.
Keep in mind, the resolution isn't going to be so great on fast moving games like Gran Turismo and MotorStorm, but for games like PixelJunk Monsters and Patapon it looks great.
The best part is that you can sync a Playstation 3 controller to the PSPgo so after attaching your portable to the TV you can sit back on a couch and play games on it as if it were a console. All of the games we tested had zero lag for controls. The only real issue is that the games are created to be used with the PSPgo's control layout, so some of the buttons don't work on the PS3 controller.
It would be great if developers threw in a way to tweak controls for PS3 controller use or added some sort of auto detection for when you use a PS3 controller.
Market research firm Permuto Discoveries have published a list of the top-selling Christmas gifts for kids over the past forty years. Unsurprisingly, over the past few years at least, video games have dominated.
The list provides only the single, top-selling, must-have item for the year. No room for second place here. And it shows that seven times in the past 34 years - beginning with Pong in 1975 - a video game or games console has come in at #1. Bump that number up to eight if you count 1999's Pokemon, owned by Nintendo, as a gaming product.
Gaming gear really starts to pull away in the past decade, with the PS2 topping 2001's list, followed by the DS, Wii and PS3 in 2004, 2006 and 2007 respectively. Hrm. Wait a minute. The PS3 outsold the Wii for Christmas 2007? It most certainly did not.
Makes you wonder whether Permuto got anything else on the list wrong. We hope not, though; 1993's Genesis Mortal Kombat looks just fine where it is, thanks.
Throwing a controller/handheld to the ground in frustration is for wussies. You really want to vent some steam, you load the offending peripheral or console into a gun and you shoot it through a wall.
That's what Amusement - the greatest gaming mag to never be published in English - did for their latest issue, blasting this red DS so hard through the wood that it splits clean in two. Beautiful (click to embiggen).
If your coffee table is in need of some flair next to those coffee-soaked back issues of Game Informer, you can buy back issues of Amusement here.
Studies about video games say the darnedest things. Either it is plainly obvious that being a gamer hurts your income — because you have to spend money on these games! — or there is a mathematical revelation here.
The New-Brunswick Telegraph Journal reports the findings of Economics student Ryan MacLeod, who has crunched some demographics numbers to determine that, the more men play games, the more their income drops.
He's put a number on that, the paper reports:
The effect is so notable that for every minute a video game is played, MacLeod's research suggests gamers can expect a 0.4 per cent decrease in income.
And more from MacLeod:
"My work confirms that, in general, the more income a person has, the more time they spent playing video games," MacLeod said. "But that playing video games could also have a negative effect on a person's income."
I've long wondered how much money avid gamers commit to their gaming hobby each year. When you add and subtract all your game purchases, trade-ins and whatnot, what's the tab at year's end? And, as the story notes, if your income is lower, is it because of some subtle effect playing games has on earning power? Or is it simply that you played games so much, you cost yourself time that could have been used to make more income?
For a moment, let's ignore the billions Sony has lost on the PS3 so far and focus on optimism for the future. GameStop executive vice president Tony Bartel notes that momentum for the console has maintained a solid sales pace following Sony's most recent price drop and hardware remodeling.
Bartel tells IndustryGamers that there was a natural surge after the initial announcement of the price drop months ago and that the retailer has seen "very strong" PS3 sales through October. He didn't reveal specific data, though, and we'll have to wait and see if his claims are reflected in the overall October hardware sales figures released by the NPD later this month.
When did you get your PS3?
Before the $299 price drop
After the price drop
Gonna get mine before 2010, I promise!
What PS3?
Nintendo's resident legend, Shigeru Miyamoto, has revealed that the next installment in the Legend of Zelda series on Wii will make use of Wii MotionPlus for more realistic sword combat and targeting. "In this (installment of the series), we're using MotionPlus to make you feel much more like you're actually fighting while holding a sword in your hand," Miyamoto disclosed during an October 30 Q&A session, as translated by GameLife.
"In the previous game, you aimed at things by pointing at the screen, but this time we'll use MotionPlus to create a much more convenient targeting system and a more pleasurable playing experience," Miyamoto added.
Despite these revelations, Nintendo has yet to officially state whether Wii MotionPlus will be an option or a requirement for playing the game. When this next Zelda was announced during E3 2009, Miyamoto could only say that MotionPlus-exclusivity was "possible." These gameplay elements -- especially the swordplay -- only make it seem more likely.
Major Nelson, updating us on a periodic Xbox Live purge—banhammering cheaters, pirates and other folks of ill-repute, though not 12-year-olds—reminds us of Microsoft's official policy that if you buy a used Xbox 360 that's been banned, you're screwed.
This set of sport pack includes the accessories for you to enjoy the Wii sport games. It comes with a handle bar, paddle, table tennis bat, bow and frisbee, all allowing you to have fun with your family and friends at home, while exercising. All items are compatible with Wii Remote and Motion Plus. Also because of the soft nature, it is very safe for everyone.
This metal case is made for NDS i. Its exterior is hard enough to protect the console from scratch and damage. Meanwhile, it bears the cute graphic of Mumu Dog, which must be the favorite of many young kids. Also, there are holes on the sides of the case, corresponding to the buttons on the console, so you will find it easy to control as usual.
Hard surface effectively protects NDS i from scratch and damage
A cute graphic of Mumu dog on the surface
Holes are found on the sides of the case for you to press the buttons of the console
Five colours available: blue, black, green, red and silver
features
Developer: Senile Team and redspotgames
Single-player grand prix mode with four difficulty levels
Three multi-player modes to enjoy with up to four players
Five race cars to choose from
10 Grand Prix race tracks
9 additional multi-player race tracks
Awesome soundtrack by Black Device
Autosave to VMU (any port, file uses just 2 blocks)
Configurable controls and many other options
Region free
Rumble pack support
Compatible with original Dreamcast pads, arcade stick, and third party controllers
Supports PAL (50/60 Hz), NTSC and VGA displays
Animated cut scenes
Plus even more unlockable content!
Online Highscore!
After hearing about the new Dingoo official firmware v1.2 in this specific thread, Justin, the COO of Dingoo-Digital USA, managed to upload the new firmware, big thanks to him!
Finally, this fixes the Y/B problem, video sluggishness, and more added languages.
Don't worry, the rapid updates should slow as these codebases mature a bit. This version works around an issue where some games (Akumajou Dracula, Zelda DX v1.1 and below) were unintentionally invoking the SGB packet transfer mode while intending to only poll controllers. This was generating empty PAL01 packets that would turn most or all of the onscreen video output black. With this fix, all known SGB issues should be resolved. The only bugs remaining should be those due to using a CGB core for a DMG device.
PSPKVM is a Java 2 Micro Edition (J2ME) CLDC/MIDP Emulator for the Sony PSP.
Quote:
PSPKVM Test Builds
There are currently a few ´unofficial´ or test builds up, for testing various features.
(Note: 0.5.4 test releases are in .tgz format--or gzipped tarballs. Notes on handling these, if you´re new to them, are here.)
0.5.5 Test 2 (Uploaded Nov. 4, 2009)
This release adds file-based MP3 playback capability to the JSR 135 Multimedia API, meaning J2ME media players like GlassPlayer will be able to play local MP3 files, and games and other apps using MP3s for sound should work. The package is a ´bare eboot´ .zip, containing only the EBOOT.PBP (replace the one in our current 0.5.4 install or a previous 0.5.5 test build with it to add this feature). The download is here.
Changes include:
* Initial MP3 (JSR 135 Multimedia API) implementation added. This is a MediaEngine (hardware-based) implementation--very fast, and easy on your processor. It is for file-based playback only as of this release (no streaming from the net as yet), and has the following known limitations: there are no shuttle controls or volume control, metadata reading is not yet supported, and backgrounded playback, while functional, will break your network connection.
* Added a ´mark all contents´ command to AMS folders
Well, this case is unique. We all know that many people get violent by playing more and more video games, may be its a problem in their brains or they don’t have elders to look after them. A 12 year old boy who had an impressive bio data of causing trouble was warned by the court that if he doesn’t leave his violent ways, he can forget about his Wii.
Here is the list of the troubles that was caused by the boy:
Hit another boy on the head
Attacking a fellow male student
Attacked a female teacher
The Judge Judge Marvin Garfinkle granted the boy bail but confiscated his Wii in the hope that the boy will straighten up. The boy’s lawyer had the following to say:
“I know it doesn’t look good. I’ve never seen him enraged, I’ve never seen him upset. He’s a 12-year-old who is generally quite scared.”
The PSP may finally be getting a good run of games with title like Beaterator, LittleBigPlanet and GTA Chinatown Wars but it wasn’t always the case. Now Sony’s bosses have revealed just why it’s handheld took so long to take off. Read on to find out why…
According to Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios boss Shuhei Yoshida say the Playstation 3 is to blame for the slow trickle of titles for the PSP.
“A couple of years ago we clearly put too much focus on PS3 titles,” says Yoshida. “It caused a lack of support for the PSP last year. We need to be focused and gear a lot of our resources back to the PSP. We have many titles this year.”
With the PSP Go now offering over 16,000 downloadable extras and more games on the way, it seems clear that Sony has changed its focus.
Yoshida also explained that although Sony didn’t announce new titles at the Tokyo Game Show, it is preparing to announce new titles. We’ll keep our eyes peeled and get you all the details.
StartPatch Mod is a modification of StartPatch which allows you to select which IOS to use to patch your System Menu v4.2, and puts all four versions into one.
Features Of v4.2.x
Disable HAXX, DVDX, RZDx Checks - Disables the System Menu from blocking Homebrew.
Block Disc Updates - Blocks updates which have been embedded in Discs.
Block Online Updates - Prevents online updates being installed.
Force WiFi Connection Test Error - Forces a WiFi Connection Test Error.
Region Free Channels - Allow installation of any region Channels.
Region Free GC Games No VM Patch - Removes region restrictions on Gamecube games.
Remove NoCopy Protection (Need To Install ALL Five) - Removes the Save File Copy Protection, which prevents Save Files from being copied to SD Cards.
Move Disc Channel - Enables the Disc Channel to be moved.
No Menu BG Music - Removes the System Menu's background music.
Recovery Mode 4th GC DPad UP - Allows you to enter the Wii's Recovery Mode easily.
Remove Diag Disc Check - Remove Diagnostic Disc check.
Auto-Press A At Health Screen - Automatically presses "A" for you at the Health Screen.
Replace Health Screen With Black - Instead of seeing the Health Screen, it shows a black screen.
Changelog
v2 - Nov. 4, 2009
Detects which system menu is installed. Support for System Menu 4.2 U,J,E, and K, all in one single boot.dol
SDL MAME Wii is an Arcade Emulator based on SDLMAME. Many games for early arcade boards can be played with varying amounts of success.
Changelog
0.3.1 - November 3, 2009
Upgraded libfat to 1.0.6, hopefully this fixes the SD card corruption bug
Added USB support (Start SDL MAME Wii from a USB drive to enable it)
Fixed "Unexpected option gl_lib queried" error log
Fixed Nunchuck control mapping
Switched Buttons 1 and 2 around (by public demand)
Fixed support for some games (including Donkey Kong and Frogger)
Moved errors.txt and ui.bdf files into /mame/
A simple file manager will help you reorder your manga and music without PC and explore WIZ file system.
Be careful: Navigator's kamikaze protection system is not perfect!
JNB is a typical jump and run
Spice up with adventure elements
(Inventory, AKS). As a blob, a small
blue and pretty shapeless figure, is
it is your task to save the island "Mali" to
Your opponents are the dreaded
Beast King and his retinue. It is up to now
you. Save the island and friends from blobs
whose rule or let them perish.
Something unusual, a retro update, version 3.1 "Pokemon Mini-Game"Contains a bug that prevents its operation, blabla has decided to release version 3.0 pending the resolution of the problem.
Reminder:
Game that requires Nano Lua DS or Micro Lua DS v3 to operate.
Quote:
I found a bug in version 3.1.
If I want to settle it, I must change all the way and it will take me time.
So here is version 3.0 the functional
Thermo Nono offers "Darts"A Lua homebrew coded which aims to demonstrate the effectiveness of its lib 'Angle-EZ'(Supplied with the game). It is a game of darts offers simple mode 301 for one player.
Game that requires Nano Lua DS or Micro Lua DS to operate.
Quote:
Version 0.8 (beta)
I created this game in order to demonstrate the effectiveness of my lib 'EZ-Angle' (supplied with the game).
That is why this game is not multiplayer and not proposing that Rule 301 of the Simple.
Orders:
Throw the dart by using the stylus (in the direction of the target is even better).
It is possible to lower or raise the music volume with the L and R buttons
Over a year since the last release, returns to our fellow weltall with an update to its plug Cwcheat, now in version 0.2.3. I remember Cwcheat allows you to enter tricks PSP and PSOne games, to make screenshots of games, to change the CPU speed and change the brightness of the screen. This update introduces an option to refresh the tricks that need but some tests to verify the actual operation.
Following the full changelog and the link to download.
Changelog v0.2.3:
Quote:
- Compiled with latest toolchain
- Updated db to the latest version
- Implemented a function of the refresh timer tricks. The function is not tested and probably require editing configuration files to run (Function not tested enough)
News via pspita
E 'available for download a new update for gpSP-J, as amended dell'Unofficial Takka gpSP developed by coder. Unfortunately the usual changelog in Japanese does not allow us to understand the new features introduced with this release. We may think that there have been improvements related to the overall stability of the emulator.
Follow the link to download.
PSP CheatUp is an application designed to simplify the task of updating the cheat codes through the use of the PSP’s Wifi and a wireless internet connection. Currently the application can automatically detect and install cheats for CheatMaster Fusion, coderPR, CWCheat and NitePR.
The following features are available in PSP CheatUp:
Download and install cheat updates for most PSP cheat engines.
Update application from PSP.
Display the Changelog and Gamelist of the last download cheat update.
Display the last update date, time and filesize of the cheat database.
Changes in version 0.31
Fixed: Application update bug introduced in version 0.30.
Fixed: Various other bugs.
"shogun made more progress on his Cxbx branch. The game "Panzer Dragoon ORTA" noew goes in-game, albiet without 3D. Check out shogun's new blog (here) to read more details and to keep up to date with his future progress!"
Since then, a few more updates have been added allowing further in-game progress, not playable because the frame rates are low and a handful of other bugs (sound buffer cache overflows, 2D geometry overlapping the 3D scene, garbage polygons and a missing DirectSound function call to name a few). The gfx bugs are rather heavy in-game, but the audio playback is rock solid and 90% stutter free!
There's also a Youtube video showing a greater visual of such progress.
Isn't it great to finally see a SEGA title running on Cxbx? IMO, every Xbox game with the SEGA logo was an instant classic Btw, check the blog every so often. You might be surprised by what you'll see!
Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot has revealed his confidence in a strong future for the publisher, despite posting financials yesterday which included falling sales and an operating loss of USD 119 million.
Specifically he outlined a number of areas, other than a strong release slate for the second half of the year, in which the company would be moving forward - including new genres and support for motion-based hardware next year.
"There's a lot of opportunity for Ubisoft to increase its market share - it stands currently at around 6 per cent worldwide," he said in a conference call. "To do so we will continue to introduce new brands, push forward on making our franchises bigger and leverage opportunities provided by new hardware innovation.
"On the new brand front Ubisoft has a reputation for creating successful new intellectual properties and making them long term franchises. Our focus on innovation and our specific competitive construction led to the creation of industry blockbusters such as Splinter Cell, Ghost Recon, Rayman, Assassin's Creed... all of those brands have contributed to a steady stream of highly profitable revenues.
"There are a few genres that we're not in today - for example driving, RPG and fighting - and we will introduce new IPs soon to address some of those genres, but always creating new brands and striving make our established franchises bigger.
"This new focus, which was decided a year ago, should start to pay off in the near future. We think Assassin's Creed and Splinter Cell will be the first demonstrations of this high quality ramp-up, and more importantly should translate into increased sales and profitability for our franchises.
"We will be ready with some very nice innovations when Natal and the motion controller are launched on the Xbox and PS3 next year.
Guillemot added that the company had been focusing a lot of effort on online gaming, with the item-based MMO and social network markets estimated at USD 1 billion this year in the US and possibly up by 50 per cent next year.
To that end he revealed that the previously announced Heroes Kingdoms was in beta now and should be released early next year.
"With bigger games, entering new genres, strong support of hardware innovation and many initiatives on the online social networking front, we believe Ubisoft is well-positioned to continue to grow and outperform."
New data from OTX's GamePlan Insights seems to indicated an intent on the part of gamers to shift their sequel-buying preference in the US from the Xbox 360 platform to the PlayStation 3.
The information, according to Gamasutra, reveals that 15 per cent of people who plan to purchase the PS3 edition of Assassin's Creed II own the original version on the Xbox 360, while just 7 per cent of those planning to buy the 360 version owned the original version on the PS3.
OTX analyst Nick Williams is also seeing a similar trend in the data for Modern Warfare 2 purchasing intentions: "The PS3 seems poised to shift the ratio of Xbox 360 to PS3 sales for most major multi-platform releases in its favour among dual owners," he explained.
He added that of those planning to buy the Assassin's Creed sequel, a "sizeable portion" were looking to do so on the Sony console.
It's unclear whether or the data took into account the changing console installed base, as when the original Creed title was released the Xbox 360 enjoyed a majority over the PS3, which has since changed in the past two years and with the release of the PS3 Slim.
The price cuts from Sony and Microsoft for their respective platforms have ensured market momentum throughout September, THQ CEO Brian Farrell has said. But he is "concerned" about the software tie ratio for Wii.
Speaking in an investor call following his company's latest quarterly financial report, Farrell stated: "We are encouraged by the hardware price cuts. We particularly like the momentum on the PS3 and Xbox 360 platforms now.
"Wii hardware units sales were up 66 per cent but we are concerned about the software tie ratio for the platform."
He added that THQ's business restructuring had worked in the current, more fragmented market.
"The old formula of getting an IP and porting it to every platform known to man isn't working for anyone in this marketplace," he said. "That's why we re-organised around these business units which allows people to focus on each of the types of consumers rather than particular platforms or products."
Farrell predicted a "cautious" consumer and retail environment for the holiday season, adding that retail was being cautious on its early ordering but was prepared to buy subsequent stock of games that were selling well.
In response to these market conditions, THQ would focus on delivering quality games, strong brand recognition and focused marketing campaigns to consumers, he said.
The company was also investing in Natal and Sony motion tech development, he continued - incentives which he hopes will expand their respective platforms' installed bases into which it can sell product.
"From the bigger picture," he added, "what we really like is that both Sony and Microsoft are making pretty major statements that they intend for this to be a long cycle by broadening the platform's appeal by going very mass market late in the cycle."
THQ's second quarter financials showed a sales drop of 39 per cent on last year. However, operating losses were reduced and the company says it's on target to outperform last year's sales over the whole of fiscal 2010.
Dragon Quest IX was the global best-selling videogame, selling 3.93 million units in the three months to the end of September this year, according to new data released by the NPD, GfK Chart-Track and Enterbrain alliance.
Wii Sports Resort was second on 3.0 million, while Madden NFL 10 was third with 2.6 million. Pokemon Heartgold/Soulsilver and Halo 3: ODST rounded out the top five on 2.1 million and 1.8 million respectively.
Both Dragon Quest and Pokemon titles have only been released in Japan so far, so all sales have come from that region alone.
By comparison Wii Sports Resort sold 1.7 million units in the US, 841,000 in Japan and 465,000 in the UK.
The vast majority of Madden sales were, unsurprisingly, in the US, with just 30,000 of the total from the UK.
We finally did it. Mandriva Linux 2010 is out and comes with many improvements and innovations. We still go on supporting in the same level of integration GNOME 2.28 and KDE 4.3.2. Support for netbooks is improved as users can now easily test Moblin 2.0 environment. 'Smart desktop' coming from European research is now fully integrated and is the first real working semantic desktop. Mandriva Control Center also brings improvements in tools: a new netprofile management tool, a GUI for Tomoyo security framework, and parental control. A big thanks to our community, who worked hard and made this release possible
Google upgraded the beta version (4.0.223.16) of its Chrome browser yesterday, boasting a 30% speed improvement over the current production edition and adding integrated bookmark synchronization. Developers Idan Avraham and Anton Muhin, who announced the release, tout Chrome 4.0's faster JavaScript rendering speeds. 'We've improved performance scores on Google Chrome by 30% since our current stable release, and by 400% since our first stable release,' they said, referring to Chrome 3.0. The new beta includes the ability to sync bookmarked sites across multiple computers
Apparently, Microsoft is slapping a new style of void-if-removed warranty stickers on Xbox 360s that are sent in for repair. Why? With no facts to back us up, we must call upon our favorite pastime: crazy-eyed speculation.
Japan's Oricon Life polled 500 men between the ages of teen and 40-something about which games have made them cry the most and complied a list of the top five. Weepy drumroll please...
5. Mother 2
4. Clannad
3. Final Fantasy VII
2. Dragon Quest V
1. Final Fantasy X
What about you? What game made you bawl your flaccid heart out?
Back when Nintendo released The Legend of Zelda: The Phantom Hourglass in 2007, it sent My Nintendo members a feather stylus. Bet you can't guess what Nintendo is giving away for the upcoming Zelda game, Spirit Tracks?
Two men, from Texas and Iowa, are launching a class-action lawsuit against Sony after their PS3 consoles were bricked during a recent firmware update.
One console was broken upgrading to firmware 3.0, the other installing 3.1. Both claim that upon contacting Sony's customer support, they were told the machine failures were "coincidental", and that to fix the console they'd need to pony up a $150 repair charge.
The sexiest part of the suit reads:
Defendant's unlawful, unfair, and fraudulent business practices include, but are not limited to, misrepresentations regarding the fitness of the PS3 and software updates, failing to disclose defects in the system and software updates, and refusing to repair PS3 systems free of charge.
The pair have listed every PS3 owner in the US on the suit, and are seeking from Sony "unspecified damages and restitution".
HMV has clarified that no copies of Modern Warfare 2 have been sent to customers, despite official emails stating otherwise.
"Some customers may have received an email alert suggesting that the dispatch process is under way, but the stock has not yet been sent," a spokesperson for the retailer told Eurogamer.
"Fulfilling orders will obviously be a major undertaking, and in order to implement this in a timely manner, we have had to initiate the transaction process to begin printing off address labels. This has triggered the email alert, but stock has not been shipped.
"HMV would never knowingly break a street date," the spokesperson added.
Modern Warfare 2 launches on Tuesday, November 10, although some retailers, such as ShopTo, are still awaiting stock.
There are 
