Hailrazer stuffs a Nintendo 64 into a GameCube GameBoy Player

January 1st, 2013, 21:59 Posted By: wraggster

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Portable SNES is one shade of yellow, 16 bits of cool

January 1st, 2013, 22:10 Posted By: wraggster

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Capcom unlikely to port back-catalogue to Wii U

January 2nd, 2013, 23:43 Posted By: wraggster

Recent releases Resident Evil 6, Street Fighter X Tekken and Okami HD are unlikely to be ported to Wii U.
That’s because Capcom has revealed that it is not currently planning on re-releasing any of its recent titles on Nintendo’s hardware.
When asked on the Capcom Unity blog whether or not a port of Resident Evil 6 was on the way to Nintendo’s machine, senior VP Christian Svensson replied: “With regard to Wii U, in general we’re looking forward, not back so late ports are generally not on the table.”
Capcom was absent from the Wii U’s launch line-up and its only officially announced game for the platform to date is Monster Hunter 3. And upcoming multiformat releases such as DmC Devil May Cry and Lost Planet 3 are not planned for Nintendo’s machine.
However, Svensson has previously confirmed that further Wii U titles are in production and will be announced in the future.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/capco...-wii-u/0108791

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Mutant Mudds dev to stop 3DS support if piracy strikes

January 3rd, 2013, 02:57 Posted By: wraggster

Mutant Mudds and Dementium developer Renegade Kid says it will cease support for 3DS if the rampant piracy that plagued its predecessor breaks out on the console.
According to various online reports, hackers have, in recent weeks, made major strides in their efforts to unlock the inner workings of Nintendo's portable and running unofficial code on the device - developments which could lead to piracy.Renegade Kid boss Jools Watsham has voiced his concerns in a recent blog post.
"Piracy on the Nintendo DS crippled the DS retail market, especially in Europe. We'll never know how/if Dementium II landed in as many hands as the first game, Dementium: The Ward, due to the rampant piracy at the time," he said, stating that the sequel sold 'less than half' of the original due to piracy.
"If piracy gets bad on the 3DS, we will have no choice but to stop supporting the platform with new games," he warned. "Some say that piracy leads to more game sales, claiming that it enables players to try before they buy. Bullshit. The percentage of people who will spend money on a game that they already got for free is surely very small - especially with so many 'free' games already in the market. The line between what should/should not be free is getting very blurry."
Watsham continues with a clear message to hackers. "If these hackers really want to mess with the guts of a 3DS, why not become legit developers for it and let the world enjoy their talents? Many of today's great programmers used to be hackers back in the day. It is a great way to learn the craft. Putting ones efforts towards the creation of legit games instead of potentially crippling the market seems like a much more fulfilling path."
Former Nintendo UK general manager David Yarnton told CVG ahead of 3DS' launch in early 2011 that the portable contains the most sophisticated anti-piracy technology of any console in Nintendo history.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...iracy-strikes/

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Need for Speed: Most Wanted Wii U gets full gameplay on GamePad

January 3rd, 2013, 02:58 Posted By: wraggster

EA has released the first nuggets of information specific to the upcoming Wii U port of Need for Speed: Most Wanted.
In a Japanese press release (via Nintendo Everything) the publisher confirmed that the game will support full gameplay on the GamePad, allowing users to play independently from the TV.The GamePad screen will also be used for displaying menu content, said the publisher.
The game is expected to retain the full suite of online features and be otherwise identical to previous versions.
EA confirmed the Wii U version back in October. It hits the Nintendo console in Japan on March 14. A Western release is yet to be confirmed.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...ay-on-gamepad/

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EU Nintendo downloads: Ghosts 'N' Goblins

January 3rd, 2013, 02:59 Posted By: wraggster

Nintendo has confirmed the list of new titles that'll be released digitally on Nintendo platforms in UK and Europe tomorrow, January 3.
Here's the full list (thanks ONM), and below that some trailers for a few of the listed titles.3DS eShop
- Ghosts 'N' Goblins (3DS eShop: Capcom, £4.49)
- New Art Academy DLC (3DS: Nintendo, £1.79 per pack)
- Touch Battle Tank 3D (3DS: Agetec, £4.49)
DSiWare (Also on 3DS eShop)
- Crystal Adventure (Circle: 3DS eShop or DsiWare, £1.79 or 200 DSi Points)
Wii Shop
- Vampire Crystals (WiiWare: Shanblue Interactive, 1,000 Wii Points)
Touch Tank Battle 3D:
http://www.computerandvideogames.com...sts-n-goblins/

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Pikmin 3 will bring the 'stress' back to Pikmin

January 3rd, 2013, 03:00 Posted By: wraggster

Pikmin 3 will go back to the series' 'stressful' roots when it arrives on Wii U, says its creator Shigeru Miyamoto.
"First of all by looking at Pikmin 1 we noticed that it wasn't a very easy game for people to play, and from time to time they had to feel some stress," said Miyamoto to GamesMaster (via ONM), noting that the second game in the series aimed to be a tad more welcoming."Our main aim in Pikmin 2 was to get rid of any stress as much as possible, so that it would be very user-friendly. Well, I myself couldn't agree with that direction perfectly," admitted Miyamoto. "That kind of nature of Pikmin 1 was exactly what I wanted to reproduce and I was actually intentionally doing so, so that Pikmin 1 could be a strategic game.
"When we started creating Pikmin 3 I gathered the main members who worked on Pikmin 2 and talked about how I thought it was important to get back to the basics of Pikmin 1. Or I should say that half of my job at that time wasn't just to talk, but rather to persuade them to understand what I intended to do and to agree to my idea."
The highly anticipated strategy game has been delayed until the second quarter of the 2013 calendar year, Nintendo confirmed in December.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...ack-to-pikmin/

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US Nintendo downloads: Unchained Blades

January 3rd, 2013, 21:56 Posted By: wraggster

Nintendo of America has update its online shops with the first new content of 2013 and here's the full list.
XSeed Games has kicked off the year with its new RPG, Unchained Blades, and you can catch up on the highlights of last year's free video content with a new 'Best Of' video feature.Here's the list:
Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS
Unchained Blades - Fang must traverse dangerous living temples known as Titans in order to meet his maker once again and exact his revenge on the great Goddess Clunea. But he cannot do it alone. Journey through grid-based dungeons in first-person view with your seven allies in classic turn-based combat, all while fighting more than 180 varieties of monsters that you can convince to fight alongside you in battle.
Code of Princess - Blending fighting game play with components from classic arcade side-scrolling beat 'em ups and the character development of an RPG, Code of Princess provides hard-core gamers with a new twist on some of their favorite game types. Up to four players can take on challenges cooperatively or battle against one another in competitive play either locally or online. Code of Princess is also available at retail stores. (Additional systems and software required for multiplayer games; sold separately. Wireless broadband Internet access required for online features. For more info, go to support.nintendo.com)
Gunman Clive - In the year of 18XX, the west is overrun by thugs and outlaws. A group of bandits has kidnapped Mayor Johnson's daughter and is spreading havoc across the land. Only Gunman Clive can bring order to the west and save the girl. Gunman Clive is an old-school side-scrolling platform game set in the Old West with 3D graphics and a unique art style. Jump and shoot your way across diverse and challenging levels while fighting massive bosses.
Nintendo Video on Nintendo 3DS
Nintendo Video Best of 2012 - Nintendo Video is bringing you the very best comedy and music videos from 2012. Don't miss special re-airings of your favorite 3D videos.
Also new this week:
- Air Battle Hockey 3D (Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS)
- Galaxy Saver (Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS / Nintendo DSi Shop on Nintendo DSi)
- Snowboard Xtreme (Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS / Nintendo DSi Shop on Nintendo DSi)

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...hained-blades/

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NintendoWare Weekly: Unchained Blades, Code of Princess

January 3rd, 2013, 22:05 Posted By: wraggster

The dungeon RPG Unchained Blades, long available on PSP, makes its way to 3DS eShop today. Originally released as a retail game in Japan, XSEED's localized version is exclusively downloadable. The brawler/RPG Code of Princess is also downloadable today, but not exclusively: it was released as a 3DS cart back in October.

Mobile and PC platformer Gunman Clive is also on 3DS today, with its unusual sketches-on-yellowed paper look. And on Wii U: nothing! If you got one over the holidays, now's the time to catch up on Little Inferno and Mighty Switch Force, or something.

http://www.joystiq.com/2013/01/03/ni...e-of-princess/

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FBZX Wii 7 released

January 3rd, 2013, 22:43 Posted By: wraggster

FBZX is a ZX Spectrum emulator for FrameBuffer written by Sergio Costas (http://www.rastersoft.com/fbzx.html) and ported to Wii by Oibaf.
FBZX Wii can be found on google code at fbzx-wii.googlecode.com
The port uses SDL Wii.


The main features are:

• Emulates accurately the Original 48Kspectrum (both issue 2 and issue 3), the classic 128K, the Amstrad Plus 2, the Amstrad Plus 2A, the Spanish 128K and the NTSC 48k. This includes screen, keyboard and sound (both speaker and AY-3-8912 chip).
• Screen emulation is extremely accurate, so it can emulate border effects and even attribute effects.
• In precision mode floating bus and interrupt timing are accuratly emulated.
• Frambuffer resolution at 640X480 or 320X240.
• Supports Z80 snapshots, both loading and saving, and loading .SNA snapshots.
• Supports TAP (both read and write) and TZX (only read) tape files, supporting normal speed loading and fast speed loading.
• Supports POKE files.
• Supports ZIP files.
• FTP client.
• Emulates up to 2 joysticks of types: kempston, cursor and sinclair1 and sinclair2.
• All the wiimote, nunchuck and classic controller buttons and joypads are fully configurable.
• Virtual keyboard support.
• Emulates the Interface I and Microdrive.
• Emulates the ULAPlus
• Based in a new, fully free, Z80 emulator (Z80Free).

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Fishbone final released

January 3rd, 2013, 23:12 Posted By: wraggster

via http://www.planetvb.com/modules/news...hp?storyid=357

Thunderstruck has released the finished and final version of Fishbone. Don't miss it!

Download

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VB Sacred Tech Scroll

January 3rd, 2013, 23:13 Posted By: wraggster

via http://www.planetvb.com/modules/news...hp?storyid=358

Guy Perfect has made available the first public release of his "VB Sacred Tech Scroll", which is currently the most accurate and up-to-date inofficial Virtual Boy hardware documentation. The current version (0.9 WIP) is, according to the author, a rough draft that is more or less done, but still needs some revisions. Find the document under Development -> Documents in the main menu or directly by following the above link.

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3DS hacked

January 3rd, 2013, 23:17 Posted By: wraggster

This weekend, two hackers have revealed to the world their achievement, claiming to be able to update the bowels of the 3DS. Mr. Xcution has found a way to run an application on a personal machine, as can be seen against the image below. More interestingly, some Neimod would in turn bypassed the Zoning console via its kernel, which will delight lovers of import and many players frustrated by geographic restriction imposed by Nintendo yet. The hacker has not unveiled a method for accessing the control of the console with the ability to replicate this feat, simply stating that he had used a loophole in a game unearthed unidentified. In theory, this flaw promise to rezone more than just the machine.

http://www.jeuxvideo.com/news/2012/0...3ds-hackee.htm

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Wiiflow 4.1 + Forwarder vWii

January 4th, 2013, 13:03 Posted By: wraggster

FIX94 seems determined not to take a break this holiday season and therefore proposes, on the eve of the end of the year, the last of his famous 2012 vintage USB loader that gives pride to the coverflow. Program, full of new things and solving some annoying bugs.
Citation :

Lets begin the new year with wiiflow 4.1
This time you dont just get bugfixes, also some cool new features and
modifcations are there
At first, you have a new menu in the global settings, page 2, now you can set
the cIOS load management directly in wiiflow, so if wiiflow runs better in a
cIOS, just enable force cIOS load, or if you want the default cIOS 250 instead
of 249, just set the force cIOS rev to 250 etc.
Wiiflow will now also auto create a savegame on your wii, and yes, a normal
savegame which you can see in the system menu, there we save our new cIOS stuff
from now on, and in the future we will for sure move more into that since the
NAND loading time is much shorter!
Also, the credits button in the main coverflow is replaced by the help button
(makes much more sense), and the help button in the home menu is replaced by a
install game button.
To the game installation, finally you can directly select the partition from now
on where you want to install the game, no need to go into global settings
anymore and set the partition there to something else
Also we now have full vWii compatility, the forwarder is updated, using my new
nand loader, and d2x works again, using my new installer and davebaols updated
cIOS sources.
The stupid shutdown bug should be fixed now lol, as well as all NAND emulation
bugs from SD card. Most network init bugs should be fixed now too, if you still
have some play around with the "async_network" option in your wiiflow.ini a bit,
for some people its better with and for some better without.
If you dont want to use the sd card to make debug logs may use the wifi gecko
option, its much better and more detailed now in the debug output, even more
than the sd card log! You can use the wifi gecko reader as always, see the
readme in it.
The categories menu is now also affected by parental lock, so nothing bad can
happen there anymore. Also if you select a partition for a plugin, it will be
saved specifically for that plugin, that means easier plugin partition
management. Last may important point is wiiflow now can load homebrew dols and
elfs up to 32mb, old limit was 16mb.
I wont mention all the other cleanups, bugfixes and whatever done in this rev,
but all that stuff should be reason enough to call it 4.1, have fun with this
rev guys

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Wiiflow Channel Installer 1.1

January 4th, 2013, 13:04 Posted By: wraggster

FIX94 was the first to address the problem of vWii forwarder mode on Wii U, it continues today with a utility that should please a lot of people, since it allows the installation of official forwarder Wiiflow, both Wii on vWii. This installer is autonomous and does not require any external software (WAd Manager, Channel File Manager) for easy installation forwarder and avoiding any errors that may have adverse consequences. should be noted that it also installs the plugin (in the form of an invisible chain) who returns to Wiiflow, both Wii vWii. Wiiflow Channel Installer 1.1 Official website: https://code.google.com/p/wiiflow/

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CATSFC v1.13 - Snes Emulator for Supercard DSTwo

January 4th, 2013, 13:10 Posted By: wraggster

Nebuleon has released a new version of CATSFC, the DSTwo exclusive Super Nintendo emulator.

Third-party contribution to the project is accepted and welcome; interested parties should visit the github page at https://github.com/ShadauxCat/CATSFC

Change log (v1.13):

* Secret of Mana menu text (narrower tiles) are now readable.
* Reimplemented NDSSFC Display Mode 4 as an anti-aliased whole-screen mode. Performance-wise this is not really a problem, because most SNES screens have big rectangles of the same colour and black pixels, and there's a speed hack for those.

New description text for Display Mode 4 is also present in English and French. To get it, update at least CATSFC/system/language.msg on your card.

Download attached

via http://gbatemp.net/

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3DS kernel mode Breached Via Game Exploit

January 4th, 2013, 13:24 Posted By: wraggster

Well known 3DS Hackers Yellows8 & Neimod have now breached the security of the 3DS and gotten into full Kernal Mode access (arm9 & arm11). The exploit is on an Unmodified Nintendo 3DS via a Game Exploit on an unknown Card Game (although shouldnt be too hard to find out which. As of yet the exploit though unreleased is working perfectly. As you can see via the screenshot below



Heres the full irc log:

[07:51:56] <@neimod> full control of the 3ds in kernel mode (arm9 & arm11) from an unmodified 3ds :]
[07:53:03] <EdTheNerd> HHNNNNGGGGG
[07:53:05] <@neimod> the sky is the limit!
[07:53:17] <EdTheNerd> Gib romz plox
[07:53:50] <@neimod> in theory it's possible
[07:53:52] <EdTheNerd> Now then, make it do somethig cool, while displaying GBA TEMP BLOWS somewhere on the screen
[07:54:04] <EdTheNerd> Then enjoy the show
[07:54:36] <EdTheNerd> "neimod: in theory it's possible"
[07:55:02] <EdTheNerd> T-10 seconds before gbatemp quotes that and pisses itself like an excited dog
[07:55:59] <jse> nice work neimod
[07:56:02] <jse> congrats
[07:57:34] <@neimod> unfortunately, we are elitist bastards who never share anything, so kiss that warez loader goodbye
[07:58:01] <EdTheNerd> So not to try to pry to much info here, but is this something you need a specific game/app for?
[07:58:31] <EdTheNerd> Should i by buying all of the eshop now?
[07:58:35] <@neimod> it's based on a specific card-based game
[07:58:39] <EdTheNerd> Nice
[07:58:58] <EdTheNerd> How patchable would you say this is?
[07:59:06] <@neimod> very easily
[07:59:12] <EdTheNerd>
[07:59:41] <EdTheNerd> Still, amazeing work as always
[07:59:46] <EdTheNerd> Congrats!
[08:00:10] <@yellows8> SD version can be used too but ofc one has to run code first for that.
[08:00:19] <EdTheNerd> Now take careof that pesky region lock!
[08:00:33] <EdTheNerd> Could such a thing be posible with this now?
[08:01:55] <@neimod> yes, with full kernel control anything is possible

Makes for a very interesting year ahead

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Project64 2.0.0.4 Closed Alpha

January 4th, 2013, 13:54 Posted By: wraggster

via http://www.aep-emu.de/

Project64 - a Nintendo 64 Emulator for Windows - has seen some new alpha builds for chosen testers in the holidays.
PJ64 is donationware since version 1.7: if you want to test, you have to donate money to the developers.

Quote:

Project64 2.0.0.4:
rewrote plugin handling, not sure how much it helps.
for me glide plugin works the first time then after I just get black .. no crash at least.
So not sure what is wrong now.

Changelog:

• Rewrote handling of plugins
• Cleaned up code with starting/ending emulation
• More bug fixes with tlb recompiler writes

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My Nes v5.0 BETA

January 4th, 2013, 13:57 Posted By: wraggster

via http://www.aep-emu.de/

The NES emulator My Nes has been updated.

Quote:
Version 5.0 BETA RELEASE::
==========================
This is the beta release which means it´s not stable and not complete. Development in progress.

• Added support for large count of boards and mappers (almost full set)
• Added external sound channels (MMC5, Namcot106, Sunsoft5 and VRC6)
• Added SDL .NET renderer which render using sdl dotnet library.
• Added ability to support multi-renderer.
• Added filtering tool for the browser.
• Fixed some minor bugs in the core.

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Pre-owned Wii U consoles can access former owner's downloads - report

January 6th, 2013, 21:14 Posted By: wraggster

Claims are circulating that pre-owned Wii U consoles are able to access digital content purchased by the machine’s previous owner.
Eurogamer reports that even machines whose hard drives have been wiped and accounts removed are still susceptible to the loophole.
Speculation suggests that the problems stems from the fact that the licenses for digital games are tied to an individual console rather a user’s account. This is why any user of a Wii U is able to access content downloaded by another user on the same machine.
Retail could theoretically use this to sell pre-owned consoles loaded with digital content.
Nintendo of America has confirmed that it is able to transfer Wii U licenses from one machine to another (which is vital should an owner’s machine break and need to be replaced) but there’s no word yet on such a service being rolled out into other territories.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/pre-o...report/0108859

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Analyst: GameStop's Wii U sales were "below expectations"

January 6th, 2013, 21:18 Posted By: wraggster

Sales of Wii U hardware and software failed to meet expectations at leading US games retailer GameStop, an analyst has claimed.
Sterne Agee analyst Arvind Bhatia claimed that the disappointment was despite an “abundance” of stock,GameSpot reports. Software attach rates are also said to be low.
Bhatia adds that the high-end $350 Premium Wii U SKU has sold better than the entry-level $300 Basic pack, presuming that consumers are finding it to offer “better value”.
"Our conclusion is the Nintendo Wii U launch has been slightly disappointing," Bhatia stated.
The Wii U launched to week one sales of 400k units in the US, 309k in Japan and 40k in the UK. However, since then sales have fallen dramatically in key territories while sales in other regions have not been revealed.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/analy...ations/0108850

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Turning a Raspberry Pi into an SNES

January 6th, 2013, 21:23 Posted By: wraggster


Back at the turn of the century, shoving MiniITX motherboards into just about everything was all the rage with the technologist crowd. [waterbury] had the idea of making a computer out of an SNES, but with the added ability of reading SNES cartridges. This idea had been floating around in [waterbury]‘s head for years now, and with a Raspberry Pi he can finally make his project a reality.
After desoldering a cartridge connector from an original SNES, [waterbury] plugged it in to a piece of perf board and started to figure out how to actually read the cartridge. An SNES cartridge need 16 address pins, 8 data pins, 8 bank control pins and 4 other control pins to be read; a total of 36 pins that [waterbury] accessed with the help of a neat I/O expander and a whole bunch of level converters.
[waterbury] accessed these data, address, and control lines via the Raspberry Pi’s I2C interface, a non-trivial task that took 70 minutes to read Donkey Kong Country before he found a way to speed up the Raspi by a factor of two. You can check out [waterbury]‘s complete project – able to read cartridges and play roms with EmulationStation after the break. Also, the code for the cart reader is available on [waterbury]‘s git

http://hackaday.com/2013/01/04/turni...es/#more-92575

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Wii U launch disappoints, says analyst

January 6th, 2013, 21:25 Posted By: wraggster

Sterne Agee industry watcher says Nintendo's latest hasn't lived up to already-low expectations
The Wii U's first holiday season has been a disappointment, according to Sterne Agee's Arvind Bhatia. In a note to GameStop investors previewing the company's holiday sales report next week, Bhatia said Nintendo's new console hasn't been living up to expectations.
Bhatia said Sterne Agee checks suggested the Wii U has been easily available at retailers, with the $349 Deluxe bundle proving more popular than the $299 Basic configuration. He added that the Wii U's software attach rate has been poor as well.
"Our conclusion is the Nintendo Wii U launch has been slightly disappointing," Bhatia said. "Keep in mind investor expectations with respect to Wii U were already fairly low going into the launch."
As for GameStop's holiday haul, Bhatia expects it to be in line with the company's same-store sales guidance between -7 percent and +1 percent. He said that Call of Duty: Black Ops II has been tracking below last year's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, but added that Assassin's Creed III and Halo 4 have performed well for the retailer. Looking ahead, Bhatia expects GameStop to benefit from an industry-wide rebound driven by easy comparisons, more high quality games, and new consoles. Bhatia said there was a high probability Microsoft and Sony will launch their new systems in 2013, with October and November given as a likely launch window.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...s-says-analyst

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New Super Mario Bros. U - a whole new world?

January 6th, 2013, 22:12 Posted By: wraggster

One of the big highlights of the holidays would undoubtedly be the arrival of Nintendo's Wii U launch title, New Super Mario Bros. U - a reprisal of a familiar formula that now lets us crank the player count up to five, and also play the game solely via the GamePad's LCD. As if to imply the tussle of the Wii version's multiplayer mode wasn't manic enough already, this new release allows a fifth person to lay down platforms via the touch screen, delay the march of Koopa Troopers, and even reveal secret 3-Up blocks to the other four players. Of course, there's nothing to stop them abusing their new-found powers, supposing they've just had a rough day at the office.It's a sightly game too, brimming with bright, pastel-coloured stages and with an image quality that has been greatly clarified by the Wii U's digital HDMI output. Indeed, Mario Bros. U also marks the first title in the series to reap the benefits of a bump to 1280x720 native resolution, which, in practical terms, makes it far easier to decipher the on-screen action once the camera pans all the way out. With that 640x480 resolution barrier removed, we can see Nintendo's worlds and characters in all their splendour - but it also means there's little it can hide.The canon of "New" 2D Mario games takes pride in its simple-but-effective visual design and even running the preceding New Super Mario Bros. Wii through the Dolphin emulator at 1080p produces impressive results. However, considering the technological gap between that release and the latest Wii U version, we'd hope that Nintendo has developed the visuals of the game beyond a resolution bump alone - perhaps with an increase in character detail, higher resolution textures, or additional effects. It begs the question: have changes been made this time around, and if not, where might Nintendo have dug its heels in?To answer this, we've put our experimental hats on over the holiday break, and captured stages from New Super Mario Bros. U, before proceeding to pair them against similar stages in the Wii version. The idea is to look at asset quality alone in comparable instances and so, for the sake of visibility, we've captured the Wii version running through the Dolphin emulator at a matching 1280x720 resolution.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/di...ros-u-analysis

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Lost Virtual Boy game NikoChan Battle found and being re-released

January 6th, 2013, 22:13 Posted By: wraggster

Planet Virtual Boy forum users stumbled on a copy of the unreleased Faceballgame for Virtual Boy. Known as NikoChan Battle in Japan, iterations of the game were published on a number of platforms by Bullet-Proof Software, including Game Boy and SNES.

Those looking to add the rare game to their collection are in luck; reproduction cartridges for Virtual Boy will be released in February for $100, while the ROM of the game will be free to download.
http://www.planetvb.com/modules/newb...mode=0&start=0

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Get a free 3DS eShop game when you buy an XL in Europe

January 6th, 2013, 22:14 Posted By: wraggster

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You'll enjoy Faceball on your Virtual Boy soon!

January 6th, 2013, 22:41 Posted By: wraggster

news via http://www.planetvb.com/modules/news...hp?storyid=359

A lot is happening at the moment related to Bulletproof Software's unreleased "Faceball" game for Virtual Boy, thanks to some noble souls going to great lengths to do great things for the community.

To make a long and twisted story short: an about 80% complete prototype of the game has been in private hands for many years, but last September, everything changed when detailed descriptions of said prototype had been posted on our forum by Japanese "Mr. G".

A bit later, the prototype had found its way into the hands of Virtual Boy enthusiast and PVB member bigmak, who has successfully dumped the cartridge by now and is going to release the ROM for free later this year! To recoup a part of the five-figure(!) sum spent to make all this possible, a special fundraiser is going to happen soon, in which people will have a chance to show their support for bigmak and receive complete, boxed reproduction copies of the game in return! Check out the respective thread in our forum for all the yummy details.

Even more goodness is added by the fact that substancial progress has already been made by thunderstruck in hacking the game. Chances are good that the game will eventually be completed by fans and released in a special edition. Find all the info in our forum here.

Unaware of the great things that would happen, elite homebrew coder DanB chose a completely different approach to let everybody enjoy Faceball: he coded a clone of the game called "Ballface", using the detailed descriptions provided by Mr. G. Don't miss to check out the freshly released first demo of this impressing homebrew achievement in our forum!

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3DS Parental Tool Released - 3DS Tools

January 6th, 2013, 22:47 Posted By: wraggster

Swizzy has released a great tool for unlocking the Parental Lock on your 3DS/3DS XL, heres the details:

****************
* Requirements *
****************
- Microsoft .net framework 2.0 or later
- a Nintendo 3DS
********************
* What does it do? *
********************
- It'll generate the master key for you to unlock your parental locked Nintendo 3DS
********************
* How do i use it? *
********************
1. Forget your pin for the parental controls of your Nintendo 3DS after you've locked it
2. go to System Settings (you may have to launch it in 2D mode)
3. Go to Parental Controls
4. Click on Forgot Pin
5. Click on I Forgot
6. Write "Enquiry Number" into the "Servicecode" box and click OK (NOTE: Make sure the date set in the tool matches the date on the 3DS!)
7. Click on GetCode this will generate your key
8. Press OK on your 3DS and type in the number then press OK again
9. Do whatever it is you needed to do once you had unlocked your 3DS
***********
* Credits *
***********
- Thanks neimod for uploading the original source code: https://github.com/3dshax/ctr/tree/master/parentool

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FBZX Wii 8 released - ZX Spectrum emulator for Nintendo Wii

January 7th, 2013, 14:06 Posted By: wraggster

Oibaf has released a new version of his ZX Spectrum emulator for Nintendo Wii

The main features are:

• Emulates accurately the Original 48Kspectrum (both issue 2 and issue 3), the classic 128K, the Amstrad Plus 2, the Amstrad Plus 2A, the Spanish 128K and the NTSC 48k. This includes screen, keyboard and sound (both speaker and AY-3-8912 chip).
• Screen emulation is extremely accurate, so it can emulate border effects and even attribute effects.
• In precision mode floating bus and interrupt timing are accuratly emulated.
• Frambuffer resolution at 640X480 or 320X240.
• Supports Z80 snapshots, both loading and saving, and loading .SNA snapshots.
• Supports TAP (both read and write) and TZX (only read) tape files, supporting normal speed loading and fast speed loading.
• Supports POKE files.
• Supports ZIP files.
• FTP client.
• Emulates up to 2 joysticks of types: kempston, cursor and sinclair1 and sinclair2.
• All the wiimote, nunchuck and classic controller buttons and joypads are fully configurable.
• Virtual keyboard support.
• Emulates the Interface I and Microdrive.
• Emulates the ULAPlus
• Based in a new, fully free, Z80 emulator (Z80Free).

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PokeMini 0.5.3 - Pokemini Emulator for Dreamcast, PSP, DS, Dingoo & Wiz

January 7th, 2013, 14:24 Posted By: wraggster

JustBurn has released a new version of his Pokemini Emulator for Dreamcast, PSP, DS, Dingoo & Wiz


Portable homebrew-emulator for Pokémon-Mini.
0.5.x features a debugger and "sync cycles" option which allow improving performance (at cost of accuracy) along with many other features, improvements and new platforms


0.5.3 Changes

• Fixed command-line parsing which caused problems with lastest GCC

• Directory '.' no longer listed

• Configurations now save the directory of the last ROM loaded

• Improved support on color PRC (now works on framebuffer and LCD)

• Dreamcast Only:

• - Added read/write VMU support

• - EEPROM write disabled by default

• Debugger Only:

• - Fixed "Add watchpoint at..." in Memory Viewer

• - Added symbols list window

• - Added run trace window

• - Added "Go to cartridge IRQ" with ability to decode the address

• - Middle and Right click now set breakpoint/watchpoint

• - Go to address/IRQ now highlight the location

• - Added autorun .min after load

• - Fixed offset of CE jump instructions

• NDS Only: Removed real battery status
  
  Downloads attached

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BS-X BIOS English Patch v0.1 - Snes Tools

January 7th, 2013, 14:31 Posted By: wraggster

via http://www.aep-emu.de/

The author of the bsnes fork bsnes-sx2 created especially for Satellaview and Xband emulation has released an English translation for the BS-X BIOS.

Quote:
Happy New Year! This is what I wanted to do since BS-X Project didn´t advance much, I might as well do something.
So I made this translation patch, I call it 2013 version as there was one before.

Every text should be translated, in the exception of the Title Screen, St. GIGA screens, and I think that´s pretty much it.

Beta because it isn´t much tested, but so far it worked.

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WiiMC v1.3.2 - Wii MultiMedia Player

January 7th, 2013, 14:46 Posted By: wraggster

via http://www.nintendomax.com/viewtopic...8c63e0fefd65db

Tantric and rodries offer version 1.3.2 of " Wii ™ ", excellent media player for wii. Successor MPlayer CE, it is recommended to install IOS 58 prior to use media that find USB. The update is automatic since the Wii ™ Wii if you have a wifi connection.

Version 1.3.2 released has-beens. Full changelog: Fixed YouTube (thanks jhb50!)

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Team Ninja boss defends Wii U CPU, insists console is “definitely next generation”

January 7th, 2013, 21:38 Posted By: wraggster

Yosuke Hayashi, producer of Ninja Gaiden 3 and upcoming Wii U revision Razor’s Edge, has poured scorn on the claim last year by Metro: Last Light developer 4A that Nintendo’s new console was hamstrung by a “horrible, slow” CPU.In an interview to be published later this week, Hayashi suggests that 4A CTO Oleg Shishkovstov was using Wii U’s perceived lack of horsepower as a smokescreen – and that too much attention has been paid to the components inside Wii U’s casing, when the real appeal lies in what those components actually do.
http://www.edge-online.com/news/ninj...xt-generation/

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Iwata: Wii U sales are "steady"

January 7th, 2013, 21:44 Posted By: wraggster

Nintendo president Saturo Iwata has described sales of the Wii U as “steady”.
The company, however, has still not revealed any concrete sales numbers, although neither has it retracted its initial target of 5.5m Wii U unit sales by the end of March.
So far we know that the console sold 400,000 Wii U consoles in its first week in the US and 40,000 in the same period in the UK. It also sold nearly 640,000 in Japan between December 8^th-30^th.
So the 1m barrier has been broken. But UK sales have slowed dramatically, and if the same has happened overseas then the console it might struggle to reach its targets.
"At the end of the Christmas season, it wasn't as though stores in the US had no Wii U left in stock, as it was when Wii was first sold in that popular boom,” he told Reuters. “But sales are not bad, and I feel it's selling steadily.”
The exec did acknowledge, however, that producing two different Wii U models (the Basic and the Premium) was a “challenge”, with the cheaper SKU struggling to shift units.
"It was the first time Nintendo released two models of the game console at the same time and I believe there was a challenge with balancing this,” he added. “Specifically, inventory levels for the premium, deluxe package was unbalanced as many people wanted that version and couldn't find it.”
Nintendo’s share price has fallen 15 per cent since the launch of Wii U at the end of November.
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/iwata...steady/0108908

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USBLoader GX rev1208 - Beta

January 7th, 2013, 22:30 Posted By: wraggster

via http://wii.gx-mod.com/modules/news/a...p?storyid=3167

Cyan just update the famous usbloader loader GX, now in revision 1208 on the official googlecode . This is a version considered beta, why it is not yet available for download but only official proposed on the subject of beta versions . Progress since the last stable version (dated May 2012) are such that it is strongly recommended to use the new version (for your information, I use version 1207 for weeks without the slightest concern, since 1208 and today)

This new build fixes and improved support for multi-disc games Gamecube (Dios Mios 2.6 required), but even more interesting, the reactive support waninkoko cIOS (rev17 21) to improve the compatibility virtualization NAND (some games is still not compatible with the cIOS d2x). It is therefore quite possible to install a cIOS waninkoko a free slot of the console, and use it in usbloader GX. During this release, the forwarder has been updated in order to work on WiiU . As usual, each platform has a version of its own ... so avoid mixtures. usbloader GX Forwarder UNEO 5.1 (Wii) SHA1: a866e346f9209b6d7d58e0826207a10d07c9dfc5 Attention! To install ONLY Wii. -------------------------------------------- ---------- usbloader GX Forwarder UNEO 5.1 (vWii) SHA1: ffeda78eea81c7905092766a57b52864719e6d23 Attention! To install ONLY vWii (compatibility mode Wii Wii U). ----------------------------------- ------------------- usbloader GX rev1208 - Beta Official Site: http://code.google.com/p/usbloader-gui/

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Nintendo announces Pokémon X and Y for 3DS; simultaneous worldwide release in October

January 9th, 2013, 01:40 Posted By: wraggster

This morning Nintendo, in the ever-genial form of company president Satoru Iwata, announced the forthcoming release of two new games in the Pokémon series. Pokémon X and Pokémon Y will launch on 3DS this October, and in an unprecedented and very pleasantly surprising step, the two games will be released in all major territories simultaneously.

http://www.edge-online.com/news/nint...se-in-october/

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Nintendo finally ready to delve into free-to-play market

January 9th, 2013, 01:45 Posted By: wraggster

It has a reputation for resisting technology and business developments, but Nintendo has finally conceded to the logic of the free-to-play space.
It marks a notable change of tact from president Satoru Iwata, who in 2011 pledged that Nintendo would never venture into the F2P market for fear of further eroding the perceived value of games.
"We [as an industry] can now do distribution by digital means as well as micro-transactions, and the ways to obtain money through supporting entertainment have increased," he told Nikkei, as reported by Gamasutra.
"It's a change in our landscape; competing in game-quality, and working on how money is obtained, I think both are things that require creativity. Therefore, I have no intention of denying the free-to-play model."
Don’t get your hopes up for a F2P Mario or Zelda, however – Nintendo looks set on keeping its successful existing IP safely tucked away from such developments.
"If we were to talk about if Nintendo were to do that, however, I am not so much inclined to do that with Nintendo's established well-known products, where people trust their interesting-ness. For example, for people who are used to Mario games costing ¥4,800 or ¥5,800, we will not have a proverbial door to full enjoyment that can only be unlocked via payment."

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/ninte...market/0108974

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Snes Emulators with 8MB Support Released - Zsnes - Snes Emulators for Windows

January 9th, 2013, 13:55 Posted By: wraggster

Some very interesting news in the world of Snes Emulation:

This program is an unofficial build of ZSNES, to bring it a little more up to date with where Snes9x is in terms of supported ROM sizes. Previously ZSNES only supported up to 6MB and did not recognize ExLoROM, but this build adds 8MB support for ExHiROM, ExLoROM, SA-1, and SDD-1. This build also fixes an issue in ZSNES with SA-1 ROMs larger than 4MB, where it would overwrite part of the loaded ROM data with the SA-1 RAM and some other table for character conversion DMA.

Download Attached

via http://www.romhacking.net/utilities/904/

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Nintendo 3DS shifts ten million units in Japan

January 10th, 2013, 00:01 Posted By: wraggster

Handheld reaches milestone after 98 weeks

Nintendo’s handheld console the 3DS has sold more than 10 million units in Japan.
As reported by Famitsu, as of January 6th the 3DS and 3DS LL have sold 10,068,192 units.

The 3DS has taken 98 weeks to reach the number, while its predecessor the DS Lite took just 61 weeks to hit the milestone.
In the last week of December alone, the 3DS sold more than 400,000 units.
The handheld console was launched in Japan in February 2011, followed shortly by a March release in March 2011 across Europe and North America.

http://www.develop-online.net/news/4...units-in-Japan

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Wii U Virtual Console is coming, promises GamePad play

January 10th, 2013, 00:10 Posted By: wraggster

Nintendo has said that development of the Wii U version of the Virtual Console is ongoing – and furthermore, it promises GamePad compatibility.
Wii U’s current Virtual Console functionality is limited. Owners cannot purchase content from the eShop but are able to transfer games they previously downloaded on their Wii over to the machine.
However, one crucial bit of functionality is absent – Wii U owners cannot play Virtual Console titles on their GamePad’s screen. Fortunately it looks as if this is about to change.
“We are moving ahead with development of Virtual Console for Wii U, and we plan to make it so you can play it on the Wii U GamePad alone,” a Nintendo America rep told Kotaku.
Wii U owners will also be hoping that Nintendo soon ramps up its other digital offerings, too. The eShop has not had any titles added to it since the machine’s launch in November.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/wii-u...d-play/0109050

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Turning a Game Boy into an Android gamepad

January 10th, 2013, 00:14 Posted By: wraggster


[Chad] has been messing around with emulators on his phone, but as anyone with a smart phone knows, even the most advanced touchscreen controls are terrible. Wanting something that pays tribute to the classic systems he was emulating, he decided to turn a classic old school brick Game Boy into an Android gamepad.
After gutting an old DMG-01, [Chad] set to work turning the D-pad and buttons in the Game Boy into something his Galaxy Nexus could understand. He chose a Bluetooth connection to provide input for his emulators, with the hardware generously donated from a Nintendo Wiimote.
The Game Boy PCB was cut up and a few leads attached to the Wiimote PCB. After modifying the case to include space for the Wiimote and a cell phone mount, [Chad] had a functional game pad, perfect for his adventures in emulation.

http://hackaday.com/2013/01/09/turni...droid-gamepad/

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Nintendo the big winner on Japanese charts

January 10th, 2013, 00:18 Posted By: wraggster

Media Create has stopped tracking sales of the PlayStation 2, but Japanese consumers didn't seem that bothered about it anyway, instead concentrating their cash on Nintendo hardware.
The 3DS XL, 3DS and Wii U dominated the top three on the hardware sales chart, despite Wii U seeing a slight drop in sales on last week.

1. 3DS XL - 156,184 (Last week 150,581)
2. 3DS - 123,075 (99,264)
3. Wii U - 67,083 (69,386)
4. PlayStation 3 - 64,352 (53,222)
5. PSP - 54,873 (41,914)
6. PlayStation Vita - 33,309 (20,492)
7. Wii - 5,632 (6,741)
8. Xbox 360 - 1,893 (1,986)

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Nintendo: handheld consoles remain focus for Pokémon RPGs

January 10th, 2013, 00:27 Posted By: wraggster

Nintendo's Pokémon developer Game Freak remains focused on handheld games, rather than a home console version of its smash hit series.The franchise will continue on 3DS this October with Pokémon X and Y, and it is with portable consoles that Game Freak's interest lies."Traditionally Game Freak has always loved the game to be on a portable device because of the communication, trading, and the experience of taking this adventure with you," J.C. Smith, Pokémon Company International exec explained to Game Informer."That's why they've always prioritised a portable version of the game first. They've always liked what you can do in the real world with that... It comes down to what the creators want to do. Every time I've heard them talk about it, it's been about the portable experience."Since the Pokémon X and Y announcement yesterday, a number of new tidbits have surfaced. The names of the eponymous X and Y legendary Pokémon, briefly glimpsed at the end of yesterday's trailer, are Xerneas and Yveltal.Nintendo has told us these are to be pronounced "ZURR-ne-us" and "ee-VELL-tawl", in case you were wondering.New information from The Pokémon Company in Japan (via Gematsu and Game Jouhou) clarifies the number of new Pokémon in X and Y will number at least 50, enough to take the total amount of critters across the whole series north of 700."People around the world will be able to simultaneously experience 'Real Play'," a statement from the company's president Tsunekazu Ishihara revealed. "The game uses an innovative communication system that makes it feel as if you are playing with other players around the world."It sounds like this refers to online play, but the wording that it feels "as if" you were playing online could suggest areas of the game populated by offline 3DS friends, similar to the Nintendo Land plaza on Wii U.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...r-pokemon-rpgs

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Gold Nunchuk is back in stock at Club Nintendo, probably not for long

January 10th, 2013, 00:31 Posted By: wraggster

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Animal Crossing helps push 3DS sales past 10m in Japan

January 10th, 2013, 23:55 Posted By: wraggster

The popularity of Nintendo’s 3DS in Japan shows no signs of abating with the device having now sold over 10m units in the territory.
The release of Animal Crossing: New Leaf helped the handheld to sales of over 400k units in the final week of December alone. The machine hits the milestone in 98 weeks – although that’s significantly slower than the 61 weeks it took DS to reach the same milestone.
Nintendo dominated Japan’s hardware sales charts last week claiming the top three spots with the 3DS XL (156k), 3DS (123k) and Wii U (67k), with sales of the latter tracking significantly better than they are in the UK.
PS3 was the next closest machine with weekly sales of 64k followed by PSP (54k), Vita (33k), Wii (6k) and Xbox 360 (2k).
Nintendo was equally dominant in the software charts, claiming the top five in its entirety. 17 of the top 20 games were for Nintendo machines.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/anima...-japan/0109110

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Nintendo reveals Wii U H1 2013 release schedule

January 10th, 2013, 23:56 Posted By: wraggster

Just 13 games boxed Wii U games are currently scheduled for release in the first half of 2013.
The highlights begin with tomorrow’s release of Ninja Gaiden 3 although owners will have to wait until the spring to get their hands on the next high-profile first party release, Pikmin 3.
The digital schedule is a little lightweight too, with just three games named so far. Presumably these will be added to.
Here’s the full Wii U release schedule:
* Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge (Nintendo) – January 11th
* Sing Party (Nintendo) – January 18^th
* Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth (Ubisoft) – January 24^th
* Scribblenauts Unlimited (Nintendo) – February 8^th
* NBA 2K13 (2K Games) – February 11^th
* Rayman Legends (Ubisoft) – February 28^th
* F1 Star Stars (Codemasters) – March 1^st
* Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate (Capcon) – March
* The Croods: Prehistoric Party (Namco Bandai) – March
* Aliens: Colonial Marines (Sega) – Q1 2013
* Need for Speed: Most Wanted (EA) – Q1 2013
* LEGO City Undercover (Nintendo) – Early 2013
* Pikmin 3 (Nintendo) – Q2 2013
And here are Wii U’s digital releases:
* BIT.TRIP Presents: Runner 2 (Gaijin Games) – Q1 2013
* Mutant Mudds Deluxe (Renegade Kid) – Q1 2013
* The Cave (Sega) – Q1 2013

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/ninte...hedule/0109106

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Professor Layton and the Azran Legacies unravels in Japan on February 28

January 11th, 2013, 00:19 Posted By: wraggster

Luke, a true gentleman should always be aware that Professor Layton and the Azran Legacies releases in Japan on February 28. The 3DS game is the final entry in the Layton prequel trilogy, and the last to star the hatted pointer as a protagonist.

Release dates for other regions aren't yet known, but given the last entry also came to Japan during February, there's a good chance Azran Legacies arrives in North America and Europe around October time. As for whether or notProfessor Layton vs. Ace Attorney is making its way to Western shores, that remains an unsolved mystery.

On the sweeter side of things, Layton fans in Japan can look forward to a new range of chocolate with the prof's face plastered across it. As Siliconera reports, the chocolatiers behind Pocky are releasing two flavors of 'Professor Layton's Puzzle Solution Break Chocolate,' namely chocolate gateau and the wonderful-sounding oolong tea chiffon cake.

We'd be (pleasantly) surprised if the chocolate finds its way over here.

http://www.joystiq.com/2013/01/10/pr...-japan-on-feb/

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Skylanders amasses $500m in US

January 12th, 2013, 22:43 Posted By: wraggster

Activision Blizzard’s Skylanders has raised more than $500m in revenue in the US, the publisher has revealed.
Console and handheld title Skylanders Giants, sequel to Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventures, generated more than $195m in US sales since its release in October, although this includes sales of inclusive accessory packs and figures.

This means that just under half of the total revenue garnered from the franchise came from its latest title in just two months since release.
"Just a year ago, the concept of bringing toys to life in a virtual world was an untested play pattern that Activision and Toys For Bob believed in,” said Activision Publishing VP of product management Joshua Taub.
“Now the category has been established in the market and embraced by parents and kids everywhere. We're humbled by the continued support and acclaim from parents, kids and critics alike, but more importantly, it's gratifying to see kids excited about the adventures that await them both in the digital and physical worlds."

http://www.develop-online.net/news/4...0m-in-US-sales

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Australia's first 18-rated game is Ninja Gaiden 3

January 12th, 2013, 22:44 Posted By: wraggster

Team Ninja's hack and slash title approved for Australian consumers

The first game to receive Australia’s new R18+ classification is Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge for Wii U.
New legislation was introduced on January 1st, 2013, adding a mature rating classification for titles in the country.

“The classification guidelines for video games are now more closely aligned with the guidelines for film and TV which makes it easier for parents to make informed decisions about the interactive content they choose to buy and play,” said Interactive Games & Entertainment Association chief executive officer Ron Curry.
The trade association has been lobbying for an 18+ classification for games more than ten years. With the new category, video games in Australia can be classified as G, PG, M, MA15+ or R18+.
“It’s important for people to keep close attention to these ratings before buying a game, but we also encourage parents to do their own research and read reviews about the game before they make a purchase. This also serves as a timely reminder for parents to update control settings on game consoles to ensure children are only accessing age-appropriate content,” Curry added.

http://www.develop-online.net/news/4...Ninja-Gaiden-3

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Wii U sells less, generates more dollars than original Wii launch

January 13th, 2013, 12:38 Posted By: wraggster

Nintendo's newest console is tracking behind its predecessor in terms of US launch sales, but is bringing in more dollars.
Wii U sold 460,000 units in the US last month, according to new NPD data, bringing its total lifetime sales up to 890,000.
An NPD spokesperson said: "Sales of the Wii U were lower on a unit basis when compared to the original Wii in December 2006.
"However, due to its higher price, the Wii U generated three per cent dollar sales than the Wii when looking at December vs December, but it is 11 per cent for year-to-day."
The Wii U generated over $300m in hardware sales after its first 41 days on the market. Comparetively, Wii generated $270m over the same period.
Meanwhile, 2012's other newly launched platform, PlayStation Vita, generated 94 per cent more in dollar sales in December 2012 than predecessor PSP did in December 2011.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/wii-u...launch/0109177

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How Nintendo is making Wii U indie-friendly

January 13th, 2013, 12:45 Posted By: wraggster

What did it learn from the mistakes of WiiWare, and how can the new eShop win back small studios?
[h=3]Broken Rules[/h]
[h=3]Gaijin Games[/h]
[h=3]Nintendo[/h]nintendo-europe.com

[h=3]Steel Penny Games[/h]steelpennygames.com/

[h=3]Tomorrow Corporation[/h]tomorrowcorporation....


Sometimes, Nintendo nails it on the first try. The Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy, and Wii were stunningly successful initial forays into consoles, portable consoles, and motion controls for the company. Other times, Nintendo winds up with something like WiiWare, the downloadable storefront that was more Virtual Boy than Game Boy.
Since WiiWare's launch in mid-2008, developers have groused about ineffective promotion, tiny size limits, restrictive pricing policies, minimum sales thresholds and a vanishing customer base. Even indie developers who found a measure of success on the platform were well aware of its numerous shortcomings.
Bit.Trip developer Gaijin Games built its name on the originally WiiWare-exclusive retro-aesthetic franchise, but co-founders Alex Neuse and Mike Roush didn't put a rosy face on it when speaking to GamesIndustry International.
"It was just miserable. I don't blame indies for not jumping on WiiWare."
Gaijin Games' Mike Roush

"We don't know for sure, but it felt like it wasn't taken seriously by Nintendo, the desire for gamers to buy stuff digitally," Neuse said.
Roush echoed the sentiment, saying Nintendo's online strategy was "an afterthought," or at least felt like one. For example, he noted that WiiWare developers were allowed nothing but a compressed 144x90 pixel image to sell efforts in the inherently visual medium of video games.
"How are you supposed to display your wares with an image of that pixel dimension and really sell it," Roush asked. "It was just miserable. I don't blame indies for not jumping on WiiWare."
One developer that did jump on WiiWare was Broken Rules, the studio behind And Yet It Moves. However, Broken Rules developer Martin Pichlmair said the situation on WiiWare was so bad that even though the studio made a Japanese version of its Indiecade Games Festival finalist, it didn't bother releasing it on the Japanese WiiWare store because there was no chance it would meet the minimum sales threshold needed to see a dime in revenues from Nintendo.
WiiWare sales thresholds kept And Yet It Moves from being launched in Japan.

Nintendo clearly had room for improvement with its second attempt at an online console storefront, and it will have to undo some ill will generated from its first outing.
"WiiWare may have turned a lot of indies off," Neuse added, "and it's going to be hard to win them back."
Steel Penny Games founder Jason Hughes illustrates that point well. The former Naughty Dog developer was in the first wave of indies committing support to WiiWare, but soon soured on the platform. Its most recent game is the browser-based title Trivia Adventure, playable through Facebook and Swagbucks.
"Our experience with WiiWare showed how little actual desire Nintendo had in supporting a positive and frictionless player experience."
Steel Penny's Jason Hughes

"Our experience with WiiWare showed how little actual desire Nintendo had in supporting a positive and frictionless player experience, as well as in promoting rehashed games on par or above original content on WiiWare that were ostensibly the crown jewel of Nintendo's networking strategy," Hughes said. "Maybe that has changed, but based on the lackluster hardware specs and Nintendo's traditionally poor online offering, I had not picked them as specifically viable in the next generation of consoles. I would work on their hardware again if it seemed to be a clear winner, but for the time being, we are going to platforms where users are, and looking to make games that are less gimmicky and have the possibility to transcend platforms."
While Steel Penny appears to be sitting this one out, Gaijin Games and Broken Rules decided to give Wii U development a shot with Runner 2 and Chasing Aurora, respectively. Early impressions of their time with the system have been positive. Chasing Aurora was a Wii U eShop launch title, and Pichlmair said the experience working on a downloadable game for Nintendo's console has improved considerably.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...indie-friendly

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Wii U has stronger first six weeks than Wii

January 13th, 2013, 12:50 Posted By: wraggster

Wii U hardware pulls in $30 million more in revenue after 41 days
[h=3]Nintendo of America[/h]

In just 41 days, Nintendo's Wii U has sold more than $300 million in revenue in the United States, up from the $270 million take the Wii brought in during the same time period. Those numbers come from the NPD Group, showing that the Wii U has sold nearly 890,000 units in the U.S, with 460,000 units sold in December. It's worth noting that the Wii U Basic retails for $299.99, higher than the Wii's launch price of $249.99.
"While the Wii launch established new benchmarks in the United States, Wii U has surpassed its predecessor in perhaps the most important category: revenue generation," said Nintendo of America executive vice president of Sales & Marketing Scott Moffitt. "The demand for the Deluxe SKU, which was essentially sold out at retail this holiday, and the strong attach rate of New Super Mario Bros. U, shows that we have the value and the games to drive momentum in 2013. We look forward to offering great new experiences and bringing smiles to millions of new faces throughout the year."
New Super Mario Bros U is the system's clear winner, with 580,000 units sold to date.
The Wii - which recently had a price drop - sold more than its successor with 475,000 units sold in December. The system has sold 40.8 million units in its lifetime. The Nintendo 3DS is riding high for the company, with more than 1.25 million sold last month. With 7.7 million lifetime unit sales, the 3DS also outpaces the sales rate of its predecessor, the Nintendo DS.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...weeks-than-wii

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Limited Edition Fire Emblem 3DS bound for US

January 13th, 2013, 18:49 Posted By: wraggster

Nintendo of America has confirmed it will release a Limited Edition Fire Emblem Awakening 3DS in North America and Canada.
The system will be a standard 3DS model, with a blue casing adorned with Fire Emblem-themed insignias.The console will also come with a digital copy of Fire Emblem Awakening pre-installed.
There's no word on price or availability yet, but we expect to see it in shops on the game's US release of February 4.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...-bound-for-us/

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Wii U game sales 'far behind launch levels for Gamecube and Wii'

January 13th, 2013, 18:51 Posted By: wraggster

Wii U software sales are "struggling a bit" in the US, according to Cowen & Company analyst Doug Creutz.
Reacting to last night's release of NPD sales data for the US market in December, Cowen said in a research note: "Software sales for the Wii U remained well behind launch levels for the original Wii and GameCube in December."Totals for the November-December period were -43% lower than software sales for the Wii and -50% lower than those for the GameCube."
The relatively low Wii U software sales appear to have been masked somewhat by news of the revenue generated by the platform since launch.
North American Wii U unit sales during the console's first full month failed to match those set by the Wii in December 2006, though the new system has generated more revenue in the same time frame.
Taking Wii U's relatively low software sales into account, it appears that the system's higher launch price ($300 for Basic model/$350 for Premium, compared to Wii's $250) was the main reason the new console's launch revenue exceeding its predecessor.
In the UK, no exclusive Wii U game has entered into the top 40 all format chart for the past three weeks.
Following last night's announcement of the Wii U sales results, Nintendo's stock climbed 5.6 percent in Osaka trading to close at 9,070 yen, its biggest gain since September 18.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...ecube-and-wii/

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Nintendo shares jump on Wii U sales results

January 13th, 2013, 18:53 Posted By: wraggster

While North American Wii U unit sales during the console's first full month of availability failed to match those set by its predecessor in December 2006, revenue generated from sales in the first 41 days after its November 18 release came in at $300 million, topping the original Wii's $270 million at the same point post-release.The news went down well with investors, with Nintendo's stock climbing 5.6 percent to close at 9,070 yen, its biggest gain since September 18,Bloomberg reports.
"The US sales report prompted investors to jump on Nintendo," said Makoto Sengoku, a market analyst at Tokai Tokyo Securities. However, he added that "the gain may be short-lived unless it can sustain sales momentum."
Nintendo also said last night that it sold more than 1.25 million 3DS units in the US in December.
Company president Satoru Iwata suggested earlier this week that Wii U sales "are not bad, and I feel it's been selling steadily", although he admitted to unbalanced inventory levels after the company failed to anticipate the amount of demand for the premium version of the console.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...sales-results/

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Plesioth returns in latest Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate screens

January 13th, 2013, 18:57 Posted By: wraggster

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Renegade Kid's lost Crash Bandicoot DS prototype revealed

January 13th, 2013, 19:00 Posted By: wraggster



Prolific DS/3DS developer Renegade Kid made a demo for a Crash Bandicoot DS game years ago. The test for Crash Landed was done in 2008 or 2009 for publisher Activision, according to Nintendo World Report's source, but the game was not picked up. Several Crash games were made for DS, but this was not one of them.

Now, for the first time, video of the unfinished (barely started!) demo has surfaced on YouTube. Renegade Kid co-founder Jools Watsham verified the existence of the demo, calling the video "a blast from the past" and revealingthat the demo took two weeks to make.

http://www.joystiq.com/2013/01/11/re...type-revealed/

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Pokémon X/Y fanart fans the flames of Fennekin fervor

January 13th, 2013, 19:03 Posted By: wraggster

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Renegade Kid has original FPS hitting 3DS eShop this year

January 13th, 2013, 22:36 Posted By: wraggster

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Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage 2 goes digital-only on Wii U in Europe

January 14th, 2013, 22:56 Posted By: wraggster

Tecmo Koei has announced a change of plan for the release of Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage 2.
Firstly the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions have been delayed a week and will now be released on February 8^th, Polygonreports.
Secondly, and far more interestingly, the Wii U version will now be a digital-only release. That will be available on February 7^th.
The decision adds further credence to Nintendo’s claim that it will be placing more emphasis on its digital offer on its new platform. It will also help add some variety to the Wii U’s current eShop offer, which has remained unchanged since the machine’s launch in late November.
It’s also possibly a good move for Tecmo Koei. Sales of the game are likely to be low in Europe. Taking the digital-only route on Wii U will be lower costs and possibly lead to higher sales as many consumers are desperate for some new downloads on the machine.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/fist-...europe/0109262

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Limited edition Fire Emblem 3DS priced for US

January 14th, 2013, 23:53 Posted By: wraggster

The Limited Edition Fire Emblem Awakening 3DS will be released in US on February 4 for $199.99, Nintendo has confirmed.
As previously announced, the system will be a standard 3DS model, with a blue casing adorned with Fire Emblem-themed insignias. The console will also come with a digital copy of Fire Emblem Awakening pre-installed, and a a 4GB SD memory card.Fire Emblem Awakening is the first entry in the fantasy turn-based strategy series on 3DS and tells the story of Lord Chrom and his growing army of companions as they band together to save the world from a rising evil. Check out a trailer here.
Nintendo has also confirmed that a demo for Fire Emblem Awakening will be released via the US 3DS eShop on January 17.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...priced-for-us/

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Pokémon X & Y: Nintendo series looks set for an evolutionary leap on 3DS

January 14th, 2013, 23:56 Posted By: wraggster

last week's Pokémon X & Y announcement was similar to the news that Royals Wills and Kate are expecting a baby. We were all expecting it would happen eventually, but that didn't stop parts of their fanbase almost losing their minds when it did.
It's understandable, because for many gamers of a certain generation Pokémon is a reliable constant, a series that continues to offer the same addictive, OCD-itching gameplay they remember from their childhoods without succumbing too much to modern gaming's need for extra bells and whistles.Have a look at Pokémon Red and Blue on the humble Game Boy, then take a gander at last year's Pokémon Black & White 2. Other than the inevitable need to improve graphically, both share very similar core gameplay. Appropriately, given the game's subject matter, every Pokémon game has been an evolution rather than a revolution - and despite offering the biggest graphical kick up the backside the series has seen to date, Pokémon X & Y will continue this tradition.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...y-leap-on-3ds/

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Mutant Mudds, Dementium dev making a first-person shooter for Nintendo eShop

January 14th, 2013, 23:57 Posted By: wraggster

Mutant Mudds and Dementium developer Renegade Kid is making a first-person shooter for the Nintendo eShop.It is the first FPS for Nintendo's digital platform - that is, unless High Voltage's Conduit launches on it first, Renegade Kid's Jools Watsham pointed out on Twitter.Also on Twitter Watsham confirmed that the mystery FPS is a new IP and does not have multiplayer. "Our 3DS FPS is strictly focused on single-player," he said.Controls wise, it will use a similar set-up to that of Renegade Kid's Dementium series, that is, controlling the camera with the touch-screen. The Circe Pad Pro is also supported.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...nintendo-eshop

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Wii Mini is small in size, small on features

January 14th, 2013, 23:58 Posted By: wraggster

The Wii Mini, the Canada-exclusive redesign of the original Wii, is very small. That's its best attribute, and the one you notice immediately. Even the box it comes in is tiny, roughly 10" by 8" by 5". Anyone with even the most basic understanding of physics would see that box and get the message that something pretty small is inside.

And indeed, the system itself proves very small. You can get an idea of its tininess in our gallery, in which it's placed next to other consoles for reference. If I'm dwelling on the impressively diminutive size of the Wii Mini, it's because I don't have anything else good to say about the console.

http://www.joystiq.com/2013/01/14/wi...l-on-features/

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DeSmuME JIT 0.9.9 (13-01-2013) - Nintendo DS Emulator for Windows

January 15th, 2013, 01:06 Posted By: wraggster

via http://emu-russia.net/en/

Nintendo DS emulator (build by CrazyMax) has been updated. Changes:
- includes all latest SVN changes.

News source: http://nds.baronline.net.ua

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FCE Ultra GX 3.3.4 (GC/Wii)

January 15th, 2013, 01:23 Posted By: wraggster

via http://emu-russia.net/en/

NES emulator for Nintendo GameCube/Wii has been updated. Changes:
- Updated core to latest FCEUX (r2818).

FCE Ultra GX is a modified port of the FCE Ultra Nintendo Entertainment
system for x86 (Windows/Linux) PCs. With it you can play NES games on your
Wii/GameCube.
-=[ Features ]=-
* Wiimote, Nunchuk, Classic, and Gamecube controller support
* iNES, FDS, VS, UNIF, and NSF ROM support
* 1-4 Player Support
* Zapper support
* Auto Load/Save Game States and RAM
* Custom controller configurations
* SD, USB, DVD, SMB, Zip, and 7z support
* Custom controller configurations
* 16:9 widescreen support
* Original/filtered/unfiltered video modes
* Turbo Mode - up to 2x the normal speed
* Cheat support (.CHT files and Game Genie)
* Famicom 3D System support
* IPS/UPS automatic patching support
* NES Compatibility Based on FCEUX 2.2.0+ (r2818)
* Open Source!

News source: http://code.google.com

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higan 0.92 Updated - Super Nintendo/GameBoy/GBA/Nintendo DS emulator for Windows

January 15th, 2013, 01:32 Posted By: wraggster

via http://emu-russia.net/en/

Super Nintendo/GameBoy/GameBoy Color/GameBoy Advance/Nintendo DS emulator previously known as bsnes has been updated recently.

I decided to take advantage of MinGW-w64's ability to generate 32-bit Windows executables with the -m32 flag for v092. Apparently this was a mistake, as it produces executables that do not actually run on true 32-bit operating systems.
So I've uploaded new builds of higan, this time using the 32-bit MinGW to build the 32-bit release. I also took the opportunity to fix a few minor issues that were noted after the release. So if you've already downloaded higan v092, please download the updated version.

http://byuu.org/

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Mednafen 0.9.28 - NES/GBA/GB/Genesis/SNES/VirtualBoy/PS1 Emulator for Windows

January 15th, 2013, 01:35 Posted By: wraggster

via http://emu-russia.net/en/

NES/GBA/GB/Lynx/PC Engine/PC-FX/Wonderswan/Genesis/SNES/VirtualBoy/PS1 emulator has been updated recently. Changes:
- This is primarily a bug-fix release, including bug-fixes for some nasty subtle regressions introduced in recent releases.
- In addition to bug-fixes, a new "WYSIWYG" screen snapshot function has been added, activated by SHIFT+F9, along with a new GPU-intensive pixel shader, "sabr".

News source: http://forum.fobby.net

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How 6502 Overflow Works

January 15th, 2013, 23:48 Posted By: wraggster


The 6502 was a ubiquitous microprocessor back in the 80s, powering devices such as the Apple II and the Nintendo Entertainment System. [Ken] took an in depth look at a small part of the processor: the overflow circuit.
In order to do signed calculations, a microprocessor’s arithmetic logic unit (ALU) needs to be able to calculate when an overflow occurs. This happens when two numbers are added that cannot fit in a single byte. The result of a calculation will be incorrect, so the processor must inform the program that an overflow has occurred. This is done by setting an overflow flag.
[Ken] uses this example to first explain how the overflow circuit works in logic. He then looks at the gates and a transistor implementation of the logic. Finally, he walks us through the circuit on the actual 6502 die, showing how the circuit is constructed in silicon.
This is a great example to learn a bit more about how ALUs work and how integrated circuits get built.
http://hackaday.com/2013/01/15/how-6502-overflow-works/

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There’s something strange about this Game Boy

January 15th, 2013, 23:58 Posted By: wraggster


What looks to be a stock brick Game Boy with two additional buttons is actually one of the coolest portable mods we’ve ever seen.
Instead of the classic 1989 hardware, the interior of this Game Boy is stuffed with a Dingoo A330 portable emulation machine capable of playing Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, and other 8 and 16-bit console classics.
After a great deal of modification to the original Game Boy enclosure, [Alex] cut down two Game Boy PCBs to wire the D pad, A, B, select and start buttons to the Dingoo. An extra pair of buttons were added and the shoulder buttons present on the Dingoo were emulated with rocker switches placed where the original volume and contrast controls were.
All this and a new color LCD (and screen bezel) means this Game Boy looks nearly stock, save for the addition of an extra pair of buttons. It’s a fabulous piece of work, and we’re exceedingly jealous for [Alex]‘s friend receiving this for his birthday.

http://hackaday.com/2013/01/15/there...this-game-boy/

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This limited edition Nintendo 3DS totally has dragons on it

January 16th, 2013, 00:11 Posted By: wraggster

Yes, finally, you can buy a Nintendo 3DS with dragons on it. Today is the day. Well, not quite -- February 4th is the actualday, which is also the day that Fire Emblem Awakeninglaunches on Nintendo's latest portable console. The dragon-emblazoned 3DS is just one small part of the package, as you'll also snag a 4GB SD memory card and the game itself pre-installed on said 3DS. Altogether, the whole package runs just $199, for a savings of approximately $10. It's no Pokémon-themed 3DS, but it'll do, we suppose. Take an even closer look at the limited edition 3DS just below the break.

http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/15/n...-with-dragons/

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Capcom bringing 3DS retail games to US 3DS eShop

January 16th, 2013, 00:13 Posted By: wraggster

Capcom has said it is preparing to adopt Nintendo's 3DS retail digital sales initiative in the US.
According to senior VP Christian Svensson, the publisher is preparing to make a number of its previously-released retail-only 3DS offerings available for purchase via the digital 3DS eShop, as Nintendo has been doing with first-party titles since last year.The release of New Super Mario Bros. 2 in August 2012 kicked off the new initiative at Nintendo, which sees first-party 3DS titles get simultaneous retail and digital releases.
"Many of our our other previously released 3DS titles will be coming to the eShop in the coming months," said Svensson in response to online questioning over a Resident Evil Revelations digital release.
Although it's unclear, Svensson's stipulation of those being 'other' titles insinuates that Resident Evil Revelations will not be among those planned for digital releases.
Resident Evil Revelations is, however, heavily rumoured to be bound for Xbox and PS3, as outed by Korean Ratings Board listings and later backed up by an alleged list of Xbox Achievements for a 'Resident Evil Revelations Unveiled Edition'.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...-us-3ds-eshop/

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Nestopia v1.41.3 unofficial release - xBr filter

January 16th, 2013, 00:52 Posted By: wraggster

via http://www.aep-emu.de/

The NES-Emulator Nestopia has been updated by notBald to version 1.41.3.

Quote:

Member

Registered: 01/07/13
Posts: 3
This is a release of Nestopia that includes the xBr filter made by Hyllian. For more information on this filter go here

This filter works well on SNES and Genesis games. It´s not such a big benefit (over HQ4X) on NES games, but you might like the result.

1.41.2 had an ugly bug that resulted in a blank screen in some cases. This version fixes that and adds the A and C variants of the filter.


----------------------------------------------------------------
Unofficial 1.41.3 - by notBald (notbald@gmail.com) (Jan 14, 2013)
----------------------------------------------------------------

Shell:

Changes

- Removed fully 32-bit xBr filter
- Added support for xBr a and c filters
- Fixed cancel bug (Would retain settings when cancel was clicked)
- Fixed black screen bug (Nothing rendered on screen)

Core:

Changes

- Added support for xbr a and c filters

The A, B and C variants of the xBr filter rounds corners differently:
- A: Don´t round corners
- B: Selectivly round corners
- C: Round all corners

----------------------------------------------------------------
Unofficial 1.41.2 - by notBald (notbald@gmail.com) (May 20, 2012)
----------------------------------------------------------------

Shell:

Changes

- Added support for grayscale and xbr filters

Core:

Changes

- Added grayscale and xbr filters

The grayscale filter was added just to test how one adds filters to the
Nestopia core.

The xbr filter is a port of Hawkynt´s C# implementation of Hyllian/Jaracara´s
xbr filter. I believe the C# implementation is based on the 3.3a variant of
Hyllian´s filter.

The xbr filter works for both 888 and 565 color modes, but has not been tested
with the unusual 555 color mode. However, it should work with 555.

Due to idiocy on my part all interpolation calculations are truncated down to
15-bit. It´s not a hard thing to fix but as far as I can see it gives good
result as it is. One of Hyllian´s c++ impls use 16-bit math for interpolation so
it´s probably good enough as it is. Though performance should increase a bit,
as the current 15-bit impl is inefficient.

xbr vs hqx

- xbr does a better job at color accuracy (Hqx distorts/darken colors).
- Hqx retains sharp details better (Xbr is quicker to round).

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Nintendo merging console and handheld hardware teams

January 16th, 2013, 23:33 Posted By: wraggster

New restructured division to investigate future platforms to satisfy both DS and Wii users

Nintendo has revamped its hardware development division in Japan by merging its console and handheld teams under one roof.
As reported by Japanese paper Nikkei, the console manufacturer will bring together the teams next month, who will then work at Nintendo’s brand new $300 million Kyoto facility that has been under construction for the last three years.

The new restructured division will investigate future platforms that could satisfy both handheld DS users and home console Wii and Wii U consumers.
The reorganisation in Japan is likely in reaction to the increasingly competitive games market, with smartphones and tablets also competing with Nintendo in attracting consumers and developers, with a number of other Android systems and Valve's Steam Box also on the horizon.
Despite the big move, the impact of the change will not likely to be seen for some time.

http://www.develop-online.net/news/4...hardware-teams

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Will Digital Keep Nintendo in Hardware?

January 16th, 2013, 23:48 Posted By: wraggster

From a revenue standpoint, Wii U had a stronger launch than the original Wii. Analysts, however, feel that Nintendo's been underwhelming with Wii U so far, and that "many Wii U systems were sitting unsold on shelves at year end." From a fiscal standpoint, the last year for Nintendo was not a good one and there's no doubt that the pressure is on from investors. The argument has been made that Nintendo could fare far better with a software only approach, and it's something that RW Baird analyst Colin Sebastian believes could become a serious consideration in the new console cycle.
"In a negative scenario, Nintendo will be forced to prematurely lower the Wii U price, and over the course of this cycle, we expect consideration will be given to extending first party franchises to other platforms," Sebastian commented this week. In a follow-up email, he told GamesIndustry International, "I think the pressure is on Nintendo to deliver better momentum with consumers in the next 9 months; some view into the next holiday title lineup would help."
While it's interesting to think about how much money Nintendo might generate with a platform agnostic approach (imagine something like Pokemon on iOS and Android), is there any real chance of this happening?
"Nintendo can realize strong profits with a smaller base if Wii U (and 3DS) gamers buy more software, particularly paid digital downloads"
Billy Pidgeon

"Going the way of Sega and only doing software is simply not the best route. But if they are going to do hardware they need to do some marketing for that hardware," said DFC Intelligence's David Cole.
He added, "Nintendo's performance the last year was a disaster. It was almost like they rolled over and played dead with less than zero marketing for both the Wii U and the 3DSXL. This is something that can be changed. I don't understand what their thinking was, but in an age when consumers are clamoring for portable/tablet hardware it would seem to be a huge opportunity for Nintendo. Nintendo used to be great at marketing hardware and if they could bring that back I think there is opportunity."
Michael Pachter of Wedbush Securities doesn't believe current Nintendo management would ever let the company become a third-party software firm. "So long as [Satoru] Iwata is CEO, I don't think there is a prayer that they allow their software to show up on third-party platforms. If they are considering it, we'll see GBA software on mobile phones first... If Nintendo decides to go the way of Sega, it will be because a new CEO takes them in that direction. I don't see Iwata making a decision like that, it is not his nature," he said.
EEDAR's Jesse Divnich largely agrees, but he doesn't completely rule out a switch to software only. While Nintendo's intellectual property has been a strength, the hardware has been crucial to Nintendo's overall strategy and how they present certain IP. "Nintendo's market dominance has always come on the back of its hardware. Their hardware has been a key factor in driving the growth of their brands and products," Divnich noted.
"While I do agree that Nintendo should explore releasing products on other platforms, there holds a significant risk that it could marginalize the benefits of owning a piece of Nintendo hardware and could create a cascading impact on the health of their hardware division," he continued. "If the Wii U turns into a market failure, I'd suspect that a software only approach becomes a serious consideration; however, it would likely cut the company's valuation in half. The transition alone would spiritually kill the company for many years."

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...do-in-hardware

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Japanese charts still all about Nintendo

January 16th, 2013, 23:50 Posted By: wraggster

The latest charts for Japan show a drop in sales for all hardware, but continued dominance for Nintendo on both devices and games.

1. 3DS XL - 56,377 (Last week - 156,184)
2. 3DS - 36,284 (123,075)
3. PlayStation 3 - 22,991 (64,352)
4. Wii U - 20,715 (67,083)
5. PSP - 17,069 (54,873)
6. PlayStation Vita - 11,088 (33,309)
7. Wii - 1,873 (5,632)
8. Xbox 360 - 921 (1,893)

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Moderately misleading Wii U ad removed

January 17th, 2013, 00:07 Posted By: wraggster

A UK television ad for the Wii U has been pulled due to being misleading, if only just.The ad - shown below - portrayed a player switching from playing New Super Mario Bros U on a TV screen to playing on the GamePad. "Say someone wants to watch TV when you're halfway through a game... do both, and everyone's happy," the commercial claimed.Sounds like a pretty reasonable way to demonstrate one of the console's defining characteristics, right? Well wrong, according to the Advertising Standards Authority.A complaint came in that the ad was misleading in that it implies this feature is included in all games, when if fact it's up to third-party developers to implement this and not a universal feature available in all software.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...i-u-ad-removed

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Club Nintendo rewards don't register if purchased on Wii U while in Wii mode

January 17th, 2013, 00:09 Posted By: wraggster

For years now players have been able to accumulate Club Nintendo coins by registering their Nintendo products and taking surveys. These points can be used to grab rewards like games and swag. However, a tipster at NintendoLife recently discovered that games purchased on the Wii U while in Wii mode don't net any earnings, even though the same games purchased on the regular old Wii do.Why is this? Nintendo hasn't said, but it seems to be aware of the problem as the Club Nintendo FAQ noted, "Due to certain system constraints, Club Nintendo accounts cannot be linked to the Wii Shop on the Wii U. Games downloaded through the Wii Shop on the Wii U (in Wii mode) do not qualify for surveys or Coins."What are these system constraints and what is Nintendo doing about them? We've followed up with the Kyoto-based company and will update as we hear back.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...le-in-wii-mode

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XSEED erecting Pandora's Tower for Wii in NA this spring

January 17th, 2013, 00:12 Posted By: wraggster

Publisher XSEED has come to the rescue for American Wii owners again. Once thought lost to the dungeons of Nintendo localization, XSEED will bringPandora's Tower to North America this spring. Pandora's Tower tells the story of a hero tasked with saving a young girl from a terrible curse. The only cure: feeding her lots of freshly slain monster flesh. Check out the trailer above (made for the European release last year), for the gritty, nasty details.

Last year, to the dismay of many fans, Nintendo infamously stated it had "no plans" to localize three major Japanese Wii RPGs, The Last Story, Pandora's Tower and Xenoblade Chronicles (though it did eventually localize the latter). Now it seems XSEED has made a habit of snatching up discarded Nintendo properties in North America, last year localizing The Last Story, which went on to be its most successful game ever.

http://www.joystiq.com/2013/01/16/xs...a-this-spring/

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Disney reaches into the Toy Box with the new Infinity platform

January 17th, 2013, 00:14 Posted By: wraggster

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Need for Speed: Most Wanted, Monster Hunter 3 dated for Wii U

January 18th, 2013, 00:06 Posted By: wraggster

Two key titles have been given UK release dates for Nintendo’s Wii U.
EA’s Need for Speed: Most Wanted and Capcom’s Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate will both be released on March 21^st.
The racing title will allow for co-op and co-driver gameplay, with the latter using both the Wii U Pro Controller and the GamePad with one player offering navigation assistance to the other on an interactive map. These secondary players will be able to distract the police and switch from night to day.
Off-screen GamePad-only play is also supported.
Monster Hunter, meanwhile, will also arrive on the 3DS on the same day as its Wii U cousin. Both versions will be available in demo form on February 21^st.
Nintendo has also confirmed that players will be able to switch their save data between version, allowing the same game to be played both at home and on the move.
Nintendo of America, meanwhile, has dated a number of other key titles for the US market – including LEGO City: Undercover – which are as follows:

Wii U
The Amazing Spider-Man Ultimate Edition - March
The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct - March 26th
The Croods: Prehistoric Party! - March 19th
LEGO City: Undercover - March 18th
3DS
Fire Emblem Awakening - Feb 4th
Etrian OdysseyIV: Legends of the Titan - Feb 26th
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers - April 16th
Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate - March 19th
The Croods: Prehistoric Party! - March 19th
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow: Mirror of Fate - March 5th
Lego City Undercover: The Chase Begins - April 21th
Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon - March 24th
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity - March 24th

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/need-...-wii-u/0109459

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One moaning git leads to Wii U TV ad ban

January 18th, 2013, 00:12 Posted By: wraggster

A single, solitary and most likely lonely person has led to the banning of a Nintendo Wii U TV ad.
The ASA bizarrely chose to uphold the complaint that drew issue with the depiction of how the console switches from TV gameplay to GamePad gameplay as the short did not explicitly state that the functionality is not available on all games.
Nintendo contested the claims, arguing that “the ad showed the functional capabilities of the hardware including various examples of how the Wii U GamePad may be used in games to interact with the console”.
The company added that “the ad included other features of the Wii U that would also vary from game to game” and that “the ad featured uses of the GamePad that consumers would understand would not be included in all games, such as shooting objects at the screen and using the GamePad to input a code”.
Nintendo did not believe that “the ad required qualification as they did not believe the average consumer viewing the ad would believe that the feature was available on all games”.
The ASA, however, was not convinced by Nintendo’s argument.
“We considered that the option to switch gameplay to the GamePad controller could be available on all games, and as this was a new console consumers would not have an awareness of whether this was something specific to individual games or a general feature of the console,” it ruled.
“We considered that, in this context, the ad should have made clear that this feature would not be available on all games. Because it did not, we concluded the ad was misleading.”

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/one-m...ad-ban/0109439

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Real life Mario Karts react to launchable items

January 18th, 2013, 00:16 Posted By: wraggster


The team over at Waterloo Labs reasserts their reputation for creativity with this real life Mario Kart project. One of the team members must work at Austin’s Park because they seem to have had free rein when it comes to modifying the go-karts and filming the delightful video presentation found after the break.
It’s one thing to put on some costumes and head off to the go-kart track. It’s another to modify the vehicles to react to items launched by another rider. You can see the painted PVC launcher hardware to the right of each driver. By stuffing a plush item (banana, star, mushroom, etc.) in the barrel the driver can use compressed air to launch it quite a distance. Inside of each item is an RFID tag. When the RFID reader on a kart detects the tag it can take control of the steering, brake pedal, or speed limiter to inflict the appropriate actions.
If you don’t have this kind of insider access to your local go-kart track don’t fret. You just need to build your own set of karts.
http://hackaday.com/2013/01/17/real-...nchable-items/

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Nintendo introduces a fountain pen for your Wii U GamePad

January 18th, 2013, 00:26 Posted By: wraggster

Nintendo's worried about your Wii U GamePad. So much so, in fact, that the company's releasing a full on "Accessory Set" aimed specifically at bolstering your screen's HP (sorry, we couldn't help it) -- not only do you get a screen protector, but also a cleaning cloth for keeping it in tip top shape. And you'll need all that protection with the increased scribbling the GamePad will assuredly see when employing your new fountain pen-esque stylus, also included in the set. The whole thing runs $12.99 when it arrives at retailers on February 4th (at least in the US and Canada).

http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/17/n...accessory-set/

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US Nintendo downloads: Fire Emblem Awakening demo

January 18th, 2013, 00:30 Posted By: wraggster

Nintendo has released a playable demo for Fire Emblem Awakening on 3DS as part of this week's digital content update in US.
The demo, available for free to all, will give players a taster of the turn-based strategy game ahead of its February 4 release in US.This joins Tokyo Crash Mobs and Kirby Star Stackers, both for 3DS, in this week's full US downloads list for Nintendo platforms, posted in full below.
Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS
Fire Emblem Awakening - Demo Version - Lead an army of knights, mages, archers and other classes into battle to defend a fantasy world teetering on the brink of war. Your army, which grows as the game's epic story progresses, is composed of a brave group of memorable characters with unique abilities. Just plan your attacks carefully - the lives of your soldiers and the future of the world depend on it. The full version of Fire Emblem Awakening launches exclusively on Nintendo 3DS on Feb. 4.
Tokyo Crash Mobs - You need fast reflexes and an eye for strategy to succeed in this puzzle game. In Tokyo Crash Mobs, you must toss bystanders into lines of people, grouping three or more who wear the same color to make them disappear. Eliminate the lines as fast as you can to win. With two modes, this game has you covered, whether you're looking for quick play sessions or endurance challenges.
Kirby's Star Stacker - Join Kirby as he stacks falling stars with help from his friends Rick the Hamster, Kine the Sunfish and Coo the Owl. But watch out for King Dedede, as he will try to stop you. With a few quick moves and some well-timed strategy, you can quickly outwit him and move on to the next challenging level. Kirby's Star Stacker was originally released for Game Boy in 1997.
Wii Shop Channel on Wii
Amazon Instant Video - Watch new release movies and in-season TV episodes, plus thousands of videos available to Amazon Prime members at no additional cost.
Also new this week:
Disney/Pixar Finding Nemo Escape to the Big Blue (Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS)
Deer Drive Legends (Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS)

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...wakening-demo/

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Marvel at what a lick of paint can do to your old Nintendo consoles

January 18th, 2013, 00:34 Posted By: wraggster

We're suckers for a coloured hardware here at CVG - our Pikachu yellow 3DS XL sits proudly on our desk alongside our Zelda 3DS, green DSi XL and Radiant Red PSP 3000.
These custom designs by Slovenian artist Zoki64 (as discovered by Kotaku), however, are the stuff of beauty.
Zoki's taken a bunch of retro Nintendo consoles and given them the sort of design that would have a Pimp My Ride contestant screaming on their doorstop like an imbecile. From his Super Metroid-inspired SNES to his Majora's Mask N64 controller, we want every single one of them. Sadly, they've all been sold, but Zoki does take commissions.
Here are some of our favourites, but to see more check out Zoki64's DeviantArt gallery.
Super Metroid SNESMajora's Mask N64 controller
http://www.computerandvideogames.com...endo-consoles/

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Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate on Wii U supports USB keyboards

January 18th, 2013, 00:39 Posted By: wraggster

Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate on Wii U supports USB keyboards, Capcom has confirmed.The functionality will be added to the game via a day one patch, Capcom US boss Christian Svensson wrote on the Capcom Unity forum."I've just been told by the PM [product manager] that there will be a day one update that will add functionality to support USB keyboards for chat," he said, "(naturally, there's also a soft keyboard for those to use... and other features we'll talk about later)."The game launches alongside a Nintendo 3DS version in March.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...-usb-keyboards

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Monster Hunter Tri servers go down April 30

January 18th, 2013, 00:40 Posted By: wraggster

The Monster Hunteth, and the monster taketh away. On April 30, just over three years after the game's release, the online multiplayer servers for Monster Hunter Tri on Wii will be disabled.

Capcom's hope is that the people still playing the action RPG on Wii will migrate to Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate on Wii U and/or 3DS, of course. That comes out March 19, giving you a safe, six-week overlap period to secure your hunting fix.

http://www.joystiq.com/2013/01/17/mo...down-april-30/

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Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon hits North America on March 24

January 18th, 2013, 00:42 Posted By: wraggster

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Amazing Spider-Man: Ultimate Edition swings onto Wii U this March

January 19th, 2013, 23:38 Posted By: wraggster

Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Freshly Rebooted Spider-Man
Sometime March, the Wii U
Gets the Spi-Der-Man too
http://www.joystiq.com/2013/01/18/am...i-u-this-marc/

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Assassin's Creed 3 Hidden Secrets, Battle Hardened DLC now on Wii U

January 19th, 2013, 23:47 Posted By: wraggster

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Ace3DS Pro - 3DS Flash Cart Which Plays One 3DS Game & Full DS Compatability

January 20th, 2013, 12:55 Posted By: wraggster

The Ace3DS Team have posted news and a video that says they have a flash cart fully working on the 3DS which plays all DS Games and Homebrew and One Genuine 3DS Game, sounds curious, from what i can gather its not a full hack of the 3DS but maybe a sneaky way of keeping DS Compatability on the 3DS via a genuine game. First off they play a DS Game then a 3DS Game via a little switch.

Heres the video, make your own mind up.



Is this a full on 3DS Hack ?

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FBZX Wii 9 released - Spectrum Emulator for Wii

January 20th, 2013, 20:21 Posted By: wraggster

FBZX is a ZX Spectrum emulator for FrameBuffer written by Sergio Costas (http://www.rastersoft.com/fbzx.html) and ported to Wii by Oibaf.
FBZX Wii can be found on google code at fbzx-wii.googlecode.com


The main features are:

• Emulates accurately the Original 48Kspectrum (both issue 2 and issue 3), the classic 128K, the Amstrad Plus 2, the Amstrad Plus 2A, the Spanish 128K and the NTSC 48k. This includes screen, keyboard and sound (both speaker and AY-3-8912 chip).
• Screen emulation is extremely accurate, so it can emulate border effects and even attribute effects.
• In precision mode floating bus and interrupt timing are accuratly emulated.
• Frambuffer resolution at 640X480 or 320X240.
• Supports Z80 snapshots, both loading and saving, and loading .SNA snapshots.
• Supports TAP (both read and write) and TZX (only read) tape files, supporting normal speed loading and fast speed loading.
• Supports POKE files.
• Supports ZIP files.
• FTP client for loading games from internet repositories.
• Emulates up to 2 joysticks of types: kempston, cursor and sinclair1 and sinclair2.
• All the wiimote, nunchuck and classic controller buttons and joypads are fully configurable.
• IR Virtual keyboard support.
• Emulates the Interface I and Microdrive.
• Emulates the ULAPlus
• Based in a new, fully free, Z80 emulator (Z80Free).

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Virtual Boy Homebrew- Faceball ROM Release and Fundraiser

January 20th, 2013, 20:24 Posted By: wraggster

The wait is already over, bigmak hereby releases the ROM dump of his Niko-Chan Battle (aka Faceball) prototype for everyone's enjoyment! If you don't know what the heck I am talking about, please scroll down two news posts for the (short) full story.

Bigmak is now accepting donations a well. Unlike previously stated, there will not be any complete-in-box reproductions given out in return for donations, due to a lot of bad feedback received from people who simply did not understand what this is all about. Instead, the already produced carts will be given out for free! Details will be made known soon.

Let us all show our appreciation and help bigmak to recoup as much of his huge investment as possible! Click the button below to make a donation.

http://www.planetvb.com/modules/news...hp?storyid=361

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GBA.js 1.0 Beta 1 - GameBoy Advance emulator for Windows

January 20th, 2013, 20:50 Posted By: wraggster

via http://www.emucr.com/


GBA.js 1.0 Beta 1 is released. Jeffrey Pfau released a new GameBoy Advance emulator. The project began last July. The first prototype took him five weeks. But it has worked for several weeks and several hours a day online prior to the first public version. The program runs on JavaScript. It is available online and works in a modern web browser. It runs on Chrome 20, Safari 6.0, Firefox 15 + (without sound) or Opera 12. It should also run on Internet Explorer 10. Firefox and Opera are particularly slow, it is better to use Safari or Chrome.

As a matter of law, no rom is provided on the official website. However, you can load these roms on your machine. The emulator does not handle compressed files. So please only download roms decompressed. The application sometimes crashes if the file has special characters.

Currently all parts of the GameBoy Advance hardware are implemented. You can save and load backups, send on your machine or your machine. GBA.js is able to take screenshots. It can set the emulation paused. It supports games containing real-time clocks (eg Pokemon).

List of upcoming features to implement:
- Snapshot backups,
- Configuration control,
- Support for joysticks,
- Cable link via web
- The cheat,
- Full screen
- Support for games with special sensors (eg WarioWare Twisted!, Boktai).

http://jpfau.github.com/gbajs/

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gbaemu4DS Git (2013/01/18) - Gameboy Advance(GBA) emulator for the Nintendo DS

January 20th, 2013, 20:54 Posted By: wraggster

via http://www.emucr.com/

gbaemu4DS Git 2013/01/18) is compiled. gbaemu4DS is an open source Gameboy Advance(GBA) emulator for the Nintendo DS(NDS),

gbaemu4DS Git Changelog:
* test

Download Attached

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Nintendo expected to end restrictions on bedroom coders

January 21st, 2013, 23:00 Posted By: wraggster

An executive at Nintendo America has signalled the company's intention to ease restrictions on indie games developers who want to work with the platform holder.
Presently, Nintendo's digital publishing guidelines dictate that a games developer must have a registered company and studio space to be given the chance to develop games for the Wii U or 3DS.
This restriction placed on start-up and obscure developers has triggered criticisms from various self-employed developers hat are not eligible to work with Nintendo. In 2011 the company sparked controversy by claiming that it wasn't keen on working with 'garage' developers until they had a reasonable track record for making games.
But there are new signs that Nintendo is ready to bring an end to this rule. In a discussion on Twitter, quality assurance analyst Hany Gohary asked Nintendo of America's business development executive Dan Adelman whether the "bedroom coder ban" still applies today, to which he replied: "Ask me again in a couple weeks."

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...edroom-coders/

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Nintendo launches 'late' and 'from the last decade', says analyst

January 21st, 2013, 23:06 Posted By: wraggster

Nintendo is "years too late" with the release of Wii U, the Canada-only Wii Mini and its new online platforms, claims industry analyst Michael Pachter.
Speaking on Game Trailers' Pach Attack show, the Wedbush analyst criticised Nintendo's recent ideas for being "from the last decade".According to Pachter, both a redesigned Wii console and HD successor should've released "a few years" ago.
He said on the show: "I think Nintendo's a few years late. The Wii U is the 'Wii HD' and it's coming a few years too late. Wii Mini was a great idea back in 2008/2009... The eShop is about seven or eight years too late, Online multiplayer for Nintendo is about seven or eight years too late..."
He added: "Poor Nintendo. I think they try way hard to get things right, it takes them a long time.
"Nintendo's got great ideas, it's just that they're great ideas from the last decade."
Wii U launched globally in Novemeber and December last year, and in North America unit sales during the console's first full month have failed to match those set by the Wii in December 2006.
However, company president Satoru Iwata says he feels the console is "selling steadily".
The Wii Mini launched in Canada last December for $99. Nintendo says it has no information on launches outside of the region.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...-says-analyst/

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Nestopia Undead v1.44 - Nes Emulator for Windows

January 22nd, 2013, 15:17 Posted By: wraggster

via http://www.aep-emu.de/PNphpBB2-file-...c-t-19779.html

The NES-Emulator Nestopia Undead has been updated to version 1.43.

Quote:




Changelog

1.44:

• 
  Support for FreeBSD, OpenBSD, and NetBSD
• 
  TV Aspect Ratio option added
• 
  2xSaI filter option exposed
• 
  Renamed Linux port to Unix port
• 
  Removed status bar
• 
  General UI improvements
• 
  Stop warning about unused results
• 
  SDL is the default sound API on Linux, the only one on the BSDs
• 
  Drag and Drop re-enabled
• 
  Fixed SDL sound crashes
• 
  Fixed Movie Record crash
• 
  Loading a state when none exists no longer resets
• 
  Fixed bug that causes "Enter" to toggle fullscreen
• 
  GUI responsiveness glitches when failing to output sound fixed
• 
  TV Aspect is more accurate (win32) - W.M. Martinez
• 
  libretro port done by Themaister and twinaphex
• 
  Merged a fix for Mapper 79 that affects "Puzzle (Unl)" - shalma
• 
  Fixed a PPU bug that causes problems in "The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles" - Art Vandelae, plasturion, and James
• 
  Mapper 143 fix that affects "Dancing Blocks (Unl)" - shalma

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New Wii U games to be revealed tomorrow

January 23rd, 2013, 01:57 Posted By: wraggster

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata is to reveal new Wii U games tomorrow afternoon in an online broadcast.
The Nintendo Direct conference is scheduled to take place at 2pm UK time, the company said on Twitter.According to the official announcement, the broadcast will see "Nintendo president Satoru Iwata take a look at future Wii U software and services from Nintendo".
Cowen & Company analyst Doug Creutz said earlier this month that Wii U launch software has sold at roughly half the pace of titles for previous Nintendo systems in the US.
It might only be January, but with Microsoft and Sony expected to announce new consoles in the coming months and launch them later this year, perhaps it's not too soon for Nintendo to give us an early glimpse of some of the big-hitters it has planned for release in the second half of 2013.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...aled-tomorrow/

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Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 3DS trailer promises 20 hour game

January 23rd, 2013, 01:58 Posted By: wraggster

Konami has released a new Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fatetrailer claiming that the 3DS game will offer an "epic 20 hour adventure".
Developed by Mercury Steam, Mirror of Fate takes place 25 years after Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, and is a precursor toCastlevania: Lords of Shadow 2.Konami has confirmed a Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate release date of March 5 in the US and March 8 in the UK.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...our-adventure/

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Nintendo reveals new 3D Mario and Zelda Wii U games

January 23rd, 2013, 23:20 Posted By: wraggster

Console giant increasing collaborations with other studios 'as the scope of development is getting larger'

Nintendo has revealed a wave of new games including a new 3D Mario platformer, Mario Kart and Legend of Zelda title for the Wii U.
Although light on details, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said the company would officially unveil a new Mario Kart and 3D Mario at the E3 exhibition in June.

Other titles Nintendo is currently working on include a new Yoshi game based on Kirby’s Epic Yarn, with Takashi Tezuka supervising development of the title.
Iwata admitted that a new Legend of Zelda would “take some time to complete”, suggesting exact details will not be released at E3 or in the near future.
Legend of Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma said that the developer had been experimenting with a number of visual styles for Zelda Wii U based on past games, and was also looking to re-invent the game's conventions.

http://www.develop-online.net/news/4...da-Wii-U-games

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Yarn Yoshi revealed for Wii U

January 23rd, 2013, 23:30 Posted By: wraggster

Yoshi stars in a new title from the development team behind Kirby’s Epic Yarn for release on Wii U, Nintendo has revealed.The game was shown off as part of a series of announcements in today’s Nintendo Direct. Satoru Iwata said that Takashi Tezuka, director of Yoshi’s Island and Yoshi’s Story, is overseeing the project and that it would be the first new Yoshi game on a home console since Yoshi’s Story in 1998.Elsewhere in Nintendo Direct today, the Japanese platform holder confirmed that it would be bringingVirtual Console games to Wii U, showing off two new Mario titles at E3 this year and that a duo of Zelda titles are in development for Wii U.

http://www.edge-online.com/news/yarn...led-for-wii-u/

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Two Zelda games coming to Wii U

January 23rd, 2013, 23:31 Posted By: wraggster

Nintendo confirms a Wind Waker remake set for release by the end of the year, plus a new bespoke adventure on Wii U.Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has revealed that Wii U will be home to two new Zelda titles. In today’s Nintendo Direct he revealed that a remake of GameCube Classic The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker would be released by the end of the year, with another brand new adventure in development for later in the console’s lifecycle. With the latter, series producer Eiji Aonuma is looking to “re-think the conventions of Zelda”. He also referred to moving away from the expectation that you must complete Zelda dungeons in a certain order, and play the game by yourself.Nintendo Direct also brought us news of new Super Mario and Mario Kart games, to be showcased at E3, plus the introduction of the Virtual Console service on Wii U.

http://www.edge-online.com/news/two-...ming-to-wii-u/

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New Super Mario and Mario Kart games announced for Wii U, will be shown at E3 2013

January 23rd, 2013, 23:33 Posted By: wraggster

EAD Tokyo is developing a new 3D Mario action game for and a Mario Kart game for Wii U, both of which will be playable at E3 this year.Satoru Iwata confirmed that the games are in development in today’s Nintendo Direct, and also told viewers that a new Wii Party game, from the team which made the Wii titles, will be released this summer.He also confirmed that Wii U owners will be able to download NES, SNES and Game Boy Advance games through Virtual Console soon.

http://www.edge-online.com/news/new-...ming-to-wii-u/

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Retro game catalogue Virtual Console coming to Wii U

January 23rd, 2013, 23:36 Posted By: wraggster

Nintendo plans to introduce a massive catalogue of retro game downloads to the Wii U, starting with a special offer on cheap classic titles.
The spring software update for the Wii U will add Virtual Console software to Nintendo eShop, with a selection of NES and Super NES games, with GBA games added later.
It won't launch with the full catalogue found on Wii's Virtual Console - Nintendo is porting these games over in batches, but adding on GamePad functionality to make them work better with Wii U.
The prices for NES and Super NES Virtual Console games for Wii U will be the same as they were for the Virtual Console on Wii.
But users who own games from the Wii catalogue will have to, perhaps controversially, pay more to access the Wii U version and its added function (although they can transfer the old Wii purchases over and play them, just without the bells and whistles).
If you have already purchased the Wii version of a certain NES or Super NES Virtual Console game and transferred it to your Wii U the enhanced Wii U version of the same game for the reduced price of £0.99 for NES games and £1.49 for Super NES games.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/retro...-wii-u/0109734

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30p game offer leads Nintendo's retro download service campaign

January 23rd, 2013, 23:37 Posted By: wraggster

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the NES console, Nintendo will sell a bunch of games for 30p each starting this month.
Although the anniversary promo is designed to acknowledge the firm's 30 years of hardware heritage, the low cost will help attract more to Nintendo's sometimes nascent download offer.
One NES or Super NES game will be available each month from, now through to July for 30p (or 30 cents in the US and Europe).
Each game will be available at that price for 30 days - the first is the NES game Balloon Fight, which is now available in the Nintendo eShop for Wii U.
The cheap game offer was just one part of a range of announcements Nintendo made today in its Nintendo Direct web broadcast for fans.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/30p-g...mpaign/0109733

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Smartphone link and user-generated content functions coming to Wii U Miiverse

January 23rd, 2013, 23:41 Posted By: wraggster

Nintendo plans to launch two big system updates for the Wii U and add a range of new features to Miiverse.
During its Nintendo Direct broadcast today, the format-holder outlined a range of new activity for the online service.
Two significant system updates are due - one in spring to fix software loading so games load faster, and one in the summer to improve speed of loading for the Wii U.
Elsewhere, Nintendo said it will also launch Miiverse smartphone functionality so users can read through the service's posts and content while on the go. Initially the experience will be browser-based, but Nintendo plans to create a dedicated Miiverse app in the future.
Smartphone web connection, activated with a Miiverse login, goes live in spring - Nintendo actually announced the apps at E3 last year, and said back then they would be for Android and iOS.
Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said this phone functionality "expands the potential of Miiverse if you can access it while away from home"
Elsewhere, Nintendo said it would add two game-specific functions to Miiverse.
Wii Fit U Communities will let players create user communities on Miiverse from within the game. Community members can discuss exercises, BMI or weight changes and other health topics with other players as a way to encourage one another to reach their fitness goals. Similar functionality for other games is also planned.
Pikmin 3 Photos lets players use the Wii U GamePad as a camera to share the same perspective as Pikmin and take close-up pictures of landscapes and creatures in the game and share them in Miiverse.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/smart...iverse/0109732

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Moshi Monsters outsells Pokemon in UK 2012 DS Top Ten

January 23rd, 2013, 23:46 Posted By: wraggster

Moshi Monsters: Moshling Zoo was last year's biggest selling DS game, says GfK Chart-Track data.

The title - which was actually released in 2011 – scored the most consecutive DS No.1s ever last year. It beat Pokemon Black 2, which managed second place, although that game was released later in the year in October.

Third place went to Mind Candy's more recent Moshi Monsters title - Moshlings Theme Park – ahead of Pokemon White 2, which managed fourth.

Only three games in the DS Top Ten were releaed last year. This chart only considers physical game data.

The DS Top Ten in full:
1. Moshi Monsters: Moshling Zoo - Mind Candy
2. Pokemon Black 2 - Nintendo
3. Moshi Monsters: Moshlings Theme Park - Mind Candy
4. Pokemon White 2 - Nintendo
5. New Super Mario Bros. - Nintendo
6. Peppa Pig: Theme Park Fun - P2 Games
7. Professor Layton And The Spectre's Call - Nintendo
8. Tangled - Disney
9. Cars 2 - Disney
10. Let's Draw - Barnstorm Games

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/moshi...op-ten/0109718

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Stuffing an NES into an FPGA

January 23rd, 2013, 23:50 Posted By: wraggster


When the developer of the µTorrent torrent client and the ScummVM LucasArts adventure game interpreter gets bored, something cool is bound to happen. Luckily for us, [Ludde] was a bit listless over Christmas, and with more time than energy to burn,implemented a Nintendo Entertainment System on an FPGA dev board.
The NES was powered by a Ricoh 2A03 CPU, a chip nearly identical to the 6502 found in the Commodore 64s and Apple IIs of the early 1980s. There are a few differences between the two, though: the NES CPU includes an Audio Processing Unit on the chip and is connected to a very cool Picture Processing unit elsewhere on the NES. [Ludde] put all these chips in his Spartan-6 FPGA with a lot of Verilog code.
The rest of the system – the RAM, display output, and controller input comes from the peripherals attached to the FPGA dev board. [Ludde]‘s specific board didn’t have a good digital to analog converter, so the composite output was traded for a VGA output. It’s not a completely accurate color pallet, but it’s still an amazing piece of work for someone who was simply bored.
http://hackaday.com/2013/01/23/stuff...-into-an-fpga/

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Nintendo Wii U getting two system updates in spring and summer

January 24th, 2013, 00:33 Posted By: wraggster

Nintendo's Wii U is getting two title updates in the coming months, both aimed at optimizing the sluggish speed of the console. The first of the two, launching in spring, will make software load more quickly, as well as adding Virtual Console directly to the Wii U (rather than accessed through the virtual Wii). The second, launching in summer, will get users back to the Wii U main menu more quickly. Both additions are more than welcome -- the Wii U's greatest flaw is its unbelievably slow user interface. Nintendo president Satoru Iwata revealed the news this morning during a Nintendo Direct broadcast, where he also unveiled news about Virtual Console heading to the Wii U, and an upcoming Miiverse update giving users access via smart devices.

http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/23/w...ystem-updates/

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Nintendo reveals Wii U Party game, out this summer

January 24th, 2013, 00:38 Posted By: wraggster

Nintendo has announced a new instalment in the Wii Party series to be released on Wii U this summer.
President Satoru Iwata said: "In this game, there are various gameplay styles. For example, one [minigame] will use the Wii U GamePad as an unusual kind of dice to play virtual board games on your TV."Another one will use the GamePad and Wii Remote to encourage communication between players.
"Some will not use the TV screen, they'll only use the gamepad to pit two players against each other."
Iwata concluded: "This will continue to enhance our image of making Wii U the system that brings everyone together."

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...t-this-summer/

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Zelda Wii U will 'rethink series conventions,' says Nintendo

January 24th, 2013, 00:38 Posted By: wraggster

Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma has opened up a little about the first Wii U Legend of Zelda game.
While Nintendo isn't yet ready to show it off, today Aonuma discussed the themes driving the game's development process.He said: "Wii U launched at the end of last year, so I'd like to be able to talk soon about the new Zelda game that we are preparing for you on Wii U, but since I have to wait until you can see actual game visuals to talk about in detail, I will instead talk about the driving theme behind our development.
"Our mission in developing this new Zelda game for Wii U is quite plainly to rethink the conventions of Zelda. I'm referring to things like the expectation that the player is supposed to complete dungeons in a certain order, or that you're supposed to play by yourself. The things that we've come to take for granted recently.
"We want to set aside these 'conventions', get back to basics and create a newborn Zelda game so that the players today can best enjoy the real essence of the franchise.
"We had actually worked on this kind of challenge with Skyward Sword but we weren't able to put effort into changing the linear-path structure of the game. I hope to be able to talk to you in more detail about how it will change after I see it come together a bit more."
Aonuma also confirmed that Nintendo plans to launch a high definition version of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker on Wii U (pictured) this autumn.
"Our new Zelda title looks like it is going to take some time to complete, so I wanted to report that while you're waiting for that game to release, we intend to offer you The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, reborn on Wii U, to play in the meantime."

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...says-nintendo/

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The Fire Emblem special edition 3DS in pictures

January 24th, 2013, 00:42 Posted By: wraggster

Nintendo sent us a special-edition Fire Emblem: Awakening 3DS, and in the course of staring at it, we decided to take some pictures and share them with you. We can now confirm two things:

1. It's definitely a standard 3DS, and not a 3DS XL
2. It's really pretty

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Wii U Virtual Console features fully customizable controls

January 24th, 2013, 00:43 Posted By: wraggster

Though the Wii U's Virtual Console is far from perfect, the implementation of the actual games is nicely dense with features. I just downloaded Balloon Fight, and found a surprising amount of control customization available to me.

By tapping the touch screen (ZL+ZR also worked), you can access the Virtual Console menu, which allows you to create a restore point, reset the game, or change controls. From there, you can alter the individual button mapping for any controller you have plugged in: I tried a GamePad, Wiimote, Wii U Pro Controller, and Wii Classic Controller, and each let me set the function of every button on the device. The GamePad, Wiimote, and Classic Controller all served as the player 1 controls, and the Pro Controller defaulted to player 2.

I hastily snapped photos of all the menus, which you can see in our gallery to find out just what 30 cents gets you.

http://www.joystiq.com/2013/01/23/wi...able-controls/

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Classic games available for 30 cents on Wii U eShop, Balloon Fight up first

January 24th, 2013, 00:43 Posted By: wraggster

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Nintendo reveals new Monolith Soft game for Wii U, looks like Xenoblade

January 24th, 2013, 00:51 Posted By: wraggster

Nintendo has announced a new game from Monolith Soft, developer ofXenoblade Chronicles. A new trailer shows off gameplay and graphics reminiscent of Xenoblade Chronicles, complete with grand, sweeping environments and massive monsters. The game will be directed by Tetsuya Takahashi and will feature music by Hiroyuki Sawano.

The game has no title at the moment, though a large red X is displayed at the end of the trailer, indicating it probably fits in the "Xeno" series in one way or another.

http://www.joystiq.com/2013/01/23/ni...ike-xenoblade/

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Gameboy News - Pokemon games you can 100% by yourself?!?

January 24th, 2013, 13:33 Posted By: wraggster

I remember back in 1999 when I played Pokemon Red Version for the first time. I literally caught ‘em all… the right way (never did get my Mew till MUCH later). I traded for the ones I couldn’t get, because well, in 1999 EVERYONE had Pokemon and it was easy to trade for what you couldn’t get.
Well, welcome to the modern age, where we all have adult jobs and adult lives. But, we still play Pokemon because Pokemon is awesome. It becomes increasingly hard to trade for what you want, especially for the old outdated games. You need both games of a given generation and two GameBoys (of the proper generation) AND two game files! NO ONE WANTS TO DO THAT, so your forced to cheat. Cheating is dangerous to your file as it can corrupt it.
I thought I would fix that problem with this small hack. I made a hack for both the Red Version and Gold Versions. You can now catch ‘em all, all by yourself. There is no need to ever trade.
I did not have the skills to change the title screens, so I could not rename them cool names like Violet Version or Mokume Version (violet is a mix between red and blue, mokume-gane is a mix of gold and silver) Maybe one day I will get the skills and release an update for you, but for now these are fully playable games that you can complete by yourself.
Enjoy ‘em and… Gotta Catch ‘em All!
RHDN Project Link
Relevant Link: (http://www.romhacking.net/hacks/1108/)

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