Nintendo’s Iwata defends management record and explains game delays

May 1st, 2013, 01:45 Posted By: wraggster

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has defended his management of the company in a financial results briefing, explaining the Wii U’s sparse release schedule to investors.When asked whether the delays were down to poor resource management, Iwata contended: “It is a fact that Wii U currently has lost momentum owing to longer-than-expected intervals between software releases.�“We were faced with the alternatives of taking time to refine our products or launching them without too many intervals, and after careful consideration, we selected the first option because we believe that from a mid-and-long term perspective it is more important to improve customer satisfaction with each game. Development always bears many uncertainties and a delay in release is not necessarily a consequence of insufficient management of development teams.�Iwata did, however, admit that the Wii U’s launch titles took up far greater resources than expected. “The reason for the delayed release of our first-party titles was the fact that completing the games released at the same time as the launch of Wii U required more development resources than expected, so some staff members from development teams working on other titles had to help complete them,� he said. “In short, the development teams of Pikmin 3 and other future games were understaffed during that period.�He went on to state the importance of expanding the range of developers creating games for Wii U, particularly on eShop. Iwata believes that opening up its platform to welcome developers working with HTML 5, JavaScript and Unity will help Nintendo achieve that goal.“The number of developers who can use versatile web technologies such as HTML5 and JavaScript is probably more than 100 times larger than that of the current software developers for dedicated gaming machines. We would like them to create software for our console.�“The other thing we announced was that developers can now use Unity, a cross-platform video game engine, for Wii U development, and we have started offering it to the developers,� he added. “There are over a million Unity developers, including many in developing countries where the business of dedicated gaming machines is not prosperous. We would like to create opportunities for these developers to have their games available for Wii U.�

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Nintendo considering free-to-play, subscription-based games for eShop

May 1st, 2013, 01:46 Posted By: wraggster

Nintendo is looking into bringing some familiar digital business models for its Wii U and 3DS hardware, CEO Satoru Iwata has told investors.
Shacknews reports the company head explained, during a Q&A with investors, the possibility of including free-to-play titles and games with monthly subscription fees on the eShop.
"We might have many other types of business models in addition to packaged software,� Iwata said. “For example, we might see more games that are similar to free-to-play games, games that cost much less or games that require a monthly subscription fee."
"Nintendo 3DS and Wii U have flexible systems to handle such trends, so it is now a question of putting these ideas into action."
Iwata concluded that no matter what avenues Nintendo decides to pursue, the firm will provide some new form of digital offerings beyond downloadable versions of retail releases.
"I can definitely say that Nintendo will make new offers that go well beyond simply replacing packaged software with digital software."
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/ninte...-games/0114910

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Wii U 'hackers' claim breakthrough

May 1st, 2013, 10:59 Posted By: wraggster

A team of console hackers, previously responsible for a custom chip that circumvents security protocols on Wii, have claimed they are able to design a similar key for Wii U.

Update:

Nintendo has told CVG that it's aware of the hackers' claims, and is ready combat any possible threat of piracy. "Nintendo is aware that a hacking group claims to have compromised Wii U security; however, we have no reports of illegal Wii U games nor unauthorized applications playable on the system while in Wii U mode," the company said in a statement. "Nintendo continuously monitors all threats to its products' security and will use technology and will take the necessary legal steps to prevent the facilitation of piracy.Original report continues:The hackers say they have "completely reversed the Wii U drive authentication, disk encryption, file system, and everything else needed for this next generation key".Though it appears that the group has designed a hardware chip, the complexities of modding a console raises questions about the claim that it has fully hacked the Wii U.Other questions, such as whether the mod will survive an official system update, or if the modded system could run back-up games, remain unanswered.The group, which CVG has decided against identifying, has yet to provide verifiable evidence that it has hacked the Wii U, though it is responsible for one of the many Wii mod keys available.Hacks of this nature could test Nintendo's expertise and will in overcoming piracy.The legal issues surrounding modding consoles are particularly complex due to differences in international law.In the modern age, console manufacturers tend to battle piracy by offering valuable online services that hacked systems tend to be stranded from. The capacity of Wii U discs - at 25 gigs per layer - is also a deterrent for piracy.CVG has contacted Nintendo for comment.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...-breakthrough/

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Nintendo may show Retro's Wii U game 'in the not so distant future'

May 1st, 2013, 11:04 Posted By: wraggster

Nintendo's Hiro Yamada has told ONM that the platform holder hopes to reveal Retro Studios' next game soon.

Yamada, who is supervising Monster Games as it works on a 3DS remake of Retro's Donkey Kong Country Returns, teased: "I wonder what kind of game it is? I hope to introduce it to you in the not so distant future."Last September, Nintendo of America bossReggie Fils-Aime said that the Metroid Prime studio is working on a "fantastic project" for Wii U.And in December 2011, Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto said of Retro, which most recently worked with the platform holder on Mario Kart 7: "As you know, we have already collaborated with Retro for the Metroid Prime series in the past. And I think when we talk about any other franchise, Zelda might be a possible franchise for that collaboration."

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...istant-future/

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Wii U Virtual Console trailer teases upcoming releases

May 1st, 2013, 11:05 Posted By: wraggster

Nintendo has released a new Wii U Virtual Console trailer teasing a number of upcoming releases.

Games planned for release on the newly launched

Wii U Virtual Console

include NES titles Xevious, Super Mario Bros. and the original Donkey Kong, plus SNES classics The Legend Of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Street Fighter 2, Super Metroid and Super Ghouls N Ghosts.The trailer doesn't feature any Game Boy Advance titles, while we're still waiting for the first N64 game to be confirmed.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...ming-releases/

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Group responsible for first Wii mod chip claims to have hacked Wii U

May 1st, 2013, 14:16 Posted By: wraggster

UPDATE: Nintendo has said that it is aware of the Wiikey group's attempts to hack Wii U security but believes the console's systems that block pirated games currently remain secure."Nintendo is aware that a hacking group claims to have compromised Wii U security," a spokesperson told Eurogamer. "However, we have no reports of illegal Wii U games nor unauthorized applications playable on the system while in Wii U mode."Nintendo continuously monitors all threats to its products' security and will use technology and will take the necessary legal steps to prevent the facilitation of piracy."ORIGINAL STORY: The group responsible for the first Wii mod chip has claimed to have hacked the Wii U so it can play copied games."Yes, its real," reads an announcement on the Wiikey website. "We have now completely reversed the WiiU drive authentification, disk encryption, file system, and everything else needed for this next generation K3y. Stay tuned for updates!"The WiikeU, as it's called, is described as the first optical drive emulator to enable users to play Wii U games from any USB media.The group claims it's compatible with all Wii U models from all regions. However, it is important to note that the group is yet to publish evidence to back up its claim. And it appears WiikeU does not enable homebrew, region-free gaming or let anyone cheat in a game.However, if WiikeU is the real deal, it's bad news for Nintendo, which battled against piracy throughout the Wii's lifecycle.Digital Foundry's Richard Leadbetter said Nintendo is capable of combating the WiikeU with a new firmware update - and will be keen to do so as soon as possible."This looks like a variation on the optical drive emulators that appeared first on Xbox 360 - where the drive firmware was easily decrypted - and then latterly on PS3, which was much more of an effort to reverse-engineer," Leadbetter said."The fact that the comms traffic between the Wii U and the drive has been hacked so quickly is a major concern for Nintendo."In theory, the firmware on the drive can be rewritten with a new, secured version via a Wii U system update and thus nullify the device, but the question is how the Wiikey team reverse-engineered the system in the first place. Unless Nintendo re-secures whatever exploit was used, the pirates could issue a system update for their own hardware and the piracy will continue with barely a pause."

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...y-copied-games

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Moshi Monsters celebrates fifth birthday

May 2nd, 2013, 00:03 Posted By: wraggster

The global phenomenon that is Moshi Monsters celebrates its fifth year with 80 million registered users and $250 million total gross retail sales.
Moshi Monsters is an online platform where children can create and nurture virtual pets and make their way around Monstro City to play games and communicate with friends in a safe environment.
Developed in 2008 by Mind Candy, the game has over 80 million users worldwide. The brand has expanded into offline products such as books, toys, magazines and music.
The game has also extended into the technology market, with Moshi Monsters branded tablets, cameras, headsets and phone accessories.
Mind Candy’s CEO Michael Acton Smith revealed recently that the firm will test out its next Moshi Monster properties on tablets rather than web browsers, stating: "If it’s successful on tablets, then we will make the bigger bounce into toys, cartoons, films and everything else.�
Speaking about the game’s fifth birthday, Smith commented: “Many people assume Moshi is a Japanese or American success story, but we’re very proud to say it’s a homegrown British phenomenon. The last five years have been an extraordinary journey. We’d like to say a huge thank you to the millions of children and parents that have adopted a monster and played within the weird and wonderful Moshi world.�

http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/...irthday/030860

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Hackers claim to have broken Wii U

May 2nd, 2013, 00:19 Posted By: wraggster

Wiikey collective stakes claim to 'next-gen' hack through tweaked optical drive software

Pirated games can now be played on the Wii U, a group of modders have claimed.
Eurogamer reports that Wiikey, the collective that first cracked the now widely pirated Wii, said in a statement on its site: "Yes, its real. We have now completely reversed the WiiU drive authentification, disk encryption, file system, and everything else needed for this next generation K3y. Stay tuned for updates.�

The crack is believed to be based on the altering of the console’s optical drive software – the same technique used to break the security measures found in Xbox 360 and PS3.

http://www.develop-online.net/news/4...e-broken-Wii-U

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Nintendo set for copyright battle over WaraWara Plaza

May 2nd, 2013, 00:29 Posted By: wraggster

Restaurant chain operator Monteroza has filed a copyright claim against Nintendo, Japanese media reported yesterday.Monteroza says that Wii U’s WaraWara Hiroba, known as WaraWara Plaza in the west, is too similar to that of its Wara-wara chain of izakaya (Japanese-style pubs). It has filed a request with the Patent Office to have Nintendo’s trademark registration revoked.Kyodo News and other outlets report that Monteroza filed its claim on 22 March. The company operates some 300 restaurants in Japan and around Asia, and is reportedly undertaking similar claims against Nintendo in several other countries, including around Europe and America.Nintendo insists that it registered the trademark without issue from the Patent Office and that it was unaware of the izakaya chain. The two write the word “warawara� – a common phrase that means “laugh laugh� – in different ways. Nintendo uses hiragana, the most basic Japanese phonetic alphabet, while Monteroza spells it with two of the kanji (Chinese characters) for the word “laugh�.Monteroza trademarked its name in romanised English as WARAWARA in 2009. Nintendo itself romanises the word as “WaraWara� and trademarked it as such last year.Monteroza has reportedly also accused Nintendo of decreasing the brand value of its chain, hijacking its shared demographic of customers and piggybacking on its positive image.

http://www.edge-online.com/news/copy...arawara-plaza/

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Original Mario Bros. bound for Japanese 3DS eShop

May 2nd, 2013, 00:44 Posted By: wraggster

Japanese 3DS owners will be able to download the original Mario Bros. game via the 3DS eShop from next week.

The iconic old-school platformer has been given the 3DS Virtual Console treatment and will be released in Japan on May 8 for 500 Yen, according to

Siliconera

translations.While there's no word on a Western release, its arrival on the Japanese 3Shop certainly signals its imminent arrival in other regions.The Virtual Console service - which allows the download and play of classic games - recently launched for Wii U with a small selection of NES and Super NES titles including F-Zero and Punch-Out!!.

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

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Capcom encases 3DS, 3DS XL in vintage Mega Man look

May 2nd, 2013, 01:21 Posted By: wraggster

Capcom has taken part in an ongoing observation of Mega Man's 25th anniversary with statues, soundtrack releases, USB drives, and even anofficially promoted fan game. As we stretch into year two of the 25th anniversary celebration, Capcom is producing a Mega Man-themed case for 3DS and 3DS XL.

At first blush, outfitting a 3DS in Mega Man garb seems like a cruel tease, after the death of Mega Man Legends 3. But Capcom is releasing all of the NES Mega Mans on the handheld's Virtual Console (it's up to 4 now), making an NES-style Mega Man motif appropriate.

The case will be on sale at Comic-Con, as well as at Capcom's online store.

http://www.joystiq.com/2013/05/01/ca...mega-man-look/

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Iwata refutes "misconception" that Wii U lacks graphical oomph

May 3rd, 2013, 21:22 Posted By: wraggster

The Wii U is not underpowered, the president of Nintendo has argued.
That’s despite the fact that it about matches current gen machines Xbox 360 and PS3 but will trail far behind PS4 (and Xbox 720) upon their release later this year.
"It is a fact that some software development companies assume that Wii U is not powerful enough," Iwata told investors, as reported by GameSpot. "On the contrary, some developers say in interviews that Wii U has a different architecture from other consoles and that, when utilized in the right way, it can perform well.
“At the moment, there is a great deal of contradictory information."
Presumably, this includes reports suggesting that the Wii U’s 1.2GHz CPU is reworked from the Wii’s Broadway chip which itself was an overclock of Gamecube’s 2002 Gekko processor.
"Nintendo is required to make more efforts to dispel such a misconception," Iwata continued. "In fact, some software companies are actively supporting Wii U and others are not. It is important to have supportive companies enjoy successful sales of a game and feel that their decision to develop something for Wii U was correct.
"We understand that this cannot possibly be achieved overnight and it may sound unconvincing under the current slow sales of Wii U. We would like to work to revitalize the Wii U market and show you favourable results for third-party software from this summer."
Of course, how much graphical clout counts for in the current day and age is another debate entirely…

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/iwata...-oomph/0115020

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Shadow of the Eternals confirmed for Wii U, PC

May 4th, 2013, 14:20 Posted By: wraggster

Following the release of a teaser trailer earlier today, developer Precursor Games has served up the first details for its Eternal Darkness sequel, Shadow of the Eternals.

In development for Wii U and PC, the game will infold over 12 chapters starring Detective Paul Becker, who is called in to tackle a deadly clash between two rival cults, Precursor confirmed to

IGN

.The previously-reported crowd funding campaign due to commence on Monday, May 6, will seek $1.5 million, with stretch goals beyond that which will include "future episodes, additional characters, additional platforms and in-game perks"."We are overwhelmed by the level of interest for Shadow of the Eternals," said a Precursor rep.Here's the official story blurb:"When Detective Paul Becker is called to one of the bloodiest gang massacres in Louisiana state history, only two survivors remain from a brutal conflict between two rival cults. As Becker begins his interrogations of the suspects, their combined recollections will uncover the truth about the 'Eternals'."Featuring an ensemble cast of heroes and villains, Shadow of the Eternals will span over 2500 years of history throughout Egypt, England, Hungary, and the United States. Players will question the perception of reality as they try to balance the mechanics of combat, magick, and sanity events to progress through the adventure."Shadow of the Eternals will take players on a memorable journey throughout time; weaving historical fact with disturbing fiction to create an experience unlike any other."

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...first-details/

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Nintendo plots Wii U resurgence with 3D Mario by October

May 4th, 2013, 14:24 Posted By: wraggster

Nintendo is internally lining up a string of high profile releases for the second half of 2013 as part of a major new bid to recover from Wii U's stuttering start.

Following a strong launch, Wii U sales have fallen sharply

Discussions with retail chains at executive level paint Nintendo's 2013 release strategy as extensive, with the headline draw being a new 3D Mario game released on Wii U by October.Internal discussions have helped restore retailers' faith in the console, which has been hit by errors since launch. Global Wii U saleshave fallen two million units short of Nintendo's original forecast.The firm's current focus on 3DS, coupled with the relatively hushed PR and promotional campaign for the Wii U in the first half of 2013, had left some retailers questioning the platform holder's commitment to its new console.However, one person close to the matter has said Nintendo's executive circle was not comfortable fully promoting Wii U until the release of the system's spring update. In January, Nintendo said two updates would arrive before the summer is over.The first update, which launched in April (details), appears to have halved waiting times on various system loading screens.The underpinning theory is that word-of-mouth discussion about Wii U has not been particularly positive so far, with many users complaining about system performance. However, it is hoped that the recent firmware patch (along with an apparent second one releasing this summer) will improve the user experience and help stimulate positive responses.Now with many of the Wii U's launch issues behind it, CVG understands Nintendo is preparing a significant global Wii U marketing campaign.

Nintendo will overhaul Wii U issues with second system update

Further to this, it was claimed by one source that Nintendo is intentionally holding back the release of some games - from Pikmin 3 to The Wonderful 101 and Wii Fit U - in order to bolster the second-half release list. However, a second source familiar with Nintendo's plans had denied the company is intentionally delaying game releases.In April, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said the corporation initially intended to release "a few" Wii U games in the first half of 2013, but they were delayed because the company underestimated the development resources required to complete them on time.A number of blockbuster Wii U games will be released from summer until the end of the year, one of which is a new 3D Mario title. Although CVG is not yet able to confirm what the others will be, a new Mario Kart will debut in playable form at E3.The marketing campaign will commence at the Los Angeles event (although some claim sooner), where the 3D Mario game will also be playable on the show floor. The title will be released before October, pending development delays.Shelly Pearce, the PR director at Nintendo UK, told CVG: "From July onwards we will launch a succession of Wii U titles and we will promote these extensively until the end of the year. Marketing activity will include TV, print, online and PR as well as comprehensive experiential and social media campaigns".She added: "We have a strong line up planned for Wii U in the second half of 2013 including the likes of Pikmin 3, Wonderful 101, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD Wii U."We are looking forward to launching these in the UK and for the opportunity to showcase the full potential of Wii U."

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...io-by-october/

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Fire Emblem DLC censored in the west

May 4th, 2013, 23:17 Posted By: wraggster

The latest DLC to Fire Emblem: Awakening, Summer Scramble, has arrived in North America and Europe, but it seems to have a curious omission.Look closely at Tharja and you'll see that her sparkles are gone. Oh, and there's a giant curtain covering her rear.Original.

Censored.

This semi-nudity obscuring cloth was not in the original Japanese version according toNeoGAF (via IGN). Amusingly, the curtain mostly just obscures her skivvies leaving her offending bits still as exposed as ever. By mostly obscuring the clothing, the censored picture actually looks more suggestive than before.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...ed-in-the-west

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Madden NFL 25 the latest EA game to skip Wii U - what now for FIFA 14?

May 4th, 2013, 23:19 Posted By: wraggster

This year's Madden NFL game will not release on the Nintendo Wii U, EA has confirmed. It is the first year since 1991 that a Madden game has failed to launch on a Nintendo console.In a statement confirming the decision EA insisted it maintained a "strong partnership" with Nintendo despite the snub."We will not be releasing a Wii U version of Madden NFL in 2013," EA said. "However, we have a strong partnership with Nintendo and will continue to evaluate opportunities for delivering additional Madden NFL products for Nintendo fans in the future."Madden is the latest EA-published multiplatform game not to release on Wii U. Earlier this year Crytek's Crysis 3 failed to come out on Nintendo's home console - despite the port being close to launch."We did have Crysis 3 running on the Wii U. We were very close to launching it," Crytek boss Cevat Yerli said. "But there was a lack of business support between Nintendo and EA on that."Since we as a company couldn't launch on the Wii U ourselves - we don't have a publishing license - Crysis 3 on Wii U had to die."Earlier this year DICE told Eurogamer Battlefield 4, due out later this year, won't launch on the Wii U because its Frostbite game engine doesn't support the console."The reason for that is it takes development time," executive producer Patrick Bach explained. "What should we focus on to create the best possible Battlefield experience? We are now focused on PC and the current-gen platforms, and then there might be other platforms in the future that we can't talk about..."We could potentially make a Battlefield port for the Vita. But what would that game be? Is it something we could scale down from what you saw in the gameplay video, or would it have to be a complete redesign of the whole game?"It's about, where do you put your focus? And the Wii U is not a part of our focus right now."

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...ow-for-fifa-14

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Earthbound rated for Wii U in Australia

May 5th, 2013, 21:50 Posted By: wraggster

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First Guild02 game coming to 3DS eShop on May 16

May 5th, 2013, 21:53 Posted By: wraggster

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Quirky Mario Cooker Shows up on Ebay

May 5th, 2013, 22:22 Posted By: wraggster

You do see some weird stuff being sold on Ebay but this one really does take the biscuit, We are used to seeing Mario in video games since the days of the Nes on every Nintendo console up to the WiiU, well today you can actually buy a Mario Cooker.



From the Ebay Auction:

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BallerMaze 1.1 released

May 5th, 2013, 23:01 Posted By: wraggster

Baller Maze is a simple maze mini-game for the WII. Written in C using GX.

v1.1 May 5th, 2013

• The new title page with navigation.
• Personal results.
• A few new boards.
• https://sites.google.com/site/leshekideas/ballermaze

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Wii U has been fully hacked, claims WiiKey. Nintendo responds. Then Wiikey Respond

May 5th, 2013, 23:05 Posted By: wraggster

via http://wololo.net/2013/05/03/wii-u-h...responds-back/

Famous Wii modding team ‘WiiKey’ announced recently that they have hacked the Wii U and have reversed the disk authentication and encryption. Which according to them allows you to play Wii and Wii U games from a USB storage.


Now before you get all excited, there has been no videos, pictures, or any real evidence. However, these claims shouldn’t be brushed off being as the WiiKey team are notorious for their work on the Wii, being the first to create a mod chip for the console a few years ago. It allowed you to play backups, just like the Wii U mod chip can do…. Supposedly.

They announced it on their website, WiiKey.com in the news section. Their first, petite post saying what they have done is pretty simple:


WiikeÜ - Its True!

[2013.05.01] Yes, its real – we have now completely reversed the Wii U drive authentification, disk encryption, file system, and everything else needed for this next generation K3y. Stay tuned for updates!

This little update means a lot though, like I said there isn’t any proof, but it still doesn’t mean you can write it off. If Total_Noob said ‘I have a kernel exploit’ would you believe him?
Since the post, the WiiKey team have posted something else, referring to a quote from Nintendo replying on the matter that ‘a hacking team has compromised security’. Here it is:


A few lines of code…

“Nintendo is aware that a hacking group claims to have compromised Wii U security,� a spokesperson told Eurogamer. “However, we have no reports of illegal Wii U games nor unauthorized applications playable on the system while in Wii U mode.� 57 55 50 2D 50 2D 41 52 50 50 2D 30 30 2D 31 30 31 45 55 52 2D 32 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00

This is clearly a reply to ‘we have no reports of illegal Wii U games nor unauthorized applications playable on the system’ they haven’t said what it means, but with a bit of poking around by translating it into ASCII, I was greeted with ‘WUP-P-ARPP-00-101EUR-2′ Upon shoving that into google, it’s first, most accurate link description was here, a post on ps3hax forums, which shows that it’s probably the game New Super Mario Bro’s Wii U.
Nintendo: Nothing wrong had been done to our console, people can’t play pirated games
WiiKey: New Super Mario Bro’s Wii U.

The WiiKey products page has a description of the upcoming WiiKeÜ’s features:

•Play your WiiU and Wii games from any USB media!
•Compatible with all WiiU models and regions
•User friendly intuitive interface
•No soldering required
•Multi-language support
•Supports most popular file systems, including EXT4/3/2, Max OS X, and NTFS
•Powerful embedded Linux system
•High-speed USB2 interface
•Firmware and FPGA fully in-system updatable from USB media
•Recovery mode – it is always possible to recover from a bad flash
•Stylish USB remote with powered USB hub and charger function
•Bulletproof high quality hardware (not manufactured in China!)

With its ‘bullet-proof high quality design’ it’s a good thing it’s bullet proof, you don’t want your WiiKeÜ to get shot now, do we?
Like I said in the title, Nintendo have responded, and in response to the hacking claims, they said this:


“Nintendo is aware that a hacking group claims to have compromised Wii U security, however, we have no reports of illegal Wii U games nor unauthorized applications playable on the system while in Wii U mode.

Nintendo continuously monitors all threats to its products’ security and will use technology and will take the necessary legal steps to prevent the facilitation of piracy.

Behind a hack always comes great controversy, some people like it, some people despise it. People want hacks to bring more to their console, just like my how iDevice is jailbroken, I did it because of the ‘tweaks’ and features doing such a thing can bring. A full hack, will always bring more console sales, but game sales may dip, unfortunately. Like any bit of tech, and although I don’t own one I still want it to succeed. The Wii U is a great console, and it isn’t getting the recognition it deserves, it’s sales aren’t the best, and it is being put in the same category as the Vita in terms of unit sales. Which is bad for both consoles.

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Nintendo courting smartphone devs to Wii U

May 6th, 2013, 23:45 Posted By: wraggster

Console maker offering conversion software to app creators in effort to boost catalog
[h=3]Nintendo[/h]nintendo-europe.com


Nintendo is looking to power-up its third-party software support by reaching out to a new group of creators. According to The Japan Times, Nintendo is looking to bring smartphone developers to the Wii U.
Citing sources within Nintendo, the report said Nintendo is offering "professional-use conversion software" to app developers so they can bring their smartphone games to the Wii U. The system could benefit from a boost in software, as Nintendo last month reported weak Wii U sales as a prime reason for only posting half its projected full-year profits. The Wii U has sold 3.45 million systems to date. Nintendo had anticipated selling 4 million of the console.
While Mario has yet to show up on the App Store, Nintendo has acknowledged the increasing importance of mobile devices in the industry. Nintendo subsidiary The Pokemon Company has released a pair of Pokemon apps since 2011, with last November's iOS Pokedex app charging ¥170 for the initial app, and ¥500 for add-ons with new Pokemon.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...-devs-to-wii-u

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Nintendo confirms hands-on E3 event for the show floor

May 8th, 2013, 00:05 Posted By: wraggster

Nintendo will host a hands-on event at its E3 booth on Tuesday June 11, the platform holder has confirmed.In an invite sent to press, it said: “We’re giving you the chance to get closer to the games through a unique hands-on experience at our booth before the show opens.�The showcase will begin at 10:30 on Tuesday June 11 and feature half an hour of opening remarks from Shigeru Miyamoto and Reggie Fils-Aime, and then lead into a gameplay and Q&A session at 11:00am.Nintendo recently confirmed that its ‘traditional’ E3 presentation would not be taking place, as the company has chosen to host several smaller events.

http://www.edge-online.com/news/nint...he-show-floor/

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Wii U's Splinter Cell: Blacklist is being developed by Ubisoft Shanghai

May 8th, 2013, 15:31 Posted By: wraggster

The recently announced Wii U version of Splinter Cell: Blacklist is not being handled by Ubisoft Toronto, the developer of the core version, and is instead being handled by Ubisoft's Shanghai studio.Producers at Ubisoft Toronto couldn't shed much light on the Wii U version during a recent press event, although they pointed towards why Ubisoft remains one of the Wii U's strongest third-party supporters. "We have amazing brands, and if we make great games on all the platforms people will be happy," said Splinter Cell Blacklist creative director Maxime Beland. "As long as the quality's there and the game is fun it's going to work or have a chance of working."Ubisoft Shanghai has history with the Splinter Cell series, having made Pandora Tomorrow before lending its hand to Double Agent. It's also working on the co-op modes across all versions of Splinter Cell: Blacklist."What I like about what we're doing with the Wii U is that Splinter Cell's always about gadgets, and with the controller it's a natural extension," said Beland. "It's interesting on that side for sure, because we didn't have to invent new ways of interacting with the game to support the hardware. It just makes sense."Beland went on to say how the approach to the Wii U's hardware mirrors what's being done with the Xbox 360 version within Ubisoft Toronto. "It's just like what we're doing on Kinect - it's a microphone. You've got the back button to whistle and call enemies - with Kinect you just shout 'hey you' and it just works."I'm a big fan of supporting technology when it's a natural extension of the gameplay," Beland continued. "I'm less excited when it's unnatural. For example, we've got Kinect which means we've got voice recognition. Do we want players in their living room to say 'reload'. To me, Sam doesn't say 'reload', so I don't want the player to say 'reload'. We're using voice for different things. I just wanted our Kinect integration to be a natural evolution of what Sam would do."When asked why it's only Kinect that supports voice control when the Xbox 360 isn't the only console to have a microphone, Beland's response was frank and honest. "That's a good question - and I don't have the answer."Splinter Cell: Blacklist is heading to Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC and Wii U this August, and Ubisoft is done announcing new platforms for the time being - although Beland wouldn't explicitly rule out next-gen versions. "I don't know - but right now we're saying Xbox 360, Wii U and PC."

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...isoft-shanghai

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Wii U Frostbite engine tests yield 'not too promising' results

May 8th, 2013, 15:37 Posted By: wraggster

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Beautiful Modded NES for the 25th anniversary of Mega Man, plus bonus interview!

May 8th, 2013, 23:49 Posted By: wraggster



Today I had the pleasure of interviewing [PlatinumFungi] about this fantastic NES mod he did. This year is the 25th anniversary of the first Mega Man video game. Unhappy with the current celebratory actions of capcom, [PlatinumFungi] set out to create something he felt was worthy. He managed to pull that off pretty well.
The NES you can see in the video is fantastic looking. It has a beautiful shiny automotive finish, supplied by [Custom NES Guy] and a pixel perfect backlit Mega Man on top. Additional enhancements are stylized decals on the front of the game bay and matching labels on the sides and back. The cartridge is even illuminated while it is in place.

http://hackaday.com/2013/05/08/beaut...nus-interview/

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Resident Evil 6 sells 4.9 million, disappoints

May 8th, 2013, 23:50 Posted By: wraggster

Capcom reports annual sales up 15%, cites Wii U as reason for Japanese game market's return to growth
[h=3]Capcom[/h]capcom-europe.com


Capcom today released financial results for the year ended March 31, reporting that its Resident Evil 6 sold 4.9 million units (enough to be the fourth best-seller in company history), but still managed to disappoint.
The publisher said that the game initially sold "at a brisk pace" when it was launched last October. However, Resident Evil 6 sales "subsequently plateaued. As a result, it did not meet with our projection and thus was not able to play a role in leading the segment's sales growth." (Capcom hadoriginally projected the game to sell 7 million copies.)
Despite that disappointment, Capcom still managed to return to sales growth after an off year. Company-wide revenues were up 15 percent year-over-year to ¥94.08 billion ($952 million), while the digital contents division that Capcom calls its core competence was up a more modest 6 percent to ¥63.64 billion ($645 million).
Capcom credited the growth to a variety of factors, including the unanticipated success of Dragon's Dogma in Japan, and a general rebound for the Japanese economy. The publisher also noted that the Japanese game market grew for the first time in five years, attributing the surge to Nintendo's launch of the Wii U. As for other Capcom projects, the publisher reported "solid sales" for DmC Devil May Cry, and called Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate for Wii U a "smash hit," even though sales for the packaged version of the game were soft.
Despite the boost in revenues, Capcom actually saw profits reduced for the year. The company reported net income of ¥2.97 billion ($30 million), down from ¥6.72 billion ($68 million) for the prior year.
While Capcom expects "scant new product releases" as the industry transitions to a new generation of consoles, it still expects to grow sales and profits in the current fiscal year. As for what games will help realize that ambition, the publisher said it will take an aggressive stance to promote Monster Hunter 4 on the 3DS and Lost Planet 3 on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Elsewhere in the industry, the company suggested that soaring development costs will likely lead to a jump in business alliances and consolidations.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...on-disappoints

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Next-gen EA games will skip Wii U due to performance issues

May 8th, 2013, 23:58 Posted By: wraggster


EA's Frostbite 3 engine, which underpins many of the company's next generation titles, looks like it won't support Nintendo's Wii U. Johan Andersson, Technical Director of the Frostbite project at EA DICE, says the company tested Frostbite 2 on the console and found the results to be "not too promising," to the point where it "chose not to go down [the] path" of porting the next version. Leaked slides from earlier this year revealed that EA has approximately 15 games in development that use Frostbite 3, the implication being that Wii U gamers are going to miss out on some fairly big titles, including Battlefield 4, Star Wars, the next Mass Effect and, as Joystiq pointed out last week, this year's version of Madden NFL. It all adds up to a notable loss of support for the new console -- but hey, EA-style gaming was hardly a core part of the Nintendo experience in the first place.

http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/08/e...intendo-wii-u/

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Wii U to miss out on EA's Star Wars games

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

It has been confirmed that the new Star Wars games coming from EA studios DICE and Visceral won’t be available on Wii U.
That’s because both are being built using EA’s Frostbite 3 engine – tech that has not been ported to Nintendo’s machine.
"Frostbite 3 has never been running on Wii U," DICE technical director Johan Andersson said on Twitter. "We did some tests with not too promising results with Frostbite 2 and chose not to go down that path."
Battlefield producer Patrick Bach has previously stated that the publisher wants to move away from “low-spec machines�.
The implications for Wii U go wider than simply Star Wars, however. Eurogamer adds that 15 games are currently in development using the Frostbite 3 engine.
These include Battlefield 4, the new Mass Effect, Dragon Age 3, a new Need for Speed and a number of unannounced projects.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/wii-u...-games/0115341

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Wii U dev kits "just collected dust" at Avalanche Studios

May 12th, 2013, 00:36 Posted By: wraggster

The system's slow start and small installed base seems to be driving more and more developers away
[h=3]Avalanche Studios[/h]avalanchestudios.se


Avalanche Studios, developer behind Just Cause 2, has revealed that the company wanted to have a presence on Nintendo's console, but Wii U sales have just been too low for the company to commit any resources to developing for the platform.
Avalanche founder Christofer Sundberg commented to Pressfire (via Escapist), "We actually had some development kits that just collected dust. It's a bit sad, because we wanted to do something. I think it is a cool platform, but right now it's not just up to us. We want the game to reach as many as possible."
Sundberg also complained that communication with Nintendo has been difficult, whereas Sony has proactively been reaching out to independent developers. "Nintendo have from our point of view has always been difficult to reach. You never quite know who to contact," he said.
Nintendo went into its Wii U launch stressing that third-party support would be different this time, but the low installed base, and in some cases, the underpowered hardware itself, has raised serious flags. Epic can't run Unreal Engine 4 on Wii U, EA just confirmed that no Frostbite 3 games will come to Wii U (and the company previously said the next Madden is skipping Wii U), and as of yet, the "next-gen" Call of Duty: Ghosts has no Wii U SKU.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...lanche-studios

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Pokemon Tretta Lab for 3DS scans your Psyduck, takes the arcade on the road

May 12th, 2013, 00:44 Posted By: wraggster

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Wii Street U update brings Miiverse support with favorites, emotional tags

May 12th, 2013, 00:55 Posted By: wraggster


Not exactly earth-shattering news in the weeks leading up to E3, but Nintendo Japan announced some nice little additions to its Google-powered Wii Street U. The panoramic mapping service is getting support for the proprietary Miiverse social network, letting you share favorite locations and tag images with emotions like "amazing," "beautiful," "fun" and "scary." And for those times when you don't want to give too much away, you can set things to "spoiler."

http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/09/wii-street-u/

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Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies gets Western release

May 13th, 2013, 20:39 Posted By: wraggster

Long absent from our screens, Edge favourite Phoenix Wright is set to make a return to the West, in the game previously announced as Ace Attorney 5, now called Dual Destinies.The Wright Anything Agency team will reform, facing off against the dastardly Gaspen Payne, younger sibling of series antagonist Winston Payne, as they defend innocents of all sizes and stripes. It seems that Phoenix-placeholder Apollo Justice will return, alongside new associate attorney Athena Cykes. Cykes’ ‘Mood Matrix’ computer wizardry will help players judge the state of mind of witnesses, for yet more complex contradiction-mining.This time around the game will be in true 3D. We’ll withhold judgement until we’ve actually played the game, but if the trailer is in-game footage then the art style is certainly a huge step up. (The HD trailer, however, is entirely too high-resolution to be running on 3DS.)Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies will release Winter 2013 on Nintendo 3DS.

http://www.edge-online.com/news/edge...stern-release/

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The Sun says 3DS is the best console ever

May 13th, 2013, 20:46 Posted By: wraggster

Nintendo’s 3DS has grown to become the best console ever released, according to UK national The Sun.
“In the space of a few months, the Wii U’s little brother, the handheld 3DS, has become my favourite gaming console,� a story posted online today reads.
“I don’t mean favourite handheld console, I mean favourite console full stop.
Derided for the best part of its first year as a gimmicky cash-in, it is now emerging as an essential piece of gaming hardware.
“It’s in the eShop — the 3DS equivalent of the Apple App Store — that the machine is making its biggest strides. Full-price titles such as Fire Emblem (my 2013 game of the year), Luigi’s Mansion (excellent) and Monster Hunter sit beside brilliant budget games like Fallblox (best game ever for a fiver), Mario Minis On The Move, VVVVVV and HarmoKnight — starting at a fiver.
“None of the games are of the throwaway 69p variety on your phone. They’re proper pieces of software worthy of your attention. I now have more than 20 sitting on the homescreen of my 3DS I can play at any time. And there’s ample space for 40 more with a 32GB SanDisk SD card, which can be picked up for a tenner.
“After fairly pants sales in 2012, the 3DS is now a million ahead of the DS at the same point. That’s something Sony’s Vita can’t say about its predecessor PSP.�
However, as much as The Sun’s praise will be welcomed by Nintendo UK it still issued a damning assessment of the handheld’s stable mate the Wii U.
“So here’s the bad news for Nintendo — I am the only person I know who has a Wii U,� it added. “Even the most ardent Nintendo fan would have to confess that it’s been a pretty duff six months since the launch.
“So for what it’s worth, here’s my advice to Nintendo — wind down the home console stuff.�
The paper’s attitude to 3DS marks a quite remarkable turnaround from just two years ago. In April 2011 The Sun falsely claimed that the 3DS was experiencing “record return levels� due to its 3D features inducing headaches.
This was followed a day later by a report in which an 'experiment' looked to prove the machine’s painful effects.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/the-s...e-ever/0115470

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Nintendo to patch gay marriage "bug" in Tomodachi Collection

May 13th, 2013, 20:47 Posted By: wraggster

Tomodachi Collection: New Life marked the first time in the series that Nintendo had permitted same-sex relationships in one of its titles. Or so it seemed.
It was revealed last week that the Japanese 3DS title allowed male Mii characters to marry other male Miis, as well as subsequently have and raise children.
Note that female same-sex marriage is not permitted.
Kotaku reports that the feature generated plenty of positive noise in Japan, with users proudly posting pictures of the married avatars and some consumers even pledging to buy the game because of it.
However, Nintendo is seemingly less happy about what it now describes as a “bug� in the game. The platform holder says a patch is on the way that will, amongst other things, address “human relations that become strange� – that’s according to Kotaku’s translation.
Some users are now publically pledging not to download the patch in an effort to promote gay relationships.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/ninte...ection/0115469

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Nintendo needs a "new super IP" to revive Wii U

May 13th, 2013, 20:52 Posted By: wraggster

Software remains the key to saving Nintendo’s struggling home hardware, according to a leading indie dev.
Q-Games Dylan Cuthbert, best known for his once PS3 exclusive PixelJunk series, clearly believes that Nintendo has what it takes to reverse Wii U’s market struggles.
“If they are going to win they are going to have to figure out the games,� he told Siliconera. “They probably need like new super IP, a special IP that makes people really interested. But they always come up with something. They are always very innovative.
“Even with the DS when it first came out people said that’s not very good and it’s not going to do very well, but it sold hundreds of millions and had lots of innovative titles. I think they will find something that will sell a lot. Who would have known Wii Fit would have sold like 15m units?�
Cuthbert is less convinced, however, that Microsoft has any significant chance of reversing the Xbox brand’s poor fortunes in Japan.
“It’s very difficult,� he added. “There are a few people in the office at Q-Games who are Japanese that do play on the Xbox 360 and play on the Kinect, as well. But, I think it’s quite small, the market there.
“I think they need to reinvent themselves a bit. Their image is too corporate and big. They aren’t geared towards aesthetics and art and I think that’s a big problem. I think Sony is more in that direction. Nintendo is cute and has their own style, which is fine as well. It’s great for the younger market in Japan. I think that kind of outlook makes a big difference to the games you select and games that you sell.�

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/cuthb...-wii-u/0115467

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Super Mario Bros. 2 dated for US Wii U Virtual Console

May 13th, 2013, 21:31 Posted By: wraggster

Nintendo has confirmed that it will release NES classic Super Mario Bros. 2 for the US Wii U Virtual Console on May 16.

The game has appeared in the 'Coming Soon' section of the North American Wii U eShop, confirming the release date along with a short trailer (below).In the most recent US eShop update, Nintendo added NES games Xevious and Solomon's Key to the small but slowly growing list of classic games on the Wii U Virtual Console service.NES games downloaded via the eShop typically cost $4.99.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...rtual-console/

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Pokémon X and Y adds mounts, is set in an alternate version of France

May 13th, 2013, 21:35 Posted By: wraggster

Upcoming 3DS games Pokémon X and Y will be set in a new region of the Pokémon world designed as an alternate version of France.Named in Japan's CoroCoro magazine as Karos (thanks, Serebii), the game's map shows a close geographical similarity to the French region.Trés bon-sly.

The location was hinted at in previous footage of the game which showed a city filled with wide boulevards and a structure uncannily similar to the Eiffel Tower.This Parisian area is named Miare City (although that moniker will probably change for the game's English translation).One image of the city shows the player character using their Pokémon as a mount - a new feature for the series.Four new species were also revealed: Elikiteru, a droopy-eared electric lizard, Yayakoma, a small bird like a robin, Yancham, a mischevious panda, and Gogoat, the goat-esque creature that the player character is shown riding.Finally, players will be able to pick one of three designs for male and female versions of the playable character - each with different colour hair.Each Pokémon game is set in a fictionalised version of the real world - Kanto, Johto, Hoenn and Sinnoh were based on various sections of Japan, while Black and White's Unova was set in an alternate version of the wider New York area.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...sion-of-france

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SNES classic Super Metroid just 30p on Wii U eShop

May 13th, 2013, 21:35 Posted By: wraggster

Much-loved SNES adventure Super Metroid will be available from the Wii U eShop this Thursday for just 30p, Nintendo has announced.The game's special price will be available until 14th June.A trial version of the new TV screen-sized Resident Evil Revelations HD will be available on the Wii U eShop tomorrow (PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 demos are also expected this week).Super Mario Bros. 2 and SNES side-scroller Super Ghouls'n Ghosts also arrive on Thursday (priced £3.49/€4.99 and £7.99/€5.49 respectively).On 3DS meanwhile, Level-5's horror adventure curio The Starship Damrey launches on Thursday for £7.19/€7.99, while Capcom classic Mega Man 5 arrives for £4.49/€4.99.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...on-wii-u-eshop

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Wii U goes mobile

May 13th, 2013, 21:37 Posted By: wraggster

There are three things we really like about the Wii U hardware here at Digital Foundry - its diminutive dimensions, the GamePad controller and its extremely low power draw. Nintendo's new console is the paragon of efficiency, producing current-gen visuals using less than half the power of the Xbox 360 or PS3 running the same games. It's small enough to pack into a travel bag, and its battery-powered controller means you can game on the move without requiring a bespoke display. All of which leads us to wonder - could Wii U actually be viable as a mobile games system?Of course, there are far more user-friendly, mobile-specific solutions out there - Nintendo's own 3DS, the PlayStation Vita or iOS/Android tablets for example. But the fact is that even the most forward-looking mobile graphics tech is a good year away from matching Xbox 360/PS3/Wii U quality and even then, it'll still take a while for game-makers to utilise that technology. And by that point, you still won't be playing Nintendo console games on them, nor will there be a surfeit of titles as ambitious as, say, Assassin's Creed 3 or Need for Speed: Most Wanted - just a couple of the games that work very well indeed on Nintendo's new console. There's a value angle to this too in that you're using the exact same console hardware you have at home - so there's no need to buy a new device. To match or exceed Wii U game quality, you'd need to buy a gaming laptop, which isn't that much more portable, and costs anything from £500 upwards.

[h=2]Off-TV Play - the key to Wii U's portability[/h]
Running Wii U as a mobile games machine relies upon releases supporting Off-TV Play - the ability to run games independently of the main display. Not every title supports this - ZombiU and NintendoLand just wouldn't work without their unique second-screen set-ups - but there's still a range of high-profile titles to enjoy and many more on the way including Pikmin 3 and the director's cut of Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Wii U eShop Virtual Console games like Super Mario World also support Off-TV Play.

• Assassin's Creed 3
• Batman: Arkham City
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 2
• Darksiders 2
• FIFA 13
• Injustice: Gods Among Us
• Mass Effect 3
• Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate
• Mutant Mudds Deluxe
• Need for Speed Most Wanted U
• New Super Mario Bros U
• Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed
• Tekken Tag Tournament 2: Wii U Edition
• Trine 2

The notion of playing Wii U outside of the home is nothing new of course. Right from the launch of the console, gamers realised that the machine had plenty of mobile potential - as long as you were within reach of a power point. Wii U gameplay on the train, or in a business class seat on a flight? No problem. Well now we can add the car to the list of venues with the release of the new MaxPlay adaptor - a replacement Wii U power supply that plugs directly into the cigarette lighter power-point on any car.The device itself is nothing spectacular in terms of design and there's a bit of a "low rent" feel to it, particularly in terms of the branding, but there's clearly been a bit of thought put into the functionality of the device. The 12v output of the car battery is transformed into the 15v, 5A power input the Wii U requires, and there's also an additional USB 5v charging slot built into the design so you can recharge the GamePad while on the move too, completely removing the need to pack a second power supply into your travel bag. From there on out, MaxPlay works exactly as you would hope it to, providing all the power required for the Wii U to work flawlessly while on those long car journeys.

PreviousNextView all
1/3 Not a trick, not an illusion. The MaxPlay adaptor works fine in powering Wii U on the road, running from the cigarette lighter power socket. Superb for keeping the kids occupied in long trips and keenly priced at £19.

Now, the chances are you have questions and suspicions about the viability of this device. We did too. First of all, there's no real guarantee on the level of power you're going to get from any car battery, because voltages vary significantly - far more than they would from a mains power point. Well, you can rest easy here. MaxPlay has a voltage regulator that ensures you're getting a clean 15v output regardless of the variation in the input. We compared output from the device to the standard Wii U PSU and got the same, locked 15 volts.You might also have issues about putting a 33W load onto the car battery using an interface most often used for low-power phone chargers and sat navs. This shouldn't be a problem really - assuming you're actually in motion, the car engine will be constantly topping up the battery to an extent that easily accommodates the power draw taken up by the console. It's not a particularly good idea to game for prolonged sessions with the engine off, but even if you did, you'd still need to play for several hours to put any kind of dent into the capacity of a standard car battery.Next up, there's the fact that the Wii U itself isn't designed to be played in a mobile environment. Bumps in the road could jar the device and scratch the disc, for example. It's potentially an issue but if you're not playing in a car with a hard suspension set-up like a Lotus Elise and that the console is on a soft seat rather than a hard floor, the chances are you'll be absolutely fine. We certainly had no issues of this kind in our testing, but equally, it's safe to say that we wouldn't be getting any official endorsements from Nintendo for this kind of non-standard gaming behaviour.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/di...-u-goes-mobile

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Harvest Moon: A New Beginning ratings point to PAL produce

May 13th, 2013, 23:24 Posted By: wraggster

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New Hacks Added

May 14th, 2013, 00:44 Posted By: wraggster

The following Hacks have been submitted and approved to the database (in submitted order oldest to newest):

• The Legend of Zelda - Modern Classic Edition (Improvement)(The Legend of Zelda)(NES)
• Extreme Danger Bros. (Complete)(Super Mario Bros.)(NES)
• Squashed Reversed (Improvement)(Squashed)(NES)
• Half Health Warning (Improvement)(Final Fantasy VI)(SNES)
• Super Mario Bros. - Modern Classic Edition (Complete)(Super Mario Bros.)(NES)
• Pokemon - Emerald (all pokemons) (Improvement)(Pokemon Emerald)(GBA)
• Mega Man 5 : Indonesian Artifact (Complete)(Mega Man V)(NES)
• Donkey Kong (save-patch) (Improvement)(Donkey Kong)(NES)
• Shin Zelda Densetsu Bugfixed (Complete)(The Legend of Zelda)(NES)
• Super Mario Brothers - The New Super Adventure (Complete)(Super Mario Bros.)(NES)

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Fail0verflow: the end of homebrews?

May 14th, 2013, 00:49 Posted By: wraggster

via http://wololo.net/2013/05/13/fail0ve...-of-homebrews/

Those of you who hare expecting a hack of the Wii U might have been expecting news from the fail0verflow hacking team recently. In one of his rare (but always insightful) blog posts, fail0verflow’s Marcan gave his opinion on the future of console hacking and homebrew in general, as well as the current status (and in depth details) of fail0verflow’s Wii U hack. Assuming his opinion of the current status of console hacking is shared by many hackers, the future of homebrew is not really bright.





I mentioned not so long ago that I believe console hacking has become difficult enough that only companies with high expectations of return-on-investment would engage into the hacking of consoles. Marcan has a slightly different theory, but is conclusion is the same: piracy might become the sole driver of console hacking in the years to come (while, believe it or not, data seems to show piracy is rarely the initial intent), therefore gray-hat hobbyists and homebrew programmers might not be driving the scene anymore.

Summarizing Marcan’s article without missing its bigger picture might be difficult, but I’ll try with this: Marcan’s point is that hackers’ interest has moved on, because cheap-but-powerful devices made for hackers or indie developers are now the norm (think Ouya, raspberry pi, or any Android device today: you can get a quad-core running Android for less than $100). While consoles were affordable devices that hackers wanted to explore years ago, they have become relatively expensive and uninteresting pieces of hardware in a sea of hacker-friendly competition. Marcan mentions that the same will be true for the upcoming PS4 and XBox, as those will be nothing more than “glorified PCs�.

Add to that the legal issues that hacking can bring a hobbyist (and Fail0verflow are in a good position to mention that), and you’ll see why it’s not really worth the trouble for them.

Although we’ve taken different approaches to describe the situation, Marcan’s conclusion is, however, the same as me: let alone the taste for challenge that many hackers have, there are not many good reasons remaining to want to hack a console besides piracy. People who want homebrew have dozens of ways to do so (even Sony has made a step in their direction recently on the Vita), so “regular� hackers will move away and be replaced by shady companies revolving around piracy dongles and mods, such as the recently announced Wiikey For Wii U.



On a side note, and maybe only to prove that it’s really lack of interest but not the lack of skills that was driving his blog post, Marcan disclosed lots of information of fail0verflow’s ongoing hack of the Wii U, stating that they have fully hacked the Wii U, to a point where “there is basically no security left to break in“. The article includes snippets of code, probably enough for people of the trade to move forward, but that will confuse the general audience who’s generally not versed into the fine art of C programming and hacking.

I am still heavily using my PSP for homebrew, and it is possible the situation is actually the opposite of what Marcan stated: maybe people are losing interest in homebrews on recent consoles because hacking as recently focused a lot on piracy rather than homebrew, and not the other way around. The PSP had a great unofficial SDK for homebrew programming: maybe if such a thing ever came out for the Wii U, or the Vita, people would be motivated again to write unofficial applications.

Are you playing any homebrew games or emulators? On what console? Or are you moving all your “indie experiments� to more open platforms such as Android or the Ouya? Do you believe the nextgen console’s hacking should become the private playground of hardware mod companies? Or should hackers release their work, if only to prevent such companies from making money out of piracy?

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Faceball: Remastered out now

May 14th, 2013, 01:01 Posted By: wraggster

When a ROM dump of the unreleased Faceball for Virtual Boy got released earlier this year, it was a great day for Virtual Boy fans. There was a little not so perfect detail, though: The obtained prototype was only about 80% complete. Months of work later, thunderstruck has finally finished hacking the bits and bytes out of Faceball to finish things were Bulletproof Software left off. The hack, called "Faceball: Remastered", features many improvements and fixes, which let it look very much like a finished game:

- 56 unique levels (half of them designed by Benjamin Stevens) instead of the original 14 demo levels
- Hidden Faceball enemy reactivated
- Hidden Menu Image reactivated
- Hidden Music reactivated
- Improved controls with strafing
- Debug menu disabled
- New non-Japanese Faceball title screen logo
- New and fixed text in credits

Wanna check it out? Have a look at this thread!


http://www.planetvb.com/modules/news...hp?storyid=369

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QuadForce 3.0

May 14th, 2013, 01:09 Posted By: wraggster

Crediar met Ã* disposition une nouvelle version de son cmIOS permettant de lancer les jeux Triforce (la version arcade de la Gamecube), les dons ayant atteint le niveau qu'il avait fixé. On remerciera tous les donateurs sans qui ça ne serait pas sorti. On notera parmi les nouveautés, la correction du plantage de F-Zero AX, l'ajout de combinaisons de touches pour éteindre ou redémarrer la console et la modification de la dead zone des boutons L/R sur F-Zero AX (qui pouvait provoquer des soucis de maniabilité).

ATTENTION : il s'agit d'un cmIOS qui remplace le mIOS original (ou Dios Mios/Dios Mios Lite) ! Une fois installé, QuadForce ne permettra plus de lancer les jeux Gamecube (pour retrouver la compatibilité GC, il faudra impérativement réinstaller le mIOS original ou Dios Mios/Dios Mios Lite. À cet effet, il est donc recommandé d'installer QuadForce sur une NAND virtualisée.

Corrections/Modifications :

*Fixed a crash in F-Zero AX that occurred on newer systems
*Added CARD support for Mario Kart GP 1&2
*Added patch for unlimited CARD usage for Mario Kart GP 1&2
*Added Reset/Shutdown via button combo (R + Z + Start) (R + Z + B + D-Pad Down)
has to be enabled via config
*Increased deadzone of L/R for F-Zero AX

QuadForce 3.0

Site officiel : https://twitter.com/crediar

http://wii.gx-mod.com/modules/news/a...p?storyid=3175

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Shunyuan's HLE Audio Plugin 1.6.2

May 14th, 2013, 01:27 Posted By: wraggster

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

Audio plugin for Nintendo 64 emulators has been updated. Changes:
- improve the audio quality when "Fix Audio Timing" and "Sync to Audio" options off;
- improve the frame rate for N64 games of 32 KHz audio;
- release the source code of rsp_interface.

News source: http://forum.pj64-emu.com

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Gambatte 0.5.0 r532

May 14th, 2013, 01:40 Posted By: wraggster

via http://emu-russia.net/en/Nintendo GameBoy/GameBoy Color emulator for Windows has been updated. No changes info available.News source: http://sourceforge.net/projects/gambatte/

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Nintendo beats patent infringement appeal

May 14th, 2013, 02:08 Posted By: wraggster

Nintendo has successfully defended a patent infringement case concerning its WiiMote motion technology.

Ohio technology company Motiva took Nintendo to court in 2011 over claims the latter company had infringed its patent on "human movement measurement system" technology.The US International Trade Commission ruled in favour of Nintendo in 2011, but Motiva took the case to the US Court of Appeals. Now, according to a Reuters report, that court has again ruled in Nintendo's favour.According to the Circuit Judge Sharon Prost, the ruling reflects the unlikelihood of Motiva's technology usurping Nintendo's in the event of a ban on the import of Nintendo Wii technology to the US. "Motiva's litigation was targeted at financial gains, not at encouraging adoption of Motiva's patented technology," Prost wrote."There is simply no reasonable likelihood that, after successful litigation against Nintendo, Motiva's patented technology would have been licensed by partners who would have incorporated it."

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...gement-appeal/

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Ben 10 Omniverse 2 confirmed for multiple platforms

May 15th, 2013, 00:07 Posted By: wraggster

Namco Bandai’s D3P has announced Ben 10 Omniverse 2 for Xbox 360, PS3, Wii U, Wii and 3DS.
Due out this autumn, the game mirrors the Cartoon Network series of the same name which offers a more stylised, anime-like take on the Ben 10 universe.
Kinect Star Wars, Conduit 2 and Zone of the Enders HD Collection developer High Voltage Software is making the console versions while 1st Playable Productions is handling the handheld releases. Its former titles include Ben 10: Omniverse and Ben 10: Alien Force on 3DS and DS as well as Club Penguin: Herbert’s Revenge on DS.
Oh, and Shatoetry on iOS.
“The Ben 10 franchise has proven to be a phenomenal success for many years now, and we are of course delighted to extend our partnership with Turner on this brand new adventure� Namco Bandai Europe’s senior VP Olivier Comte stated.
“This autumn, we will be very pleased to let players enjoy an exciting gameplay in Ben 10 Omniverse 2, the new video-game based on the latest Ben 10: Omniverse animated series.�

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/ben-1...tforms/0115523

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Warner reveals LEGO Friends game for Nintendo handhelds

May 15th, 2013, 00:08 Posted By: wraggster

The LEGO Friends brand is to get a video game outing on DS and 3DS this autumn.
The game, which targets young girls, allows players to choose activities such as perfecting dance routines as well as “build friendships� and character customisation.
Pet care, grooming and training is also involved and players can take in-game pictures to store in a scrapbook.
“We are very proud to welcome even more girls into the world of LEGO videogames with a title based on the best-selling LEGO Friends line,� TT Games MD Tom Stone said.
“LEGO Friends allows players to build personal fun adventure while expressing their individual style and personality along the way.�

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/warne...dhelds/0115522

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Major TV campaign for Animal Crossing 3DS

May 15th, 2013, 00:10 Posted By: wraggster

Nintendo is putting its money where its mouth is for upcoming 3DS system shifter, Animal Crossing: New Leaf.
The company tells MCV the game is a key release for the handheld and has organised an expansive TV campaign for launch.
The firm has also booked press ads and launched special Facebook and Twitter pages to allow fans to share stories about the game.
“We’re excited to be bringing Animal Crossing New Leaf to the UK. It’s our biggest focus for 3DS this summer. We’re looking forward to exciting both existing fans and introducing new comers to the franchise,� said Nintendo UK product manager Roger Langford.
“We’ll have a large TV campaign from launch which will run across the summer and we’ll be supporting it via press in both gamer and kids titles. The launch of the Facebook and Twitter pages means momentum is already starting to grow.�
This will be the fourth game in the franchise, having first launched in 2004. The 2006 DS Animal Crossing is that console’s ninth best-selling video game, having sold 11.7m units around the world.
“Handheld is the natural home for Animal Crossing as it’s very much a game that players want to dip in and out of,� added Langford.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/major...ng-3ds/0115518

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Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney 5 skips physical release

May 15th, 2013, 00:11 Posted By: wraggster

Capcom has confirmed that Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies will not be released physically in Europe or North America.
“Historically it’s been tough to attract long term retail support for Ace Attorney titles,� a rep stated on the Capcom forums. “With the release of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies we wanted as many people as possible to be able to enjoy the game for as long as possible. With that in mind we have opted for a digital only release via the Nintendo 3DS eShop.�
The confirmation came in a thread where users were pleading for the game to be released at retail.
“Capcom, we absolutely need a physical release for this game, which the European presser did not mention at all,� the thread creator stated. “Please at least give the option through your store or something!�
Capcom sympathises with this perspective but looks as if it will not be changing its strategy.
“Sorry guys, but a physical release is not in the cards,� the rep added. “I understand that this decision may upset fans who wanted to have a physical version of the title to add to their collection but we believe this direction is the best to take.�

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/phoen...elease/0115517

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Fuse on Wii U: Insomniac 'not ruling out anything

May 15th, 2013, 02:33 Posted By: wraggster

Insomniac Games hasn't ruled out the possibility of releasing a Wii U version of Fuse, according to CEO Ted Price.
Asked ahead of the May 28Fuse release date why the studio's first multiplatform game wasn't developed for Wii U, Price told Digitally Downloaded:"We have to be selective because it's easy to start to stretch yourself too thin. So we're careful about where we go. One of the questions I got a lot of early on was 'why aren't you developing for the Wii U?' and the answer was simply bandwidth.
"We had to focus on delivering a great game on multiple platforms, but there's a point where we had to make hard choices, and for us we needed to limit the number of platforms for Fuse."
Price also said he's looking forward to Nintendo releasing Wii U entries in some of his favourite childhood series (Zelda, Mario, Metroid) and wouldn't definitively rule out a Fuse port for Nintendo's console. "We're not ruling out anything in the future. We are a content creator and we want to reach as large of an audience as we can."
In a newly published Fuse interview on CVG, Price told us that "of course" he hopes Fuse sequels will be released on next-gen consoles. "Whenever we make a game our goal is to build a franchise, not to make a one-off game."
Get our most recent impressions of Insomniac's game in this Fuse preview. You can sample the co-op shooter yourself by downloading the new Fuse demo on Xbox 360 or PS3.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...-out-anything/

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Pachter: Wii U sales hit 55,000 in April, 20,000 below Wii

May 15th, 2013, 02:36 Posted By: wraggster

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Nintendo wins latest round in Motiva lawsuit

May 15th, 2013, 02:41 Posted By: wraggster

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Scribblenauts embarking on DC Comics crossover

May 16th, 2013, 01:13 Posted By: wraggster

The worlds of Scribblenauts and DC are to collide in a new title for Wii U, 3DS and PC.
Called Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure, the 5^th Cell developed title is said to contain over 2,000 superheroes and villains. The studio boldly claims that it has studied every super power and every character ever featured in DC’s history and included it in the game.
The likes of Superman, Batman, The Flash, Doomsday and the Joker are confirmed, but essentially if you’ve ever come across anyone in a DC comic then the chances are they will be in here somewhere.
There will also be the chance to build custom superhero characters.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/video...ssover/0115597

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From nearly skipping Europe to 21m sales - we explore the magic of Animal Crossing

May 16th, 2013, 01:15 Posted By: wraggster

Animal Crossing was the sort of game that should have never worked in the West.
In a village filled with humanised animals, a player must set up a home, look after the garden, go fishing, write letters and perform other leisure activities.
It’s exactly the sort of game that was built for a Japanese audience. And indeed, the N64 original – launched in 2001 – never made it out of Nintendo’s homeland.
But, two years later, Nintendo undertook a huge translation effort to bring a GameCube port to the US – to surprising success. A European version followed a year later and today Animal Crossing is one of Nintendo’s most successful global franchises, having shifted over 21m games worldwide.
“The real-time nature of Animal Crossing and the fact that something special happens every day means that there’s always something to do or see within the game,� says Nintendo UK product manager Roger Langford.
“It also means that there’s something that appeals to everyone. The game appeals to younger fans because of the cuteness of the animals and to older fans because of its quirkiness and real-time style of play.
“Anecdotally, we’ve found that people find Animal Crossing quite relaxing to play; you can dip in and out of it as much as you like and you can take it as seriously as you want – the game doesn’t put any pressure on you. And we’ve found that people become attached to the central characters – the likes of Tom Nook always provokes a reaction.
“Animal Crossing is also a franchise that parents feel comfortable with. It allows children to learn about responsibility in a fun and engaging way. Children can learn to save money, to look after the environment and in the new game take on responsibility for their town.�
The original N64/GameCube Animal Crossing was a success. It became a cult favourite amongst critics and core fans and it shifted 2m units around the world.

“The real-time nature of Animal Crossing and
the fact that something special happens every
day means that there’s always something to
do or see within the game.�

Roger Langford – UK product manager, Nintendo UK

But it was the second title that really propelled Animal Crossing into Nintendo’s top tier franchises.
Animal Crossing: Wild World was amongst the first major DS games. It didn’t suffer the protracted release of the original game, and resonated extremely well with the handheld’s audience. It has gone on to sell 11.7m units globally, making it the ninth best-selling DS game.
Talking about the upcoming launch of Animal Crossing: New Leaf on 3DS, Langford says: “Animal Crossing has traditionally done well in UK, particularly on handheld and we’re very much hoping to replicate the success of Wild World, which launched on the DS in 2006.�
Indeed, Animal Crossing has found its home on the handheld. As a life-sim, the franchise encourages gamers to play a little bit every day – something that works better on a portable than on a console. And already, despite only launching in Japan so far, New Leaf has outsold the last home console game, Animal Crossing: Let’s Go To The City, with 3.86m units sold.
“Handheld is definitely the natural home for Animal Crossing as it’s very much a game that players want to dip in and out of,� agrees Langford.

“Depending on what day or time you play, you can have a very different experience. In the new version, you take on the role of mayor of the town so it’s even more important that you play a little every day. Players can choose to buy the physical copy of the game, an eShop card or the limited edition Animal Crossing bundle which comes with New Leaf pre-installed on it so there’s lot to choose from.�
Nintendo UK has been extremely active in pushing 3DS this year, with big campaigns behind Luigi’s Mansion 2, Fire Emblem: Awakening, Monster Hunter 3: Ultimate, Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D and LEGO City Undercover: The Chase Begins.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/from-...ossing/0115594

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WWE 2K14 gets UK release date; No sign of Wii U version

May 16th, 2013, 01:16 Posted By: wraggster

2K Games’ debut WWE release will be released in the UK this November, it has been confirmed.
Specifically, Eurogamer reports that it will arrive on November 1st, just a few days after the already confirmed October 29^th US release date.
WWE 2K14 will of course by 2K’s first WWE release since acquiring the licence from THQ earlier this year.
It may carry a new name, but it certainly has one thing in common with its predecessors – it won’t be releasing on Wii U.
There’s no word yet on a next-gen release, but there’s plenty of time for that announcement.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/wwe-2...ersion/0115593

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Secrets of the Wii U GamePad

May 16th, 2013, 02:34 Posted By: wraggster

The Wii U GamePad has been reverse-engineered by the developers behind the Dolphin GameCube/Wii emulator, with the controller's functions completely simulated on PC. When we heard the news on Twitter, we contacted developer Pierre Bourdon to find out more. In hacking the GamePad, we reasoned that the developers would have extensive information on how Nintendo's innovative controller actually works."We started working on the Wii U GamePad as soon as we (me and two other hackers) got our hands on it," Bourdon tells us. "The GamePad is actually not a very secure device (compared to the Wii U). The device firmware is stored in an unencrypted Flash, which allowed us to reverse engineer the binary code pretty easily. It is also using almost standard 802.11n, which made things easy to experiment on a PC."The GamePad itself isn't anywhere near as complex as even the most basic Android tablet - essentially it's a standard game controller, with a touch-screen and a WiFi card, paired up with a decoder chip for the incoming video stream. Controller inputs themselves are beamed back to the Wii U via the same WiFi channel (180 times per second no less), in contrast to the Bluetooth employed by the Wiimote."We started our work by sniffing a Wii U/GamePad pairing, assuming WiFi encryption keys would be transferred during pairing. It turns out the pairing is (almost) standard WPS [a standard WiFi encryption protocol], with just a little obfuscation added to the crypto," Bourdon continues. "We modified wpa_supplicant/hostapd to have it work with the non-standard things, and were able to pair a PC with a Wii U that way. This took us less than a week - our time since then has been spent reverse engineering the custom communication protocol used between the Wii U and the GamePad."
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/di...-wii-u-gamepad

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Get Super Metroid for 30 cents on Wii U Virtual Console right now

May 16th, 2013, 02:37 Posted By: wraggster

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Metallic Red 3DS, Eevee 3DS XL evolving in Japan

May 16th, 2013, 02:39 Posted By: wraggster

In Japan-always-seems-to-have-the-coolest-3DS-skins news, the country's getting a new Metallic Red 3DS as well as - and we admit we're particularly jealous of this one - a very limited edition 3DS XL skin based on Eevee, the adorable critter from the Pokémon series.

The striped 3DS XL, which rather resembles 1960s wallpaper, was spotted byHachima being advertized in one of Japan's official Pokémon Center stores. Like last year's Charizard 3DS XL, the ¥18,900 system ($185) is only available via reservations, which then go into a lottery to win the chance to buy the system. In other words, this is one of those times when the words 'limited edition' genuinely apply. The lottery is being held until June 3.

More freely available is the Metallic Red 3DS below, which will be released for ¥15,000 ($147) on June 13. Like the Light Blue and Gloss Pink models announced earlier this year, it includes a 4GB SD card.

http://www.joystiq.com/2013/05/15/me...ving-in-japan/

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Nintendo chases ad revenue from YouTube content

May 16th, 2013, 23:25 Posted By: wraggster

Console giant issues 'content ID match claims' on gameplay videos

A popular YouTube user has taken Nintendo to task over claims it has made on his content.
Game Front reports that Nintendo has issued “content ID match claims� on all of Zack Scott's Let’s Play videos that feature Nintendo content. This means that each will now be bookended by ads Scott will not receive any revenue for his efforts.

“I think filing claims against LPers is backwards. Video games aren’t like movies or TV,� Scott wrote on Facebook.
“Each play-through is a unique audiovisual experience. When I see a film that someone else is also watching, I don’t need to see it again. When I see a game that someone else is playing, I want to play that game for myself!
“Until their claims are straightened out, I won’t be playing their games. I won’t because it jeopardizes my channel’s copyright standing and the livelihood of all LPers.�

http://www.develop-online.net/news/4...ouTube-content

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Wii U summer line-up detailed tomorrow

May 16th, 2013, 23:37 Posted By: wraggster

Slow sales and a quiet release slate have hindered the Wii U since launch, but Nintendo is finally going to reveal details of fresh titles for its new console.
The next Nintendo Direct broadcast will take place tomorrow (Friday, May 17th) at 3pm BST, and will be dedicated to Wii U games due for release this spring and summer.
We already know about a handful including Game & Wario -due on June 28th - and Pikmin 3, although the latter has yet to be dated.
Nintendo may well offer more details on digital games heading its growing eShop, as well as third-party games such as Ashes Cricket and Resident Evil: Revelations.
While announcements of brand new titles are unlikely at this stage, the platform holder has promised another Nintendo Direct around the time of E3 detailing games scheduled for "autumn and beyond".
Since the company has decided not to hold its traditional E3 press conference, it's likely the big announcements will be saved for the next broadcast. We already know that a new Mario Kart and 3D Mario game are in the works, as well as The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD.
New titles revealed may well feature in Nintendo's E3 booth activity.
Check back tomorrow for details of the titles Nintendo does decide to showcase.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/wii-u...morrow/0115670

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EA has 'no games in development for Wii U'

May 17th, 2013, 00:52 Posted By: wraggster

One of the biggest publishers in the games industry, Electronic Arts, has no games currently in development for Wii U.
"We have no games in development for the Wii U currently," spokesperson Jeff Brown has told Kotaku.While the site says that Brown did not rule out EA developing Wii U games in future, this will come as alarming news to Wii U owners and, particular - those who frequent EA's dominant line-up of sports titles.
With Wii U versions of Mass Effect 3, Need for Speed Most Wanted, FIFA 12 and Madden all ready for its launch window, EA was one of the most prominent supporters of Nintendo's HD console in its early months of availability.
But the publishing giant's Wii U support has taken a downward turn in recent months, having surprisingly dismissed Wii U for its next Madden game, and later declaring no Wii U support Frostbite 3, on the basis that tests on the console yielded "not too promising results".
In relation to the lack of the new Madden for Wii U, EA insisted that "we have a strong partnership with Nintendo and will continue to evaluate opportunities for delivering additional Madden NFL products for Nintendo fans in the future."
But Wii U has also been skipped for other EA Sports titles including Tiger Woods PGA Tour 14 and NHL 14.
FIFA 14 has not been confirmed for Wii U either, though the title is expected to be confirmed for other platforms, including PlayStation 4 and the next Xbox.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...ent-for-wii-u/

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US Nintendo eShop update: Super Metroid, Ghouls 'n Ghosts, Mega Man 5

May 17th, 2013, 00:55 Posted By: wraggster

Nintendo has released this week's long list of new games to appear on the 3DS and Wii U eShops today.
Super Metroid is the headliner, arriving with a discounted price of just $0.30 for a limited time as part of Nintendo's ongoing Famicom 30th Anniversary celebrations.Other classics arriving today include Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts and Super Mario Bros. 2 for Wii U Virtual Console, and Mega Man 5 for 3DS.
Here's the full list:
Virtual Console on Wii U Sale
Save 50 Percent on Super Mario Bros. 2 for Wii U - We're celebrating spring with a sale on classic favorites for Wii U. Starting today, save 50 percent on Super Mario Bros. 2 when you buy the Wii U Virtual Console version of Super Mario World from the Nintendo eShop. This offer ends at 9 a.m. PT on May 23.
Virtual Console on Wii U - New Releases
Super Metroid - Super Metroid was originally released in 1994 for the Super NES system and features beautiful graphics, a huge assortment of enemies and various worlds to explore. Considered one of the best video games of all time by critics and fans alike, the side-view action game introduces a host of powerful weapons and items to the Metroid series. Super Metroid is the fifth game released on the Virtual Console for Wii U to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Famicom. For a limited time, the game will be available for only 30 cents.
Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts - The third game in the legendary Ghosts 'n Goblins series of video games, Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts follows Arthur in a challenging quest to rescue the princess. Players take control of Arthur in a classic side-scrolling adventure to defeat the creatures of the night and save the day once more.
Super Mario Bros. 2 - Mario, Luigi, Princess Toadstool and Toad embark on a quest together to save the day against the villainous Wart. Pick up items and throw them at your adversaries to clear levels in seven fantastical worlds. Each character has a unique set of abilities: Luigi can jump higher and farther than any of the other characters, Toad can dig extremely fast and pull items out of the ground quicker than anyone and the princess is the only one who can jump and hover temporarily.
Nintendo eShop on Wii U - New Release
LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes - Batman and Robin team up with some truly super friends in this action-packed sequel. Experience one of the best-selling games of 2012 with new and enhanced game play using the Wii U GamePad controller. With help from other famous DC Super Heroes, including Superman, Wonder Woman and Green Lantern, the Dynamic Duo are in for a fight to put the notorious villains Lex Luthor and The Joker behind bars and save Gotham City. LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes will release on May 21.
Nintendo eShop on Wii U Sale
BIT.TRIP Presents... Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien - Runner2 is an action-packed, auto-running platformer with five exciting worlds, 125 tantalizing levels and five death-defying boss battles. BIT.TRIP Presents... Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien will be on sale for 25 percent off until May 30.
Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS - New Release
Swords & Soldiers 3D - Prepare for an encounter with a freakishly large pepper: Swords & Soldiers 3D is coming your way! Swords & Soldiers is a 3D side-scrolling, real-time strategy game that lets you control an entire army and wield devastating magical abilities.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...ts-mega-man-5/

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Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate: Dat G-Rank - Getting the Horn

May 17th, 2013, 00:59 Posted By: wraggster

in the third of a short series of articles, Rich Stanton guides you round the world of Capcom's masterpiece. We've taken you through the pouch and the armour - and this week it's time to look at the weapons.I'm as proud to be Scottish as the next ex-pat, but until Monster Hunter I'd never quite understood the bagpipes. I'd thought they existed merely to punish the recipients of posh Caledonian dinners, when in fact it's a genius combination of buffing tool and impact weapon - a kind of magic hammer.The hunting horn is one of Monster Hunter's oddest weapons, and my set of bagpipes is called Rinforzato. Magnificent, isn't it? The word echoes the Italian for reinforcing or emphasising, and it's videogame for harmonising death-bludgeon. Each attack produces a certain colour of note - blue, red or white - and linking these together in short strings unleashes a thwomping great attack that ends with your hunter in position to play.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...tting-the-horn

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Putty Squad bounces onto pretty much everything this summer

May 17th, 2013, 01:05 Posted By: wraggster

British publisher/developer System 3 has announced an enhanced remake of its blue-blob-based action platformer Putty Squad, available sometime this summer on Xbox 360, Wii U, PlayStation 3, Vita, 3DS and Windows 8.

The original Putty Squad was initially released on Super NES back in 1994, as a sequel to 1992's Putty for the Amiga. A demo was also released for Amiga and DOS systems, but the full game never dropped for either of those platforms. This new version, beyond offering obvious graphical improvements, will also include free downloadable levels and "location-based services used for extra content."
http://www.joystiq.com/2013/05/16/pu...g-this-summer/

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Wii U Direct tomorrow covers summer, autumn details around E3

May 17th, 2013, 01:07 Posted By: wraggster

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Retro-bit bringing wireless controllers to retro consoles

May 17th, 2013, 01:09 Posted By: wraggster

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Sonic the Hedgehog exclusive to Nintendo, more WiiU titles revealed

May 18th, 2013, 00:51 Posted By: wraggster

Satoru Iwata presented the latest Nintendo Direct this afternoon updating games that they’re launching this year. It features Mario & Sonic at the Winter Games, Sonic the Hedgehog as an exclusive, Game & Wario Wii U, Resident Evil, Pikmin 3The latest in the Mario and Sonic at the Winter Olympics series, from Sega, will take place this year in Sochi, in Southern Russia, on the Black Sea. “I thought it would be much colder until I looked into it.� said Iwata. “The graphics are enhanced compared to earlier games in the series.� It uses the Wii Remote Plus controller. New events include Figure Skating Pairs and Snowboarding Slope Style, while Curling uses WiiU gamepad to plan, and players trying the Biathalon must switch between the Wii Remote Plus and Gamepad. It also offers the classic dream events, where stages are built in world of Sonic and Mario, allowing for non-real life worlds, including a new mixed racing event combining sleighing, skating and bob-sleighing.It looks like Sonic is exclusive to Nintendo now, though we’ve attempting to confirm that. “…we have entered into a worldwide partnership with Sega on the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise� said Iwata. And another Sonic game is revealed with more shown prior to E3 – an action-platformer called “Lost World� which will be out exclusively on WiiU and 3DS.Iwata also showed off the new Game & Wario for Wii U. This includes sixteen games including Gamer, Ski, Camera, all attempting to use the Wii U gamepad. It’ll be out on June 28th.Resident Evil Revelations is heading to Wii U soon, with updated graphics, Wii U gamepad controls, and extra content, including a new difficulty mode, “Infernal�, where monster positions have been moved “It will feel like a totally different experience.� Iwata said. Also, Hunk and Rachel have been added as playable characters to Raid mode. It will be available from May 24th on Nintendo eShop.Iwata also gave more details on the New Super Luigi U DLC for New Super Mario U. Replacing Mario over the 82 updated courses is Nabbit, the thief who steals items from Toad’s house in New Super Mario U. Nabbit is a bit different from the other characters, in that he cannot power up, even if he collects items – instead doesn’t take damage when touches enemies. It will be onsale June 20th on the eShop and a standalone boxed version of Super Luigi U will be available from July 26th on shop shelves.The much-anticipated Wonderful 101 from Platinum Games will come to Europe on August 23rd.Iwata revealed lots more details about Pikmin 3. Three new main characters are called Alph, Brittany, Charlie (Captain), who are from a planet that’s run out of food. Finding the Pikmin allows them to collect food that can be taken as seeds back to their home planets. Having collected food, you can use it for juice which lets players explore the world. Players can explore only at daytime, as night is dangerous, but you can replay days or revert to earlier sections if you mess up. The Gamepad becomes a handy information terminal called the KopPad, which shows where your character has been, and let’s you move characters around using the touchscreen.There will be a separate Nintendo Direct about Wii U content airing around E3 time. And that’s all folks!

http://www.edge-online.com/news/nint...tles-revealed/

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Nintendo bringing E3 to Best Buy

May 18th, 2013, 15:44 Posted By: wraggster

Nintendo is handling E3 very differently this year.
First, it revealed it would not be holding it's traditional pre-show press conference. Then it promised more activity and new games at its show floor booth. And now it has promised to take its E3 demos directly to the public.
Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime has announced several of the games that will be playable on the show floor at the Los Angeles Convention Center will also be playable at more than 100 Best Buy stores during E3 week.
Kotaku reports that these demos will be made available to everyone, not just press and industry members. Details of which games will be made available have yet to be announced, but it will almost certainly include the new 3D Mario game and Mario Kart that have been promised by the end of the year.
Nintendo is also due to broadcast another Nintendo Direct during E3 in place of its usual conference. This will include more new announcements of Wii U and 3DS games for autumn and beyond.
Today's Nintendo Direct revealed three exclusive Sonic games, a retail release for the New Super Luigi DLC and dates for Pikmin 3 and The Wonderful 101.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/ninte...st-buy/0115767

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Losing EA support is disappointing, but not a killer blow for Wii U

May 18th, 2013, 15:45 Posted By: wraggster

EA’s decision to hold fire on Wii U development is the biggest indication yet to how poor the console’s launch has been.
Performing well below expectations, with no momentum whatsoever, there’s no reason why any third party company should produce titles for this machine (unless of course Nintendo happens to pay them a significant sum of money to do so).
It’s therefore no surprise that former Wii U exclusives, like Rayman Legends, are now finding themselves on the release schedule for Xbox 360 and PS3.

Yet, although third party support is crucial for long-term success of any platform, the biggest games maker on Nintendo platforms is Nintendo itself. Whether it’s Super Mario Bros, Super Mario Kart, Goldeneye, Smash Brothers or Wii Sports, Nintendo’s titles dominate on Nintendo’s platforms.

In many ways, this was the biggest failure of Wii. The console sold millions upon millions of units, but third parties struggled to crack it. EA, for one, developed a number of Wii exclusives (Boom Blox/My Sims etc) but only had limited success.

In fact, the highest charting third party Wii game of all time is Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games from Sega, and that game still featured Nintendo’s mascot. You have to go to 15th for the next best selling third party game, Ubisoft’s Just Dance 2.
You have to go all the way back to the Super Nintendo and Street Fighter II to find a game that was mixing it with Nintendo's big brands.

EA’s range of sports titles – FIFA and Madden included – all sold well below 1m units worldwide on Wii. In reality, the news that Nintendo is publishing three exclusive Sonic games on Wii U is far more significant for the platform, because Sonic games have historically been decent sellers on Nintendo's consoles.

That’s not to say that EA’s decision to slow its support for Wii U is welcome news at Nintendo HQ. Not having any of EA’s big brands on show will make that sparse release schedule look even weaker. And the fact that one of the biggest games company in the world is turning its back on the platform holder (albeit temporarily) is a damning indictment of the console’s first six months on the market.

But Wii U’s fate is still in Nintendo’s hands. Its system sellers – Mario Kart, Mario, Zelda and Smash Brothers – are in development, and some are even due later this year. Those games have sold tens of millions on every Nintendo console released so far.

The news that EA is not supporting Wii U is another disappointing blow in that console’s story. It’s now up to Nintendo to change EA’s mind.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/ninte...r-blow/0115766

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Nintendo and Sega partnership is three-game deal

May 18th, 2013, 15:46 Posted By: wraggster

More details have emerged about the exclusive partnership between Nintendo and Sega, including confirmation of a third new Sonic game.
Today's Nintendo Direct broadcast revealed that an exclusive Sonic The Hedgehog game, entitled Sonic: Lost World, is in development for Wii U and 3DS, as well as a Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games.
Both games will be published and distributed this year by Nintendo in the UK, Europe and Australia as part of its new partnership with Sega.
And a statement from Sega reveals that a third, as-yet-announced Sonic game will also be exclusive to Nintendo formats. This will also be published and distributed by the platform holder.
"Sonic the Hedgehog has performed incredibly well on Nintendo platforms and this exclusive partnership is a natural fit for the next evolution of Sonic games," said Sega Europe COO Jurgen Post.
"The Wii U and Nintendo 3DS are ideal platforms to showcase Sonic and we are looking forward to wokring with Nintendo on these three exciting adventures."
Sega has stressed that his will not affect existing distribution partnerships for other titles such as Total War: Rome II and Company of Heroes 2.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/ninte...e-deal/0115762

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Pikmin 3 and The Wonderful 101 dated

May 18th, 2013, 15:46 Posted By: wraggster

Nintendo has finally confirmed when two of its most anticipated Wii U titles will arrive on shelves.
Pikmin 3, the long-in-development return of the GameCube strategy series will be released on July 26th. The game was originally meant to be a launch window title, but was delayed until later in the year.
As with previous Pikmin titles, the game challenges players to direct an army of small plant-like creatures as they gather resources and battle beasts in overgrown environments.
This third outing will add new Pikmin types and options, and can be played with any controller set up, including GamePad only, Pro Controller and Wii Remote and Nunchuk (using the GamePad as a second monitor).
The Wonderful 101, a similar but more action-focused title from acclaimed developer Platinum Games, will be released on August 23rd. Nintendo has promised more details will be revealed about the game gradually between now and launch.
Both games were dated during today's Nintendo Direct broadcast.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/pikmi...-dated/0115761

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New Super Luigi DLC gets standalone retail release

May 18th, 2013, 15:48 Posted By: wraggster

Nintendo's first major console downloadable content pack is getting a boxed release.
New Super Luigi U, the updated levels and additional content for Wii U launch title New Super Mario Bros U, will be released as a limited edition standalone game on July 26th.
The surprise SKU was announced by Nintendo president Satoru Iwata during today's Nintendo Direct, with the Japanese exec citing high demand from consumers who don't have the Mario title or an internet connection as the reason for its release.
The DLC will be released a little earlier on June 20th. It includes 82 updated courses and an additional multiplayer character, Nabbit.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/new-s...elease/0115760

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Nintendo gets Sonic exclusivity, new Olympics game

May 18th, 2013, 15:49 Posted By: wraggster

Sonic The Hedgehog will continue to find a home on Nintendo formats as the platform holder announced an exclusive new partnership with Sega.
As part of this deal the hedgehog's next outing, Sonic: Lost World, will be released only for Wii U and 3DS. More details of the game will be revealed around E3.
The partnership was announced by Nintendo president Satoru Iwata during today's Nintendo Direct broadcast.
Iwata also gave the world the first glimpse of a new Mario & Sonic Olympics title, this time set during the upcoming winter olympics that will take place in Sochi, Southern Russia.
The new Olympics game will add new events, some of which will involve players switching between the GamePad and Wii Remote. It is due for release this year.
Finally, Nintendo announced it will expand the collection of Sega Game Gear titles available from the 3DS eShop's Virtual Console section. Games such as Tails Adventure, Shining Force II and Sonic Drift will be released by the end of the year.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/ninte...s-game/0115759

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Hashtag campaign to promote 3DS

May 18th, 2013, 15:51 Posted By: wraggster

A new social media campaign is looking to raise awareness of the 3DS.
Nintendo's new #3DSreasons campaign is designed to tap into renewed momentum around the handheld now that it has a strong software library - with a number of key releases ahead of it.
A video is now live on the Nintendo UK YouTube channel to kickstart the promotion. You can see it below.
Vanisha Kavia, product manager at Nintendo UK, told MCV: "The idea behind the Nintendo #3DSreasons campaign is to drive awareness of how there has never been a better time to own a Nintendo 3DS.
"With unique features such as Nintendo Letter Box and StreetPass, along with a really strong and exciting release schedule in 2013, fantastic multiplayer experiences and a huge back catalogue of great games, we hope that people will see that Nintendo 3DS offers something for everyone.
"The video, which will be promoted online and through our social channels, kickstarts the campaign and highlights a selection of reasons and we hope that it will prompt everyone out there to join the conversation and share what their #3DSreason is."

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/hasht...te-3ds/0115752

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US software sales for Nintendo 3DS up significantly compared to 2012

May 18th, 2013, 15:52 Posted By: wraggster

The 3DS has picked up the pace in the early going of this year, with software sales up 52 per cent in the first four months of 2013 when compared to the same period in 2012.
Nintendo announced 2.1m first-party titles have been sold since the start of the year, likely helping the device to a year-on-year increase in April.
Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter estimated earlier in the week that Nintendo’s handheld had moved 185k over the past month.
The firm noted Lego City Undercover: The Chase Begins reaching ninth on NPD’s April 2013 software chart, with 94k units sold since its launch on April 24th.
Luigi’s Mansion – which unlike Lego City was available for all four weeks – sold 140k in April, bringing lifetime sales for the game to 530k.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/ninte...o-2012/0115747

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Reading Game Boy carts with I2C

May 18th, 2013, 15:53 Posted By: wraggster


After seeing a Game Boy emulator for the first time, [Thijs] was amazed. A small box with just a handful of electronics that turns a Game Boy cartridge into a file able to be run on an emulator is simply magical. [Thijs] has learned a lot about GB and GBC cartridges in the mean time, but still thinks the only way to really learn something is to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty. Thus was born [Thijs]‘ Game Boy cartridge dumper, powered by a pair of I2C port expanders and a Raspberry Pi.
Inspired by a build to dump ROMs off Super Nintendo games with the help of a Raspberry Pi, [Thijs] grabbed all the hardware necessary to create his own GB cart dumper. A DS Lite cartridge adapter provided the physical connection and a pair of MCP23017 I/O expanders – one soldered to a Slice of PI/O board – provided the electrical connections.
In the end, [Thijs] managed to dump the ROMs off the Japanese editions of Pokemon Yellow and Gold in about 13 minutes. This is a much slower transfer rate of 26 minutes per SNES cart in the post that gave [Thijs] the inspiration for this build. Still, [Thijs] will probably be the first to say he’s learned a lot from this build, especially after some problems with dumping the right banks from the cartridge.

http://hackaday.com/2013/05/17/readi...arts-with-i2c/

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Nintendo Wii U: Death By Apathy

May 19th, 2013, 00:45 Posted By: wraggster

With no support from Electronic Arts, the Wii U just experienced its Dreamcast moment. Will other publishers now follow suit?
[h=3]Nintendo[/h]nintendo-europe.com


The Wii U just had its Dreamcast moment. With Electronic Arts confirming it doesn't have any games in development for the machine, one of the console industry's biggest players has walked away from the system counting its losses. So that's none of the market-leading sports games for the Wii U in the near term and none of those tantalising new Star Wars games in the mid-term. We weren't looking at a long term solution for the Wii U, but now it seems it won't even get a semi-decent sales pick up at the end of the year. Christmas is cancelled for Nintendo.
"When you can get to number one in the Wii U charts by selling less than 1000 units it's no longer a tragedy, it's an actual farce"

EA doesn't exactly have money to spend anywhere other than on its safest bets at the moment. It's cutting costs, from CEO wages togun licensing, but the sports games will get it out of the hole its in, or at least keep it afloat in the console market until the installed base of the PS4 and next Xbox allow for some decent sales.
And I'm not saying Electronic Arts has the same pull it did in the console market during the year 2000. It's market share has beenovertaken by Activision and is being threatened by a hungry Ubisoft. And if it insists on supporting games like Fuse - a title no one asked for and no one is interested in - it's going to continue to throw money in the direction of the nearest bin.
But EA has pulled out of the Wii U because sales of both hardware and software are dreadful. We're not officially allowed to report sales numbers from Chart Track in the UK but everyone in the publishing business can see them quite clearly. There's no need for pretence. When you can get to number one in the Wii U charts by selling less than 1000 units it's no longer a tragedy, it's an actual farce.
It's not much better in the all-formats chart. Staying at number one in the charts for a second week isn't so much a sign of success, as a sign you're not selling as poorly as everyone else in the top ten. The top ten isn't relevant any more, last year it was only really the top five that counted. And this year it's likely to be only the top three best-selling games that have any impact - and they are going to be multiformat titles like Call of Duty, Assassin's Creed and FIFA. Everything else is fighting for scraps.
The Wii U has been defeated by the most humbling of challengers - consumer apathy. When the inevitable "Nintendo halts Wii U production" stories hit, the majority of those that bought the original Wii won't even notice. The mainstream bought the Wii because it was a fun novelty, they didn't buy it for a new Zelda game. What's the Wii U's novelty? That it does everything a current-gen console does but a little bit slower and with a Fisher Price tablet attached?
Retailers have given up on the Wii U. It's not discounted at the supermarketsbecause they want to sell more, it's been cut in price so they can get rid of it quickly. Software drives hardware sales. But there are no credible software sales because there are no games being released. Retail is desperate to sell anything, that's why GAME is now selling sci-fi and fantasy books and HMV has cans of Coke and sweets at the till - anything to squeeze a penny out. They aren't going to sit around and make space for a handful of Wii U games near the end of the year. They'll be pushing the Wii U to one side to make more space for the Xbox 360, the PlayStation 3 and hopefully the PS4 and next Xbox.
Is there still hope for the Wii U? Well, there are first-party games on the horizon but with no actual surprises. Nintendo will spend a lot of money in the autumn on ads and marketing for first-party games to try and save face, but the rot set in too quickly. I don't know what this says for the next generation of consoles but they are at least coming out the gate with real noise and hype. That's not enough to sell them of course, but they are having a big impact before they come to market which is exactly as it should be.
"The Wii U isn't discounted at the supermarkets because they want to sell more, it's been cut in price so they can get rid of it quickly"

Nintendo can't compete with Microsoft and Sony, that's why they've pulled out of the E3 pissing contest. That's almost a dignified admission of defeat. If Nintendo shows off new Starfox, Zelda, Mario and Blast Corps titles next month in L.A. it's only going to be preaching to the converted. They will be drowned out by the bombast and great swinging balls of their rivals. What will the LA Times, Reuters, the BBC, Tech Crunch, Joystiq, VentureBeat, GamesIndustry International, Gamasutra and the rest of the media be prioritising during E3? Anything that can lift the console business up off its knees and give it an adrenaline shot. That's the real story here, and the Wii U is a boxout of what went wrong.
There's also today's announcement that Sega is handing publishing duties of Sonic the Hedgehog over to Nintendo, like Sonic the Hedgehog still means something to the games player. It doesn't, it's a tired old mascot who jumped the shark when Sega painted him black and gave him a gun. This deal is Sega begrudgingly admitting it can no longer market and sell kids games, and its last hope in a world of Moshi Monsters and Angry Birds is Nintendo. And if Nintendo can't sell another company's mascot, well, Sega is now prioritising PC gaming anyway.
The new GameCube or the new Dreamcast, it doesn't matter how we hang it. The console market is brutal and Microsoft and Sony may have also left it too late with their own machines, only time will tell. But when Nintendo isn't playing the console wars game, the consumers don't care and the retailer is pushing new hardware to the curb, what are publishers meant to do? There's no EA support now, will Ubisoft be next? Tellingly, Activision hasn't mentioned "Call of Duty: Ghosts" in the same sentence as "Wii U", and as that game is going to be a centrepiece of the next Xbox reveal it's not likely to associate it with a device that isn't generating any excitement. Will these publishers bother with exclusive titles, or even porting existing games with a little touchpad tweak when they're not seeing support anywhere else?
The only sensible move is for Nintendo to take its brands to other formats, but that's an argument we've had so many times. As Rob Fahey argued a few weeks ago, Nintendo can afford to have a failed console around its neck, but it can't afford to damage its most valuable assets, its IP.
The brands will live on. But the Wii U is a dead man walking.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...eath-by-apathy

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Ubisoft reaffirms its faith in Nintendo

May 19th, 2013, 00:47 Posted By: wraggster

Publisher confident that "Nintendo will take steps to ensure that the Wii U is successful in the market�
[h=3]Nintendo[/h]nintendo-europe.com

[h=3]Ubisoft[/h]ubisoft.com


The proverbial shit hit the fan this week when Electronic Arts confirmed that it no longer has any Wii U games in development and that it's essentially backing away completely from the Nintendo console. The move, which provoked much discussion on the web (including from our European editor Matt Martin), is certainly a bad omen for the Wii U business, but French publisher Ubisoft is sticking by Nintendo.
As one of the strongest supporters of Wii U from the beginning, Ubisoft would still appear to be 100 percent committed to the platform with a host of different titles, despite the fact that Nintendo hasn't been able to build up a solid installed base.
When approached by GamesIndustry International about whether the company may reevaluate its stance on devoting resources to a struggling platform, a spokesperson told us, "As with any new console, it takes some time to grow an established base. Ubisoft has a varied and high-quality line-up for Wii U, with more big titles on the way including Rayman Legends, Watch Dogs, Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag and Splinter Cell Blacklist. We're confident that this will help in continuing to attract gamers to the Wii U system and that Nintendo will take steps to ensure that the Wii U is successful in the market."
Nintendo has a hard road ahead of itself with the Wii U, but the company has to be happy that it has a friend in Ubisoft.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...th-in-nintendo

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How Nintendo Can "Win" E3

May 19th, 2013, 00:51 Posted By: wraggster

"Effectively, Nintendo needs to relaunch the Wii U and make sure the audience understands what it is"
[h=3]Nintendo of America[/h]

Is there really such a thing as 'winning' E3? There is the external victory of being the thing most talked about in the mass media, in the game media, and on social media. Those are really three different audiences: The broadest possible audience of anyone who sees, hears or reads news; the audience of gamers who are always interested in game news, and hardcore Nintendo fans. Then there's victory internally for Nintendo, by whatever standards it chooses to set. Ultimately, it's the votes cast by consumers in the form of spending that counts.
Nintendo is heading into this E3 in a difficult position. Sales of hardware and software have not been meeting the company's projections. CEO Satoru Iwata has gone on record that he intends to deliver a billion yen in profits for Nintendo this fiscal year, and implied that he may step down if that's not achieved. This puts Nintendo in a difficult position for marketing strategy, since any marketing spending has to return a profit within the fiscal year. No long-term brand-building here; Nintendo will be looking for marketing efforts that can produce solid short-term results.
This may be the reasoning behind Nintendo's decision to forego the usual massive E3 press event, instead having a smaller media event and a separate event for trade partners and analysts. Nintendo also announced it will step up its production of Nintendo Direct videos, a cost-effective way of directly reaching Nintendo fans.
Nintendo has not shared any more about its marketing strategy, but we can make some guesses. Nintendo put out a flyer at PAX East that compared the Wii U to the Wii, clearly indicating Nintendo feels gamers aren't really sure of what the Wii U is or why they should own one. Worse, if gamers are confused, the mass market must be completely baffled. Effectively, Nintendo needs to relaunch the Wii U and make sure the audience understands what it is. Unfortunately, Nintendo will have to do this in the face of what is sure to be a major push from Sony and Microsoft for their next-gen consoles. Nintendo will need to have clear, focused television ads hitting the key demographics, and those ads will need to be memorable to overcome the barrage of ads hitting the same audience.
One of the biggest weapons Nintendo could use in this battle is a price cut for the Wii U, but that is unlikely. Nintendo's already losing money on each one sold, and dropping the price $50 would just mean an additional $50 loss on each unit. That might get made up in software sales eventually, but it would have to be at least three or four titles during a time when Nintendo doesn't have all that many compelling titles for the Wii U. Hopefully we'll see some strong Wii U software for the holiday season, more than just Pikmin 3.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...ndo-can-win-e3

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FPGA plays Mario like a champ

May 19th, 2013, 22:42 Posted By: wraggster


This isn’t an FPGA emulating Mario Bros., it’s an FPGA playing the game by analyzing the video and sending controller commands. It’s a final project for an engineering course. The ECE5760 Advanced FPGA course over at Cornell University that always provides entertainment for us every time the final projects are due.
Developed by team members [Jeremy Blum], [Jason Wright], and [Sima Mitra], the video parsing is a hack. To get things working they converted the NES’s 240p video signal to VGA. This resulted in a rolling frame show in the demo video. It also messes with the aspect ratio and causes a few other headaches but the FPGA still manages to interpret the image correctly.
Look closely at the screen capture above and you’ll see some stuff that shouldn’t be there. The team developed a set of tests used to determine obstacles in Mario’s way. The red lines signify blocks he will have to jump over. This also works for pits that he needs to avoid, with a different set of tests to detect moving enemies. Once it knows what to do the FPGA emulates the controller signals necessary, pushing them to the vintage gaming console to see him safely to the end of the first level.
We think this is more hard-core than some other autonomous Mario playing hacks just because it patches into the original console hardware instead of using an emulator.

http://hackaday.com/2013/05/19/fpga-...-like-a-champ/

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Nintendo 3DS Circle Pad Pro

May 19th, 2013, 22:43 Posted By: wraggster

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Nintendo confirms Pikmin 3, The Wonderful 101 UK release dates

May 20th, 2013, 15:39 Posted By: wraggster

Nintendo has revealed release dates for a number of upcoming Wii U games, including Pikmin 3 and Platinum's The Wonderful 101.Pikmin 3 will finally arrive in Europe on 26th July. The three new player characters were named as Alph, Charlie, Brittany, who must scour the Pikmin world for food to survive.Platinum's The Wonderful 101 will arrive on 23rd August, meanwhile.Finally, New Super Mario Bros. U's upcoming Luigi-focused DLC arrives on the eShop on 20th June. Super Luigi Bros. U, as it's named, is also getting a standalone release on 26th July. Without Mario, the game's fourth multiplayer character is the diminutive Nabbit character. He can't take damage, so is a good option for those who find the game hard, Nintendo said.Another Wii U-focused Nintendo Direct will be broadcast "around the time of E3" focusing on games due out "in the autumn and beyond" - likely Nintendo's upcoming new 3D Mario game, new Wii U Mario Kart and The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker remake.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...-release-dates

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Smash Bros, 3D Mario, Mario Kart in pre-E3 Nintendo Direct

May 20th, 2013, 15:43 Posted By: wraggster

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Mega Man 5 OST busts into the Capcom Store

May 20th, 2013, 15:47 Posted By: wraggster

The original soundtrack for Mega Man 5 is now available for $8.95 on Capcom'sofficial shop; it's almost as if they planned its release to coincide with thedebut of Mega Man 5 on the 3DS Virtual Console. What a weird coincidence!

At 57 hot jams long, Mega Man 5's soundtrack was composed by Mari Yamaguchi, who was often credited mononymously (as "Mari") for her work at Capcom. She also composed the music for Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts and several of the songs on the Breath of Fire soundtrack, in addition to handling arrangement duties for the TurboGrafx-16 version of Street Fighter 2: Champion Edition. Yamaguchi returned to the Mega Man franchise in 2010, penning the stage theme for Mega Man 10's Sheep Man.

http://www.joystiq.com/2013/05/18/me...-capcom-store/

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FIFA 14 not coming to Wii U due to poor FIFA 13 sales

May 20th, 2013, 15:59 Posted By: wraggster

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Super Mario World The Lost Episode 2 - Release

May 20th, 2013, 16:25 Posted By: wraggster

Here it is, 8 months after Super Mario World - The Lost Adventure Episode 1, isaix finally released Super Mario World The Lost Adventure Episode 2 (his second ROM hack release). This is a complete SMW hack that features 79 new levels, Over 100 custom music, custom graphics, new boss fights, new power ups, custom palettes, redesigned Overworld Map and much more…

http://www.romhacking.net/hacks/1310/

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Wii U sold just 38,000 units in the US in April - rumour

May 20th, 2013, 23:30 Posted By: wraggster

It looks like April may have been another terrible month for Wii U in the US.
A Twitter exchange between an unknown user and analyst Michael Pachter suggests that Wii U sold just 38,000 units throughout the period. Worse still, it was outsold by its predecessor the Wii which shifted 42,000.
The numbers in full:
Xbox 360 – 130k
PS3 – 100.5k
3DS – 101.5k
DS – 60k
Wii – 42k
Wii U – 38k
Vita – 15k
PS2+PSP – 7k
When presented with these numbers Pachter said they were “close� although he added the tipster was “off on 3DS/DS, though�.
With no big E3 boost expected from Nintendo next month and a huge injection of excitement incoming for both PS4 and the new Xbox, Nintendo will be hoping that some positive momentum for its machine lasts until Nintendo’s exclusive titles start to hit later this year.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/wii-u...rumour/0115837

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This week's eShop releases: Resident Evil Revelations, Donkey Kong Country Returns

May 21st, 2013, 00:44 Posted By: wraggster

Nintendo has detailed this week's eShop releases, with highlights including the digital releases of Resident Evil: Revelations and Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D.
Kirby's Dream Course and Kirby's Super Star are also released through the Wii U Virtual Console this week.We said in our Resident Evil Revelations HD review: "One of the 3DS' leading lights shines all the brighter for its transition to the big screen. A dark, brooding nautical horror story, laced with great set pieces and one hell of a twist."
In our Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D review, we labelled the game "an impressive port of a fantastic platformer", but said "there isn't enough new here for Wii owners".
This week's eShop releases

• Kirby's Dream Course (Nintendo) Wii U (Virtual Console - Super Nintendo) Nintendo eShop from 23/5/13 €7.99 (£5.49), Kirby's Dream Course is 30% off and available for only €5.59 (£3.79) for users who bought Kirby's Adventure on Nintendo eShop on their Wii U. Only until 30/5/2013, 14:59 CEST.
• Kirby Super Star (Nintendo) Wii U (Virtual Console - Super Nintendo) Nintendo eShop from 23/5/13 €7.99 (£5.49), Kirby Super Star is 30% off and available for only €5.59 (£3.79) for users who bought Kirby's Adventure on Nintendo eShop on their Wii U. Only until 30/5/2013,14:59 CEST.
• The "DENPA" MEN: They Came By Wave (Genius Sonority) Nintendo 3DS
  (Download Software) Nintendo eShop from 23/5/13 until 30/5/13, 14:59 CEST €6.39, was €7.99 (£5.69, was £7.19)
• Resident Evil Revelations (CAPCOM) Wii U (Disc/Download) Nintendo eShop from 24/5/13 €49.99 (£39.99)
• LEGO BATMAN 2: DC Super Heroes (Warner Bros.) Wii U (Disc/Download) Nintendo eShop from 24/5/13 €49.99 (£39.99)
• Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D (Nintendo) Nintendo 3DS (Card/Download) Nintendo eShop from 24/5/13 €39.99 (£34.99)
• Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Shadow Wars (Ubisoft) Nintendo 3DS (Card/Download) Nintendo eShop from 23/5/13 €19.99 (£17.99)
• PROJECT X ZONE: A Lethal Surprise Demo (NAMCO BANDAI Games) Nintendo 3DS (Card/Download) Nintendo eShop from 23/5/13, Free
• Swords & Soldiers 3D (CIRCLE Entertainment) Nintendo 3DS (Download Software) Nintendo eShop from 23/5/13 €7.00 (£5.90)
• Rabbids Rumble Demo (Ubisoft) Nintendo 3DS (Card/Download) Nintendo eShop from 23/5/13, Free
• Air Battle Hockey 3D (Agetec) Nintendo 3DS (Download Software) Nintendo eShop from 23/5/13 €4.99 (£4.49)
• Groove Heaven (Teyon) Nintendo 3DS (Download Software) Nintendo eShop from 23/5/13 €3.99 (£3.59)

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Nintendo smartphone: unofficial concept art shows a dream in action

May 21st, 2013, 00:47 Posted By: wraggster

With the Wii U performing below expectations, what if Nintendo opted to explore the smartphone market?
The folk over at T3 have imagined what a potential Nintendo smartphone may look like, and while it might be far from reality, it's undeniably appealing.
Using 3D rendering technology, the team has prepared a concept video complete with tech specs, Mii Verse integration, and - most importantly - first-party Nintendo software on a smartphone!

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...eam-in-action/

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Yakuza 1 and 2 HD to paint the Wii U red in Japan

May 21st, 2013, 00:53 Posted By: wraggster

The first Yakuza entry for a non-Sony console is Yakuza 1 and 2 HD. Nintendo announced the Wii U port in last week's Nintendo Direct. Going by this vid, the gangster classics are compatible with off-TV play. The HD combo roughs up Wii U in Japan on August 8.

http://www.joystiq.com/2013/05/20/ya...-red-in-japan/

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Wii U Basic going for $240 at Target

May 21st, 2013, 14:22 Posted By: wraggster

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3DS game giveaway gets TV ad push

May 22nd, 2013, 00:20 Posted By: wraggster

Nintendo is giving away 3DS games, and is promoting the offer via TV.
The firm’s ‘So Many Games’ promotion is a buy-three-get-one-free offer. Consumers who register three recently released 3DS titles will get a download version of a fourth one free.
The games in the promotion include Luigi’s Mansion 2, Fire Emblem: Awakening, Monster Hunter 3: Ultimate, Castlevania: Mirror of Fate, LEGO City Undercover, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon, Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D and the upcoming Animal Crossing: New Leaf.
Nintendo is already advertising the offer with online site takeovers, and the promotion will appear alongside TV ads for the games included in the offer.
“The So Many Games promotion is a great way to not only reward loyal fans, but to also reward newcomers to the Nintendo 3DS community,� said Nintendo’s junior product manager Vanisha Kavia. “There are great titles included in the promotion, and they are suited to all types of gamers.
“In terms of marketing activity, we will be promoting the trailer on YouTube as well as on our social media channels. The promotion will also be featured as a tag on all TV ads for games included in the promotion between now and the end of June and will deliver over 1,000 TVRs. So we really hope this promotion will be a success in highlighting that there has never been a better time to own a Nintendo 3DS.�

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/3ds-g...d-push/0115897

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x86'd: How PC architecture could push Nintendo out of the next gen

May 22nd, 2013, 00:44 Posted By: wraggster

It didn't take long for console warriors, fanboys and a brutal media to take aim at Nintendo's Wii U. The fledgling system was relentlessly teased for its name (seemingly even sillier than that of its predecessor) and a list of specifications certain to be outdone by its competitors. The device's novel tablet controller stayed judgment for a short time, but it didn't last long -- a weak launch lineup, a slow operating system and software delays soured an already judgmental community.
Wii U detractors eventually climbed atop their soapboxes to issue their final verdicts: Nintendo is doomed. A premature prophecy, perhaps, but one that became increasingly difficult to argue with: diminishing sales and third-party desertion set a negative tone for the Wii U's future. Dedicated fans (this editor among them) quickly fell into a defensive position, dismissing EA's abandonment of the platform with promises of Nintendo's own first-party wonders. Optimism reigns supreme. Still, with bothMicrosoft and Sony's cards on the table, it's clear that Nintendo is about to take another hit.

http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/21/x...e-vs-nintendo/

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Wii U 3.0.1 system update released

May 23rd, 2013, 01:28 Posted By: wraggster

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18 Wii homebrew updates

May 23rd, 2013, 15:01 Posted By: wraggster

I’ve updated a bunch of my homebrew programs. There have been no actual gameplay changes, but like the last couple things I released for Wii (Wii Chatter v0.3 and They Do Not Die 2 v0.9) they have a newer home menu and have all been compiled with more up to date libraries so a ton of bugs have been corrected (newer wiimotes for example are now compatible).
CascadeBeneath v1.2 for Wii
CubicleShooter v0.5 for Wii
Cherophobe v1.3 for Wii
CylinderDodge v1.2 for Wii
DontGetCrushed v1.3 for Wii
ElongatedReptile v0.3 for Wii
GoodbyeWorld v1.4 for Wii
HeroCity2 v1.5 for Wii
HeroCity v0.7 for Wii
MazeGenerator v1.6 for Wii
SketchFight v0.5 for Wii
SlimeRoll v0.4 for Wii
ThreePointO v1.4 for Wii
TwoPointFive v1.3 for Wii
UFORacer v3.6 for Wii
WeAreNowhere v0.5 for Wii
WiiExhibit v0.5 for Wii
WintersEnd v1.3 for Wii

http://thatotherdev.com/2013/05/20/1...ebrew-updates/

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InsmEdit 1.2 adds monster editor

May 23rd, 2013, 15:05 Posted By: wraggster

InsmEdit version 1.2 has been released by HorvatM.

Quote:

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ResidualVM 0.2

May 23rd, 2013, 15:10 Posted By: wraggster

Wiimpathy has updated his port on Wii, the interpreter ResidualVM dedicated to the implementation of LucasArts 3D games (Grim Fandango and Escape from Monkey Island) on PC.



New / Fixes:

- Updated with the latest sources (GitHub) of ResidualVM
- New code to the file system
- Compiled with another library SDL Wii (better sound, more crackling in cutscenes)
- Added flag "SDL_DOUBLEBUF "
- Added residualvm.ini default, with the speed set to 100 (= 100 engine_speed) file The author states that this new version, the framerate is improved (although still frames are lost), the cutscenes work quite well and it runs better in-game. Note that only Grim Fandango is playable on Wii. ResidualVM 0.2

http://wii.gx-mod.com/modules/news/a...p?storyid=3176

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QuadForce 4.0

May 23rd, 2013, 15:10 Posted By: wraggster

Recent donations (thank you to donors) for the project QuaForce Wii cMIOS to launch the games Triforce (the arcade version of the Gamecube), have given to Crediar taste of updates, which are linked at a rate supported. This new version gives pride to play Virtua Striker 4, which becomes compatible and playable with two locally. WARNING: it is a cMIOS which replaces the original mIOS (or Dios Mio / Dios Mio Lite)! Once installed, QuadForce will no longer launch the Gamecube games (to find the GC compatibility, it will be essential to reinstall the original mIOS or Dios Mio / Dios Mio Lite. To this end, it is recommended to install a NAND QuadForce virtualized.





New / Fixes:

- Added support for Virtua Striker 4, playable both locally QuadForce 4.0 Official website: https://twitter.com/crediar

http://wii.gx-mod.com/modules/news/a...p?storyid=3177

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Hack the Wii U GamePad!

May 23rd, 2013, 15:11 Posted By: wraggster

Developers are working on a Wii U GamePad hack that should allow full use of the controller on a PC in the future.
To help us wait, they posted a video showing that you can already emulate GamePad on a PC.



Official site: https://twitter.com/delroth

http://wii.gx-mod.com/modules/news/a...p?storyid=3178

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TempGBA version 1.40, DSTwo Exclusive GBA Emulator

May 23rd, 2013, 15:16 Posted By: wraggster

In the past few months we've seen TempGBA grow from a NDSGBA source code request to becoming a reality, thanks to the efforts of 'temp members and DSTwo coder Nebuleon. Now marks another achievement by bringing the emulator out of beta and releasing version 1.40. As always, be sure to join the ongoing discussion and grab the newest edition of this DSTwo exclusive Gameboy Advance emulator via the links below.


Change Log (05/19/13) said:


Based on beta 14, not beta 15. •Add the option to play games on the Lower Screen instead of the Upper Screen (GitHub issue #12).
•Add the option to start games from the GBA BIOS (logo) (GitHub issue #9).
•Make the FPS counter disappear if it has insufficient data: when switching games and when entering the menu.
•The game-specific button mapping interface now shows the global mappings with '(global)' next to their DS button. This better conveys the entire set of mappings that apply to a game (GitHub issue #19).
•The most recently played ROM now goes to the top instead of the bottom (GitHub issue #21).
•The text colors are now loaded in TEMPGBA/SYSTEM/GUI/uicolors.txt for theming (GitHub issue #7).

https://github.com/Nebuleon/TempGBA

via http://gbatemp.net/

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Wood R4iDSN v1.59, Update

May 23rd, 2013, 15:18 Posted By: wraggster

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Shunyuan's HLE Audio Plugin 1.7.1u1

May 23rd, 2013, 15:25 Posted By: wraggster

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

Audio plugin for Nintendo 64 emulators has been updated. Changes:
- fix XAudio2 crash at pj64 1.7.0.50b23;
- fix audio speed up issue reported by nintendo1889;
- fix pj64 1.7.0.50b23 compatibility error reported by Goldlink11.
File: Download
News source: http://forum.pj64-emu.com

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RockNES 5.09

May 23rd, 2013, 15:26 Posted By: wraggster

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

NES emulator has been updated recently. Changes:
- Fixed PPU timing.
- Fixed PPU open bus emulation.
- Fixed APU reset, uninitialized flags.
- Fixed APU sweep unit.
- Fixed joypad i/o code, added 4016h/4017h extra reads.
- Fixed mapper 1 (MMC1) startup bank values, and MMC3 PPU IRQ timing.
- Fixed a potential crash when blitter 0 (256x240) was set on startup.
- Fixed base address selection on disassembler.
- Fixed gameplay joypad data logging driver, also known as NES movies.
- Fixed a bug when resetting the video context.
- Added a GUI option to see the current video context.
- Added mapper 89 (Tenka no Goikenban: Mito Koumon).
- Added a new screen blitter, stretched to 640x480 pixelated.
- Added five choices of RGB palettes for VS System mapper.
- Added option for printing the FPS (frames per second) value on screenshots.
- Added option for resetting the savestate slot number on ROM loading.
- Added a check for mapper 20, reserved for Famicom Disk System only.
- Added message errors if sound startup fails.
- Joypad data block on savestate now includes the number of reads, up to 8.
- The graphics mode settings are reset to defaults and saved on gfx errors.
- Disabled keys F6 and F7 when the FDS driver isn't active.
- Removed the option of disabling register $4011.
- Other minor fixes, various changes in the GUI, usual code cleanups.
- Software documentation updated.
File: Download
News source: http://rocknes.web.fc2.com

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E3 2013: New Nintendo Direct set for June 11

May 23rd, 2013, 23:52 Posted By: wraggster

The next Nintendo Direct will showcase the future of Wii U on June 11, the platform holder has confirmed.It’ll be livestreamed on June 11 at 3pm UK time, that’s 10am Eastern and 7am Pacific.Nintendo has already confirmed that it will show off a new Super Mario and Mario Kart game at E3, and it is also expected to show the new Super Smash Bros game for the first time.The Nintendo Direct will replace the Nintendo’s traditional press conference, as the Japanese company announced last month it would not be holding a ‘large scale’ E3 showcase. It has, however, invited the press to a hands-on event on the E3 show floor.

http://www.edge-online.com/news/e3-2...t-for-june-11/

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US Nintendo eShop update: Kirby trio hits Wii U

May 24th, 2013, 01:19 Posted By: wraggster

Kirby takes the spotlight in this week's Nintendo eShop update for the US region.
Three Kirby titles are released today for the Wii U Virtual Console, and Nintendo is backing that up with a sale that offers all three for the price of two.Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D is the highlight for 3DS owners.
Here's the full list:
Nintendo eShop on Wii U
Kirby's Dream Land 3 - Kirby must once again save the day when the mischievous King Dedede starts causing trouble. Always armed with his trusty ability to swallow enemies and gain special attacks, Kirby can also unite with some of his animal friends and make use of their particular talents. Featuring detailed graphics and challenging boss battles, Kirby's Dream Land 3 is a classic.
Kirby's Dream Course - High above Dream Land, players can pitch and putt Kirby through a maze of obstacles on a zany checkerboard golf course. Kirby's Copy Abilities must be put to good use in order to complete each course. Players must sink Kirby into the hole to advance to the next stage as they clear all eight courses - 64 holes in all.
Kirby Super Star - In Kirby Super Star, the iconic round, pink hero will have to journey through six main games and two mini-games, finishing with the ultimate showdown in the Arena, to defeat King Dedede. Each game offers its own story and variation of platforming action, as well as unique environments and an assortment of enemies. There's never a dull moment as Kirby dashes, flies and fights.
Virtual Console on Wii U Special Kirby Offer
Classic Kirby titles for Wii U - Nintendo announces the release of three classic Kirby titles for the Wii U console: Kirby's Dream Land 3, Kirby's Dream Course and Kirby Super Star. As a bonus for fans, we're making it easy to get them all at a great price. Simply purchase two games from the Nintendo eShop on Wii U to get the third for free. This offer ends at 9 a.m. PT on May 30.

Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS
Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D - Donkey Kong swings to the Nintendo 3DS system in this barrel-blasting, rail-riding, ground-pounding adventure. The original Donkey Kong Country Returns game has been rebuilt and optimized for portable play. Play the game in Original Mode or New Mode, and unlock eight new, challenging levels not available in the original Wii game.
Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS Sale
THE "DENPA" MEN: They Came By Wave - Collect Denpa Men from many different places on a role-playing journey to rescue a certain special someone from the clutches of the King of Evil. Now through May 30, get THE "DENPA" MEN: They Came by Wave for 20 percent off exclusively in the Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS.
Also new this week:

• NARUTO Powerful Shippuden (Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS)
  
• Groove Heaven (Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS)

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Can the Wii U Survive Against the PS4 and Xbox One?

May 26th, 2013, 01:28 Posted By: wraggster

Now that both Sony and Microsoft have announced their next-gen consoles, and we've gotten solid information about their hardware, technology, and features, Eurogamer asks whether Nintendo's struggling Wii U will be able to hold its own once the new competition arrives. 'Wii U has tanked — there's no other way to put it — with even the release of traditional big-hitters like Dragon Quest 10 failing to make a dent in the Japanese market. If you believe certain analysts, April saw things getting even worse in the U.S. with the Wii U shifting under 40,000 units, easily outsold by the 360 and PS3 — and, even more embarrassingly, the Wii.' If the Wii U doesn't see a miraculous turnaround, Nintendo may be left with the difficult choice of whether to port its software to competing consoles. It'll also serve as a bellwether to see if the big gamer complaint about the new Sony and Microsoft consoles — that they're only partly about games — is honest. 'At a time when the goal of its competitors is to own the living room, the extent of Nintendo's ambition is simply to be in it — a dedicated games console, and no more.'"

http://games.slashdot.org/story/13/0...4-and-xbox-one

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Wii U sales boost following Xbox One reveal

May 26th, 2013, 01:50 Posted By: wraggster

Sales of the Wii U have rocketed on Amazon.co.uk in the days following Microsoft’s Xbox One reveal.
As spotted by Nintendo Life, last night the Wii U Premium machine had climbed from 243^rd in the retailer’s ‘Movers and Shakers’ list to 50^th, with sales increasing 386 per cent.
At the time of writing the same SKU is sitting in 51^st, up from 160^th, with a sales increase of 213 per cent.
Sales of Wii accessories such as the Sensor Bar, charging docks and WiiMotes have also climbed significantly.
There’s no way to tell if the boost is merely temporary or whether there will be a wider and more long-lasting uplift for the device, presumably amidst disillusionment with what Microsoft had to show on Tuesday.
And it’s important to note that as Wii U is starting from such an incredibly small sales base, it will need to not only maintain this new momentum but grow it if it is to reverse its fortunes. But this will certainly be some welcome good news for the UK office this morning.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/b/ref=sv_vg_...ode=1659393031

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Wii U Wii U Wii U: Is it time to call an ambulance for Nintendo's console?

May 26th, 2013, 22:32 Posted By: wraggster

An early prototype for the Wii's controller was an accelerometer-equipped disc you gripped in both hands, with a huge star-shaped button in the middle surrounded by smaller buttons. It was made out of orange plastic, so Nintendo's hardware team nicknamed it the cheddar cheese. Surprisingly enough, no-one liked it. Cheddar cheese was simple enough to use, and accurate, but it looked weird - and Nintendo's developers thought it unsuited to the company's own software.Nevertheless cheddar cheese was an important stepping-stone for Nintendo. It demonstrated that innovation is not just about new experiences, but their form factor. Originality had to be matched to simplicity and desirability. Such thinking led to the brilliance of the Wii remote, and a sales phenomenon. With Wii U and its gamepad, there's more than a whiff of cheddar cheese.Nintendo's figures for the Wii U's first months on sale, from November through to March, are terrible. The headline number of 3.45 million units sold worldwide isn't the killer fact, but the split behind it: 3.06 million of those came in the first month. Since that point Wii U has tanked - there's no other way to put it - with even the release of traditional big-hitters like Dragon Quest 10 failing to make a dent in the Japanese market. If you believe certain analysts, April saw things getting even worse in the US with the Wii U shifting under 40,000 units, easily outsold by the 360 and PS3 - and, even more embarrassingly, the Wii.Satoru Iwata recently took on the extra responsibility of being Nintendo of America's CEO, which the company said would make them more “agile.� In other words they want Nintendo of Japan's decisions to be executed faster.

These numbers fall well below Nintendo's original aim to sell 5.5 million units - though even that estimate hints at rather modest ambitions. What happened? It is worth remembering, first of all, what the Wii U had to follow. In the DS and Wii markets Nintendo, through a combination of luck and design genius, created a captive audience that will pay them for years to come, and one the company is still trying to guide upstream. This is a point often missed - Nintendo's unusual devices have an audience that is equally unusual for the games industry, i.e. normal people.Wii U's gamepad is a less obvious sell than the Wii remote was, and not nearly as instantly exciting. The bigger difference is software. Nintendo launched Wii with the greatest pack-in title ever made, and then Wii U came with Nintendo Land - a rather half-hearted run through classic rides of yesteryear. There have been nice uses for the gamepad in a lot of Wii U titles, but the concept hasn't yet been the foundation of anything.This is important because it's the crux of Nintendo's business philosophy: creative hardware drives developers to make creative software. It's something that, with the DS for example, was a spectacular success - though largely because Nintendo themselves led the way. But it comes with one gigantic problem. Many console developers, and particularly the big publishers, are less interested in being creative than they are in following templates. And you have to sympathise with that position. Original or even branded IPs with new takes on interaction are risky business in the mainstream, and can also be deadly - witness THQ's doomed attempt at doing a Nintendo with Udraw. The Wii, outside of a few outlier hits like Carnival Games and Just Dance, was not good for thirdparties.2. One interesting tidbit lost in the brouhaha about sales figures is that, as reported in the Japan Times, Nintendo are making it easy for tablet games to be ported to Wii U. This bleeds nicely into the advent of devices to make the Gamepad portable.

Combine this traditional feature of a Nintendo platform with a low installed base and, as one of EA's Senior Software Engineers employee put it in an unguarded moment, "Nintendo are walking dead at this point.". Third parties become less committed, or even walk. Exclusives like Rayman Legends have been lost and then there's the recent will they/won't they EA saga, with the publisher appearing to confirm it was not supporting Wii U at all, then swiftly rowing back on this.EA's position is terrible news for Nintendo, regardless, because what is clear is that its biggest titles are definitely not coming to Wii U. EA blamed the decision on poor sales of FIFA 13 but this isn't just about sports - or even EA. Wii U is unlikely to see cross-platform versions of games built using the Frosbite tech or Unreal Engine 4, and will undoubtedly lose on this particular front in the next-gen war - though it's one which, in fairness to Nintendo, it was never interested in.The prime turf on which Microsoft and Sony will tussle is often assumed to be the only console market, even though Nintendo created its own shard with Wii. But there's a bigger assumption behind this. It is that PS4 and Xbone are going to launch serenaded by the sound of cash tills, quickly acquiring large installed bases and shifting enough software to keep Peter Moore's goatee nicely trimmed.The idea that the market is desperate for new consoles has widespread currency in the specialist press. Once Microsoft and Sony are on the scene, goes the wisdom, Nintendo are a goner - Christmas 2013 ain't no place for a gamepad. That may be true. But consider this scenario: Microsoft and Sony launch with incremental improvements on the same old software we're used to playing at around £400 apiece. Nintendo, with Wii U officially under £200 by then, crack out the heavy artillery and give us a show: the first high-definition 3D Mario, Mario Kart U, Zelda (all confirmed for this financial year), alongside Autumn releases like Pikmin 3 and the Wonderful 101. That is a real choice for consumers, especially hard-up parents, and not one with a predictable answer.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...tendos-console

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Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers dated for Europe this September

May 26th, 2013, 22:36 Posted By: wraggster

Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers, the latest of the long-running RPG series about young folks with super powers that fight and collect demons, is due in Europe on 13th September courtesy of publisher NIS America.Soul Hackers, a first-person turn-based RPG, was already released in North America on 16th April, where it was generally well received.This latest version of Soul Hackers is a remake of a remake as the original game, Devil Summoner: Souls Hackers, was released for Sega Saturn in 1997 in Japan only. An enhanced version was later released on PSone, but this 3DS version marks the game's western debut.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...this-september

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Mega Man X coming to Wii U Virtual Console on May 30

May 26th, 2013, 22:56 Posted By: wraggster

Nintendo recently posted a trailer for Mega Man X to its YouTube channel showing the game in action on the Wii U Game Pad. The SNES game will launch on the Wii U Virtual Console next week, on May 30, to be exact.

Meanwhile, Super Metroid is still 30 cents, the service will see more Game Gear titles and Earthbound is coming this year. We're just saying, the Wii U's Virtual Console offerings are looking pretty hot right about now.

http://www.joystiq.com/2013/05/25/me...ole-on-may-30/

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bASMic IDE (24-04-2013) (GBA misc)

May 27th, 2013, 00:53 Posted By: wraggster

via http://pdroms.de/gameboyadvance/basm...-2013-gba-misc

bASMic IDE by WriteASM is a BASIC and ASM integrated development environment for the GBA (coded in 100% ARM7TDMI ARM and THUMB ASM.)

http://forum.gbadev.org/viewtopic.php?t=17936

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Link's Awakening Level Editor - Release

May 27th, 2013, 00:57 Posted By: wraggster

After over a year in making, LALE is finally ready for its release. This hacking tool is designed for Link’s Awakening DX on the Gameboy Color and has all the tools needs for a basic ROM hack including a text editor.

http://www.romhacking.net/utilities/966/

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No$gba 2.7

May 27th, 2013, 01:30 Posted By: wraggster

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

GBA and NDS emulator for Dos and Windows has been updated recently. Changes:
- help: updated gbatek standalone version 2.7 (around fifty news since 2.5)
- sizing: added game window sizing support in NDS mode, and in multimachine mode
- multimachine: fixed some bugs on adding/removing additional NDS machines
- dos: fixed destroyed ebx register in memory handle resizing function
- dos: fixed missing nds_color_xlat re-initialization on dos video mode changes
- dos: fixed wrong resolution in 320x200pix mode (emu-vga mov cx,320 for lowres)
- gba/help: added partial gba wireless adapter details
- gba/help: added gameboy player detect/unlock/rumble info (thanks flubba)
- nds/help: added expansion ram detection/unlocking info (thanks rick lick wong)
- gui: created own help engine (instead of microcrap's suicidal windows .hlp)
- gui: added dos/windows help engines to gaming-versions (with short help text)
- internal: uses new overlay engine for help.pak, xmit-nds.pak, pockclon.pak
- removed bg_gif feature (no$gmb relict that was probably never used in no$gba)
- gba/help: added video interlace info (thanks damian yerrik)
- debugmsg: added optional dma-transfer and serial-port (normal mode) logging
- debugmsg: changed debug message window to use nonproportional fixedwidth font
- debugmsg: added new debug I/O ports 4FFFAxxh (alternate to old "mov r12,r12")
- debugmsg/help: added info on no$gba (and ensata) debug pseudo I/O ports
- cpu: supports "blx lr" (both arm and thumb) (used by FF4) (thanks X-0D X-0D)
- cpu: supports 2nd half of thumb-bl-opcode (used by MarioGolfAdvanceTour.gba)
- a22i: fixed thumb add rd,=adr (unsigned 8bit offset, not 7bit with 1bit sign)
- a22i: recognizes thumb add/sub rx,ry as short-form for add/sub rx,rx,ry
- a22i: recognizes thumb labels starting with "b" (were treated as "b{cond}")
- a22i: accepts thumb ldr/str rd,[sp] with omitted zero-immediate offset
- pockstat: emulates sony pocketstation (uses arm cpu too, otherwise offtopic)
- debug: added new emu-detection and string/character-output (via port 4FFFAxxh)
- laptop/controls: backspace disables delays (same as keypad+ on real keyboards)
- nds/wifi: emulates aid_low and aid_full masking, stats masking, stats auto_res
- nds/3d: soft-detail: emulates disp_1dot_depth (if enabled checks all w-coords)
- nds/3d/help: added note that disp_1dot_depth checks all vertices of the poly
- nds/3d/help: added note that disp_1dot_depth is actually a 0dot_depth check
- nds/3d/help: added note that disp_1dot_depth always uses W-coord (not Z-coord)
- nds/3d: stores disp_1dot_depth changes as pseudo gx command in command buffer
- nds/3d: soft-detail: emulates depth_equal tolerance, raised frac_z from 5 to 6
- nds/3d/help: added info on depth_equal tolerance (+/-200h within 24bit range)
- nds/3d/help: added disabled alpha_blend info (size reduction, rgba overwrite)
- nds/3d: soft-detail: reduces size of translucent polys if alpha-blend disabled
- nds/timing-fix: prevents dumbloop-trick on legitimate div/sqrt-busy waitloops
- nds/3d: soft-detail: bypasses alpha-blending when framebuf alpha=0 (rearplane)
- nds/3d: soft-detail: bypasses alpha-blending when master-disabled in disp3dcnt
- nds/3d: soft-accuracy: boxtest uses new soft3d clipping code (for all 6 quads)
- nds/3d/help: added alpha-blending formulas (for blending polygon vs framebuf)
- gba-micro/help: added note on slower 256K main ram (crashes when overclocked)
- gba-micro/help: added case/joypad ascii-arts, mentioned unsupported dmg/cgb
- gba-micro/help: added pinouts for supply/sio/phones/lcd/backlight/powerchips
- nds/3d: soft-detail: supports alpha_test_ref (if enabled) (full range 0..31)
- nds/3d: soft-accuracy: raised div_w resolution from 40000000h/w to FFFFFFFFh/w
- nds/3d/help: corrected alpha_test_ref (hide if below-or-equal) (instead below)
- nds/3d/help: added notes on edge-marking problems (with translucent polygons)
- nds/3d/help: added fog blending formula, added note on fog glitch (1st alpha)
- nds/3d: soft-detail: applies fog when enabled (depth/flag/color/alpha/mode)
- nds/3d: soft-detail: explodes fog_table (only if enabled and only if changed)
- nds/3d: soft-bugfix: fixed transulcent mask (new id only, not new OR old id)
- debug/profiler: fixed crash in the profiler list window (occured in v2.6b)

P.S. Due to new author's rules newest version of this emulator is available only for those people who will donate some money, everyone else will get it only after release of the next version.
News source: http://nocash.emubase.de

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Shunyuan's HLE Audio Plugin 1.7.1u5

May 27th, 2013, 01:32 Posted By: wraggster

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

Audio plugin for Nintendo 64 emulators has been updated. Changes:
- playback rate support 192 KHz;
- playback bits support 24 bits (now support 16 ~ 24 bit playback);
- fix no audio of Top Gear Rally (USA).
File: Download
News source: http://forum.pj64-emu.com