tgaWave Creative Studio v1.0

March 1st, 2007, 00:04 Posted By: wraggster

Updated release from Vulpix:

After a couple days of work I an updated release of tgaWave CS. I have done 10 versions of this program, several did not work. The version that I consider "classic" is the .5 release, though .8 is the release that changed everything. Now at the 1.00 release we have fixed a lot of the bugs, and I have learnt a lot in the process of creating this hack. I have learned not only to not quit a project because of something dumb, but to continue it until it is finished. Thanks to all that helped me find and make applications to make this program poss-
ible. And finally, a huge shout out to nicinico, who has worked behind the scenes fixing minor mistakes that I have made along the way. Without nicinico, I could not make 1.00 a reality. Enough of my monolog, and more of the program. Enjoy the 1.00 point release, and let your PSP customization fly free with the waves!

johny5_flash BETA V0.1

March 1st, 2007, 00:07 Posted By: wraggster

Johny 5 posted this news/release:

This is an app for custom firmware 3.03 OE-C and above!

This app can:
--Merge your 12 bmps
--flash bmp
--flash topmenu created by this xmb icon maker
--flash XMBWave (system_plugin_bg.rco)
--flash different fonts
--flash gameboot.pmf
--flash location free player
--flash battery icons
--flash opening plugin boot sound+gameboot "psp gameboot logo"
--flash custom files from CUSTOMIZATIONS folder
--flash from backup files
--Backup function!
--Free up flash0 space!
--Backup ALL flash0

***I TAKE NO CREDIT FOR THESE APPS!***
Also includes apps:
--kgsws xmb icon maker
--XMBWave Credits:Kgsws, DarkStone,vb_master!
--TGAWave Credits: DarkStone, vb_master, autopopstation4, Y.F. Gamzun,
nicinico, Al-Zamli
--PSP Submenu Icon Injector v1.1-GUI Credits: dark420bishop
--rco icon editor-GUI Credits:ZiNgA BuRgA
--volume colors Credits:Zinga for the RCO editor
--wave_attack Credits:Sulpher Dragon Also couldn't of been made
without original icon hackers

To find out how to use Please read the readme!

I made this application because i found it taking too long to go through and copy files from the pc to the psp then to flash. I made this for personal use but i realized it can be of good use to many people. It includes lots of great apps created by other dev's not me AND I TAKE NO CREDIT FOR THEIR WORK. I wanted to add great apps like these in mine because i wanted something that i can use so that i wouldn't have to go looking around all over my computer (i have a lot of stuff on my computer considering i have 600gb of memory ) so i added all of the things into one great app that will convert/create files then also flash them!
NOTE YOU MUST RUN THIS APPLICATION FROM YOUR PC TO PSP VIA FLASH0 USB IMPLEMENTED IN 3.03 OE-C AND 3.1X OE+ recovery

please leave feedback and your thoughts
please report bugs!

http://www.sendspace.com/file/yxlnis

THIS IS BETA AND DOES HAVE BUGS INCLUDING XMB_BATTERY AND COLDBOOT SO PLZ DON'T TRY THOSE 2 FUNCTIONS I WILL FIX IN BETA V0.2 TOMORROW

Zune firmware update 1.3 due for mid-March

March 1st, 2007, 00:15 Posted By: wraggster

via engadget

It takes a certain amount of spirit to be a Zune user in the first place, so when the few, the proud discovered odd bugs in their precious "social" DAPs, and then learned that Microsoft was not only not fixing these problems, but not even confirming a fix was in the works, you can imagine the outcry was rather vocal. Well, the Zune Insider blog has finally spoken up on the subject, and is promising a 1.3 firmware update around March 20th to fix the most obvious of problems, such as Zune Marketplace content skipping, FM tuner battery drainage, and syncing hassles. Unfortunately, the other vocal half of the social, the ones with few bugs, but a whole lot of feature requests, is going to get shafted with this update -- still no wireless syncing, still no podcasting, still no transmogrifier. At least Microsoft has confirmed those requests, and says the Zune team is "working on making Zune better," and not just blowing all the Zune cash on hip-cool ads.

More Info

Know your roots: The history of consoles (1972-2006)

March 1st, 2007, 00:18 Posted By: wraggster

via joystiq

The Game Console provides a concise reference on the history of console video games from Magnavox's 1972 Odyssey all the way up to the recently launched Wii. Though not complete, photos of the hardware, retail boxes, controllers and game media do accompany the profiled systems. How can we know where we're going, if we don't know where we've been? Your 10,000 word essays are due Friday by 5pm EST.

More Info --> http://www.thegameconsole.com/

WiiCade Unlocks the Wii Remote for Flash Developers

March 1st, 2007, 00:20 Posted By: wraggster

via wiicade

WiiCade is proud to announce the immediate availability of software that unlocks Nintendo Wii Remote functionality previously unavailable to online video games. This Application Programmer Interface (API) allows Flash developers to utilize the full range of buttons on the wireless remote device. Additionally, the API gives developers the potential to detect multiple, simultaneous button presses without interfering with the pointing capabilities of the remote; a feature not seen in previous APIs.

The intuitive nature of the API provides a wealth of other conveniences and advantages. One of the most innovative features of the API is that it automatically uses keyboard keys to emulate the functionality of the Nintendo Wii Remote on desktop computer systems. This allows games that utilize the remote to be played on a desktop computer without any additional code. Since the API offers the full range of buttons on the Nintendo Wii Remote, it also provides a clear method of circumventing the A button’s inherent rapid-detection limitations. A limitation that has been crippling to many online games.

By far, the best feature of the API is its easy-to-understand interface. Developers wishing to make their game Wii-ready only need to follow a few simple steps that are outlined on the WiiCade.com website. First, they download the ActionScript interface and include it in their working directory. Next, they paste a few common lines of code to initialize the “WiiMote” object. Lastly, the developer replaces their “Key.isDown” API calls with “WiiMote.isDown” calls, as outlined in the interface's documentation. This prepares the game to be exported and uploaded to WiiCade, where the rest of the work will be handled by server-side files.

It can be found Here

Sony and Nintendo Make the Emulators of the Year ?

March 1st, 2007, 00:48 Posted By: wraggster

The Homebrew and Emulation Scene has seen some great Emulators over the years, Snes9X, Zsnes, Mame (in all its versions), Bleem, Ultrahle, Project64, Chankast.

Those Emulators have brought many thousands to the Homebrew and Emulation Arena, since those emulators have come and gone we havent had the buzz of a killer emulator since then.

That is until the last few months, the might of Sony and Nintendo have jumped into the Emulation Scene with their own emulators for the PSP and Nintendo Wii.

Spread This News



Sonys PS1 Emulator
-------------------------

Sony who using bullyboy tactics killed of Bleem and VGS have released what is the best emulator easily of the last year. The Playstation Emulator works at full speed with sound and decent controls in a widescreen on the Playstation Portable. The Emulator is being released in a single game format with PSX Games on the PS Network Shop. Luckily for the Homebrew Scene, Dark Alex released a custom firmware that opened up the emulator and now thousands of PSP Homebrew fans are enjoying all their favourite PSOne games in both NTSC and PAL format. Just about every game is perfect.

So well done Sony, for a company who hates emulators you have made the best one so far.

Nintendo`s Emulators for Wii
------------------------------------

The Nintendo Wii is an amazing console, not as powerful as the PS3 and Xbox360 but so unique it is gathering fans from all over the globe.

The Virtual Console is an awesome way to buy your favourite classic games and relive the best years of gaming.

For this Nintendo has written some excellent emulators for the Wii, So far we have Snes, Nes, PC Engine, Sega Genesis, Nintendo 64 and within the next few months NeoGeo and MSX.

Nintendo have done what most homebrew coders take years to do and thats get fullspeed emulators for the consoles mentioned above and with that in mind have dealt the homebrew community a major blow. Most Homebrewers love Emulators and with Nintendo covering most of the best systems already the need to write emulators for the Wii lessens.

Conclusion
-------------

It feels strange as a fan of Homebrew and Emulators for over 12 years to be thanking Sony and Nintendo. But this year they deserve all the thanks from all corners of the emulation scene for the best emulators released in the last year.

Thanks Again Sony and Nintendo

Spread This News



Do you agree or disagree with this article, answer via comments.

Xider on DS, Sega Planning New Daytona?

March 1st, 2007, 01:12 Posted By: JKKDARK

via cubed3

In what has been quite a busy day for news, a new games publisher has revealed its DS plans and a rumour has appeared about Sega resurrecting the Daytona racing franchise. First of all there is news of Xider stating it will release twelve games across the DS and PC throughout 2007. However, before getting your hopes too high, none of its DS projects have been announced yet. What is interesting to note, though, is that it will be bringing Telltale Games' previously download-only title 'Bone' to retail on PC, plus a sequel to Ankh. With Telltale's current love for Nintendo's Wii, could that be spreading over to the DS as well, via Xider? You can only hope so...

As for the Sega news, long-running UK Industry favourite EDGE recently held an interview with Sega's Racing Studio in which there was a suggestion made that a new entry in the Daytona racing series could well make an appearance...at some point in the future...and that the team is definitely a big fan of previous Daytona games. Vague? Most definitely. So certainly do not hold your breath for this one.

PokeSmot's Custom XMB Wave's for PSP

March 1st, 2007, 06:28 Posted By: 420tongboker420

New Custom XMB wave's I made first time ever doing anything like this. Hope you guys like them
Enjoy

Works on 3.03 OE-C and 3.10 OE-A
Read the Read ME!!!!!!

anybody got some ideas email me

420pokesmot420@gmail.com

Download Via Comments

Gaming Release Round Up for this Week

March 1st, 2007, 07:31 Posted By: wraggster

Heres all the import gaming releases for this week from Play Asia

PlayStation3™:
Gundam Musou JPN US$ 69.90
Gundam Musou ASIA US$ 64.90
HDMI Cable HG Metal US$ 29.90
PlayStation3 Console (HDD 60GB Model) w/ Gundam Musou - 110V JPN US$ 649.00

Nintendo Wii™:
Densha de Go! Shinkansen EX: Sanyou Shinkansen Hen JPN US$ 59.90
Densha de Go! Shinkansen EX: Sanyou Shinkansen Hen [Gift Pack] JPN US$ 99.90
Densha de Go! Shinkansen Sanyou Controller Wii JPN US$ 69.90

PlayStation2™:
Akudaikan 3 JPN US$ 59.90
Interlude (Best Version) JPN US$ 32.90
Interlude (Best Version) [Pandora Box] JPN US$ 49.90
Relaxuma: Ojama Shitemasu 2 Shuukan (Best Version) JPN US$ 32.90

Nintendo DS™:
Asonde Igo ga Tsuyoku naru!! Ginsei Igo DS JPN US$ 48.90
Asonde Shogi ga Tsuyoku Naru !! Ginsei Shogi DS JPN US$ 48.90
Bakegyamon: Ayakashi Fighting JPN US$ 48.90
Super Robot Taisen W JPN US$ 58.90
Unou no Tatsujin: Soukai! Machigai Museum JPN US$ 39.90

Magazines, Toys & Misc:
Animal Crossing Character Bottle Phone Strap Gashapon (Theater Version) JPN US$ 2.49
Animal Crossing Houses, Figures or Accessories Gashapon (Theater Version) JPN US$ 3.99
Arcadia Magazine [April 2007] JPN US$ 12.90
Dragon Quest Monster Mascot Collection 2 - Minisize Mobile Mascot US$ 3.49
FA4 Fate/Hollow Ataraxia Collection Figure US$ 6.99
Fairy Musketeers Konami Figure Collection Vol.2 JPN US$ 4.49
Famitsu Wave DVD [April 2007] JPN US$ 16.50
Fate/Hollow Ataraxia 1/7 Scale Pre-painted PVC Figure - Saber With Beach Ball (Bikini Version) US$ 47.90
Final Fantasy XII Play Arts Action Figure - Ashe US$ 38.90
Final Fantasy XII Play Arts Action Figure - Balthier N/A
Final Fantasy XII Play Arts Action Figure - Judge Maser Gabranth N/A
Final Fantasy XII Play Arts Action Figure - Vaan US$ 38.90
Neon Genesis Evangelion Pre-painted PVC Metamo Figure: Soryu Asuka Langley US$ 36.90
New Super Mario Bros. Pouch JPN US$ 2.99
Pia Carrot G.O. Pre-painted PVC Figure: Ayano Kunugi (Swimsuit Ver.) JPN US$ 46.90
Premium Heroines SNK Beach Volley JPN US$ 7.99
Zero no Tsukaima 1/8 Scale Pre-painted PVC Figure - Louise US$ 49.90

Video Game related Soundtracks:
Neo Angelique - Romantic Gift - JPN US$ 36.90
Reijo Tantei -Office Love Jikenbo- Original Soundtrack JPN US$ 27.90
Spica - Kokoro ga Tsumugu Okurimono - Ar tonelico hymmnos musical JPN US$ 29.90
Super Eurobeat Presents Initial D Fourth Stage Non-Stop Mega Mix With Battle Digest [2CD+DVD] JPN US$ 34.90

All for sale from Play Asia

Classic gaming news: Brand new and preowned classics for all collectors and fans

March 1st, 2007, 07:35 Posted By: wraggster

News from Play Asia:

With this update we finalize our restocking update. Over 200 games for the remaining systems like PC-Engine™, Mega Drive™, Mega CD™, Game Gear™, NeoGeo™ AES/CD/Pocket and WonderSwan™/Color/Crystal are posted in this news. During next week there will be another news starting with new products added to our classic gaming sections. Over 400 new titles have been stocked.

More Info

Play-Asia.com Lucky Lunar New Year Sale

March 1st, 2007, 07:42 Posted By: wraggster

Not sure if any of you entered it but the prizes were very decent and even i had to enter it.

Heres the latest update:

The Lucky Lunar New Year Sale has officially ended. Winners of the draw will be announced during next week (between March 5th to March 11th). We thank all customers for the big support brought forward during this sale.

More info on prizes etc here (i hope i win )

PSPYape: A Commodore Plus/4 Emulator for PSP v1.0.3

March 1st, 2007, 12:56 Posted By: zx-81



Hi All,

Here is a new version of PSPYape the Commodore Plus/4 home computer emulator !

For those who haven't seen previous versions, Yape is the best emulator of
Commodore microcomputer family running on Windows and Unix.
The emulator faithfully imitates the C-264 (alias Commodore Plus/4) model.

It has been written by Attila Grósz, see http://yape.plus4.net for details.

What's new in version 1.0.3 :

- New graphical functions with new smoother render modes.
It uses the PSP GPU for rendering, it does not run faster,
but it's a lot smoother.
- No need to reset anymore the C-264 before loading a new program
(the game will load and start automatically)
- Bugs fix & Code cleaning

How to use it ? Everything is in the README.txt file.

Sources are included, and this package is under the GNU public license,
read COPYING.txt file for more information about it.


Enjoy,

Zx.

Download and Give Feedback via Comments

BioShock screenshot contest & release date revealed

March 1st, 2007, 13:39 Posted By: Darksaviour69

on the official website that BioShock will be hitting the US in the August 21st, and it should hit European shelves on 24th August.

They also announced a screenshot contest:

Welcome to our first screenshot scenario contest! For this scenario, you will be fighting a grenadier in the Medical Pavilion of Rapture. You are armed with your trusty wrench and a shotgun, but unfortunately the shotgun has only one cartridge left. You also have the electro bolt plasmid, and the telekinesis plasmid.

The grenadier is armed with handmade grenades which he is throwing at you.

Happy submissions! Click the link below to email your 1000-word-or-less solution to me.

Remember: There is no "right answer" for this contest -- We have counted at least six different ways to take down this grenadier.

We'll be posting the text of all the possible solutions we receive, and I will choose one of the most creative options to film and post in two weeks time.

Warhammer 40K goes MMORPG

March 1st, 2007, 17:22 Posted By: wraggster

Games Workshop's sci-fi tabletop game Warhammer 40,000 is being turned into an MMORPG by THQ.

Reported on GameSpot, the revelation on massively multiplayer plans follows an extension of a licensing agreement on WH40K between THQ and Games Workshop.

The agreement covers "all systems, including console, handhelds, PC, wireless, and online, including massively multiplayer online titles", THQ's Kelly Flock, executive vice president of worldwide publishing, has explained.

We're therefore speculating that the WH40K MMORPG will come to console as well as PC.

Full details on the game have yet to be disclosed as it's still early in development, but Flock has promised that the title will stay "true to the rich universe Games Workshop has built - with scalable depth of characters and worlds that MMO fans have come to expect."

THQ plans to launch the MMORPG in North America, Europe, and Asia, Flock said, informing that development is being handled by the publisher's Austin-based studio, Vigil Games.

Former NCSoft staffer David Adams leads the dev team, which is "comprised of several MMO veterans from that community".

Games Workshop's head of group legal and licensing, Andy Jones, added that the company believes "very strongly that the Warhammer 40,000 intellectual property delivers opportunities for unique and innovative gameplay in the MMO space".

Kelly Flock was also queried on the future of the WH40K: Dawn of War RTS series. While there's nothing new to announce currently, Flock said THQ looks forward "to building on that franchise in the future".

via cvg

PSP makes a comeback

March 1st, 2007, 17:24 Posted By: wraggster

via CVG

In a surprising turn of events, the PSP has beaten off the Wii and PS3, selling more than both consoles in Japan last week.

The latest weekly sales figures for Japan reveal that Sony's portable placed second in the hardware sales chart for the week ending 25 February, with unit sales of 96,750.

This falls short only of the still storming DS, which sold 146,250 units according to figures on vgcharts.org.

However the PSP beat even the might DS in the software sales chart in the same period, selling 808,750 games compared with 618,250 for the DS.

The surge could be put down to the recent release of Capcom's Monster Hunter Freedom 2, a co-op-enabled monster catching/battling game, which topped the software charts with a colossal 755,500 copies sold. Second down was Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Matsuri, with 90,500 sales.

Could this be the start of the revival of PSP?

GTA IV episodic due in 2008

March 1st, 2007, 17:26 Posted By: wraggster

Rockstar's previously announced episodic content for Grand Theft Auto IV will begin in 2008, it's stated in a recent Take-Two financial report.

Take-Two's report reaffirms that GTA IV is due to release simultaneously on PS3 and Xbox 360 this October.

It's recently been speculated that the sequel will use the euphoria engine, technology that lends a dynamic and life-like element to in-game characters.

via cvg

Could this be Powerstone for Wii - new Grim Adventures screens

March 1st, 2007, 17:28 Posted By: wraggster

via cvg

The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy is a four-player fighting game with characters and scenes based on the Cartoon Network show - another one for the kids.

Players will do battle using weapons and items in the destructible arenas. It sounds similar to Powerstone which, if you don't know (criminal), is an awesome arena battle game originally on Dreamcast.

Here are five new screens that introduce four of the game's wacky characters, The Boogeyman, Nergal, Irwin and General Skarr.

The game is due out on Wii on March 16.

Screens Via Comments

Civilization V out 2008?

March 1st, 2007, 17:30 Posted By: wraggster

Is Civilization V going to release in 2008? Or a new expansion for Civ IV?

Well, we're whacking on detective hats to discover answers to those questions following word from Take-Two in a financial report that its subsidiary 2K Games "will have new content based on its Civilization franchise" out next year.

2K's UK arm was unfortunately unable for comment at the time of writing but we're hammering its phone number to get further details.

We've also fired an email off to Firaxis. We'll let you know if we uncover anything juicy.

via cvg

Lara stuns with new in-game footage

March 1st, 2007, 17:31 Posted By: wraggster

Unlike the previous video Eidos released, this latest trailer shows off the shiny visuals in this modern reworking of the original - and debatably the best - Tomb Raider game on PSone.

Eidos is taking Lara back to her roots, reviving all the puzzles and classic scenes from her first adventure in this lush update, and after seeing an early version, we can't wait to get our hands on the full game.

TRA is due out on PS2, PSP and PC in May.

Trailer at CVG

God of War PS3 won't be rushed

March 1st, 2007, 17:33 Posted By: wraggster

God of War is absolutely going to be given a PS3 debut at some point in the future, that's a given. But it looks like Sony's internal studio will be taking its time.

Speaking to GameDaily, GoW II's director Corey Barlog explained, "All the people who bought the first game were PS2 owners, so we wanted to stay with that especially because... I want to make the PS3 version of this game, absolutely, but I don't want to make it quickly. I don't want to quickly rush it out the door and be like, 'Oh my gosh, we need to get this out!' because we probably would have pushed ourselves to make it around the launch window and I think we would have sacrificed something by trying to take what we had and shoving it in there as quickly as possible."

Wise words we feel, as GoW II is looking like the last great PS2 game of its generation. We all know GDC is just around the corner, and Sony is quietly talking up PS3 ahead of the event. It's wishful thinking, but wouldn't it be awesome if GoW III made a surprise appearance...?

via cvg

First trailers reveal new Lineage II update

March 1st, 2007, 17:35 Posted By: wraggster

NCSoft has given us our first look at Lineage II: The Chaotic Throne - Interlude in two swords and sorcery-powered trailers, one cinematic, one gameplay.

The Chaotic Throne - Interlude is the latest update for the MMORPG, concluding events in The Chaotic Chronicle and kicking off a brand new saga and adventure for players. It's due to go live on servers in April.

Interlude introduces plenty of new content, obviously. New zone Primeval Isle, the home of rampaging dinosaurs and aimed at top-level players, is accompanied by the likes of new quests, new items, new weapon augmentations and a new duelling system for PvP.

Trailer at CVG

Scissor Sisters does Halo Wars track

March 1st, 2007, 17:36 Posted By: wraggster

Scissor Sisters has launched the Xbox Soundtracks programme, which looks for artists inspired by gaming to create their own 360 trailer music and remixes.

The group launched the programme with a reworking of their track "She's My Man", which bizarrely was inspired by the X06 trailer for Ensemble RTS Halo Wars.

The remix apparently features "dirty beats and distorted vocals" inspired by the "epic graphics and vision" behind the trailer, though somehow we can't see it featuring on the final soundtrack, unless the convenient goes a bit camp.

"It's such a cool project to be involved in. Babydaddy and I are massive gamers so it was a great experience reworking our mix to the Halo Wars game," said Jake Shears of the Scissor Sisters.

"I'm really looking forward to seeing some of the other tracks people create. The games on the Xbox 360 are so intense and emotional, that they can be just as inspiring as sitting down and watching a movie."

There's also a competition for wannabe artists to create their own tunes to a range of 360 trailers. When the contest goes live in May aspiring musicians will be able to upload their track and video on to the Xbox Soundtracks site where anyone can view and rate their efforts, and hopefully win them a trip to lay down the track for real with Universal Music.

via cvg

PC / Xbox MMO canned

March 1st, 2007, 17:39 Posted By: wraggster

Citizen Zero has been in development for a number of years with an anticipated release for Xbox, but the company behind the game is now turning its attention to a new spy-themed MMO.

Steve Wang, head of studios for Micro Forté, said, "Although we were sad to stop working on CZ, we are extremely excited about the progress of our spy project."

Speaking of the new project, lead designer Paul McInnes added, "Our new project is a spy-themed MMO, but it incorporates new game-play elements and technologies that we are really looking forward to delivering to the public."

Further announcements are expected in the coming months.

via cvg

Best game trailer ever? Battlefield: Bad Company

March 1st, 2007, 17:42 Posted By: wraggster

We fired up EA's new Battlefield: Bad Company trailer expecting the typical frantic gun fights, cinematic camera angles and dramatic lines.

And that's how it is to start with but then it changes, and becomes one of the most innovative trailers we've seen in a while - maybe ever. Funny too.

The way it demonstrates the intense atmosphere and new, fully destructible scenery is brilliant.

Battlefield: Bad Company, a single-player iteration of EA's brilliant online multiplayer war sim, is due to release on PS3 and Xbox 360 later this year.

Trailer Here

PSP: Easy PSP Calculator v1.0

March 1st, 2007, 17:44 Posted By: pucelano

Looking for a simple operation, I have created this complete calculator that realizes the most habitual operations, without arriving at the complexity of a scientific calculator.

It has memory functions, and realizes operations with angles, as much in degrees as in radians.
It admits in addition the introduction of exponential numbers.

Controls:
• Arrows: Move acrross buttons.
• X: Press button.
• O: Select DEG(degrees) or RAD(radians).
• Triangle: Shift button.

Although the application has been developed with LUA, you can open it directly from Memory Stick.

Download and Give Feedback Via Comments

Dark_Alex and Fanjita in swedish magazine!

March 1st, 2007, 18:30 Posted By: stimo

The newspaper wrote:

Hackers crackt PSP
Its war between sony and a group
of hackes. The hackers is trying to hack psp fw
to play homebrews and downloaded data.
And now the did it. Despite big resistance from
Sony

Fanjita
Fanjita the member in "Noobz Team" have work
hard to beat sony
-my target is to run home made games and apps.
All have ther own right to do what they
whant to do. Said he from BBC

Dark Alex:
A other hacker is Dark Alex who did hack the psp total with Gta LCS

So fast the news was out did sony reply that a new
fw shall be release, and it will shut the hole the hackers find.

grip from a swedish magazine "XTRA"

and sry for my bad eng :S

PSPSIM: A SamCoupé Emulator for PSP v1.0.4

March 1st, 2007, 19:10 Posted By: zx-81



Hi All,

Here is a new version of PSPSim the SamCoupé Emulator for PSP.

For those who haven't seen previous versions, SimCoupe emulates
a SAM Coupe - an 8-bit, Z80-based home computer released in 1989
by Miles Gordon Technology.

For more information on the machine itself, including history
and technical specification you can go on the SimCoupe Web site.

What's new in version 1.0.4 :

- New graphical functions with new smoother render modes.
It uses the PSP GPU for rendering, it does not run faster,
but it's a lot smoother.
- Multiple keyboard mapping feature (Thanks to Pou-chan) :
You can now toggle between three differents keyboard mapping using
- Bug fix in Rom file requester
- Add help menu


How to use it ? Everything is in the README.txt file.

Sources are included, and this package is under the GNU public license,
read COPYING.txt file for more information about it.


Enjoy,

Zx.

Download and Give Feedback Via Comments

Warner Music buys Halo rights

March 1st, 2007, 19:17 Posted By: wraggster

Warner Music and Microsoft have penned a deal that will see a greater emphasis places on pushing videogame soundtracks in your face.

Under terms of the deal Warner Music will claim, administer and license music compositions owned and controlled by Microsoft. Some of these will obviously include scores for Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, Age of Empires, Fable, Kameo: Elements of Power.

Ed Pierson, Warner's legal chap, explains: "We're confident we can develop and identify some exciting and unique new licensing opportunities for these well-known game compositions."

So a Halo 3 pop single for the charts? Sung by the Scissor Sisters? We'll let you know.

via cvg

Heatseeker hands-on and first footage

March 1st, 2007, 19:18 Posted By: wraggster

via cvg

Codemasters is gearing up to launch its action-focused flight sim on Wii with a new in game video of the dogfighting shenanigans.

Instead of the usual mundane techie flight sim formula, Codemasters has taken influence from games like Burnout and Black to make an adrenaline-fuelled aerial shoot-'em-up with a focus on action and meaty explosions.

Read more about it now in our hands-on preview

EA releases soundtracks on iTunes

March 1st, 2007, 19:20 Posted By: wraggster

via cvg

EA has started releasing music from its past and present videogames to the iTunes Store.

Available for purchase via EA Trax, tracks from such titles as Def Jam Icon, SSX 3, Need for Speed Underground 2 and Burnout: Dominator have been unleashed - including The Doors' Riders on the Storm that Snoop Dogg remixed exclusively for Need for Speed Underground 2.

According to EA, the tracks are currently only available to North Americans to buy, but us Europeans will be able to purchase them soon.

Additional songs, scores, themes, beats - and even ringtones - from EA game franchises will appear on EA Trax, and iTunes Store, in the future.

1000 PS2 games playable at PAL PS3 launch

March 1st, 2007, 19:22 Posted By: wraggster

Sony's Phil Harrison has told European gamers that they can expect over 1000 PS2 titles to be backwards compatible from March 23.

Speaking to semi-official blog Three Speech, Harrison said, "The situation is changing every day, but on March 23, we expect the list to include over 1,000 PS2 titles." Not bad, eh? "We can't give any information about specific titles but, clearly, that would be our policy."

Losing a chip from PS3 will obviously save Sony some cash in making the machine but when will that affect the RRP of PS3? "Price reductions are something that we wouldn't comment on specifically. But you know the business model very well - we strive to get the cost of manufacturing down as soon as possible, and as soon as we can pass cost savings onto the consumers, we will."

And how important is this whole backwards compatibility issue anyway? "I think the reasons why people buy PS3s are the new games that it offers, and the HD content experiences provided by games and movies, the opportunity to access the PlayStation Network, and titles like MotorStorm and Resistance: Fall of Man - leading-edge examples of what next-generation games are all about."

via cvg

Windows Live beta open

March 1st, 2007, 19:26 Posted By: wraggster

Get your skates on and head over to the Microsoft website if you want to take part in the Windows Live beta, which is now open for a limited number of people.

All you have to do is login to your Windows ID, answer a few questions, and join the fun. Like me.

Windows Live is basically Xbox Live for PC, as a good friend of mine once said, and was demoed at CES on upcoming game Shadowrun, which will let PC and Xbox 360 users play together, much like friends.

It's part of a larger vision by Microsoft to integrate PC, console, and mobile on one gaming service, injecting a bit of solidarity into the higgledy-piggledy world we call the Internet.

via eurogamer

"Big" GDC announcement for Harrison

March 1st, 2007, 19:27 Posted By: wraggster

Phil Harrison's got a big announcement up his giant sleeve for next week's Game Developer Conference in San Francisco, according to Sony, which will be outlined in his keynote speech on Wednesday, 7th March, at 18:30 GMT.

"All I can say is we've said there's going to be a big announcement at GDC, and Phil's Keynote speech will form the basis of that," a spokesperson for Sony told Eurogamer this afternoon.

His talk will revolve around developing and creating games for the third age of videogames, delving into the meaning of "always on", and the opportunities presented by connected communities of players and developers.

Given that, we'd expect the "big announcement" will have something to do with the company's online strategy. However, we're open to suggestions; maybe the PSP will stick onto the PS3 and create a unique media-hub window, or perhaps there's a giraffe in the blu-ray disc drive. We're just not sure.

via eurogamer

"Big" GDC announcement for Harrison

March 1st, 2007, 19:27 Posted By: wraggster

Phil Harrison's got a big announcement up his giant sleeve for next week's Game Developer Conference in San Francisco, according to Sony, which will be outlined in his keynote speech on Wednesday, 7th March, at 18:30 GMT.

"All I can say is we've said there's going to be a big announcement at GDC, and Phil's Keynote speech will form the basis of that," a spokesperson for Sony told Eurogamer this afternoon.

His talk will revolve around developing and creating games for the third age of videogames, delving into the meaning of "always on", and the opportunities presented by connected communities of players and developers.

Given that, we'd expect the "big announcement" will have something to do with the company's online strategy. However, we're open to suggestions; maybe the PSP will stick onto the PS3 and create a unique media-hub window, or perhaps there's a giraffe in the blu-ray disc drive. We're just not sure.

via eurogamer

Glu Mobile signs up for new N-Gage platform

March 1st, 2007, 19:30 Posted By: wraggster

Glu Mobile has become one of the first mobile publisher's to publicly support Nokia's new N-Gage platform.

The successor to Nokia's N-Gage will be officially unveiled at GDC next week, with a platform release expected towards the end of 2007.

"Glu Mobile is one of the driving forces in the mobile gaming industry and we're excited to be working with them to bring premium mobile game experiences to our N-Gage platform," said Gregg Sauter, director of games publishing for Nokia.

"Glu's reputation and experience in creating compelling mobile games makes them a natural fit for the N-Gage platform."

The first title due from Glu on the new format will be World Series of Poker: Texas Hold 'Em, which will allow players to take on up to eight mobile players at a time.

"We're excited to be part of Nokia's mobile gaming efforts, and are impressed with the offering that Nokia has brought together with its new N-Gage Platform," said Kristian Segerstråle, MD of EMEA at Glu Mobile.

"The combination of Nokia’s hardware and mobile platform vision and expertise along with Glu's top-rated, quality mobile games will deliver consumers a truly unique, immersive entertainment experience."

via gibiz

N64: 10 years on

March 1st, 2007, 19:37 Posted By: wraggster

via gamesradar

It's hard to believe, but today is the tenth anniversary of the UK launch of Nintendo 64. Has it really been that long since we stood as teenagers in the then-new Virgin Megastore and watched in awe as some kid manoeuvred his way skillessly across a spectacular landscape in PilotWings 64? Apparently so.

Of course, as we all know, the console was eventually overrun by the PSone horde, despite N64's superior technology. Blurry graphics, a 'child's toy' image and a severe shortage of new games all contributed to its premature demise. But we, like thousands of fans across the country (and millions across the world) saw past its relative shortcomings and rejoiced at its innovation and charm.

So now we look at its legacy - the innovations that helped shape gaming as we know it today. Ladies and gentlemen, please raise your glasses to... Nintendo 64.

C&C 3 demo secret

March 1st, 2007, 19:38 Posted By: wraggster

A neat cheat has been discovered that will allow you to play as the NOD faction in the recently released Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars demo.

While the standard set up won't let you change the army you play as in a skirmish match, by following the directions below you'll be able to take charge of Kane's fanatical army and put the boot in to the goody-two-shoes GDI for a change. Just point your eyes down for the vital info.

Select Skirmish mode from the main menu, then hover over the army column.
Open the drop-down-box, which displays the army options - then hover your cursor over 'NOD'.
Press 'n' on your keyboard and simultaneously click the left mouse button.
Then, go to the computer's army selection box, and repeat the trick - only hovering over 'GDI' and pressing 'g' on your keyboard instead.
It may take a few tries, but it definitely works - and it's certainly worth it! Credit goes to the clever chaps on the Evil Avatar forum for uncovering such an excellent exploit.

via gamesradar

English gamers the evilest of all

March 1st, 2007, 19:40 Posted By: wraggster

via gamesradar

Gamers from England have the most capacity for evil of all the world's videogame enthusiasts, according to Lionhead's Peter Molyneux, quoting statistics from a study of people who played his Xbox RPG, Fable.

The research also showed that most American gamers found it difficult to make evil choices during the game's freeform adventure, with roughly 90% of gamers in the US roleplaying as good characters.

"There was a disappointing number of people that tended towards good," Molyneux told US mag GamePro, "but it is also very interesting that the percentage of good players versus evil players varies very strongly by nationality".

For example, "the English are probably the most evil of all," but Molyneux reckons that 70% of the Americans researched played good characters, while 20% "didn't have the moral fibre to keep going down the evil path" and eventually turned to good.

Molyneux also revealed that in Fable 2 the divide between good and evil will be far bigger than before, explaining that gamers who wish to be either pure good or pure evil will be forced to make some sacrifices - and not just the bloody kind.

Although Molyneux has focused so hard on evil actions that, during a recent meeting at Lionhead, one staffer exploded that he would "never play a game" that had all the nasty things in it that Molyneux had suggested. We would, mind.

Raiden IV coming to Xbox 360

March 1st, 2007, 19:42 Posted By: wraggster

A port of Raiden IV for the Xbox 360 is apparently in alpha stage and is scheduled to be released in the US at some unspecified point in the distant future. This news comes from an interview with one of UFO Interactive's managers recently conducted by Team Fremont. (And don't forget, UFO is also bringing to the US the PS2 port of Raiden III later this month.)

This is all very surprising, especially considering that it's going to be a while before Raiden IV is even released in Japanese arcades (it's currently slated for July). Moreover, no news of a Japanese 360 port has emerged through any of the usual sources. What has me worried the most is that UFO is considering releasing this on XBLA, which could very well mean a shoddy port in unsuitable resolution and with no option for tate. On the other hand, even if this is a regular disc release it could turn out ugly. By Royal decree all Xbox 360 games have to be 720p minimum and Raiden IV is a 640x480 game -- which is not even a widescreen resolution. G.rev faced the same problem when porting Senko no Ronde, but then again their game was in yoko so things were much simpler. It will be interesting to see how this gets handled.

via insert credit

Japan's Top Selling Soft: Monster Hunter Takes All

March 1st, 2007, 19:45 Posted By: wraggster

via kotaku

Japanese game site Eg has the the country's software sales data (via Media Crate) for the week of February 19th to February 25th. Monster Hunter Portable 2nd did better than originally thought. Way better.

1.) Monster Hunter Portable 2nd (PSP) Capcom — 705281 (Last Week) 705281 (Total)
2). Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (PS2) Alchemist — 80002 (Last Week) 80002 (Total)
3). Fire Emblem: Akatsuki no Megami (Wii) Nintendo — 75359 (Last Week) 75359 (Total)
4). Sim City DS (NDS) Electronic Arts — 50826 (Last Week) 50826 (Total)
5. Professor Layton and the Mysterious Town (NDS) Level 5 — 49979 (Last Week) 186716 (Total)
6). Wii Sports (Wii) Nintendo — 47053 (Last Week) 1090736 (Total)
7). Naruto Shippuden: Gekitou Ninja Taisen EX (Wii) Takara Tomy — 45792 (Last Week) 45792 (Total)
8). Dragon Quest Monsters Joker (NDS) Square-Enix — 40507 (Last Week) 1174576 (Total)
9). Hajimete no Wii Pack (Wii) Nintendo — 35811 (Last Week) 944586 (Total)
10). Picross DS (NDS) Nintendo — 26693 (Last Week) 183357 (Total)

Xbox 360 cracked

March 1st, 2007, 19:48 Posted By: wraggster

via register

Hardware hackers have developed a technique to hack Microsoft's Xbox 360 gaming console so that it might be possible to run alternative operating systems on the hardware.

The approach, which only works given physical access to the hardware and is strictly for fun, relies on a taking advantage of a vulnerability in the Xbox 360 hypervisor. Properly exploited, the bug allows tinkerers to run arbitrary code (even an alternative OS) with full privileges and full hardware access.

The hypervisor on Xbox 360 machines controls access to memory and provides encryption and decryption services. The approach means that all games and other applications running on the Xbox 360, in theory at least, need to be cryptographically signed with Microsoft's private key and run in non-privileged read-only mode.

Unprivileged code cannot change executable code, but flaws in the way unprivileged code interacts with the hypervisor via the syscall instruction laid the groundwork to the hack.

Full details on the ingenious exploit, including proof of concept code, were published on BugTraq on Wednesday. The anonymous hackers tipped Microsoft off about the issue last month and "following cordial discussions" the software giant quickly produced a patch. The hack has been possible since since the bug was introduced in late October.

Grand Theft Auto publisher tries to cool 'hot coffee' lawsuit

March 1st, 2007, 19:49 Posted By: wraggster

via register

Take-Two Interactive, the publisher of the controversial Grand Theft Auto series of games may be close to settling a long running legal battle with a New York granny who attempted to sue the company after it emerged one of those games contained adult content.

This week, a Manhattan District Court judge order the case to be suspended pending the outcome of settlement negotiations between plaintiff and defendant, Reuters reports. The judge may review the stay after lawyers report on their progress on 12 March.

The action centres on Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas' infamous 'hot coffee' sex scenes, originally hidden from players but exposed on July 2005 by a hack posted on the net. The game had been given a US Entertainment Software Rating Board 'Mature' classification, for its violent content. Once the blue material was revealed, the ESRB quickly re-rated the title 'Adults Only', causing some major US retailers to yank the game from their shelves.

Take-Two duly withdrew GTA: SA and reissued it with the offending eye-full excised, but not before an 81-year-old grandmother from New York, Florence Cohen, took the company to court, claiming she'd been misled into buying the game for her 14-year-old grandson.

As we noted at the time, the game's portrayal of murder, robbery, drug dealing, foul language and bad driving doesn't appear to have bothered her one jot...

In June 2006, Take-Two settled a similar case brought about by a Federal Trade Commission probe into the 'hot coffee' content.

UK supermarkets fingered in crap petrol probe

March 1st, 2007, 19:52 Posted By: wraggster

via register

Supermarkets in the south-eastern UK presented a fresh target for motorist anger today, as reports circulated that the grocery chains had been selling contaminated fuel.

A large number of irate drivers have contacted media and consumer-affairs organisations over the past 24 hours, complaining that their cars did not run properly after refuelling at certain forecourts.

When taken for repairs, the affected vehicles were typically found to have defective "lambda sensors," used in modern car engines to regulate the richness of the fuel-air mixture. The sensor measures the amount of oxygen present in the car's exhaust gas, allowing the engine electronics to feed in the correct amount of fuel.

Such exhaust-oxygen sensors normally fail after 30,000 to 50,000 miles. This will cause the engine to use too much fuel and emit more pollution. It will often run rough at idle, and respond sluggishly or misfire when accelerating.

Automotive parts suppliers seeing unprecedented demand for replacement oxygen sensors in the South East, giving rise to suspicion that duff fuel may be involved. Some reports have hinted at ethanol contamination, but the AA said that tests have shown this is not the case. Other fuel contaminants can degrade lambda sensors, for example antifreezes or silicones.

Trading standards officers are now investing the matter. It's to be hoped they can wrap the case swiftly, lest disgruntled drivers mount a letter-bombing campaign or worse, a Downing Street e-petition.

My Customization of Vibestars Mario theme (subs)

March 1st, 2007, 20:28 Posted By: Triv1um

This is runs on my 3.03 oe-c psp.

Topmenus DON'T work on 3.10 oe-a.

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CREDITS GO TO VIBESTAR, AS HE MADE THE MAIN THEME.

I JUST COMPILED IMAGES + MADE A FEW MYSELF FOR SUB-ICONS.

This pack includes -

- Icons + sub-icons
- Battery, volume bar
- Custom wave (no real need for this, i just like it)
- Spinning loading mario coin
- Super mario font

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Here is a screenshot.

Click to view bigger

There is a video image inside this download if you wish to see.
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I know this isn't to everyones taste as the some of the sub icons are sort of random in places.

Feel free to change things.

But ALL credits go to Vibestar for making a great theme.
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