DCEmu Homebrew Emulation & Theme Park News
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DCEmu Featured News Articles
by Published on January 27th, 2012 01:14- Categories:
- DCEmu
Would you buy a GameGadget, a £100 handheld that resembles the bottom-half of a DS/3DS and downloads retro games from an online, platform-specific shop?It's been developed in the UK (but built overseas), and will be available to buy onGameGadget.net from 30th March. (Deals with physical shops and other online outlets are on-going.)The only problem is, we don't know which old tarts (affectionate slang for vintage games) will be available for the GameGadget, nor which publishers will support it.Mark Garrett, general manager of GameGadget distributor Blaze Europe, told Eurogamer his lips were sewn together by NDA contracts. "We're in communication with all the major publishers," was all Garrett could say....
1/6 Sure, you can justify £100. What's she going to do, divorce you?
However, an announcement about publishers and games should be cleared "in the next week or so".Game pricing will be at the publisher's discretion. But the emphasis is on cheap, thanks to an "open source" emulation platform that requires "no further development" for a game to run on GameGadget.The hope is that publishers will see GameGadget as a hassle-free way of making some money from their back catalogues, rather than watch those games be shamelessly emulated online."It's a very low-cost, low investment vehicle for getting games onto a digital platform," Garrett assured us."Because there's no investment in bringing the games to the platform, we want the games to be as competitively priced as possible. As an estimate, we would want the games to start at £0 - there is an opportunity to offer free gaming - up to around the £1.49/£1.99 price-point for a single game," Garrett revealed."And then a bundle of games - maybe 10 or 15 games - for around the £10 price point. Those are the sort of recommendations we're making to publishers."Excluding a touch-screen in favour of "hard-buttons" means playing on GameGadget should feel like the real-retro-deal, Garrett explained to us.But for £100? I could buy a 3DS for little more, and my iPhone/Android device cost me nothing up front."Ultimately what we're looking to do is enable people to save money over the long-term by offering a more cost effective solution for obtaining more and more content."Mark Garrett, general manager, Blaze Europe
Isn't the GameGadget a bit expensive?"That's a matter of opinion, isn't it?" Garrett retorted. "It's all relative."I mean, iPhones are certainly not free! The bill that I get from Vodaphone every month is about £60 a month for my free iPhone."And although 3DSs cost £115, on average you're paying around £30 per game to get the most out of it."Garrett romped on: "Whereas the traditional model is that the hardware is loss-leading for these manufacturers, ultimately you end up paying for it through the software that you buy. What we want to do is provide a device that offers value for money, that's a good quality gaming device, and that has a digital download platform that offers value for money for games."Ultimately what we're looking to do is enable people to save money over the long-term by offering a more cost effective solution for obtaining more and more content."The GameGadget specs are: 433mhz dual core CPU, 64MB RAM / 2GB Flash RAM and a 3.5" LCD screen (320x240) that does the appropriate 16BIT colour. It has a Li-Ion rechargeable battery. Sounds like lion - maybe it should be roarchargeable.There's a d-pad, two shoulder buttons, four face buttons and start/select/reset buttons.There are stereo speaker, headphone and TV-out outputs. There's also a Micro-USB port, and the option of SD/SDHC additional storage.The GameGadget's dimensions are 140Wx75Hx16D (mm).
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...download-storeby Published on January 27th, 2012 01:08- Categories:
- Nintendo Wii News
As promised, another 3DS demo is available on the eShop, this time for Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games. It may not have zombies, but then, it may have Waluigi. Renegade Kid's Mutant Mudds, its first self-published project, is also up on the eShop this week, offering challenging platforming and shooting and some dramatic 3D effects.
DSiWare features a sequel to the indie game Flipper; though if you played it, you still won't recognize Flipper 2: Flush the Goldfish. The original was an isometric puzzle game about reshaping environments ... and the sequel is a side-scrolling action game that uses one contextual button!
http://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/26/ni...lush-the-gold/ ...by Published on January 27th, 2012 01:01- Categories:
- Nintendo 3DS News
Nintendo released its latest quarterly earnings report this morning and, as with last quarter's report, there's not a whole lot to celebrate. The company posted profits of ¥40.9 billion (about $631.6 million) for the October - December period, representing a 61 percent quarterly drop. That's especially disappointing, considering that this period has traditionally been strong for Nintendo, which had previously forecast an operating profit of ¥1 billion (around $12.9 million). Those forecasts have since changed, however, with the manufacturer now predicting a ¥45 billion ($580 million) operating loss for the full year, ending March 31st. Nintendo blames the poor showing to sagging 3DS sales, which have forced it to slash prices. Also on Thursday, President Satoru Iwata told reporters that his company plans to release its new Wii U console across the US, Europe Australia and Japan in time for the 2012 year-end holiday season. Read the report in full, at the source link below....
http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/26/n...rcent-drop-in/by Published on January 27th, 2012 00:56- Categories:
- Android News
If you’re going to build a giant touch screen, why not use an OS that is designed for touch interfaces, like Android? [Colin] had the same idea, so he connected his phoneto a projector and a Kinect.
Video is carried from [Colin]‘s Galaxy Nexus to the projector via an MHL connection. Getting the Kinect to work was a little more challenging, though. The Kinect is connected to a PC running Simple Kinect Touch. The PC converts the data from the Kinect into TUIO commands that are received using TUIO for Android.
In order for the TUIO commands to be recognized as user input, [Colin] had to compile his own version of Android. It was a lot of work, but using an OS designed for touch interface seems much better than all the other touch screen hacks that start from the ground up.
You can check out [Colin]‘s demo after the break. Sadly, there are no Angry Birds.
http://hackaday.com/2012/01/25/contr...or-and-kinect/ ...by Published on January 27th, 2012 00:51- Categories:
- Xbox 360 News
[Karl] set out to improve the depth image that the Kinect camera is able to feed into a computer. He’s come up with a pre-processing package which smooths the depth data in real-time.
There are a few problems here, one is that the Kinect has a fairly low resolution, it is also depth limited to a range of about 8 meters from the device (an issue we hadn’t considered when looking at Kinect-based mapping solutions). But the drawbacks of those shortcomings can be mitigated by improving the data that it does collect. [Karl's] approach is twofold: pixel filtering, and averaging of movement.
The pixel filtering works with the depth data to help clarify the outlines of objects. Weighted moving average is used to help reduce the amount of flickering areas rendered from frame to frame. [Karl] included a nice GUI with the code which lets you tweak the filter settings until they’re just right. See a demo of that interface in the clip after the break and let us know what you might use this for by leaving a comment.
http://hackaday.com/2012/01/25/real-...or-the-kinect/ ...by Published on January 27th, 2012 00:48- Categories:
- PC News
Part of the fun with old computers is playing some old school games, and while you could play them with a keyboard it is much more fun with a joystick. You can get old joysticks all day long on auction sites, but you have to watch out. Some are digital, which wont work for many games on many systems. Some were cheap to begin with and probably worn out, and many are flight sticks … ever play pac-man with a giant flight stick?
What I really wanted was a game pad like device for my 1986 Apple //c , using one of the modern thumbstick analog controllers. Using a thumbstick out of an old XBOX(1) controller, some generic parts from Radio Shack, and a little bit of effort , I ended up with exactly what I wanted.
Join us after the break and I will show you how to get there!
http://hackaday.com/2012/01/26/analo...your-retro-pc/ ...by Published on January 27th, 2012 00:42- Categories:
- DCEmu
Reports this morning – which it must be said remain totally unsubstantiated – claim that the Next Xbox could incorporate a new technology that blocks the use of pre-owned games on the console.
The gravity of this news, if true, would have industry-wide ramifications. The fallout for retail would be obvious, cutting off a major revenue stream.
But aside from my obvious retail-leaning tendencies, I for one believe that such a development would have disastrous consequences for the games market. Or at least for the Next Xbox.
We all know the arguments against pre-owned. The sale of a pre-owned game sees all profit land with the retailer, cutting publishers and developers out of the loop. For the content creators it is unfair, it is argued. And of course that point has credence.
But what I sometimes struggle to understand is how content makers remain blind to the effect that an end to pre-owned would have on their business.
Let’s look at 2011. Starting with the release of Deus Ex: Human Revolution on August 26th, a run of successive triple-A releases ran all the way through to November 18th. It went something like this:
Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Driver: San Francisco, Dead Island, Gears Of War 3, F1 2011, FIFA 12, Batman: Arkham City, Need for Speed: The Run, Battlefield 3, Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, Modern Warfare 3, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Assassin’s Creed: Revelations and Saints Row 3.
For a punter paying an average of £40 per title that represents an outlay of £560 over the course of a little under three months. That’s £187 per pay cheque. And that’s omitting a shed load of other releases that hit in the period.
Now, when mine and Mrs Ben’s wages are combined we represent something like the UK national average earning family. And I can tell you that there’s absolutely no way I could afford that outlay on games were I not able to offset the cost against trading-in my older titles. No way.
So I’m faced with the very real possibility that I could be priced out of my main habit and interest in the next generation.
So what can platform holders do to offset what I would see as the inevitable collapse of the software market whilst still maintaining a freeze on pre-owned? Well, lower game prices would seem the only option. That string of releases would be far more affordable at £25. Or even £30. But the chances of that happening? Zero.
And what of retail, which is struggling to survive in this current pre-owned rich environment? Lower public outlay can only ever mean one thing – higher prices to try and preserve margins. It becomes a self-perpetuating cycle that spells very bad news for the industry.
Of course, it could mean even worse news for Microsoft. Should Sony decide to not follow suit with anti pre-owned tech then that affords PS4 one hell of a USP over its rival. Although it would be one shared by Wii U, of course (we can safely say that Nintendo would not have the foresight to include such tech in its machine).
As I sit here I’m simply hoping that the reports aren’t true. I was interested to hear Microsoft’s response, which although “not commenting on rumour and speculation” was anything but a simply “we don’t comment on rumour and speculation”.
"As an innovator we're always thinking about what is next and how we can push the boundaries of technology like we did with Kinect,” a spokesperson told Kotaku.
“We believe the key to extending the lifespan of a console is not just about the console hardware, but about the games and entertainment experiences being delivered to consumers. Beyond that we don't comment on rumours or speculation."
These are dangerous times. The games industry is approaching a new generation of machines and the decision made by platform holders now will dictate how the sector fares in today’s connected, smartphone obsessed and cloud-hungry society. I just hope those decisions prove to be the right ones.
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/opini...r-games/090322 ...by Published on January 27th, 2012 00:39- Categories:
- DCEmu
Blaze will release its new gaming handheld GameGadget in the UK on March 30th.
Positioned as an iPod-style device for gamers, it allows gamers to download games from a variety of publishers and developers, including a range of legally purchaseable retro games.
GameGadget also allows independent and homebrew developers to create games for its digital platform, along with established developers, thanks to its open source development system.
Meanwhile, publishers will be able to sell games singularly or in bundles, thanks to the iTunes-style interface.
The handheld will be priced at £99.99, and prices for downloadable games will vary.
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/gameg...release/090325 ...by Published on January 27th, 2012 00:26- Categories:
- DCEmu
Modern Warfare 3 emerged triumphant, but it was EA that was last year’s real victor. MCV analyses the full 2011 GfK?Chart-Track charts to unearth the winners and losers in a challenging year for the boxed games market.
It was another year in which Call of Duty and FIFA take the top two places in the GfK Chart-Track Top 100. The two games between them accounted for 10 per cent of the 55m games sold last year.
ACTIVISION’s Modern Warfare 3 sold over 3.1m units, a mighty impressive figure but slightly less than the 3.26m games Black Ops sold the year before.
FIFA 12 meanwhile shifted 2.44m games, 50,000 more copies than its predecessor. ELECTRONIC?ARTS was the only publisher to have two games that sold over 1m units with its FPS Battlefield 3 (No.3) selling 1.3m copies since its October launch. As a result, EA was comfortably the biggest publisher of 2011, and in total had 20 games in the Top 100.
It is worth noting the phenomenal success for small publisher 505 GAMES. The company’s Zumba Fitness (No.4) shifted almost 1.2m games for the year and topped the Wii charts. The title benefited from a lack of new software during the summer and scored 13 weekly No.1s in the process.
In a clear sign of how important Q4 is to the UK games market, eight of the 2011 Top Ten were released during the final three months of the year. And 51 per cent of the UK trade’s annual revenue was generated during this period.
The only two games not to have been released during Q4 and still break the Top Ten is the aforementioned Zumba and ROCKSTAR’s L.A. Noire, which is also the highest charting new IP. The game was released in May.
Otherwise, there isn’t a great deal of new IP in this year’s chart - the notable exceptions being THQ’s Homefront at No.25, DEEP?SILVER’s Dead Island at No.31 and two Bethesda titles (Rage at No.33 and Brink at No.39).
BETHESDA enjoyed a strong year during 2011, breaking into the Top Ten publishers at No.10. Aside from the two new IPs mentioned above, the firm’s biggest hit was Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The acclaimed action RPG sold 1.14m games last year, proving to the industry that you can come out during the same week as Call of Duty and prosper.
LEGO developer TRAVELLER’S?TALES had five games in the Top 100. LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean was the top seller at No.14.
Meanwhile, the dance craze continues in the charts. Just Dance 3 from UBISOFT was the biggest selling dance title, and sold over 900,000 units last year.
UK games market in 2011
The tough economy combined with the late stage in the console cycle took its toll on the boxed games market. The combined software, hardware and accessories markets generated £2.52bn, a 13 per cent drop over 2010.
The software market dipped seven per cent year-on-year to £1.42bn (although it was down 12 per cent in units). EA sold the most games, with Xbox 360 the the No.1 console in terms of software market share.
The accessories market was down 17 per cent year-on-year to £453m (or 13 per cent down to 22.4m units). Motion controllers accounted for 11 per cent of the accessories market in 2011 (units) and a huge 27 per cent by revenue.
A clear sign of the industry’s position in the console cycle is the hardware figures, down 19.3 per cent to £646m, and that’s despite the arrival of Nintendo 3DS.
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/the-u...-charts/090333 ...by Published on January 27th, 2012 00:22- Categories:
- DCEmu
Mario Kart 7 is once again the Japanese all-formats number one, reclaiming top spot from Super Robot Taisen OG Saga Masou Kishin II.
In a slow week for sales - Mario Kart 7's sales actually fell by a third - the highest new entry is Sega's 3DS title Rhythm Thief & The Emperor's Treasure, which isdue in the west next month. D3 Publisher achieves that rarest of feats - a top ten slot for an Xbox 360 game - with Onechanbara Z Kagura at number five.
Other new entries include Namco Bandai's Heroes Phantasia at number 6, and another 3DS game, Konami's Beyond The Labyrinth, at number eight.
On the hardware front, 3DS was once again the week's best-selling system of the week with 80,960 units sold. Sales of PlayStation Vita fell to 15,219, a drop of 17 per cent.
01. Mario Kart 7 (Nintendo, 3DS)
02. Rhythm Thief (Sega, 3DS)
03. Monster Hunter Tri G (Capcom, 3DS)
04. Super Mario 3D Land (Nintendo, 3DS)
05. Onechanbara Z Kagura (D3 Publisher, Xbox 360)
06. Heroes Phantasia (Namco Bandai, PSP)
07. Inazuma Eleven Go (Level-5, 3DS)
08. Beyond The Labyrinth (Konami, 3DS)
09. Super Robot Taisen OG Saga Masou Kishin II (Namco Bandai, PSP)
10. Musou Orochi 2 (Tecmo Koei, PS3)
http://www.edge-online.com/news/mari...n-chart-summit ...
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