DCEmu Featured News Articles

If you're going to rock out, you might as well do so with a video game console from the '70s as the core of your guitar. In fact, this is precisely what modder cTrix has done with his gATARI2600. In his configuration, he's able to write and play new music through an Atari 2600 by using an EPROM programmer (a software application he wrote) and daughterboards to feed the new music back through the instrument. The gATARI also features equalizer and flange pedals, a track selector, and whammy bars that allow the player to switch tracks and make changes on the fly. No details have been posted as to how to make your own just yet, but click past the break to watch cTrix jam both thoroughly and effectively at Blip Fest 2011 in Japan.

http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/31/c...rizes-nerds-v/ ...

We love our little Rigol 1052E oscilloscope. It’s seen us through some perplexing problems and loved being upgraded from 50 MHz to 100 MHz. We’ve always been pleased with its role dictating waveforms for us, but we never thought we’d seehomebrew apps for our little ‘scope.
We’re not exactly sure who [Krater] is, but he’s been working on some homebrew development for the Rigol DS1052E oscilloscope. Right now the capabilities are somewhat limited; all programming is via PEEKs and POKEs. Still, this is a fairly impressive development.
This wonderful little ‘scope has already had some time in the limelight by being easy to upgrade to 100 MHz. Hopefully with the new capabilities (Tetris, somebody make Tetris), this scope will become a staple in workshops around the world.
A tip ‘o the hat goes to [Rainer Wetzel] for sending this one in. Check out the video after the break to see an almost-working game of Pong playing on the 1052E

http://hackaday.com/2011/12/31/homeb...ds1052e-scope/ ...

via MCV


There’s no end to the list of adversities the games industry had to fend off in the last 12 months to ensure a prosperous 2011.

The global economic meltdown has provided a horrific backdrop for the country, and none have been affected worse than retail. And as a response retail has at times been its worst enemy – the sort of savage price-dropping that has characterised games retail this year is good for the consumer, but is it good for the wider business?

On top of that we have a console cycle in flux, with ancient (in tech terms) consoles trying to fight for consumer spend, and a handheld sector that has been left in disarray thanks to the rise of the app model.

But, you know what? 2011 was a brilliant year for games. Why? Just look at some of the releases we’ve seen in the last 12 months.

I’ve been a gamer for effectively as long as I can remember. I’ve been employed in gaming since 2002. But, hand on heart, I can honestly say that I don’t think we’ve ever had a stronger year in terms of quality of games.

As we saw on MCV earlier this week, my top three games of the year were all of remarkable quality. Just look at the list – The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Portal 2. Three of the best games ever made (though, notably, I love none of them as much as my pick of 2010 – Heavy Rain).
But picking just three titles for the upcoming feature was a nightmare. It felt like a crime leaving out FIFA 12, which in my opinion is not only the best football game ever released (yes, it’s better than Sensible World of Soccer 96-97 and Winning Eleven 7 International) but also the sports game. Ever. I’ll also quickly mention Fight Night Champion and Top Spin 4 here, if you’ll indulge me.

Then there’s Killzone 3. Oh, my beloved Killzone 3. If any of you reading this were the ones responsible for not loving this game more in the press then curses on you.
In fact, we’ve been spoilt for choice in the FPS genre. Forget the bickering and the sales numbers – Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is the best single player COD to date and Battlefield 3 is simply tremendous online. And the first single player level is good, too.

Crysis 2 was, despite having the nerve to stray from its PC predecessor, a simply awesome shooter that I cannot believe I’ve not finished yet. And the console re-release of Crysis was excellent too. I also enjoyed the shooting in Rage, once the textures had loaded in.

Let’s not forget Bulletstorm. Yes, a new IP! And with FEAR 3 Warner did exactly what I wanted – ditched most of the scary stuff that made me tense and focus on the already rock-solid gunplay. And, y’know, even Homefront was pretty good online. Though “PRESS X TO JUMP INTO MASS GRAVE” thing still makes me cringe.

I’ll be shot if I don’t mention Batman: Arkham City (even if I confess to not loving as mush as the rest of the world) but I’d rather highlight the majesty of Child of Eden. I booked a day off work to play that, incidentally. That was a good day.

I’ve even enjoyed some platform games this year. Rayman Origins caught me completely off guard, and Sonic Generations managed to become the first Sonic game I’ve enjoyed since Sonic the Hedgehog 3. Ah yes – there was the tiny matter of Super Mario 3D Land on 3DS, too.

It would be remiss not to give special mention to LA Noire. I grew tired of its formula around two thirds through but at times it felt like the best game ever made. And whilst certainly not the best game ever made, Dead Island managed to carve out an odd little niche for itself in a lot of gamers’ hearts. Uncharted 3 wasn't 'alf bad either.
Though I struggled to stop playing the mighty Gran Turismo 5, there were plenty of good new driving titles this year too. F1 2011 was fantastic, despite the annoying bugs, and who even considered the possibility that Ubisoft’s obscure body-shifting mechanic would actually translate into an awesome game in the shape of Driver: San Francisco?

While I stand relatively alone on the subject, I’ll once again put in a mention of Shift 2. When it comes to visceral driving simulators, EA has nailed it right there. I’ll also admit something here that I’ve not been keen to advertise until now – I actually forked out real money to buy some cars in Forza 4. Which makes me lame, but the game very, very awesome.

Even the age-old shooter has had a cracking year. Two classic Cave shooters were brought to market courtesy of the really quite wonderful Rising Star Games – Deathsmiles and DoDonPachi: Resurrection, and both were incredible. And we even had Radiant Silvergun released on XBLA!

And don’t forget PC shooter Jamestown, either. It was made in the West! A 2D shooter. Made in the US. And it was really, really good.

The list of fabulous iOS games is too long to contemplate, but off the top of my head I’ll happily put the Parfitt Badge of Approval on Where’s My Water, Tiny Wings, Flick Home Run, Flick Soccer, Hardlines, KungFu, Bike Baron, DrawRace 2 ...

A glut of Q4 blockbusters rescued the UK games market from the ten-year low it hit over the summer.

Smash hits like Modern Warfare 3, FIFA 12, Battlefield 3, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and more kept retailers busy, while consumer events GAMEfest and Eurogamer Expo drew in thousands of gaming fans and families.

Meanwhile, trailers teasing the future delights of Grand Theft Auto V, The Last of Us and Fortnite prepared the industry for what is shaping up to be a busy 2012.

SEPTEMBER

NOTABLE RELEASE
FIFA 12 – EA’s venerable footy franchise hit its 19th iteration, but showed no sign of age, introducing new tackling and animations which transformed the game.

IN THE NEWS

Intent Media launches MCV Pacific
Game-streaming service OnLive arrives in the UK
Asda relaunches its entertainment site with plans for game downloads
Nintendo releases Metallic Red 3DS
GAMEfest attracts 30,000 visitors, Eurogamer Expo draws in 35,000
GAME and HMV open new concept stores in Westfield Stratford City at the Olympic Village
Star Wars: The Old Republic is finally confirmed for a 2011 release, due in December
Big Brother moves to Channel 5. We still don’t watch it.
OCTOBER

NOTABLE RELEASE
Battlefield 3 – EA’s major bid to reclaim the FPS market may not have toppled Activision’s Call of Duty, but significantly grew its publisher’s market share.

IN THE NEWS

Colin Campbell is named Games Media Legend at 2012 GMAs; Edge, Eurogamer, IGN and VideoGamer also take home prizes
Warner Bros adopts Online Pass system by locking second-hand users out of Batman: Arkham City’s Catwoman content
iPhone 4S lands on shelves ten days after its unveiling
Research shows that half of the UK’s population plays video games
EA Sports smashes its own records, with FIFA 12 selling 1m copies in the UK in one week
MCV reveals publishers are spending £165m on Christmas marketing
Apple founder Steve Jobs passes away
NOVEMBER

NOTABLE RELEASE
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 – Activision once again rewrote entertainment retail records. The game generated $1bn worldwide in just 16 days.

IN THE NEWS

Modern Warfare 3 and Skyrim contribute to the UK games market’s biggest week ever, with retailers taking £121m in seven days
The Government announces it will close the Channel Islands’ VAT loophole in April 2012
Microsoft’s Xbox brand turns ten years old
Angry Birds makes its retail debut as downloads reach half a billion
Best Buy pulls out of the UK market
Rockstar releases the first trailer for Grand Theft Auto V
Kennedy Space Center launches Mars rover Curiosity, the most elaborate Martian exploration vehicle to date
DECEMBER

NOTABLE RELEASE
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – While the game actually debuted in November, its sales have soared this month – thanks in no small part to its recent (and arguably premature) price cut*.

IN THE NEWS

MCV’s Annual Retail Survey reveals that 80 per cent of retailers are confident about their business in 2012
First details emerge of MCV Industry Excellence Awards 2012
Minecraft creator Notch steps away from the hit indie game
Spike TV Video Game Awards reveal trailers for new IPs The Last of Us from Naughty Dog and Epic Games’ Fortnite
Shigeru Miyamoto suggests he is stepping back from his current role but Nintendo reassures the industry that he is not retiring
GAME prepares digital gifts this Christmas
Girl band Little Mix wins The X Factor 2011

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/2011-...ecember/089042 ...

'Hack' appeared in the headlines so often during the summer of 2011, the word almost lost all meaning.

Not only was there the much-publicised phone hacking scandal that saw the News of the World closed and someone smash a custard pie in Rupert Murdoch's face, there were also several attacks made against video games companies.

In lighter news, we gained a glimpse at the future through E3 and Gamescom, with Wii U and PlayStation Vita taking the industry by storm. Also, Duke Nukem Forever finally decided to make an appearance, and Zumba Fitness enjoyed a ten-week run at the top of the charts.

MAY

NOTABLE RELEASE
L.A. Noire – The year’s top new IP was a detective drama set in 1940s Los Angeles. Despite a developer calamity – creator Team Bondi was accused of horrible working conditions and months later went bust – Rockstar’s internal teams have since released it for PC and OnLive with touch controls.

IN THE NEWS

HMV sells off its Waterstone’s chain for £53m
Wii price lowered to £129
Activision announces Call of Duty social network COD Elite
THQ announces plans to take uDraw multiplatform
Daily Mail declares outrage over a MW3 trailer that shows scenes of violence in London
Sega announces UK studio Creative Assembly is working on a new Alien title
Development on Duke Nukem is finally finished
Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden is killed during an American military operation in Pakistan
JUNE

NOTABLE RELEASE
Duke Nukem Forever – It made it to No.1, and was the result of a painfully long 13 years’ gestation, development and redevelopment. But it was hideous, and really only notable for the very fact it even managed to come out.

IN THE NEWS

Nintendo unveils Wii U
PSP successor named PlayStation Vita
Microsoft reveals core line-up for Kinect, including Mass Effect, Ghost Recon and new Fable
Hackers attack EA, Sega, Bethesda, Nintendo, Codemasters and Epic Games
Paramount announces new Star Trek game to tie-in with 2012 movie
Ocarina of Time 3D boosts 3DS sales
Online retailer Bee.com opens first High Street stores
Jai McDowall wins Britain’s Got Talent. Anyone heard from him since?
JULY

NOTABLE RELEASE
Zumba Fitness – Although over six months old by this point, Zumba started to really fly over the summer months, as casual gamers flocked in. It topped the charts 13 times this year.

IN THE NEWS

New MCV website launches
GameStop closes its two UK stores and launches a .co.uk e-store
Activision details first Call of Duty consumer event, COD XP
EMI Music signs up with new publisher Tubby Games for a Now That’s What I Call Music title
Valve-owned digital distributor Steam refuses to sell Battlefield 3 because only EA’s Origin will sell DLC
The Guardian exposes that News of the World journalists have hacked into the mobile phones of celebrities, politicians and high profile crime victims. As a result, News of the World is closed
AUGUST

NOTABLE RELEASE
Deus Ex: Human Revolution – The third game in the Eidos franchise arrived at the tail end of the summer. It was critically acclaimed and ended Zumba’s run at the top of the charts.

IN THE NEWS

New streamlined Wii console and bundle unveiled for Christmas release
Sony cuts PS3’s price to £199.99, announces new PSP model
EA details new Season Ticket scheme that lets gamers play FIFA 12 before launch
Nintendo lowers trade price of 3DS by one third, retail drops price tag to as low as £115
Browser games are added to new social network Google+
UK games market reaches ten-year low in terms of weekly sales value
A peaceful protest march in London erupts into four days of rioting, looting and arso

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/2011-...-august/088982 ...

Ubisoft and Capcom get it wrong, GOG and Avalanche get it right and Serious Sam's scorpion shows the way.


The year began on a hopeful note, with Ubisoft seemingly relaxing its DRM policy. Eagle-eyed Redditors noticed that older Ubisoft PC titles, including Assassin's Creed II and Splinter Cell: Conviction, were suddenly playable without a connection to the internet. The publisher subsequently confirmed that it had patched out its DRM from some older titles, with its future implementation to be decided on a case-by-case basis. Had it turned a corner?

Of course not. In July, it confirmed that Driver: San Francisco would require a constant internet connection, something Martin Edmonson, founder of developer Ubisoft Reflections, said was justfied because "PC piracy is just at the most incredible rates. This game cost a huge amount of money to develop, and it has to be, quite rightly, quite morally correctly, protected." In a bizarre attempt to deflect the impending fan backlash Ubisoft said: "Bear in mind, though, that the PC version of Driver San Francisco is released simultaneously to consoles." We still don't trust you, but hey, at least we'll start not trusting you a little earlier than usual.

Ubisoft, in other words, still doesn't get it, and neither does Capcom. In February it implemented DRM in the PSN release of Bionic Commando Rearmed, just as it had done with 2010's Final Fight: Double Impact. Both games were unplayable while Sony's network was offline after its security was breached by hackers.

Apparently unsatisfied by having angered PS3 players, in May Capcom announced that the PC port of Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition would use Games For Windows Live, giving offline players just 15 of 39 playable characters and no way to save their progress. After the inevitable furore and climbdown, Capcom's Christian Svensson revealed the DRM would be patched out soon after launch, saying: "We had it wrong … The argument that legitimate users would have a worse experience than pirates was the loudest and most convincing."

That argument is raised every single time a publisher opts to use DRM in its PC games, so why is the same mistake made time and time again? Ubisoft and Capcom are understandably motivated by the fear of piracy hurting their margins, but the latter admits its DRM has had little impact on piracy or sales. Does DRM really hinder pirates, whose first order of business is to crack and remove it? Or the legitimate customers who have to deal with it every time they launch a game?

It's something Guillaume Rambourg, managing director of digital download service Good Old Games, understands. "Pirates succeed to perform in areas where digital distribution fails to perform," he told us in a recent interview. "When you get a pirated game it's very simple: you download, you install, you play. Three steps. When you buy a game, you have to download, install, patch, pay, have a launcher bundled in the game … piracy is competition, because it forces us to simplify our methods to reach customers faster and win over piracy."

Christofer Sundberg, founder of Just Cause 2 developer Avalanche, is another noted critic. "If a DRM system constantly needs to be defended, something must be wrong," he told us in September. "As a developer you will never win over any fans if you constantly let everyone know how much it costs to develop a game and how much money you lose. I don't like always-on DRM solutions at all, since they offer nothing to the consumer … [they] say: 'Thank you for buying our game, we trust you as far as we can throw you.' I know people who go and buy the game, but get the bootleg version just to get rid of the always-on requirement."

There appears to be a divide in thinking between the old guard - traditional publishers like Ubisoft and Capcom - and younger companies like Avalanche, who understand the value in loyal, engaged communities. It's perhaps best expressed by Marcin Iwinski, CEO and co-founder of GOG sister company CD Projekt, developer of The Witcher 2: Assassins Of Kings.

"[Big publishers] are not asking themselves the question:' What is the experience of a gamer?', or: 'Is this proposition fair?'," he said. "Rather, they just look to see if the column in Excel adds up well or not, and if they can have a good explanation for their bosses. DRM is the best explanation, the best 'I will cover my ass' thing. I strongly believe that this is the main reason the industry has not abandoned it until today, and to be frank this annoys me a hell of a lot.

"You are asking: 'So why is it taking them so long to listen?' The answer is very simple: they do not listen, as most of them do not care. As long as the numbers in Excel will add up they will not change anything."

The industry needs a third way, a means to protect against pirates without affecting legitimate consumers. Croatian developer Croteam showed us all how it should be done with its Serious Sam 3: BFE DRM - a giant, super-fast, immortal ...

For the last six months, orangutans — those great, hairy, orange apes that go 'ook' a lot — at Milwaukee Zoo have been playing games and watching videos on Apple's iPad, but now their keepers and the charity Orangutan Outreach want to go one step further and enable ape-to-ape video chat via Skype or FaceTime. 'The orangutans loved seeing videos of themselves — so there is a little vanity going on — and they like seeing videos of the orangutans who are in the other end of the enclosure,' Richard Zimmerman of Orangutan Outreach said. 'So if we incorporate cameras, they can watch each other.' And thus the idea of WiFi video chat between orangutans — and eventually between zoos — was born. It might seem like folly, but putting (ruggedized!) iPads into the hands of apes could really revolutionize our understanding of great ape behavior

http://idle.slashdot.org/story/11/12...oos-with-ipads ...

Back in October, we discussed news that India had launched a $35 tablet. Now, JohnWiney writes with a story in the Globe and Mail about the device's development. Quoting:"Part of the difficulty in engineering such a device is that the underlying goal—that its final price should be within the means of those who can’t afford high-priced tablets—dictates crucial engineering and component decisions. A piece of high-impact-resistant glass, such as the touchscreen face of an iPad, can cost upward of $20. Datawind’s touchscreen glass, which the company had engineered down the street, costs less than $2, though it won’t allow for luxuries like pinch-and-zoom finger swiping. There were also compromises on processing power: Datawind’s 366 megahertz processor costs less than $5, a fraction of the $15-plus price tag on the chips that power iPads and other comparable tablets. And while the decision to run Google’s free Android mobile operating system on the gadget saves money, it requires coders to dig deep into the Linux kernel that underpins the software, tweaking it until it runs smoothly on Datawind’s weaker processor."

http://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/12...heapest-tablet ...

Electronista reports that Sony, Nintendo, and Electronic Arts have all pulled their support for SOPA, but have not issued any statements as to why. The house.gov list of SOPA supporters is here."

http://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/12/...w-sopa-support ...