NOTE: Because of the many changes in this release, all settings will be reset to defaults. If this doesn't happen for you, it will be necessary to manually delete your previous settings.

Potentially huge speedups in software rendering mode, both in emulation and UI modes. Deactivating 'dirty rects' uses these new modes, which can be 2-3 times faster for many configurations.

For UI navigation, changed from using 'joymouse' to the more familiar 'tabbing' functionality, where you move from object to object by use of some tab key. As a result, completely removed the 'joymouse' commandline argument and all associated functionality.

Added event remapping for UI events, separate from events while in emulation mode.

Added support for PAL60 ROMs, which use the PAL palette and resolution but run at NTSC timing (60Hz). Added ROM property for this, and updated the internal properties database for many PAL60 ROMs.

Added support for user-definable palettes. For now, only one extra palette is supported, but in the future we may have them specified per-ROM.

Fixed bug in PAL colour-loss emulation, which wasn't actually being done for the original Stella and z26 palettes.

Fixed several TIA-related emulation bugs as reported on AtariAge. More fixes will come with the TIA rewrite, due in the next release.

Added new scaler infrastructure, replacing the '-zoom' commandline argument with '-scale_ui' and '-scale_tia'. This means the UI and emulation can now be scaled independently.

Added '-gl_vsync' commandline argument and associated UI elements, which uses synchronization to vertical blank interrupt in OpenGL on supported systems. This eliminates tearing in OpenGL rendering.

Changed naming of snapshots and state files. These files are now named based on the names given in the properties database, and no longer use the 'md5sum' name. As a result, state files from previous versions will no longer work unless they're manually renamed. Related to this, removed the '-ssname' commandline argument.

Fixed bug where 'Snapshot saved' appeared when taking snapshots in succession.

Added a 'Previous directory' entry to the top of each listing while in ROM Browse mode, which is equivalent to the 'Go Up' button. This makes it easier to navigate the filesystem, since you never have to 'tab out' of the ROM listing.

Added all sound related commandline options to the UI, so you no longer have to use the commandline to set those options.

Added new property to ROM properties specifying whether to swap paddles plugged into a virtual port. This eliminates the need to manually set the paddle mode for those ROMs that don't use paddle zero by default.

Added a 'Defaults' button to the Game Properties dialog, which resets the ROM properties to the internal defaults, deleting that ROMs properties from the external properties file.

Fixed bug whereby modified ROM properties weren't being reloaded when restarting a ROM.

Made 'phosphor' and 'phosphor blend' a ROM property, meaning it can be set per-ROM.

Added support for relocating the base Stella directory, by setting the environment variable 'STELLA_BASEDIR'. This must be done each time before Stella starts.

Added '-fastscbios' commandline argument, which speeds up loading of vertical bars in Supercharger ROMs, and made it the default.

Added '-autoslot' commandline argument, which automatically switches to the next available slot after saving a state. This defaults to off, and must be set from the commandline.

Fixed bug in debugger command 'runto', which could enter an infinite loop under some conditions.

Updated configure/build toolchain so patching is no longer required for Debian packages.

Removed dependency on PNG library (PNG snapshots are still present, but the actual library is no longer required).

For the OSX port, improved OpenGL performance on Mac Mini using Intel GMA950 video hardware.

For the GP2X port, added support for PAL ROMs, and updated SDL to use hardware scaling.

GlovePIE stands for Glove Programmable Input Emulator. It doesn't have to be used with VR Gloves, but it was originally started as a system for emulating Joystick and Keyboard Input using the Essential Reality P5 Glove. Now it supports emulating all kinds of input, using all kinds of devices, including Polhemus, Intersense, Ascension, WorldViz, 5DT, and eMagin products. It can also control MIDI or OSC output.

In the GlovePIE window you type or load a simple script. For example to control the WASD keys with a glove:

W = glove.z > -50 cm
S = glove.z < -70 cm
A = glove.x < -10 cm
D = glove.x > 10 cm

You can also use GlovePIE to play Joystick-only games without a joystick, or keyboard-only games with a joystick. Or you can use it to create macro buttons for complex keystrokes.

You can even use it to control multiple mouse pointers with multiple mice.

System Requirements
You will need:

Windows 98 or above (Windows 2000 or above to emulate keys in DirectInput games or use multiple fake cursors - Windows XP or above to get input from multiple mice or keyboards individually or to read some special keys).
DirectX 8 or above.
There is other optional software you might need for certain features. See the download page for links to download them. Joystick emulation requires PPJoy. Speech requires SAPI 5.1 with microsoft recogniser.
You don't need any special hardware.

WiiCR is a media player solution for the Nintendo Wii. It acts as a streaming media server and is capable of transcoding nearly any video file to a suitable flv for an embedded flash player. It allows browsing of the remote filesystem to select a video. It can also view text files, jpg's and play mp3s.

The overarching message for Nintendo appears to be a relatively simple one this holiday season, as simple as they would claim the Wii Remote is to use—appealing to gamers, be they young, old, hardcore, non-traditional or lapsed. And while the $200 million for advertising the Wii turned out to be an erroneous number (that's apparently Nintendo's annual marketing budget), Nintendo is obviously trying hard to get the word out.

But that leaves one final question: what about Nintendo's older systems (GBA, GCN)? The GBA had a very solid November, with over 600k hardware units sold and if there was any time for a last push with the GCN, now would be it. Dolecki offered, "Our focus right now is on Wii and DS, but we have a huge installed base of Game Boy fans. Third-party publishers have tapped into that audience, and we have a library of nearly 950 games for GBA," she said, adding, "Nintendo GameCube owners can also experience The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. "