Heres what they say:

''There’s no change in our plan to release the console in the last quarter of this year. We are planning an announcement in September and it may be causing some confusion.'' - Yasuhiro Minagawa, spokesperson for Nintendo Co. Ltd.

While the statement doesn’t completely debunk a rumored launch in September, it makes it a very tight squeeze. The October release date is starting to look more and more likely, hopefully a mid to late launch. ...

Snezzi DS the Snes Emulator for the Nintendo DS has been updated, heres whats new:

Fixes and Features:
- Fixed a critical bug with the register reads and writes (might be slower)
- Improved cycle counting (again) for block move and DMA operations.
- Added feature to handle mid-frame change of background offsets. (Able to see water in Super Mario World, Able to see scrolling clouds in Super Mario All Stars: Super Mario Bros, Able to see fixed status panel in Super Mario All Stars: Super Mario Bros 3, Able to see scrolling name entry in Zelda: A Link to the Past)
- Fixed reading register $4212 to indicate auto-joypad read status.
- Fixed writing register $4016 to reset only when the correct bit is set.
- Fixed joypad registers to send joypad input only from the first controller.
- Fixed HiROM mapping.
- Added Mode 20/21 ROM Access Speed.
- Fixed a bug with the INC/DEC opcode that was previously returning the wrong flags. (This fixes Super Mario Bros 2's glitch where the character suddenly warps to the top of the screen)
- Fixed messed up colors when in 256-color palettes.
- Fixed fading to use always the brightest fade color per frame
- Slightly improved VRAM allocation for background graphics
- Implemented Mode 7 Graphics

- Added more configuration options:
o FORCED BG MODE
AUTO, MODE 1, MODE 2,... MODE 7
o VRAM BG ALLOC
SMART - Don't allocate for disabled BGs may see less garbled graphics, slow refresh on every enabling/disabling/flicker of BGs
FAST - Allocate for disabled BGs may see more garbled graphics fast flickering of BGs (needed by games like Megaman 7)
o VRAM OBJ ALLOC
SHARED - Shared with BGs (may result in less space for BG graphics)
EXCLUSIVE - Not shared with BGs (allows more space for BG graphics)

- Added Quick Configuration Feature:
o L+R+SELECT+UP: Cycle through the following BG Priority Sets
set 1 = (P1, P2, P3, P3)
set 2 = (P2, P1, P3, P3)
set 3 = (P0, P1, P2, P3)
set 4 = (P1, P0, P2, P3)
o L+R+SELECT+DOWN: Cycle through the FORCED BG MODEs
opt 0 = as required by game
opt 1-7 = the respective modes

Download and Give Feedback Via Comments ...

Snezziboy the SNES Emulator for the Gameboy Advance (nintendo ds too) has been updated, heres whats new:


Download and Give Feedback Via Comments ...

Play Asia the Hong Kong Games store have posted a new update to their weekly update of collectable games for all classic systems, this week they posted they had these NEW games in stock:

Dreamcast™:
BikkuriMan 2000 Viva! Festival! JPN
Culdcept Second JPN
Eternal Arcadia JPN
Eve Zero: The Ark of the Matter JPN
Gakkyuu O Yamazaki JPN
Godzilla Generations JPN
Jaaman JPN
NBA 2K1 JPN
Nakoruru: Ano Hito Kara no Okurimono JPN US
Ookami Ichio Funtouki: Sakura Taisen Kayou Show - Benitokage Yori JPN
Ready 2 Rumble Boxing JPN
Sakura Taisen 3 JPN
Seaman (w/ Microphone and VMU) JPN
Seventh Cross JPN
Utau * Tumbling Dice

More info --> http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-...9-en-84-n.html ...

New commercial Xbox360 release:

features
The Middle-earth you have never seen brought to life on the Xbox 360! The unification of the book and film rights have unlocked a world of Middle-earth ? new races, places, heroes, and battles from the books and films are yours to command.
Command the most epic battles of Middle-earth from your living room couch. Directly control and manage hundreds of units and engage in intense, action-packed real-time battles.
Challenge friends online and battle it out via Xbox LIVE. The game features exclusive new multiplayer games including King of the Hill, Capture and Hold, and Hero versus Hero.
First The Lord of the Rings strategy game for any console system and first game in The Lord of the Rings series for the Xbox 360.
New and intuitive console-specific control scheme that makes it possible to experience and enjoy the strategy genre on the Xbox 360.
Customize fortresses or choose to build anywhere! Craft your own landmark castle and create signature units including naval ships or Elven and Dwarven heroes.
Hugo Weaving reprises his role as Lord Elrond lending his voice and likeness to the game. Weaving offers the game?s overarching tone by guiding players in and out of each good and evil mission within the single player campaigns.

description
Command the epic battles of Middle-earth? from your living room couch in The Lord of the Rings™, The Battle for Middle-earth™ II for the Xbox 360™. The highly anticipated PC game will make its exclusive console debut when it ships in Summer 2006! To add to the intensity of the experience, The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth II for the Xbox 360 is the first game in The Lord of the Rings™ series that will be playable over Xbox LIVE™*. Challenge friends online and engage in intense, action-packed real-time battles.

Based on the PC version of the same name, The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth II for the Xbox 360 will bring players into the heart of Middle-earth to live the battles seen in the blockbuster New Line Cinema films and classic J.R.R. Tolkien literary fiction. The game boasts a new and intuitive console-specific control scheme that will allow novice players to enjoy the game?s signature strategy gameplay while giving expert players the flexibility needed to engage in a deeply complex strategy experience. Directly control hundreds of units in an attempt to defeat enemy armies, conquer new lands, and seal the fate of Middle-earth.

More info / buy here --> http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-...j-70-1d65.html ...

The PC game already debuted in March to decent reviews so, instead of recapping what's right and wrong with the game as a whole, let's get right down to the issue we're all wondering about: the controls.

EA's Los Angeles studio contains the venerable Westwood Studios, well known as RTS pioneers for titles like Dune II and Command & Conquer. So it is, under their watchful eye, that they sought to deliver the heretofore mouse-centric experience of real-time strategy games to the console world. So, how did they do?

IGN (82/100) is equivocal in their praise saying: "The controls aren't perfect and they're by no means the equivalent to the quick, precision controls of the PC's mouse and keyboard duo, but they do in fact work. I'll even go so far as to say they work better than any other console RTS -- period."

GameDaily (80/100) wonders where the tutorial is: "While the control scheme is listed in the manual and through the in-game pause menu, there's no tutorial mode. The control scheme works extremely well once you've adjusted to it, but the moment you pick up the game, you won't know what you're doing. A training mode of some sort (at least as an option) would've been nice for a game of this nature, but Xbox 360 owners should be adjusted to the control scheme by the second or third mission."
Yahoo! Games (90/100) seconds the manual recommendation and steep learning curve: " So yes, you need to read the manual. You're probably going to want to have it on your knees for the first few hours of play, and within arm's reach for a day or two more. The controls are well thought out and comprehensive, but the advanced functions are not intuitive. Many commands rely on double or triple combinations of face buttons and triggers or bumpers. You'll need to learn them."
So, it sounds like EA Los Angeles has done the impossible; they've delivered a console RTS with controls that are almost comparable to its PC counterpart. For console gamers (many of whom were former PC gamers) this is a praiseworthy innovation. Now that the path has been revealed, will other developers target the RTS-less console gaming world? ...

The New York Times is reporting today with some new, juicy information about Microsoft's iPod rival that has been in the works and speculation for quite some time now.

According to the Times, entertainment industry executives briefed on the plans for the device last night and said it should be ready for a holiday season release. This device will also have wireless capabilities for song downloading on the fly. Also mentioned during the briefing is the fact that this player will include a more advanced screen than the iPod. No further information was divulged about how this screen is more advanced than Apple's iPod screen. Sounds like some good stuff, we'll keep you posted on more information as we hear it. ...

Development on perhaps the most-anticipated game of 2007 seems to be running smoothly.

After announcing two months ago that multiplayer testing of Halo 3 was under way in the Bungie Studios' offices, the developer has revealed that the game's single-player campaign is getting its fair share of action. The announcement came late last Friday, just before the stretched-out Independence Day weekend began in the United States.

"Multiplayer, single player, you name it, folks are playing it," said Bungie's Frankie O'Connor. "The lab formerly known as the multiplayer lab is now also the single player lab."

O'Connor used the company's weekly update posted on Bungie.net to say that it is running through the single-player game as "a gameplay test, not a graphics one."

Since the graphics are unfinished, he shifted the focus to gameplay and praised the increased power of the Xbox 360 to churn out more advanced artificial intelligence among Halo 3's enemies. "That counts for your human allies," he wrote, "but it's more noticeable at this early stage in the behavior of your opponents."

O'Connor described a heated encounter he experienced in the game, which he said showed off Halo 3's improved AI.

"At this point, they're testing out the new AI and encounters as much as anything else. ... Today, I swear I saw some Grunts do a classic pincer-movement to trap me in a narrow canyon," he wrote. "I was battling um, something bigger than a Grunt, and suddenly, I'm being peppered by a second group of jerks, mostly Grunts, who'd been sent in around my flanks to take me out. Grunts are still grunts though, and once I showed some serious opposition, a couple of them panicked and fled, but they nearly had me and it was quite a shock."

O'Connor's "um, something bigger than a Grunt" may be a likely indicator that some new enemies will be thrown into the intergalactic mix.

He also officially revealed several more tidbits relating to the Halo franchise, from a new Halo 3 multiplayer mode and revamped weapons to Halo 2 matchmaking playlists and the release of the Halo comic book.

--Since multiplayer testing began two months ago, a new "utterly terrifying" Halo 3 game mode has been developed. "I have never, ever heard so much frightened screaming during a play test of anything. And plenty of laughing too," O'Connor said, without offering any further details.

--The seven-minute mini-documentary that profiled the development of the Halo 3 E3 2006 trailer was released a month ago on Bungie's Web site, but it will just now be coming to Xbox Live Marketplace. The documentary will be available for download sometime this week or next week, O'Connor said.

--Many of the classic Halo weapons, such as the Covenant sniper rifle, are getting a graphical makeover for Halo 3. "I wanted to go back and make everything better," said Bungie weapons designer Tom Doyle. "The Covenant sniper is one of my favorite weapons--it just feels so powerful. I wanted to emphasize that in the new version, so we're adding some detail that will really show off the building energy in the weapon."

--The upcoming Halo graphic novel is hot off the presses. "[Bungie artist] Lorraine [McLees] literally just arrived back from Marvel's printer with the very first copy," O'Connor said. Halo: The Graphic Novel will be unveiled at the July 20-23 San Diego Comic Con and it will go on sale this month, O'Connor said.

--A revamped form of matchmaking playlists will be hitting Halo 2, and Bungie is looking for community contributions--because the playlists will be designed by Halo 2 players. "[T]hese fan created playlists will be temporary and their lifespan will be determined by popularity ... If people like your list, we'll keep it up for longer and if they hate it, we'll yank it," O'Connor said. Still, don't expect the new playlists anytime soon. "This thing is a long way out and playlists take a long time to test," he said, "so don't hold your breath." ...

If Wii watchers were happy when Sports Illustrated for Kids came out with a November 6 release date for the system, they'd likely be elated to read a new CNN/Money report from Chris Morris that suggests the console could arrive as soon as late September.

In his article, Morris points out that the Xbox 360 went on sale 69 days after manufacturing of the system began. He then cites a June 21 analyst report from American Technology Research's P.J. McNealy indicating that the Wii has already entered manufacturing. McNealy is quoted in the article as saying that October is "a reasonable timeframe" for the release. Morris also cites other, unnamed industry insiders as expecting a September or October launch for the system.

As for the official Nintendo line on this article, a representative hadn't returned GameSpot's request for comment as of press time. However, earlier today the company did respond to the Sports Illustrated for Kids article, saying in part, "We remain committed to launch the remarkable Wii console in the fourth quarter of 2006."

That would rule out a September launch, but not October. Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has previously said the console would hit shelves in the US before Thanksgiving. ...