nes6502 has released a new port of the snes emulator Zsnes for the Xbox:

New Features:
-Core switched to the ZSNES WIP 2-28-05 core (big thanks to dohopoki and Consoleman! for help testing this version).

This is much more stable than the code used in 1.2. The result is many games no longer crash (Super Bomberman 2-5, Battletoads/Doubledragon, Super Mario RPG, Blackthorne, and probably others), games that were choppy now run much smoother (Ninja Gaiden Trilogy, Super Mario World, Megaman X, and probably others), Star Fox runs at the correct speed, Chrono Trigger no longer has that annoying screen flash during battles, and all the BS-Zelda hacks now work. Top Gear 3000 does not work very well in this version. Use 1.2 to play this game.

-New logo on ROM browser (courtesy of kiteless)

-Added game Rewind support.

-Changed Direct3D swap effect method from Copy to Discard. This provides a speed increase of about 3-4 FPS.

-Assembled the NASM files with the -09999 switch for more optimized obj files. This should provide a speed increase.

-All new input code. It should be much more stable and hopefully solve all the input problems in the previous releases.

-Player 3/4 support added

-Added option to disable/enable controllers 3 and 4. Disabling controllers 3/4 is necessary for some games to work (example Tetris and Dr. Mario). These games will not run if they detect that a multi-tap (players 3 and 4 enabled) is plugged in.

-Added controller configuration screen (logo courtesy of zenstrom).

-All 4 controller mappings, FPS display, Game Exit, Rewind, Save State, Load State, and Fast forward can be changed. This will allow people not using a controller with analog sticks (i.e. a real SNES controller or the Street Fighter gamepad) to use ZsnexBox.

-Controller hotswapping is now supported. Controllers can now be plugged in/removed/changed at any point during the menu or during emulation

-Added an Options screen (graphics courtesy of Albino and Antiriad)

-Hardware Filters supported:
None
Point
Bilinear (recommended)
Trilinear
Antisotropic
Quincunx
Gaussian Cubic

-Software Filters Added:
HQ2X
Advance MAME 2X (recommended)
Simple 2X

-Flicker Filter can be set to 0 (Off and recommended), 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 (Full Blur)

-Soften display can be turned on or off (Off recommended)

-Sound Frequency can be changed to:
32000 (recommended)
44100
48000

-Added Sound Interpolation option. The choices are:
Gaussian (recommended)
8-Point
Cubic Spline

-Added support for the SNES Low Pass Filter generator. This adds more bass to the game audio. The choices are:
None
Simple
Dynamic
High Quality

-Added option to disable savestates

-Add option to disable menu sound effects.

-All of the above options are dynamic. The changes take affect instantly regardless of whether emulation has started or not.

-Most options (and controller configuration) are saved to the ini file. If the ini is missing it will be created. This is useful to set everything back to the defaults.

-Exiting from a game now goes to the option menu. The user can exit to the ROM browser, change options, and/or resume the game.

-Screen resize uses the blue and red borders if a game is not running. It uses the in game screen if a game is running.

-X, Y, Width, and Height values are displayed on the resize screen.

-Save and Load State can be done from the Options screen. Disable Savestates is the master control for these features. If Save/Load State is assigned to a button, but Disable Savestates is turned on in the options menu, the buttons will do nothing.

-FPS Display can be turned on and off from the options screen. This is the master setting. If FPS Display toggle is assigned to a button, but it is turned off in the options menu, the button will do nothing.

-Directory support. The current path always starts in D:\roms folder

-Rom browsing to all partitions (except X, Y, and Z) on the hard drive and the DVD drive.

-Running from the DVD added. An Xbox compatible image must be made.

-All files saved\loaded from E:\ZsnexBox\sram, E:\ZsnexBox\ini, and E:\ZsnexBox\save. These are created if they do not already exist.

-Rom menu scrolling is much more responsive.

-The in game emulation volume can be adjusted with the right analog stick. Up increases the volume and down decreases it. The current volume level (0-100) will display on the screen during adjustment.

-Set Advance MAME 2x as the default filter. It looks the best (in my opinion) and it is even faster than Super 2XSai.

-Fixed problem where graphics from one game were still displayed along the top and bottom of the screen when a new game was launched.

-Added screenshot support for the following extensions: sfc, swc, fig, mgd, ufo, bin, 058, 078, usa, eur, jap, jma

-Added "Exit ZsnexBox" as an option to the options screen. This will reboot to the dashboard.

-Added PAL video code detection. PAL 60 is used if available, otherwise PAL 50 is used.

...

New Product from SuccessHK
(Preorder thats coming in 10 days)



A portable version of the creature-hunting game by Capcom's Resident Evil Outbreak creators. In Monster Hunter Freedom, challengers take on a variety of quests and conquer larger than life beasts either alone or with the aid of others. Building upon Monster Hunter and Monster Hunter G (both on PS2), Monster Hunter Freedom includes new missions, additional features and content adapted for the PSP system. Adventurers are now free to take their epic battles with them wherever they go, as they explore a unique world inhabited by ferocious monsters and become mighty hunters in this exciting action game. With a multitude of missions, quests, characters, weapons and more, the variety is virtually limitless. The game features both enhanced single player campaigns as well as multiplayer missions via the PSP system's ad hoc mode which allows up to four friends to band together for intense battles.

...

New Product from SuccessHK



This case is a FULL replacement case for the Xbox 360. They include the 360 face plate and a screwdriver to install the case. Easy to install and totally custom design! ...

News from Play Asia:

Weekly Special: Capcom's funky cartoon-style GameCube™ action game Viewtiful Joe at US$ 12.90 only - offer valid for 1 week

From the publisher: Lights! Camera! Action! Welcome to the world of Viewtiful Joe! Capcom's innovative superhero action game that mixes funky cartoon-style visuals with classic side-scrolling gameplay and introduces the world's quirkiest million dollar action hero…Joe! More than just any ordinary dude, Joe must transform into the ultimate superhero. It's up to you to activate the correct view mode like "slow" or "zoom in" in order to clobber your enemies with beautiful style! You can alsospeedupor slowdownyour visual effects for even more "viewtiful" moves. Viewtiful Joe redefines action games by mixing innovative "viewpoint" fighting into an amazing stunt-filled action movie universe!

Capcom's GameCube™ action game Viewtiful Joe is now available at discounted US$ 12.90 only. This is the Japanese first print of the game.

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

Via Joystiq

Will Wright confirmed that Spore will be available "on all platforms," including cell phones - and presumably Wii. While Wright did not specifically name-drop "Wii," we must assume that "all platforms" includes Wii. In addition, Wright, by his own admission, is a bit of a Nintendo fanboy: "I'm rooting for Nintendo," he told GameSpy. Despite this statement, Wright was critical of the Wiimote, observing "the way the Wii controller works depends a lot on how close you are to your TV."

Interestingly enough, Wright currently favors the DS as his platform of choice. Any chance Spore will end up on Nintendo's handheld? [Update: Spore has been confirmed for the DS. Thanks, Sense.]

Spore is tentatively set to debut on the PC early next year (April/March 2007). ...

Via Gizmodo

We’ve been using Nokia’s N-Gage as a punchline to (extremely nerdy) jokes for years now, ever since we first heard about Sidetalking—long before the N-Gage actually hit the market and, you know, failed. Ewan Spence over at All About Symbian’s written a fairly long piece about how we should stop mocking the N-Gage and pay attention to how Nokia’s been using what they’ve learned about mobile gaming with the N-Gage platform to sneak improved mobile gaming experiences onto their incredibly popular S60 phones:

Putting [Nokia] up against the heavyweights gives a raw number of roughly 4 million N-Gages shipped, against 17 million PSP’s and a comparable number of Nintendo DS. But now ask yourself another question. How many S60 phones are going to ship in the next 12 months? Maybe 50 million? How many of them are going to be able to play these next generation of mobile games? Maybe 30 or 40 million? Those numbers are standing up pretty well against Sony and Nintendo now, aren’t they?

We hate to admit it, but Spence does make some sense. But we’re not going to give the Sidetalk jokes up, you’ll have to pry our love for them out of our dessicated little walnut hearts after we’re all long dead and buried. ...

Via Gamesindustry

Sony has dismissed rumours that the 20GB PS3 will not be compatible with wireless controllers, and that consumers will not have the option to upgrade the hard drive.

"Both queries to my knowledge are completely false," a spokesperson told GI.biz.

"Both configurations will support bluetooth PS3 controllers. The only non-upgradeable feature of the 20GB configuration will be the HDMI output."

This confirms comments made by Sony's Phil Harrison in a recent interview with GI.biz, where he stated: "You can upgrade to whatever size of drive you like. You can put in any drive that you like - it is a computer, after all."

The spokesperson went on to reveal that Sony plans to release a Wi-Fi adaptor for the 20GB PlayStation 3. Consumers will also have the option to purchase a separate adaptor that will allow the use of memory sticks, SD cards and compact flash cards with the machine.

However, there's still no word as to whether the 20GB PlayStation 3 will make it to the UK at all. ...

Via Gamesindustry

The UK headquarters of Japanese gaming giant Nintendo is set to move from its current location in Slough to a new, larger office in Windsor, which should accommodate the firm's staffing needs as it prepares to launch into the next-generation console market.

It's not known how much Nintendo UK will be able to expand in its new offices, but following the huge success of the DS handheld and with the launches of DS Lite and Wii on the horizon, it's no surprise that some expansion is required.

Ironically, Nintendo's decision to move to the Berkshire town comes as publisher Take Two plans to move its European operations, which have been based there for around ten years, to Geneva in Switzerland, copying a move made by EA in recent months.

Nintendo's UK office, however, is just that - a UK office only, with the firm's European arm being administered from the firm's regional headquarters in Grossostheim, Germany. ...

Via Slashdot

2old2play has a great editorial up regarding the next generation of gaming, and suggests that maybe 'next-gen' graphics and sound will not be what sells games this time around. Instead the next-gen champions will be the ones that provide better content and innovation in their games." From the article: "The average gamer is in their mid-thirties. Many of these adult gamers understand the value of a dollar and have a firm grasp on technological trends. The trend is simple: new technology arrives and costs a ton of money, then prices lower as newer technology hits the market. Developers are not screaming for larger removable disk capacity, yet Sony is forcing a consumer (and developer) to purchase a high capacity Blu-ray device 'for the future.' By the time Blu-ray and HD-DVD's are needed for gaming we will be in the 8th generation of console systems. Why force it on us now? ...