Nintendo has lifted the lid on its plans to equip the Revolution with totally wireless technology. The next-gen console will communicate with controllers, peripherals, online gaming services and other Nintendo hardware using technology developed in partnership with US firm Broadcom.
While the primary use of such technology is wireless online access the Revolution could also use it in other more unusual ways. A big part of the Revolution's, um, revolution could be directly linked to its wireless features.

Robert A. Rango of Broadcom hints at this. "Broadcom is pleased to partner with technology leader Nintendo, whose visionary commitment to the user experience has inspired new uses for established wireless technology," he said.

Wireless controllers are only the tip of the iceberg. Imagine wireless body sensors picking up your every movement and translating it to the screen... Crikey, we're drunk with speculation.
The DS is also expected to take advantage of Broadcom's wireless technology. An online DS multiplayer system has been mooted by Nintendo for months now and will be finally unveiled at next month's E3.

Even more exciting than that, Broadcom's wireless technology will enable simple connectivity between Nintendo hardware. While it remains unconfirmed, we'll eat our stylus if the Revolution and the DS aren't connectable wirelessly. Or is the GBA 2 waiting in the wings...?

Nintendo reckon Broadcom's technology will enable the Japanese giant to continue revitalising the games industry. "The depth and breadth of Broadcom's wireless expertise will enable Nintendo to deliver the industry's most innovative gaming solutions," said Genyo Takeda, head honcho at Nintendo's Integrated Research & Development Division for Nintendo.

"By integrating Broadcom wireless solutions into our next-generation systems we can provide the high performance gaming and connectivity capabilities that will delight gamers," said Takeda-san.

Broadcom's wireless features include BroadRange, which increases the range of wireless devices by up to 50%, and SecureEasySetup, which lets you set-up your wireless network securely and easily. And without spaces.

Nintendo will reveal its full online and wireless plans at next month's E3. We're expecting some earth-shattering announcements. You'll get them here first. ...

Speculation on Square Enix's planned DS title in the Secret of Mana series has been given a stir after it was revealed that the company has filed for a trademark on the 'World of Mana' name. Is the name of the game heading to Nintendo's new handheld?
Well, it's all guesswork at this stage with SquEnix keeping lips firmly sealed. There's a brand logo for 'World of Mana' which you can see on the right of this page, but unless there's a hidden message in there somewhere it sheds zero light on anything.

Guess we'll just have to wait and see but hopefully it won't be too long as the company has a huge announcement shindig in the pre-show E3 warm up. We hope to find out more then. ...

As if we didn't already have enough cryptic next-gen info to pick over thanks to ourcolony.net, now Microsoft has sent out a media invite for its grand pre-E3 Xbox 2 unveiling on May 16 - and it's packed with clues.
Reading between the lines of these invites and the website they refer attendees to, it seems that the Xbox 2 may well be called Xbox 360 (a notion that has been gathering pace like a post-piss Paula Radcliffe for some time now), will feature something called the 'ring of light', and will employ a white, grey and green colour scheme.

The first thing that strikes about the invite is its enthusiastic use of rings and circles in its design. This is becoming an increasing trend in Microsoft's Xbox 2 marketing, suggesting that the 360 moniker is the one to put your money on.

This concentration on the circle may also offer clues as to the design of the machine itself. Should we expect a circular unit, or just lots of circles and rings built into the Xbox 2's body?
The 'ring of light' connection is a little more mysterious. This phrase has been doing the rounds for a while now and shows up in the Flash animation intro for the online media registration site (we've taken some screens for you to spy). Is it another Xbox 2 design feature? Possibly a circular light that rings the console when the power is on? Or just more illuminated circles on the console's body?

The colour scheme malarkey is thankfully a little easier to understand. Talk of a white console and matching controllers has been cracking for weeks and the exclusively white, grey and green colour scheme of the press invite and website seems to confirm these rumours.

In addition to all that, the website also chucks a couple of enigmatic phrases at you. "Amplify everything" seems to be a reference to the console's increased power and support for HD audio and visual equipment. "Hit reset on your reality" suggests Xbox 2 will be unlike anything we could have expected or thought up.

You can check out the media registration website here.

Of course, all this could just be more column-inch stealing tomfoolery from a Microsoft marketing campaign that's already storming the imagination of gamers. We'll find out for sure on May 12 when Microsoft reveal the Xbox 2 on MTV, and we'll find out even more at E3.

In the meantime, do you remember a little next-gen console called PS3? It seems to be getting forgotten in Microsoft's marketing wake, so we sincerely hope Sony have something major to bust out at E3... ...

The best Nintendo DS Emulator for Windows has seen a new release, heres whats new in this latest version:

CPU: The Sqrt SWI is now function number 13 instead of 8
MMU: Fixed DMA word counts
MMU: Touchscreen calibration data can now be entered in the .ini file
MMU: Fixed some VRAM mappings
GPU: Fixed some hflip issues for 16-color text BGs
GPU: Fixed the VRAM source address for extended rotoscale BGs on the sub core
GPU: Fixed blending of the leftmost column for 16-color text BGs
GPU: Fixed some 16-color OBJ clipping issues
GPU: Proper VRAMCNT values are now enforced
GUI: Added an I/O register viewer
GUI: Added a tile viewer
GUI: Added a -theme commandline switch to select color theme (eg. -theme 0)
GUI: Fixed the file path of dualis.ini

Download Here

Download Some Nintendo DS Demos and Games. ...

Publisher THQ has announced that it will be supporting Microsoft's Xbox 2 when the next-gen console hits shelves, currently thought to be before the end of the year.
THQ's internal studios Relic Entertainment and Volition have already signed up to create new and Xbox 2-exclusive content. That doesn't mean they won't be developing for any other format, but does mean that any Xbox 2 project they create will be exclusive to Microsoft's next-gen system.

No clues as to what these games could be yet, although a shuffle through both development team's back catalogues could provide some clues. Interestingly, Relic does most of its business with PC strategy titles. Titles like Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War, Impossible Creatures and the Homeworld series suggest Relic's first Xbox 2 title could push our brain cells as much as the console's tech specs.

Volition on the other hand has far more experience in the console market and recently scored a bloody hit with The Punisher. The Red Faction FPS series was also developed at Volition's Illinois studios, so perhaps we'll be looking at a third or first-person shooter come Xbox 2 time.
We squeezed reps at THQ for more info but the phrase 'blood from a stone' springs to mind.

Still, Jack Sorensen, THQ's executive vice president of worldwide studios did have this to say: "Microsoft's next-generation technology will enable a level of realism never before experienced by gamers. The teams at Relic and Volition have been working closely with the development team at Microsoft to ensure that our titles utilize the new system to its fullest potential."

The Xbox 2 will be unveiled during a special MTV programme broadcasting around the world on May 12/13 (full details here), then Microsoft plan to show it off properly at E3 the following week.

All being well we should discover more about THQ's Xbox 2 plans at E3. ...

Sam Steele updated his journal with a little news about DC Squares:

Things have been pretty busy with DCSquares lately. We're working hard on a major update, as well as an additional project that we'll mention as it comes closer to being released.

http://www.c99.org/index.php ...

World Championship Poker Deluxe Series puts the best of Las Vegas, Atlantic City and the "Big Easy" right in the palm of your hand!

More info at Success HK. ...

Yes, it's a virtual pet -- three virtual pets, actually, since the player names, raises, and trains three realtime 3D pooches. They'll respond to voice input through the DS microphone (with which you can assign them their own names), and go about their doggish business around the clock while the DS is in its sleep mode. If two sets of Nintendogs are in close proximity, furthermore, they'll passively communicate through the handheld's wireless hardware unbeknownst to either owner.





More info at Lik Sang ...

Microsoft will finally announce the true name of the Xbox 2 and briefly show the system itself and a selection of games on a special half-hour MTV programme, according to the console's marketing executive.
The Seattle-based computing giant announced last week that the world's first glimpse of Xbox 2 would not be at E3, but the week before on a worldwide MTV broadcast called MTV Presents: The Next Generation Xbox Revealed.

Speaking to GameSpot.com, Microsoft's corporate vice president of worldwide marketing and publishing Peter Moore said that the decision was taken to reward the Xbox's consumer fanbase.

"We wanted to say things first to the consumer and give them a sneak peek under the tent of what's going on," he said.
The half-hour timescale of the show, complete with guest appearances from celebrities and musical sets from rock band The Killers, has encouraged critics to ask just how much Xbox 2 Microsoft is planning for the programme.

Not too much, according to Moore: "We'll talk name. We'll show the hardware as much as you can do in a television show. You'll get a little glimpse of games, but we're saving most of that for E3."

The worry is that the Xbox 2's more technical details - the stuff that has hardcore gamers salivating like dogs in the midday sun - could turn off viewers. "We won't do anything that is boring or feels like an infomercial," said Moore.

Moore denied that the move was a snub to E3 and the specialist videogames press and assured huffy journalists there would still be bones for them to pick. "On May 16 [at Microsoft's pre-E3 press conference], we'll do a real deep dive and will show the games in their full glory. And then on the E3 show floor itself we can really show you the power of the platform."

Both Sony and Nintendo are also expected to unveil next-gen consoles at E3. Moore refuted speculation that he was playing a game of one-upmanship with his competitors. "Regardless of what our competition wants to do, we had a very clear plan in mind that goes back a year now."

More revelations on brain-melting Xbox 2 viral marketing website ourcolony.net are also promised, although Moore was dramatically cagey about the details. "You'll have to keep watching that thing. I'm not quite sure about that thing."

MTV Presents: The Next Generation Xbox Revealed will air on Thursday May 12 at 9.30pm in North America and Friday May 13 at 8pm in the UK. You can get the schedule for the whole world here.

We'll bring you all the Xbox 2 news from the MTV show, Microsoft's pre-E3 conference and the showfloor at E3. Until then, we suspect there'll be a few more Xbox 2 nuggets to chew over... ...