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Xboo Communicator and libgba have added keyboard handling code. This update was inspired by Torlus and his rather fun PandaForth implementation.
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A new kernel Expansion Interface subsystem is available on CVS. It is a code rewrite based on apgo's original driver model framework and some of Scream|CT's recent contributions. The good news is that the RTC and BBA drivers are using now the new framework and cpu usage is much lower. The not so good news is that we've dropped temporarily the memcard and SD drivers while they get reworked. The new stuff is already included in the Latest Kernel Build, updated to 2.6.11.


http://www.gc-linux.org/ ...

groepaz posted another update to the world famous non-official GameCube technical documentation.

http://www.gc-linux.org/ ...

Late last month, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata stated that his company would create games for the DS that target a nongaming audience. Among the examples Iwata gave were a game that employs an electronic dictionary and a game that enhances brain activities.

While Iwata's comments were somewhat vague at the time of the announcement, gamers in Japan discovered today that Nintendo will soon be releasing three edutainment games. Details on the scope of the games aren't presently known, but we did receive a brief description of each game from Nintendo:

Nou o Kitaeru Otona no DS Training
The game roughly translates to Brain Training on the DS for Adults (and it doesn't take a genius to figure out the game's goal). The game has been created under the direction of Professor Ryuta Kawashima of Touhoku University. In the game, players will use the stylus and the DS's microphone to answer math problems and read text that is displayed on the screen. The game uses technology such as character and voice recognition to process answers. The game is due at a price of 2,800 ($27) in May.

Yawaraka Atama Juku
The quirky game's English translation is Prep School for Brain-Flexing. Unlike Brain Training, the questions in this game are entirely graphical and are designed to appeal to all ages. A competitive multiplayer mode allows support for up to eight players via the game's wireless capabilities. This game will be available for 2,800 ($27) in June.

DS Rakubiki Jiten
DS Rakubiki Jiten, which roughly translates as Quick-Finding DS Dictionary, is more of a utility software than an actual game. This title includes three of the most widely used dictionaries in Japan (published by Sandeido Publishing)--The Daily Concise Japanese Dictionary, The Daily Concise Japanese to English Dictionary, and New Global English to Japanese dictionary. The software comes with a character recognition system, letting you easily search for a word by scribbling it on the DS's touch-sensitive screen. This dictionary program also lets you send words to another DS, challenging the recipient to correctly guess its pronunciation or definition. DS Rakubiki Jiten is slated for release in June and will retail for 4,800 ($46) yen. ...

The Nintendo DS got off to a flying start last weekend in the UK, becoming the fastest-selling console ever with sales topping some 87,000 units in the first two days at retail, according to Chart-Track data released this morning.

Compared to previous console sales over the years, the DS was well ahead of the original GBA's launch statistics, which managed 67,000 back in June 2001, while the remodelled GBA SP debuted with 47,000 in March 2003.

The cheap and cheerful DS even smashed sales of fully-fledged consoles, beating the Cube's record debut week of 69,000 back in May 2002, with the likes of Xbox (52,000) and PS2 (46,000) selling decent numbers despite £299 price points.

Software wise, the DS launched with an impressive 16 titles, 12 of which made this week's Top 40 All Formats - although with PS2 titles such as Gran Turismo 4 and Metal Gear Solid 3 ruling the roost at the top of the listings, the best the DS could muster was a No.4 entry with Super Mario 64 DS, closely followed in the Top 10 by Wario Ware Touched! At No.6 and Rayman DS at No.10.

Ubisoft also scored a surprising No.12 entry with Asphalt: Urban GT, EA's multiformat pair of The Urbz: Sims In The City and Tiger Woods PGA Tour move up to No.15 and No.16 respectively, Pokemon Dash made it to No.18, Spider-Man 2 moved up to No.19, while the multiformat Robots (No.25), Project Rub (No.29), Zoo Keeper (No.39), and Polarium (No.40) also made it into the Top 40.

That left four of the 16-strong line up outside the Top 40, meaning the likes of Mr Driller: Drill Spirits, Retro Atari Classics, Ping Pals and Sprung were lower down on gamers' shopping lists.

Nevertheless, given the crowded release schedule on other platforms, strong hardware sales and 12 titles in the Top 40 in the opening weekend represent a very strong early showing for the DS in a territory where many in the industry were unsure of how well Nintendo's new machine would be received.

The challenge now for the system will be to continue its sales once the first wave of early adoption has died down - and to build strong momentum and expand its software base in Europe before the PlayStation Portable arrives in a few months time. ...

Development kits for the next-gen Nintendo Revolution console are "already out there," according to Nintendo president Satoru Iwata, who has promised that the information developers need to start work will be available "in the near future."

Speaking in an interview with BusinessWeek, Iwata said, "Development kits are already out there, depending on which stage you're talking about. All I can say right now is 'in the near-future' for the basis platform information they will need to get started on games."

Iwata also spoke briefly about the Revolution interface, and said it will "allow some new forms of innovation". "We have a number of candidates for a new interface but are not ready to reveal them. All I can say right now is that whatever we choose will be intuitive and easy to use for everyone," he said.

"We may or may not use the microphone in the new interface," he added, but said the inclusion of a microphone would "not be a defining feature of the new console".

Other than that, Iwata's comments toed his company line about not "simply relying on sheer horsepower" in the race for the next-generation. Nintendo is expected to unveil the Revolution console at E3 this year and launch in late 2006 - although Nintendo of America's Reggie Fils-Aime last week described that date as "an assumption" when quizzed about launching later than rivals PlayStation 3 and Xbox 2.

The majority of publishers have yet to officially declare their interest in developing for Revolution - with several announcing projects for "next-generation consoles" but most of them opting not to identify the individual target machines. ...

The N-Gage QD is to drop in price to $99.99 in the United States, Nokia has today announced, in an effort to make the system more attractive to consumers in the region - which has so far been the toughest for the N-Gage products to crack.

As well as the fall in the price of the hardware, Nokia has also taken the more unusual step of dropping software prices, with new titles now set to appear at $14.99 to $24.99 - far cheaper than most games for other handheld consoles, and close to being competitive with high-end downloaded games.

Speaking to news agency Reuters at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco last week, Nokia's director and general manager of the games business, Gerard Wiener, revealed that the firm is also considering a second redesign to the hardware.

"We're looking at new colours, a new look and feel for the QD in the next few months," he admitted, going on to say that the firm is also working on brand new N-Gage designs and that the future of the platform may involve versions which talk to high-speed CDMA mobile phone networks.

Despite putting significant weight behind the launch of the original device, and responding quickly to consumer feedback by launching the much-improved N-Gage QD handset within a matter of months, Nokia has had very limited success with N-Gage - selling only 1.5 million units of the platform worldwide to date. ...

News from Lik Sang

Nintendo's Play-Yan is an SD Card based MPEG4/MP3 player for your Gameboy Advance or Nintendo DS. The unit is normally only available through Nintendo's online store in Japan, and comes with Japanese display, instructions and software. Unfortunately, Nintendo had to call back the first batch of units in Japan, due to a technical problem with the sound output.

Lik Sang now has the newly released units in stock and we took some extra time to compare it with the other available movie players, give it a try from the non-Japanese user perspective, and point out what's good and not good about it.

Play-Yan vs. The Rest

As you might know, Nintendo's latest addition to the accessories market is not the first movie player for handheld systems. The officially Nintendo licensed and Smart Media Card based AM3 Player was a big disappointment and failed to impress international and Japanese users when it was released. The unit started off with a couple of Detective Conan cartoons for $25 more than 18 months ago, and in the meantime they have a hand full more including Pokemon. Unfortunately it doesn't let you create or convert your own content, and if you are not a big fan of Detective Conan or Pokemon (and you are not near one of the Kiosks in Tokyo to download stuff), it is basically useless to you.

Majesco Inc in America went another way with their "movie players". They released 24 movies so far, in the shape of standard GBA cartridges for $19.99, which are available in US retail chains. Unfortunately, this was invented for parents who want to keep their kids quiet on the backseat of a car, not for multi media applications and people who want to watch their own content on the go.


Nintendo Play-Yan

Unlike one might believe, the Play-Yan was not released by Nintendo to compete with the MPEG4 capabilities of the Sony PSP. Ken Toyoda, PR head of Nintendo, also confirmed that the Play-Yan was designed for the Gameboy Advance and that it works with the Nintendo DS is a coincidence. The fact that Nintendo announced the Play-Yan just a week after the Sony PSP was released does not relate, according to Toyoda. Don't take this wrong, the Play-Yan and any other movie players for the GBA or NDS are great devices on their own, but comparing it with the huge and expensive display of the Sony PSP, with its Universal Media Disc, the Memory Stick which is accessible through USB2, and many other multi media capabilities, is simply impossible. It's two different things for two different applications and different uses.

The GBA/NDS Movie Player

The only item that you can really compare the Play-Yan with is the Compact Flash Card based GBA Movie Player. While the GBA Movie Players was originally not designed for the Nintendo DS, it is 100% compatible, and does exactly the same as the Play-Yan: it works in the GBA mode of the Nintendo DS. Both devices, Play-Yan and GBA Movie Player, don't make use of the Nintendo DS capabilities and are native Gameboy Advance units. We will compare these two from the technical standpoint and the usefulness standpoint.

Play-Yan GBA Movie Player
Release March 2005 September 2004
Compatible GBA SP, NDS GBA, GBA SP, NDS
Media Type SD Card Compact Flash
Video Format SD-VIDEO (ASF) GBM
Sound Format MP3 GBS
Software MediaStage Media Converter
Language Japanese English
Mini-Games Yes Yes
Firmware Upgradeable No Yes
Image Viewer No Yes
E-Books No Yes
Demo CD w/ Movies No Yes
Direct Headphone Yes No
Price $79.90 $24.90



Using the GBA Movie Player

As you can see above, the GBA Movie Player retails for US$ 24.90, which is way cheaper than the Play-Yan. For $24.90, you receive a player that comes with English instructions, English Windows Software, and a demo CD with some trailers and other demo movies. All you need to do to get up and running is hook up a Compact Flash Card Reader to your PC and store some of the demo movies on your Compact Flash Card. If you want to convert some of your own movies, you can simply install the slightly engrish Windows Software and use one of the easy options to convert your movies into the right format. Apart from just playing movies, you can also convert music, e-books and pictures to be displayed on your GBA Movie Player. Of course this is just a quick summary and the world of the GBA Movie Player is much bigger, there are many options to convert media one or another way. For detailed information, we suggest to check out one of the reviews of the player, or talk to others on the GBA Movie Player Forums.

Reviews of the GBA Movie Player

• Video Review: GameSpot On The Spot
• 199+ Reviews by Lik-Sang.com Customers
• Many other reviews by the best videogame web sites are here

Using the Play-Yan

Now using the Play-Yan is a little bit more complicated. The unit has been designed by Nintendo for Japanese people, to be sold in Japan, with Japanese Windows PCs. To use the Play-Yan, you have to be either Japanese, or be someone who has no problem using Japanese Software and to get it to work on your non-Japanese PC. Once you got it working, you will have to make a guess when you use the software to convert movies. But because the SD-VIDEO standard ...

News from Lik Sang

Gamers on the Nintendo side of Nextgen handheld play are having a blast with the current high-quality releases for the NDS. While Sony's PSP rightfully impresses with hardware power and big screen goodness, Nintendo's latest mobile device offers a different kind of gaming heaven. The touchscreen and stylus way of managing things gamedesign-wise seems to ignite developers' imagination and appears to produce one innovative top title after the other. For instance, blessed NDS owners will have the pleasure of devoting themselves to Rez architect Tetsuya Mizuguchi's latest masterpiece, Meteos.

It comes as no surprise that this NDS title received a well deserved 38/40 score in the latest Famitsu, since it delivers outright, cleverly designed puzzle action. Knowing that the Famitsu jury is not exactly handing out high scores by the truckload, it hints at how impressed they must have been with this game. But there are three other great games for the Nintendo DS available now (or will be shortly) that we'll introduce you to below: Yoshi's Touch & Go, Pokemon Dash and Pac Pix. So read on, if you please, to learn why NDS lovers are presently experiencing nothing but the good life:

Meteos JAP

Acclaimed developer Tetsuya Mizuguchi, responsible for Space Channel 5, Rez and Lumines on PSP, graces the Nintendo DS with another of his original twists on the puzzle genre... before heading to Microsoft, according to the latest games industry rumors. In his effort to come up with another cult classic, he was joined by Kirby creator Masahiro Sakurai in the design department. Meteos sees you wielding the stylus to move around fragments of a detonating planet, lining up three or more blocks of the same color in the process. This will group pieces together (creating one meteor lump) in order to be sent flying back into space.



A stylish CG video intro aims at making you familiar with the 'explosive' background story, subsequently you are presented with various modes to choose from. An intriguing take on the addictive Tetris gameplay, Meteos can be experienced solo in "Star Trip" (story mode), "Simple" and "Time Attack". The added multiplayer option will guarantee for frantic block-dropping mayhem: four players can join the fun via a single cartridge, dumping built-up items like bombs over to opponents' screens to disrupt their clearing up strategy. Definitely more than just another puzzle game, the intuitive touchscreen use renders Meteos a fresh and irresistible feel, perhaps making it the most engaging title the genre has seen yet.

All preorders for this recently released highlight have been shipped out last week already, new orders are of course welcome for only US$ 49.90, eligible for our Free Shipping Worldwide promotion.

Yoshi's Touch & Go US

Initially a mere impressive tech demo shown at E3 2004, what was before known as Balloon Trip headed soon straight to full production title due to its irresistible blend of beloved Nintendo characters and pure innovative gameplay design. Yoshi's Touch & Go welcomes Baby Mario (oh, sweet memories of retro gem Yoshi's Island) back into the gaming scene, where he fearlessly takes to skydiving. Gamers guide his floating path via the stylus pen in order to return Baby Mario safely to his guardian Yoshi. Collect coins and dodge Shy Guys and other renowned Nintendo foes, while drawing clouds to cushion Baby M's fall. You can also blow at the NDS' built-in micro to see a wave of clouds flying up the screen.

After the fun of vertical blue-sky and Baby Mario being back on top of Yoshi again, the game switches to a horizontal view of the action. The cute green dragon just runs like there's no tomorrow; you are responsible for making his way through this stylus-adapted Jump'n Run. Use the touchpen to make him jump or even attempt to fly when you catch Yoshi again in mid-air. Second nature to Yoshi, eggs can be used to destroy enemies or collect coins. Clouds can still be drawn during this phase, building pathways for the dynamic duo all the way. Yoshi's Touch & Go features two-player wireless play as well as surround sound and promises one hell of a good time for NDS and Nintendo fans in general.

The US version is expected to be in stock shortly this week, while the Japanese one has been released over a month ago, with great Famitsu scores of 34/40, and is also still available. Both qualifiy for Free Shipping Worldwide of course.

Pokemon Dash US

The first Pokemon title to hit the Nintendo DS is a racer that utilises both screens of the handheld brilliantly: below, gamers slide the stylus to guide Pikachu from one Poke Ball checkpoint to the next, while the upper screen displays a radar where you can monitor your progress in comparison to your opponents. Beat other Pokemon to the finish line in a heated competition by racing Pikachu across land, sky and sea! The faster you rub on the touchscreen, the faster he runs. Pikachu moves quickest if you stay on paved roads and slows down when traveling on sand or through the ...