DCEmu Homebrew Emulation & Theme Park News
wraggster
by Published on September 8th, 2012 22:35- Categories:
- PC News
A few days ago when I posted a homebrew Motorola 68000 computer spectacular, I briefly mentioned a truly spectacular homebrew computer built by [Simon Ferber]. When I posted a link to a Youtube demo of his 68k board, he was working on a website to document the architecture design, hardware, and software. That website is now up (cache if you need it) and now we can all get a good look at the best homebrew computer ever built.
Built around the 68008 CPU – slightly less capable than the 68000 found in the original Macs, Amigas, and the TI-89 – [Simon]‘s Kiwi computer has peripherals out the wazoo. A Yamaha V9990 Video Display Processor provides a 640×480 display with 32k colors. Two SID chips taken from a Commodore 64 provide stereo chiptune audio, and a floppy disk controller, IDE/ATA bus, and CS8900A Ethernet controller provide all the practical functionality you’d expect from an awesome computer.
On the software side of things, [Simon] is running Enhanced Basic 68k, but of course he can’t just use BASIC to fiddle around with all the cool chips on the Kiwi. With that in mind, he came up with a C-based toolchain that included porting libc to the Kiwi.
Like any good homebrew computer project, all the schematics, a bit of code, and a BOM are provided. [Simon] is currently working on (slightly) redesigning the PCB layout of the Kiwi, and we’ll be happy to see those files released. Anyone up for a Kiwi PCB group buy?
http://hackaday.com/2012/09/08/build...computer-ever/ ...by Published on September 7th, 2012 23:20- Categories:
- Android News
When we first caught wind of the Wikipad at CES, we picked up the distinct scent of vaporware. In the months since, we've seen the ten-inch tablet with detachable controls get games via Gaikai and fromPlayStation Mobile, plus an impressive list of specs. And now we know it'll cost $500 and will officially be available on October 31st exclusively at GameStop. Of course, you don't have to wait until then to call dibs on your Halloween treat, as those willing to plunk down five bills early can reserve one via pre-order starting tomorrow. That's quite a chunk of change, especially considering the cost of othergamified Android tablets, but it does have an impressive set of internals, and it's tough to put a price on having Jelly Bean out of the box, right?
http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/06/w...op-october-31/
...by Published on September 7th, 2012 22:58- Categories:
- Apple iPhone
Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster estimates a healthy first week for Apple
Apple is expected to reveal its iPhone 5 at an event on September 12, and analysts are already speculating how big the newest iPhone could sell. Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster estimates that the new phone could sell between 6 to 10 million units assuming an expected release date of September 21.
"We believe that if the 21st is the actual ship date, Apple could sell six million to 10 million iPhone 5s in the final week of September barring supply issues," Munster said in a note obtained by AllThingsD.
Apple is already expected to report iPhone sales of 22 to 23 million for the third quarter, but Munster believes the iPhone 5 could push that number between 26 and 28 million units.
In contrast, Samsung has announced that its flagship Galaxy S III smartphone has reached 20 million sales units in 100 days. Samsung was able to throw its weight around and have the same model of the Galaxy S III released on every carrier, much like Apple with its iPhones.
"The GALAXY S III has enjoyed tremendous attention and popularity since its launch in May, and we are thrilled with its success," said JK Shin, President and Head of IT & Mobile Communications Division at Samsung Electronics. "I would like to express my sincere appreciation to customers who have chosen the GALAXY S III. We will never stop providing the latest smart mobile technologies to help users live a life extraordinary."
In addition, Microsoft and Nokia showed off the Windows Phone 8-powered Lumia 920 and Lumia 820 this week. The phones mark both companies' push into a market controlled by iOS and Android. A market Windows Phone 7 was unable to find a sizable place in.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...k-says-analyst
...by Published on September 7th, 2012 22:53- Categories:
- DCEmu
The NPD Group has released its latest monthly report on US retail, showing Darksiders 2 claimed the software crown amidst another month of decline for the market.
Total retail spending was down 20 per cent year-over-year, at $515.6m compared to 2011’s $647.2m.
Hardware sales were down 39 per cent, bringing in $150.6m compared to the $248.4m made last year. Xbox 360 sold nearly 200k units to stay atop the category for its 20th straight month.
PS3 and 3DS don’t have anything to frown about either according to NPD’s Anita Frazier.
“Of the platforms that were on the market last August, none realized a year-over-year sales increase. However, compared to July 2012, the 3DS and the PS3 both experienced unit sales increases in August,” Frazier explained.
Software came in at at $237.7m, down nine per cent compared to last August’s $261.8m take. Not so bad, especially if you keep in mind these numbers omit earnings from digital sales, microtransactions and subscriptions.
“One factor contributing to the softness we have seen in retail content sales so far in 2012 has been the decline in the sheer number of new titles. This, however, was not the case in August because there were more new titles when compared to last year; titles with sales that were significantly better than last year’s launches,” Frazier added. “So, what we’re seeing impact August results is the domino effect of the light release schedule from earlier in the year. That lack of new releases has had a significant impact on subsequent month’s sales.”
As far as individual products go, Darksiders 2 finished ahead of a power pair of 3DS titles. New Super Mario Bros. 2 grabbed the runner-up spot ahead of Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance.
Nintendo has chimed in with retail numbers for both of the aforementioned titles. NSMB2 sold over 240k units, and Dream Drop Distance moved over 180k units.
Top-selling software August ‘12
- Darksiders 2 (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
- New Super Mario Bros. 2 (3DS)
- Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream, Drop Distance (3DS)
- NCAA Football 13 (PS3, Xbox 360)
- Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes (3DS, DS, PC, PS3, Vita, Wii, Xbox 360)
- Sleeping Dogs (PS3, Xbox 360)
- Transformers: Fall of Cybertron (PS3, Xbox 360)
- Batman: Arkham City (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
- Call of Duty: Black Ops (DS, PC, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360)
- The Amazing Spider-Man (3DS, DS, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360)
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/augus...r-year/0102513 ...by Published on September 7th, 2012 22:45- Categories:
- Playstation Vita News
The PlayStation Vita’s security protocols have been breached.
The hacker who cracked Amazon’s Kindle, Yifan Lu, claims to have constructed a working loader that is able to run some very basic unofficial code on the handheld.
While the playing of PSP homebrew on Vita has been working for some time, this is the first time that brand new software has got successfully up and running.
And despite the nobility of these early developments, it’s hard to deny that news like this is often the first step toward something altogether more sinister – piracy.
As always, the hack’s creator has defended his work, claiming that he is not responsible for what others may do with the inroads he has created.
Indie developer Wolfgang Wozniak asked: “Your exploit doesn't do anything, yes, yes, I know. But it's an open door. Not for you, but for people who want to destroy us.”
To which Lu replied: “Again, I apologize, but what can I do about what others may possibly do in the future? I would be glad to do anything in my power.”
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/first...emerge/0102521 ...by Published on September 7th, 2012 22:42- Categories:
- PS3 News
It’s one of Japan’s biggest gaming exports and has sold over 100 million units worldwide. In January 2007, it was listed as the third best-selling video game franchise in the industry. It’s branched from role-playing games to tactics, action, MMORPG, third-person shooter, fighting and rhythm genres. And it’s just about to celebrate its 25th anniversary.
The series has been both commercially and critically successful and is synonymous with quality, innovation and visuals. It’s also a huge brand that goes beyond games and into merchandise, jewelry, perfume, concerts, soundtracks and even movies. It is, of course, Final Fantasy.
In its 25th year, Square Enix has already released two games, Final Fantasy XIII-2 and Theatrhythm Final Fantasy, digitally re-released the most popular entry, Final Fantasy VII, for PC and Square Enix announced it was rebuilding its latest MMORPG after disappointing fans. What else does the firm have planned for this mammoth franchise?
“We’re preparing to unveil a Final Fantasy exhibition here in Japan,” said Square Enix’s senior executive managing officer Shinji Hashimoto. “Plans for anniversary projects in Europe and America are also underway and we’d like to extend an invitation to all our fans to celebrate this special year with us.”
There’s already a teaser site online hinting at a possible new entry to the Final Fantasy XIII series, the PS3 exclusive Final Fantasy Versus XIII is still in development and there’s surely something more to that impressive tech demo from this year’s E3.
What’s impressive is that an essentially Japanese franchise has managed to gain commercial success worldwide.
“Perhaps it’s the avid enthusiasm the creators have invested in the Final Fantasy titles and the desire to realise exciting new elements in the series which has captured the imagination of players everywhere.
“There could be a variety of different factors involved as to why it’s done well in Europe especially. A couple of important points to consider would be carefully localising the game and ensuring there is as little difference as possible in the release dates across Japan, Europe and America.”
With the launch of Final Fantasy XIII-2, DLC was introduced for the first time in the main series adding costumes, new story sections and bosses to fight in the game’s coliseum area but it didn’t always go down well with fans.
“Each batch of DLC we released for Final Fantasy XIII-2 was received differently by players. However, this helped us to learn and deliver better results. Our goal now is to pay strict attention to user needs while planning future DLC releases.”
Final Fantasy has a reputation for being a very pretty franchise. But Hashimoto hopes there’s more to Final Fantasy’s legend. “Although we talk about Final Fantasy as a franchise, it’s important to consider the different producers and directors behind the games, all of whom have left their mark by evolving the series in their own ways.
“The tactical style featured in Final Fantasy XII’s battle system or the fast-paced fighting found in XIII have all contributed to the many assets that have accumulated and allow the series to flourish up to now. We intend to continue with this evolutionary approach to keep taking the series forward.”
New Final Fantasy continues to come thick and fast, and with its stunning E3 tech demo, it appears Final Fantasy will stay in the leading for a while to come.
“The tech demo we revealed at E3 is one indicator of the direction the series is taking. I believe we have continued to explore every possibility for advancing the series while always scrapping and rebuilding the Final Fantasy design,” Hashimoto added. “This is also something very unlikely to change in the future.”
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/happy...antasy/0102537 ...by Published on September 7th, 2012 08:20- Categories:
- Android News
Yesterday Amazon announced to the world the Kindle Fire HD and a new improved Kindle Fire, well today Amazon UK have confirmed that on October the 25th both new Kindle Fires will be coming to the UK, the new kindle Fire will be priced at £129 whilst the higher spec Kindle Fire HD will go for £159/£199 depending on how much storage you want, heres some details on both:
Kindle Fire HD
...by Published on September 6th, 2012 23:59- Categories:
- DCEmu
There are 211.5 million people playing games in the United States, a loss of 12 million players (5 percent) from 2011's numbers, the NPD reports. Not all of the gaming categories lost players, however: Mobile gamers rose 9 percentage points to take 22 percent, and digital gamers gained 4 percentage points to 16 percent. This makes mobile gamers the largest audience segment, surpassing core gamers, which held the top spot in 2011.
The remaining categories – core, family and kid, light PC, and avid PC gamers – lost 17.4 million people this year. This is a "slight decline," the NPD says.
"Given the long lifecycles of the current consoles and the increasing installed base of smartphones and tablets, it's not surprising to see a slight decline in the core gamer segment," Anita Frazier, industry analyst for the NPD, says. "It's the revenue contribution of the core gamer segment that continues to outpace all other segments, and remains vital to the future of the industry."
People buying games spent an average of $48 on physical copies and $16 on digital games from June to August. Core gamers spent the most on physical games, at $65. Almost 14 percent of all gamers purchased microtransactions or additional game content in the past three months, up from 11 percent in the same period in 2011; 27 percent of core gamers and 23 percent of digital gamers purchased in-game content.
http://www.joystiq.com/2012/09/06/np...e-totals-down/ ...by Published on September 6th, 2012 23:23- Categories:
- Android News
Amazon's pricing looks to shake up the market
Amazon didn't disappoint today with its announcements, introducing new hardware, software and services up and down its Kindle product line. The standard Kindle e-book reader is now $69, and a new Paperwhite reader with a higher-res touchscreen and frontlighting begins at $119. For the game industry, though, it's all about the Kindle Fire, and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos today pumped pure oxygen into the flames. He's starting from a strong market share place, stating that the Kindle Fire accouinted for 22 percent of all tablets sold since its debut.
The new Kindle Fire has doubled its RAM to 1 GB (storage is still 8 GB) and includes a 44 percent faster processor, a front-facing camera and better battery life for the astounding price of $159, down from the previous $199 price. This puts them $40 less than Google's Nexus 7 tablet. The tablet will ship September 14, with pre-orders beginning soon.
The real stars are three new Kindle Fire HD models. The Kindle Fire HD 7 is a 16 GB, 7 inch tablet that features the TI OMAP 4470 dual-core processor that Amazon claims is faster than the Tegra 3; screen resolution is not yet announced. Like its larger cousins, it will have dual speakers, Bluetooth, HDMI output, and enhanced Wi-Fi. The Kindle Fire HD 7 will retail for $199.
Next up is the Kindle Fire HD 8.9 tablet, with an 8.9" 1920 x 1200 display at 254 ppi resolution. The device is 8.8 mm thick and weighs 20 ounces, and the screen has a polarizing filter to cut down glare. The processor is a TI OMAP 4470, it has dual speakers, and it is the first tablet with MIMO, dual-band (2.4GHz, 5GHz) technology, which Amazon says makes the tablet's WiFi 41 percent faster than the latest iPad. There's also Bluetooth (presumably 4.0) support and HDMI output, and 32 GB of storage, all for $299.
Finally, the high end of Amazon's product line is the 8.9 inch Kindle Fire HD with 4G LTE and 32 GB of storage for $499. You get 250 MB of data a month, 20 GB of cloud storage and a $10 Amazon Appstore credit, all for $50 a year. That appears to be an impressive deal, compared to current iPad pricing where a 32 GB iPad with 4G LTE is $729.
Amazon also announced Whispersync for Games, which would allow game developers to store game progress in the cloud.
The competition has suddenly gotten very fierce for holiday hardware dollars. The entry level Kindle Fire is now less expensive than a Nintendo 3DS ($159 versus $169), and the Kindle Fire HD 7 undercuts the PS Vita by $50. When Nintendo rolls out the Wii U, Amazon's tablets will be competing for household dollars. We still have yet to see the new iPhone, which is sure to sell in the millions over the holidays. Apple is rumored to be announcing the new iPad Mini in October, supposedly a 7.85 inch tablet that will sell for $249. Apple may be rethinking their pricing all up and down the tablet line in light of Amazon's aggressive pricing.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...9-go-to-USD499
...by Published on September 6th, 2012 23:16- Categories:
- Xbox 360 News
Microsoft once again outsold the other consoles
Microsoft announced today prior to the NPD report for August that its Xbox 360 console has sold 193,000 units for the month, marking the 20th consecutive month as the top-selling current-generation console in the US.
Microsoft noted that Xbox 360 held 48 percent share of current-generation console sales, which is the 18th consecutive month that the system has held more than a 40 percent share of current-generation console sales in the US. Additionally, total retail spend on the Xbox 360 platform in August (hardware, software and accessories) reached $196 million. Microsoft said that consumers spent more on Xbox 360 products in August than they spent on the other two current-generation consoles combined.
Looking ahead to this holiday shopping season, Microsoft is quite bullish, commenting that "there has never been a better time to own an Xbox 360 than this holiday." The company expects big sales with top tiles like Halo 4, Forza Horizon, Dance Central 3 and Fable: The Journey. The push for Xbox for Windows 8, Xbox SmartGlass and Xbox Music will also start up soon.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...-during-august
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