ASSEMbler posted a comparison of the Untra 64 beta controller, another beta in the transition to the original Nintendo 64 controller, and the last one.

From ASSEMblergames:

As part of my ongoing storage dig / eventual sale, I've been finding some real gems from old caches of game hardware I put away.

There are several versions of the Ultra 64 controller, starting with prototypes, working samples, and then transition to the N64 controller we all know. There are some major differences between the two. Let's start with some nice clear pictures, as never seen before.


What we have above is an Ultra 64 controller, using a hand assembled PCB that doesn't even have the memory card components. It features many
interesting changes you'll see in the diagrams below. It took a minor act of God to get this item, so please don't ask.


The total comparison:
1. The "C" cluster.
Alpha: Contoured non rounded buttons. No "C" marking or rounding.
Beta: Colored, raised, and rounded buttons. Still no "C" designation.
Final: Now called "C"
2. The Analog stick (see picture below)
Alpha: Wide travel, huge top stick with full movement.
Beta: Smaller travel, smaller top, square shape guides movement.
Final: Even smaller top, 8-way guide.
3. The Ultra 64 logo.
Alpha: Nice big logo
Beta and Final: Nintendo logo. Boo.
4. The shoulder buttons.
Alpha: Small, shallow travel.
Beta-Final: Wider for western hands. Less contoured. Deeper travel.
5. The Digital pad "D" pad.
Alpha: Flat, contoured, non rounded, slightly recessed.
Beta, Final: Deeply recessed in a concave impression.

This show how much nintendo really thinks about the controllers they use. The many slight changes make the controller much more usable and in the
end it was fondly remembered as one of the best system controllers of all time. Eventually I will find my Ultra 64, but it's not as exciting as the pad as all they did was change the fron dome sticker for the N64.

I hope you enjoyed this little walk back in time to 1994.

...

Info:

Spacy and I have talked over this, and we have came to the conclusion that now VBA-M Windows builds are quite stable and quick. These can be pretty much considered to be in a beta state, so there might be some remaining bugs.

For those of you who have been living under a large rock these last couple of months, we recommend you read this.

For those that know, well you might be interested in our latest Windows revision, SVN 338...

Download and give feedback via comments

Windows x86 build

Windows x64 build

Source code for Linux/Mac/Windows builds ...

via M&C

Classic gaming doesn’t always have to be something restricted to a fond remembrance of now defunct hardware, or a pastime revisited only via software downloads thanks to the likes of Microsoft’s Xbox Live Arcade or Nintendo’s Virtual Console.

No, if you’re a classic gaming purist holding on to their dusty old consoles of yore then occasionally - just occasionally - something wonderfully surprising comes along to reward your faith in the foundations of videogame history.

Specifically, if you happen to have a carefully maintained SEGA Genesis (Megadrive) nestling lovingly beside your Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 or Nintendo Wii, then a piece of brand new (yes, new) software is on its way for the supposedly retired 16-bit gaming masterpiece.

Previously banded about under the somewhat ambiguous working title ‘Tavern RPG,’ the new and exclusive SEGA Genesis title has now officially been christened by its creators as "Pier Solar and the Great Architects" ahead of its retail release.

"Pier Solar will be the very first all-new game to appear on the Mega/Drive/Genesis and Mega CD/Sega CD in this millennium. It is not a port, not a translation, and has no ripped content whatsoever," outlines the game’s official Web site.

Other details relevant to the game indicate it has been developed specifically for the Genesis by the WM Development/SEGA Homebrow Game community and has been crafted from scratch, utilising only original graphics, imagery and coding.

For those Genesis fans presently rubbing their hands with glee, Pier Solar and the Great Architects will arrive in the style of an isometric J-RPG (Japanese RPG) with turn-based battles and plenty of opportunities for character exploration.

The developers say the game is "evolving in a nice pace" ahead of its scheduled Fall 2008 arrival, and that the team is responding to calls from Genesis fans eager to taste the game by way of a demo. "We are working on that," reveals the site. "Soon we will have news about it and have a link for download, so stay tuned!"

Pier Solar and the Great Architects is expected to be released on the standard Genesis cartridge format. It remains to be seen whether any of the big gaming players picks up the game for release via download too.

...

via PSX Extreme

According to Siliconera, Sony has unveiled a very hot new limited edition PlayStation 2 at the Taipei Game Show: it's a brand new color, called Aka Takara Kurenai, or loosely translated as Crimson Red Treasure. Evidently, the cutie holding the PS2 is also wearing the same color. Furthermore, if you notice in the upper right of the page, that's our ad for the red PS3 we're giving away...see, we warned you about copious amounts of red! That new PS2 is scheduled to arrive in Asian retail stores on February 4, just in time for the Lunar New Year, but Sony didn't say if the Crimson Red Treasure edition was coming to North America. However, if you want a shot at winning an awesome red PS3 (one of a kind!), all you gotta do is register for our newsletter. Simple, yes?

One last added detail from the show- the intriguing and original Echochrome now has an estimated release date of spring 2008 in Asia. It's coming out in Japan on March 19, but again, we gamers in the U.S. don't have anything beyond "TBA 2008" at this point. Let's hope we hear more about both Echochrome and the limited edition PS2 coming to North American shores. In the meantime, isn't all that red pretty? ...

From the official site:

After fixing some boneheadedness in the ASIC event code (and a whole passel of translator caching and other bugs), I’ve finally gotten to the login prompt:

(to clarify, this is the dreamcast-linux-010605 ISO that Takeshi Yaegashi put together several years ago, running a modified 2.4.5 kernel)

Unfortunately (after the happy dance), it was at this point that I realised I haven’t actually implemented the keyboard yet, so it’s impossible to do anything useful with it. It’s also admittedly painfully slow to start, but I was expecting that (TLB lookup is currently near pessimal).

Anyway, working on the keyboard driver now ^_^.

PS: If anyone has a working link to this image, please let me know where it is (I’d like to keep a link to it) - my google-fu has utterly failed to turn up a good version as yet, and my own copy is only on a somewhat scratched CD…

Changes

* Add VMA support to the SH4 disassembly functions
* Handle out-of-page delay slot execution with emulation single-step
* Finish translator breakpoint implementation
* Fix a pair of long standing ASIC event bugs
* Fix xltcache forgetting to clear references to blocks before overwriting them
* Fix recovery + backpatch records not being position independent (big duh!)
* Fix yet another translate block bounds overrun
* Fix MAC.L/MAC.W exception handling (broke the stack if the second arg caused an exception)
* Fix various other minor bugs

Update: Just hacked together a quick keyboard driver, able to login and launch X now. Excellent… ...

New update of the Nintendo DS emulator, this time for Linux.

Changelog:

A lot of fixed and changes. Now the Plugins work. ...

New update of the Nintendo DS emulator, this time for Linux.

Changelog:

A lot of fixed and changes. Now the Plugins work. ...

via IGN

As part of its recently-announced effort to trim the fat from its production pipeline, THQ has announced that it will cancel some upcoming games, kill two of its franchises and close a studio.

As part of an updated financial outlook the company released today, THQ said it has canceled the PlayStation 3 version of Frontlines: Fuel of War and the PlayStation 2 version of Destroy All Humans! Big Willy Unleashed. The PC and Xbox 360 versions of the former game and the PlayStation Portable version of the latter appear to still be alive.

Despite recording a killer fiscal third quarter, fueled by hot sales of SmackDown vs. Raw 2008 and MX vs. ATV Untamed, THQ said games like Ratatouille, Conan, Stuntman: Ignition underperformed and two unannounced games were costing more than expected.

The two unannounced games, under development for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, were scheduled for release in 2010. THQ has pulled the plug on at least one of those titles and closed the studio behind it - Concrete Games.

In today's financial report, THQ also said it no longer plans to "pursue its Juiced and Stuntman" franchises. The company did not say if it plans to sell off the intellectual properties or hold them for future use.

"In October, we announced certain product quality initiatives, including personnel and structural changes in product development and a more rigorous internal and external product evaluation and feedback process," said Brian Farrell, president and CEO of THQ. "Consistent with these initiatives, we have taken actions to strengthen our pipeline and position ourselves to compete aggressively with compelling, high quality games." ...

via IGN

Smash Bros. Brawl -- delayed!

Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G -- delayed!

Sakura Taisen and Mysterious Dungeon Shiren -- also delayed!

Okay, so the two latest delays from Japan probably won't cause much of a meltdown on message boards when compared to the earlier announced delays of Smash Bros. and Monster Hunter, but we're sure a few Sega fanatics will need the warm, comforting bosom of a lover tonight.

Sega Japan announced today that two of its high profile first quarter titles have been pushed back. Dramatic Dungeon Sakura Taisen, originally set for DS release on 2/21, will now arrive a month later on 3/19. Even bigger is the delay for Wii's Mysterious Dungeon Fuurai no Shiren 3 which, instead of its original 2/28 release, will now make it out in June. These dates are all Japan only.

As expected, Sega cited a need to up the quality of the two titles as reason for the delays.

While Sakura Taisen probably doesn't have a chance of release in America, Shiren is set for US release under the name Shiren the Wanderer 3. As the US version is currently with a TBA release date, expect the TBA to come post Summer. ...