Nintendo US's list of new content has arrived and it's got a treat in store for retro Mega Man fans.

Mega Man X headlines this week's update with its arrival on Virtual Console. The game originally hit Super NES in Japan in 1993 (1994 in US) and introduced the more acrobatic X robot to the series.

Getting through the game was made both more fun and more manageable with his new ability to dash and perform wall-jumps which can get you out of trouble when you most need.

Here's the rest of the update list, although you won't want it once you've seen it:

Virtual Console

Mega Man X
Original platform: Super NES
Publisher: Capcom
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) - Violence
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: The future of Mega Man has arrived. Hundreds of years after his death, Dr. Light's final creation is discovered. Released from his capsule by Dr. Cain, X is born into a future world where robot rebellions are a thing of the past. But when Dr. Cain tries to implement Dr. Light's designs into a new series of Reploids, something goes horribly wrong. Now the future lies on the brink of destruction, and X must use all of his newfound powers and abilities to hunt down the maverick Reploids and their leader, Sigma, before the human race is wiped from the planet.

WiiWare

My Little Baby
Publisher: dtp young entertainment
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 600 Wii Points
Description: Have you always dreamed of having a cute little baby to lovingly care for? Now is your chance. Your little bundle of joy smiles at you gleefully, and you have to do everything you can to make sure it develops and grows in a healthy manner. Changing, bathing and feeding are as much a part of your duties as shopping, preparing meals, rocking your baby to sleep, playtime, dressing and teaching it to crawl and walk. But above all, what your little angel needs is your love and attention. All this, plus an enormous selection of toys, clothes and other objects, will make your little one the happiest baby in the whole wide world.

BIT.TRIP CORE (demo version)
Publisher: Aksys Games
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 0 Wii Points; full version available for 600 Wii Points
Description: BIT.TRIP CORE continues the BIT.TRIP saga in this retro-arcade-style game. BIT.TRIP CORE is an exciting action/rhythm game that's best played while zoning out on the tunes and letting the visuals swallow you whole. The experience is inspired by games from the '80s, but with a modern twist. The game play is entirely new to the series, leaving the single-axis controls of BIT.TRIP BEAT behind in favor of the ability to control two axes. If the difficulty gets you down, grab a friend and play cooperatively in two-player multiplayer mode. (Additional controllers are required for multiplayer features and are sold separately.)

Note: Some demo versions do not support all game features, and players cannot save their in-game progress in demo versions.

Nintendo DSiWare

GO Series Captain Sub
Publisher: Gamebridge
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) - Mild Cartoon Violence
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Search the depths of the sea for lost treasure in this charming underwater adventure. Take control of a yellow submarine equipped with a mechanical arm that can grab treasure off the sea floor. Explore an underwater labyrinth of caverns and caves littered with treasures but surrounded by deadly sea creatures. Fire missiles forward to attack creatures in front and launch missiles upward to fend off dangers from above. Keep an eye out for keys that can unlock doors to deeper caverns as you gradually make your way to the hidden chamber where the giant underwater boss awaits.

DodoGo! Robo
Publisher: Neko Entertainment
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Entertaining and accessible to everyone, DodoGo! Robo is a puzzle game in which you have to use your head to avoid getting broken. There's no need to have any knowledge of previous games to explore this new installment in the DodoGo! series. Become the well-known Robo-Egg and collect the maximum number of icons scattered around new puzzle levels. Use the stylus to help your Robo progress, then click on the Play button to see the result. You can even change your route until your Robo picks up all the icons for the level you are playing.

Music on: Learning Piano Volume 2
Publisher: Abylight
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: The entire orchestra follows your performance of 15 great classics. By playing each day, your ability may increase. Earn the bronze, silver and gold medals for each song, completing all different levels. A simplified music score is shown on the upper screen and a full piano keyboard appears on the touch screen, guiding beginners note by note. Songs include classic compositions by Bach, Tchaikovsky and Chopin.
http://www.computerandvideogames.com...VG-General-RSS ...

News via http://dsx86.patrickaalto.com/DSblog.html

After I got DSx86 version 0.31 released, I went back to improving DS2x86. It has been on a small hiatus, so I first needed to remind myself at what state I left it when I began working on the DSx86 enhancements. First I changed the Scaled screen mode to use the same speed enhancements as DSx86, as that was a simple and straightforward change. Next, I went thru the debug logs that you have sent me for version 0.06, and implemented some simple still missing opcodes.
I also spent a couple of hours trying to get rid of the "stuck key" problem, that is, the intermittent problem where not all key presses/releases get recognized. I suspected that my use of the timer interrupt handler for performing the DSTwo SDK screen and audio refresh stuff might be the cause, so I hacked together a version where the timer interrupt only sets a variable to request a screen refresh, and the actual refresh routine is called in the main code. However, sadly this did not have any effect on the key problem, the keys still got stuck. But at least I found out that the timer interrupt does not cause this problem. The next thing I tested was changing the timer interrupt speed from the original 60Hz speed to 59Hz. Curiously, that seemed to help at least somewhat. It seems like the key reading issue is caused by some synchronization problem between the SDK timing and my internal timer. I think I will leave the timer interrupt running at 59Hz in the next version, and I'll let you test and report whether the "stuck keys" are still a problem.


The next step was to download some games that have some more difficult problems, like hanging, jumping to zero segment or BSOD exceptions. I found five games to test; Pinball Fantasies, Xargon, The Chaos Engine, Micro Machines and Zool 2. This is the current status with those test games:

• Pinball Fantasies hung at the start. After some debugging I found out that it hangs in a routine where it tries to sync the timer interrupt to the screen horizontal blanking signal. I had emulated the screen vertical blanking signal with a reasonable accuracy, but the horizontal blanking was just a simple on/off toggle without any proper timing behind it. This seemed to overflow the variable that Pinball Fantasies used in an attempt to sync, and thus it never found a correct sync value and kept trying forever. I changed the horizontal blanking bit in VGA register 0x3DA to report something closer to the proper interval, and Pinball Fantasies progressed further. However, now it jumps to zero segment (null pointer), and I haven't yet figured out what causes that.
• Xargon was just missing one port input opcode, after which it went to the start menu and began a demo game. However, something is still wrong with it, as the timing seems to be seriously messed up. The main menu only displays for a fraction of a second before the demo game begins, and in the demo game the character moves extremely slowly. This issue still needs more study.
• The Chaos Engine begins loading the game, but then jumps to zero segment (null pointer). It looks like the pointer should contain the address of the XMS driver (HIMEM.SYS), but as DS2x86 does not yet have an XMS driver, the game gets a null pointer and then calls it. This should get fixed after I implement the HIMEM.SYS emulation, similar to what I did for DSx86.
• Micro Machines caused a BSOD. I checked the reported address from the map file, and found out that this happens when returning from a forked program when the stack pointer is not aligned. I changed my DOS emulation code to allow for unaligned stack pointer in this situation, and Micro Machines seems to run fine after that change.
• Zool 2 wanted to use an lss opcode in real mode, which I had not implemented yet. I implemented that, but my version of Zool 2 wants to run from a CD-ROM, so I could not test whether the game would work properly after that change.

Currently I am working on the Jazz Jackrabbit game, or more generally, the Borland RTM DOS extender support. I last worked on it during January, and it has not progressed further since that. I have now been debugging it for a few hours, and have determined that some data that it copies from the low memory to the extended memory does not contain the values that it should, but I haven't yet determined where the original data is loaded and why it is different in DS2x86 to what it contains in DOSBox.During the next week I plan to continue working on Jazz Jackrabbit, and possibly implement the HIMEM.SYS emulation for DS2x86. There are also some opcodes whose implementation is still missing, so all these will keep me busy for the next week. After these fixes I think it is time to focus on the audio features. I hope to release a new version of DS2x86 during the next (Easter!) weekend. ...

Continuing our incredible pace of one announcement per month, we're proud to be able to ask you to grab your copies of Hugo's trilogy (DOS or Windows version) and try them out in ScummVM using the latest daily build.
The games supported (Hugo's House of Horror, Hugo 2: Whodunit? and Hugo 3: Jungle of Doom) are still available for sale on the author's site. So buy them if you don't own them, copy the required data files and give them a try!
Don't hesitate to report any bugs you find in the bugtracker, following our bug submission guidelines. Screenshots are welcome too, as usual!

http://www.scummvm.org/news/20110416/ ...

The traditional home console business is quickly losing revenue share to the smartphone market, according to a new report from mobile analyst firm Flurry.
The report is based only on publicly available data and the company's own estimates, but appears to show that the revenues from smartphone and tablet games rose from 19 per cent of the U.S. portable game software market in 2009 (iOS only), to 34 per cent in 2010 (iOS and Android combined).
At the same time the market share for the Nintendo DS family of consoles fell from 70 per cent to 57 per cent, while the PSP dropped from 11 per cent to 9 per cent.
However, both portable consoles were nearing the end of their lifetime by 2010 - when their revenues might naturally be expected to fall. It is also unclear whether the smartphone revenues represent a true loss in market share on the part of consoles or simply an expansion of the whole category.
However, Flurry characterises Nintendo as, "struggling with its own burning platforming: Nintendo DS". The report is also adamant that smartphone revenues are increasing "at the expense of portable gaming".
Flurry's data for the video games market as a whole in the U.S. suggests that the smartphone and tablet market has risen from 5 per cent in 2009 to 8 per cent in 2010. This is estimated as an increase of $500 million to $800 million.
At the same time portable consoles have fallen from 24 per cent to 16 per cent, while home consoles have increased from 71 per cent to 76 per cent.
Since the report covers only publicly available data this does not include digital sales for any traditional console platform. It also does not include PC titles, although Flurry nevertheless estimates that smartphone and tablet revenues exceeded the estimated $700 million PC games market in 2010.
Although Flurry's data shows Apple's iOS having the high-end smartphone market essentially all to itself in 2009, the Android operating system is now dominant. Apple has closed the gap in recent months though, with the most recent data giving Android a 48 per cent market share, iOS 31 per cent, and RIM 18 per cent.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...s-games-market
...

Keep fit title Zumba Fitness is the UK's best-selling video game for the second week in a row, with a lack of new releases seeing only older legacy titles triumph in the latest charts.
Sales for Zumba Fitness fell by only 8 per cent from the previous week, with the Xbox 360 version increasing by 14 per cent. The Wii version still accounts for 90 per cent of sales though and has been the number one selling individual format title now for three weeks.
The only new release of note last week was the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of Michael Jackson: The Experience, although neither managed to chart in the individual format top 20. Combined sales with the existing Wii and portable versions did reach 15 in the all formats chart though - with 64 per cent of all sales on the Xbox 360.
Instead it was older titles which continued to dominate, with the recent Lego Star Wars III moving up one place to number two as sales fell by only 12 per cent. Crysis 2 dropped one place to number three with a 32 per cent decline in sales.
Electronic Arts still has four titles in the top 10, with FIFA 11 at number four (sales up 88 per cent), Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 at number five (down 11 per cent), and Shift 2: Unleashed at number 10 (down 46 per cent).
FIFA 11 is one of several 2010 titles benefiting from retailer discounts before the Easter bank holidays, with Call Of Duty: Black Ops at number nine seeing a 62 per cent increase in sales, Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4 up 112 per cent at number 11, and Red Dead Redemption up 458 per cent at number 13.


http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...uks-number-one ...

Physical retail sales in the US stumbled again in March, dropping 4 per cent despite the launch of a new handheld from Nintendo and huge Pokemon sales.
The market took $1.53 billion in sales compared to $1.58 billion for the same period last year, with software down 16 per cent to $735.4 million.
Hardware was up 12 per cent to $494.5 million and accessories climbed to $241.3 million, or 13 per cent.
Because of the price differential, the 3DS generated greater revenues than did the DS in its launch month in November 2004

Anita Frazier, NPD

Nintendo revealed that the 3DS sold 400,000 in the month from its March 27 debut, outsold by the DS which moved 460,000 units. The Wii moved 290,000 units.
Microsoft had the highest-selling home console with 433,000 units, marking 15 months of growth. PlayStation 3 sales were not available, although NPD confirmed that PS3 and PSP units were up over last March. Sony has this morning announced the PlayStation 3 has topped 50 million unitsworldwide.
NPDs Anita Frazier said that sales of the 3DS "compared favourably" to the launch of the DS in 2004.
"While the 3DS sold about 100,000 units less than the DS did in its launch month, we must consider that the DS launched in November and had holiday seasonality and a price differential of about $100.
"Because of the price differential, the 3DS generated greater revenues than did the DS in its launch month in November 2004. In addition, the 3DS was launched in an environment where there are more devices that can support the portable gaming experience such as tablets and smartphones."
Although physical channels are down 1 per cent for the first quarter, NPD predicts that digital content will help lift the overall market.
"The trends we've measured with regard to growth in digital formats like full game and add-on downloads, microtransactions, mobile apps and social network gaming will likely result in net industry growth when we release our full measure of the first quarter consumer spend on games in June," said analyst Anita Frazier.

In software, Pokemon Black and White dominated the top ten with 2.5 million units sold combined, but it was also a strong month for EA with Dragon Age II and Crysis 2, as well as THQ's Homefront.

• 01 Pokemon White Version (DS)
• 02 Pokemon Black Version (DS)
• 03 Home front (360, PS3, PC)
• 04 Dragon Age II (360, PC, PS3)
• 05 Call of Duty: Black Ops (PS3, PC, 360, Wii, DS)
• 06 LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars (Wii, DS, 3DS, PC, PSP, 360, PS3)
• 07 Crysis 2 (360, PC, PS3)
• 08 NBA 2K11 (360, PS3, PS2, Wii, PSP, PC)
• 09 MLB 11: The Show (PS3, PSP, PS2)
• 10 Fight Night Champion (360, PS3)

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...dheld-launches ...

D3Publisher's Earth Defense Force franchise has earned itself another Japanese number one this week, although it does so with just 64,000 unit sales and amidst little competition.
The PSP title is a version of PlayStation 2 game Chikyuu Boueigun 2, which was never released in North America and only in Europe as Global Defence Force. However, it is the best regarded of the series by fans and part of a push by D3Publisher to promote other new entries in the franchise.
Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2 Professional on the Nintendo DS sold just 42,000 units at number two in the charts, with third-placed dating simulator Amagami selling just 24,000 units.
The only other new entry in the top ten is manga and anime tie-in Kimi ni Todoke: Tsutaeru Kimochi, which sold 11,000 in its debut at number seven. Number 10 title Phantasy Star Portable 2 Infinity on PSP sold just 9,000 units to secure its place in the top 10.
There is some positive news for the 3DS format though, with one of the three versions of nintendogs + cats returning to the top 10 at number eight. The system is unlikely to see a significant boost though until next week, when Pilotwings Resort is released.


http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...umber-one-spot ...

The PSP has again outsold the 3DS in Japan, with sales of Nintendo's new handheld dropping by 10,000 units to just 32,910.
All formats have seen a drop though in what has been a very slow week for the market in Japan, with the best-selling software title recording just 64,000 unit sales.
According to data obtained by Andriasang, sales of the PSP-3000 alone dropped by almost 22,000 in just the space of the week, to a total of 35,478. Combined sales with 356 units of the PSPgo stood at 35,834.
The PlayStation 3 experienced a drop of 5000 units to 22,431, but remained easily the best-selling home format. Wii sales fell by around 1500 units, dropping to a four digit total of just 8825.
The Nintendo DS family of consoles sold 16,935 units in total (DSi XL: 8386, DSi: 8035, DS Lite: 514) - a drop of just over 2000 units. The PlayStation 2 was down a few hundred to 1395, but the Xbox 360 was up slightly to 1906.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...again-in-japan
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News via http://gbatemp.net/t287964-mind-maze-20110409

NightFox has updated Mind Maze, a Homebrew Bounty entry. This update adds multiple puzzles to the third minigame.




QUOTE(Change Log)

• New release with 3 labyriths on 3rd minigame.

Download Here ...