News from Flashlinker Europe of a price drop for the N64 Flash Cart ED64Plus

ED64 plus is a Game Cartridge emulator for your N64 Console. It allows you to play your favourite backup game on your N64 console via ED64 plus.

Besides the game cartridge emulation function

- card based on Everdrive 64 V1.x 64Mbyte (512mbit) SDRAM for ROM data
- SD and SDHC cards are supported - FAT16/FAT32 support

Emulation features

- Game saves support (SRAM, SRAM128Kbyte, EEPROM16k, EEPROM4k, FlashRam)
- Region free (will play a PAL ROM on a NTSC system, and vice-versa)
- Multi CIC chip compatible*
- Stores cartridge based saves directly on the SD/MicroSD card**
- Supports all save types, even FlashRAM save type
- Reset button takes the user back to the ED64Plus menu
- USB port included (Plug and play)
- Firmware update by SD card
- Extended slot for Boot Cartridge - Supports all regions (PAL, USA, Japan)

What's inside the box of ED64plus Game Save Device

- ED64plus Game Save Device x 1
- Tools CD x 1
- USB Cable x 1

* The ED64Plus cart require a commercial N64 game cartridge with CIC6102 to be plugged into it as a dongle for the CIC microchip protection check.

** The ED64Plus launch a ROM with corresponding save type automatically. All save types are fully supported. However, the ED64Plus menu allows changing of the save type prior to launching a ROM. This is done by pressing the L/R buttons to cycle through the different cartridge save types. When game is playing, press Reset button will take the user back to the ED64Plus menu, and the ED64Plus automatically creates a save file on the inserted SDCard within the /ED64P/SAVE folder. Each save game will have an extension corresponding to what type of save it is. ...

“Sega returns to the hardware market”. We very nearly went with that headline on this one.
Because it’s kind of true. No, the company isn’t launching a new console. Nor it is reissuing the Dreamcast or Saturn. What it is doing, however, is releasing four PC laptops with retro console stylings.
As spotted by CVG, the machines come in four flavours – Sega Blue, Mega Drive, Saturn and Dreamcast. Each one has a different spec but the top-end £1359 Premium model comes will all four covers.
Inside you’ll find 8GB of RAM, a 120GB SSD, Blu-ray drive, a decent GeForce GT650M GPU and a top-end Intel i7.
Moneybags can order the laptops here.
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/sega-...-japan/0110985 ...

New 3DS title sells 872,922 in week one
It seems Japan is finally starting to tire of interior design and mortgage payments, as new entry Dragon Quest VII: Warriors of Eden knocked Animal Crossing: New Leaf off the top of the software charts.
The top 5 was dominated by 3DS titles, led by the new Dragon Quest which sold 872,922 in its first week after shipping 1 million units.

1. [3DS] Dragon Quest VII: Warriors of Eden - 872,922 (New entry)
2. [3DS] Animal Crossing: New Leaf - 81,559 (Lifetime sales - 2,513,424)
3. [3DS] Fantasy Life - 13,342 (221,720)
4. [3DS] New Super Mario Bros. 2 - 11,685 (1,910,708)
5. [3DS] Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate - 10,523 (218,097)

While on the hardware charts sales of the 3DS XL and 3DS both saw growth, with 37396 and 12617 more sold than last week respectively.

1. 3DS XL - 89,050 (Last week - 51,654)
2. 3DS - 38,645 (26,028)
3. PlayStation 3 - 17,004 (18,106)
4. Wii U - 12,185 (12,959)
5. PSP - 11,056 (12,191)
6. PlayStation Vita - 8,762 (9,596)
7. Wii - 1,945 (1,904)
8. Xbox 360 - 593 (870)

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...ssing-in-japan

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Sony’s new Red and Blue PS3s are now available in the UK.
However, those wishing to grab the red version – perhaps for Valentines Day? – will need to head down to GAME following the retailer’s exclusivity agreement on the hardware.
Or alternatively you can buy it online here.
The Blue version isn’t exclusive to any particular outlet although it might be a little hard to track down, althoughAmazon has them in stock and ready to ship tomorrow.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-PlaySta...0770530&sr=1-1 ...

The world’s eyes may be on PlayStation this month, but it is Xbox that is on the cusp of becoming the UK’s No.1 games console.
Xbox 360 has surpassed 8m UK sales and will overtake Wii in a matter of weeks.
A major push from a revamped SCEE team has seen an upturn in PS3’s performance, but it’s Xbox that has maintained market leadership. And now the platform holder is adding new faces to its team to ensure it stays there.
“Ten years ago, to think we would be the leader in our second generation is a achievement,” said Microsoft regional boss Jon Grimes.
“We have great people that have been with us a long time, and now it’s about strengthening that team.
“But what has got us to where we are today is not going to be what gets us through the next ten years. Now we’ve also got to start from scratch when thinking about the future. Driving creativity, whether around marketing, retail or new business models, is key for us.”


The new Xbox team includes marketing director Harvey Eagle, who was promoted to his role late last year, and sales lead James Wareing, who joins from Nokia. A second sales lead – Anne Lipissier –will join next month from LG.
But does Xbox need to make a move to counter next week’s PlayStation announcement?
“Whatever gets announced on February 20th, the majority of UK consumers won’t know,” Grimes added.
“They’ll still want to buy the devices out there. Our job is not to get lost in the industry chatter, but to ensure that the consumers going into stores, going online, still experience Xbox. The announcement is important for the industry, but it is also important to remember who is buying right now.”

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/xbox-...-round/0110895 ...

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Apple's iWatch will be so beautiful you'll want to cry. And it will keep time faultlessly by running out of power at exactly 4pm.
When I was a child I remember watching a charming animated film about hedgehogs.
Scientists were worried at how many of the little beasts were being run over, so they genetically engineered larger ones. Over time, they needed to make hedgehogs bigger and bigger, until eventually the spiny mammals were six foot tall and a danger to humans.
By this point, cars had begun using hover technology that made them glide one foot above the road. The scientists decided they needed to engineer hedgehogs that were, well, about their original size…
And so we come to Apple's much-rumoured new iWatch.
Lazy journalists like me are very fond of trotting out the observation that phones have cannibalised watches, with their stinky straps and their pathetic tiny faces (the watches, not the journalists).
Thanks to smartphones, no one wears stupid watches any more apart from Roger Federer.
But now it appears that Apple has had this amazing idea. What if, instead of the hassle of reaching into your pocket to get out your iPhone every five minutes, you had some kind of wrist-based device that could perform simple functions and alerts?
You could even tell the time with it.
I'm excited to see how this whole iWatch thing might pan out. Here's how I think it could go.
First Apple will prepare the way for iWatch by suing anyone who infringes their IP. Its lawyers will go aggressively after the BBC's SpringWatch programme, and Bill Oddie will spend the whole of 2014 in a high security Californian penal institution.
When iWatch ships, it will come in a beautiful box that is the work of 27 packaging engineers. The lid will sigh as you remove it.
You will take out the smooth and curved glass product (no physical buttons) and notice that the screen is blank. This is because your iWatch will not tell the time until you have registered and synced it with your iTunes account.
But be warned, iWatch will only sync with the the latest versions of MacOS. If your computer needs an upgrade you can buy one for £89. If your Mac is too old to support Mountain Lion you can buy a new laptop from just £699.
OK, so you've upgraded and synced. You are now ready to start telling the time!
The first thing you'll notice is that the iWatch doesn't have a minute hand.
Or numbers.
This is because minute hands and numbers are ugly and disrupt the majestic sweep of the hour hand. In time, you get used to it, like the Apple mouse without a right click or the phone with no removable battery.
Next step is to attach the strap. However, there isn't one. The good news is that you can buy a colourful magnetic strap at the Apple store for just £39.99.
This is an excellent investment, and will last you six months, after which time the iWatch 2 will come with a new connector that will not support the old strap. However, you will be able to buy an adaptor for £29.99.
The iWatch will work splendidly via Bluetooth with your other iOS devices. It will ping when you get a call, text or email. You can use it to control your music.
However, there may be some teething problems with telling the time. Be careful not to touch it on the left hand side or it may switch to local time in Peru.
Of course, some irrational consumers will object to the beauty and exclusivity of the iWatch. They'll look for alternatives that are more open and customisable. And ugly-looking.
Good news, Google and Microsoft are waiting in the wings.
The first Android watches will arrive in 2014. They'll be OK looking at cheap. But they will also be attacked by malware, and the time will get ****ed up. All over the world Galaxy S-Watch users will turn up for meetings at 3am.
Then Microsoft will re-enter the market (I say re-enter because MS already tried to kickstart the sector with SPOT watches, just as it was first into tablets. Oh, the tragedy of Microsoft).
The first M-Watch will be octagonal and half an inch thick. Its face will be blank and you will need a software licence to download compatible hands.
Occasionally, someone will ask you if you have the time and you will reply: "It's just coming up to 404 Error."

In the years to come, the market will mature and people will buy multiple devices using multiple smart watches. And rather like remote controls today, we'll find these devices piling up. And how we'll laugh as Granddad tries to turn on the Mozilla fridge with his Bada watch.
What a twat.
This is just scratching the surface of the social changes smart watches could bring.
She: "Why do you keep looking at your watch when I'm talking to you? Are you in a hurry?"

He: "No, I think you're great. In fact, I was actually trying to find naked pictures of you on Facebook."

http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/read/...numbers/020593 ...

Nintendo has announced plans to broadcast a Nintendo Direct 3DS event tomorrow.
Providing updates on 3DS games "coming soon as well as in the future", it will be streamed on the Nintendo Direct website from 2pm GMT on February 14.The platform holder's most recent Nintendo Direct press conference was jam-packed with exciting Wii U news including plans to show off a new 3D Mario title and Mario Kart Wii U for the first time at E3 in June.
While 3DS hardware sales continue to track ahead of those of its predecessor at a similar point in its lifetime, Nintendo said last month that the almost two-year-old platform is struggling to achieve the desired impact outside of its home nation of Japan, largely due to a lack of hit games.
President Satoru Iwata went on to outline the firm's intention to boost the range of first and third-party software available for the system in a bid to combat the lack of penetration in western markets and transform 3DS from a "device just to play the Mario series [on]".
While the executive felt that many western third-party studios are focused on making games for home consoles, he said "Japanese software developers are eagerly assigning their top teams to develop key titles for Nintendo 3DS. We therefore plan to more actively support the Japanese software developers in distributing their key titles overseas this year. We are also willing to flexibly assist third-party developers in distributing their valuable games overseas."

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...this-thursday/ ...